Jeff Probst Reveals Recent ‘Survivor’ Challenge Made Producers Anxious – Here’s Why
Jeff Probst revealed that a recent "Survivor" challenge made the producers panic.
The decades-old survival reality show offers challenges to the contestants to test their physical and mental abilities. In the past years, the participants always break the challenge that proves their capacity even more.
However, Probst said that the recent challenge in the March 23 episode of "Survivor" Season 42 was the most intense.
What Happened During the Challenge in "Survivor" Season 42
During the episode's immunity challenge, the contestants were knocked by water and wind while swimming from a platform to get a ladder from the ocean floor. They were also asked to swim with the ladder in order to unlock bean bags.
Ika and Vati tribes, unfortunately, found it hard to stay afloat in the water due to the life-threatening condition. It then prompted Probst and the producers to step in and tell the contestants to skip the ladder-climbing portion instead.
To explain what happened in the episode, Probst said they did not want to take a risk despite having safety swimmers on standby.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said that people tend to be terrified once they feel overwhelmed by the ocean.
"I've been in a similar situation, and I can still remember the feeling. You are working as hard as you can to withstand the push and pull of the ocean, which leads to exhaustion which only amplifies the panic," he added. "It can quickly become a panic situation because you are struggling to get a breath that doesn't include a mouthful of saltwater."
Probst shared how there would be no fun about it if the players were struggling. Instead, a challenge would only be about exhaustion and fear.
Despite the risk, none of the contestants reportedly asked for help during the 22 minutes of the challenge. Still, the producers themselves knew it should not take that long since they had a practice days earlier.
However, the tornado-like condition made things a little brutal.
Throughout the 42 seasons of "Survivor," they never stopped a challenge. But the recent one was the first terrifying challenge they ever faced. In fact, Probst and the show's team reportedly had no time to discuss the decision since it was impossible for the contestants to hold the ladder while someone was climbing it.
Although they had to cancel the challenge, "Survivor" earned massive support for putting the cast's safety first.
