season 14 Preview

Transcript: 

Thanks to James Barber

Julie: Be honest, we've been waiting way too long for this. Tonight is day 1 of Survivor's 14th season.

<clip from episode 1 >

Jeff voiceover: Just below, are 19 strangers hat represent an extreme cross-section of America. From a former homeless street performe to a Harvard-educated lawyer. They have been given absolutely no information. The fear of the unknown is so strong, that one survivor quit just moments before being set adrift miles from shore. 39 days, 19 people, one survivor.

Julie: Survivor host Jeff Probst has a preview for us. Good morning, Jeff. 

Jeff: Good morning, Julie.

Julie: Weren't you supposed to have 20 people this time around? What happened to the person who dropped out?

Jeff: We did have 20. Literally, the night before - several hours before we put them in the boat, one woman - bless her heart - started having a panic attack. This had been something she'd had before in her life but she thought they were under control. But she sort of spun out of control and she couldn't do it. Our doctors checked her out and there was was no...we weren't gonna talk her into it, and, 'Take a minute to relax.' It was something she couldn't do.

Julie: Wow. We respect that. But out of the 19 who are left, how would you describe this bunch?

Jeff: This is one of the seasons where we truly have a group of individuals. There are more distinct personalities than I think we had last season. You get to know them fairly quickly.  In the first one or two episodes you'll know quite a few people. You've got guys like Rocky - Rocky was leading the pack there. Rocky looks like Sylvester Stallone - if you sucked all the air out of Stallone, you'd have this miniature version right there. There's Rocky. You've got another guy. There's Yao-Man. This guy actually grew up on the beaches in Borneo where we shot the very first season. He's very comfortable on the beach, comfortable arond the coconut, and extremely likeable. He's kind of like a Rudy. I instantly took to him and thought, I hope you do well in this show. We've got an interesting group of people.

Julie: What is different this season compared to previous seasons? We know last season you divided the tribes based on race. What are you doing this time around?

Jeff: Well, this time, we wanted to create a class system, a rich and the poor, a have and the have not, whatever you want to call it. So we took all 19, we put 'em on the one boat, put them to the beach, then I come over in a float plane, drop a crate. In the crate, there are blueprints to build this massive shelter. There's a map to help them find lumber and tools. So we give them everything they need to build a gigantic place. Then we divide them into two groups. The winning group gets to live there. The losing group gets a pot, a machete, and a cave. 

Julie: And they don't know that until after this great place is built, right?

Jeff: Exactly. So, you know, it's long enough in the run of Survivor that for sure some people are going, "This is too good to be true. Something bad is gonna happen." You don't know if it's going to be you. You don't know if you're going to be living together. And when they found out, you got to see the looks on their faces, it was one of, "We gotta win. If we don't win, we go to a cave, and it's not gonna be good." And it wasn't. And Julie, it created a rivalry, and as you know, on shows like this, you need a bit of animosity so people really are competing against each other.

Julie: Yeah, I know. I mean, it makes for good television. Let's be honest.  At the end of tonight's episode, something really dramatic happens. What can you tell me about that?

Jeff: Wow. Well, what you might be referring to is, and I probably misspoke when I was talking to the producers, at the end of this season, there's actually a really big dramatic - a big decision. This sort of leads up to - you get to know these peole, and a lot of weird things happen, and then you get to the end. There's a decision that personifies Survivor. Is it a game or is it life? Do ethics come into play or not? And it really plays out in a big way. It's the kind of thing where all of the producers on the beach were going, "Here's what I would do." "Well, this is what I would do."

Julie (laughs): Well, a million bucks would do that, I imagine. 

Jeff: It's so true. 

Julie: 14 seasons. Amazing. Jeff Probst, thanks so much. We'll be watching for sure. 

Jeff: Good seeing you, Julie. 

Julie: Good to see you.