early show 12 episode 14

Jeff Probst's Early Show Interview

Video:

Transcript SurvivorFever.net  5.12.06 

Rene Syler:  On last night's dramatic Survivor: Exile Island, Terry's dominance of the game started to slip.  Aras won two challenges in a row resulting in a shocking Tribal Council stalemate.  

<video clip of tie vote>

Rene:  Since no one was tossed off this week we decided to go straight to the source, Survivor host Jeff Probst.  Jeff, good morning.

Jeff Probst:  Good morning, Rene.

Rene:  It was at that point that I threw something at my TV. You talk about your cliffhanger!

JP:  You know, we've never done that.  We've never  done a "to be continued".  We've never had an episode where we didn't vote somebody off.  But it was so compelling and so dramatic and because we only had four people left we felt like we could get away with it and go into Sunday's finale with all four still in the game.

Rene:  We're surprised, Jeff, to see those two, Cirie and Danielle, at the end there?

JP:  What surprises me most about that scenario is that Cirie is in it at all.   I think she is one of the biggest surprises we've ever had on the show.  We put her on just as a...just to inspire other people to come out and try it.  We had no idea she would make it this deep into the show.

Rene: In fact she talks about that in our secret scene.  Let's take a look.

Jeff: OK.

[secret scene]

Cirie <confessional> : It is unbelievable for me that I am in the Final Four.  I didn't expect to be here maybe longer than six or seven days.  So, this is like HUGE for me. 

Danielle <confessional> :  Now it's definitely everyone for themselves.  There is no word "team" anymore.  Aras and Cirie are aligned.  It's up to Terry to decide if he wants to align with me. 

Danielle <to Terry> :  What do we have?  Five days left?

Terry:  Five full days.

Danielle <confessional> :  At this point, everybody's vulnerable. 

[end of secret scene]

Rene:  Jeff, Cirie has been impressive but even more impressive than Cirie has been Terry and his dominance of the game.

JP:  Yeah, Terry is...you think back to how long if you've been watching, it seems like forever that Terry has been on his own. Ready to be voted out if he lost Immunity.  Not only has he continued to dominate up until last night but then he had that Hidden Immunity Idol which also really kept him safe.  I give him a lotttt of credit.

Rene:  Why didn't he use the idol?  Of course he didn't need to but he could have given it away to Danielle. 

JP:  Cirie said it a few weeks ago. She said, "If he ever gives that idol up to someone else it will go down as one of the dumbest moves in the history of Survivor."  That is why Cirie is still in the game, because she's right.  Ultimately, even if he had felt secure, the minute he gives that up to Danielle, if that's who he wanted to give it to, he could be being played by those three who are all former Casaya members, and he's out of the game.  I think he would have been crazyyyy to give it to her.

Rene:  This bad blood between Aras and Terry last night and we saw it on the course there.  Yikes, it was hard to watch.

JP:  Part of that, too, I think that is just indicative of guys.  They're frustrated and they've been out there for, that's day 36?  I actually was kind of inspired by it.  They kept pushing each other.  Terry has, I think, definitely ruffled a few feathers with some of his comments about what's important.  When he's telling Aras that your mom is not as important as a wife or a husband.  That...I heard that and went, "wow, Terry, are you serious." 

Rene:  Okay, Sunday night we're going to pick it up where?  At the fire challenge?

JP:  Right.  We have four people left.  We pick up at the fire challenge which is great.  The loser is out.  The winner goes onto the Final Three.  We do the live vote right afterwards and we have the Reunion Show and that's Sunday night.

Rene:  Cannot wait for that.  Jeff, so good to see you again. Of course, it´s so much fun of watch every season and looking forward to Sunday night. Thanks Jeff.

JP:  Good seeing you, Rene.

Rene: For a big hour season finale of Survivor, Exile Island airs this Sunday night at 8/7 central, right here on CBS and it will be immediately followed by a live 1 hour reunion special.