Jeff Probst says you don't need a sob story to get cast on Survivor

The new era of Survivor has featured a lot of twists, turns, journeys, advantages, and idols. And it has featured a lot of something else — emotional backstory packages highlighting the adversity players have overcome before getting to the island. But host Jeff Probst says just because there has been a bigger emphasis on such piano-music laden scenes focused on past trauma, that doesn't mean you need a "sob story" to get on the show.

The topic of the backstories comes up on the latest episode of Probst's On Fire podcast he cohosts with former player Rick Devens (Survivor: Edge of Extinction) and producer Jay Wolff. "They started because when we shifted the focus of our casting in season 41 to be more diverse in every way, as we've talked a lot about, it led to so many interesting stories that we'd never heard before," Probst says on the podcast. "Stories of immigrant families, stories of incredible obstacles that were overcome during childhood, stories of people learning how to like themselves, their own unique self. So out of the gate, we made a decision: We're going to invest time and energy into telling some of these stories on the show."

This week's episode of Survivor 45 featured one such package on contestant Jake O'Kane, who talked about hiding his binge-eating problem from his family as his weight went up to 287 pounds. "Jake, as I said last week, it's one of my favorite origin stories ever," Probst says. "Mainly because of the courage of Jake to share so openly. That was a very personal story and so relatable to so many people, but also the beautiful way it was told in the editing. And then that shift where he's down and he's telling you about his lowest moment, and then he laughs… and it finishes as one of the most moving pieces we've ever done."

While Probst credits his editing team for putting it all together, he also gives major props to Jake for his storytelling prowess. "I think Jake should expect to do some speaking events because I really do mean it, I think that was probably relatable to millions of people. And maybe he should start it with playing this scene from Survivor 45 and then get into it."

However, Devens then asks the Survivor host about people he's spoken to that now worry they'll never be cast on the show because they don't have an equally emotional "sob story."

"I'm really glad you said that, because I hear it too," Probst responds. "And I can see how you could draw that conclusion. If you don't have this kind of a backstory, we may not tell your backstory, but that doesn't mean you won't get on Survivor. There are people on this season that don't have this incredible backstory. It's not about that. All we want on Survivor are compelling, authentic people. So just trust us that we're telling the truth. Don't try to make assumptions based on what you've seen. If you want to play Survivor, apply."

So if you have lived a drama and trauma-free life, rest assured you can still get cast on Survivor. It just means your childhood photos and videos might not make the cut.

For more inside intel from the host and showrunner on the latest episode, check out On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast.

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