Jeff Probst Explains How 90-Minute Episodes Will Be Used in 'Survivor 46'

The Emmy-winning host and executive producer also teases a "multi-step hidden immunity idol with a unique delayed ticking clock" for the upcoming season.

Mike Bloom
9 hours ago

Last year, Survivor entered a new era within the formal "new era" of the show. With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes leaving scripted content holes in CBS' schedule, the network made the change that, for the first time in the show's history, Survivor would air 90-minute episodes the entire season.

The change was a welcome one by Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst, who had been pitching an increase in the usual 60-minute runtime for years at this point. As a result, knowing they now had 50% more screen time, the crew went to work to fill it up. We got a new take on hidden immunity idol hunts, new advantages, and even the long-awaited return of the Survivor auction after a 15-season hiatus.

The result was near-universal acclaim for the new runtime. Many lauded the extra time to give us more exposure to the castaways and their stories, important relationships, and complicated strategies. This all contributed to very high remarks for Survivor 45, with many calling it the best season since the "new era" began in 2021.

When the Survivor 45 on-island aftershow wrapped, the crew immediately shifted into planning for season 46, which would start in only a couple of weeks. The issue, though, is that CBS had only guaranteed them 90-minute episodes for one season. The network would only make the call as to whether to continue the extended runtime after season 45 aired in the fall. Unfortunately, that didn't help a show that would have filmed a whole season several months before CBS would make that decision.

So did production end up going back to planning a 60-minute episode season for Survivor 46? Luckily for us, no! "We had a feeling that if the 90-minute episodes were well received in Survivor 45, we might end up doing them again in Survivor 46," Probst exclusively tells Parade.com, "so we had that in mind every day of shooting."

With the optimistic assumption of 90-minute episodes, the show moved ahead with continuing to stuff each round of play. The main difference between 45 and 46, though, was that each twist, advantage, and reward had to be incorporated with the contingency that it could be cut out if the runtime was reduced.

"We designed things like a multi-step hidden immunity idol with a unique delayed ticking clock that gave us flexibility in the edit bays," Probst says.. "We also paid attention to fun character-driven moments that were happening at camp and made sure to get the interviews we needed to explore them in our storytelling. So even though we didn’t officially shoot for 90 minutes, we still kinda did!"

Survivor 45 also incorporated multi-step idols into the season. Rather than finding the idol outright, players would instead find scrolls that would require them to accomplish one or more tasks before they received their idol.. The tasks ranged from digging under the shelter to matching up symbols on the tribe flag to melting a candle that contained the idol in it. Hilariously, the latter was found in the Lulu tribe, which did not have fire due to an extended losing streak. As a result, Sabiyah Broderick infamously put the candle in the fire at Tribal Council to melt it and retrieve her idol.

Unfortunately, while the extended idol hunts will carry over from season 45, one event will not. Probst revealed to us that the auction would not be appearing again in season 46, though he did tease that it will come back in one of the next two seasons. Talking further about the subject to Entertainment Weekly, he explained that the work done to fill out the extended runtime had exhausted both their resources and the crew by the end of season 45. As a result, they elected to take a season off of the auction, something that apparently required copious coordination from multiple departments across a crew that spans hundreds of people.

Despite that, Probst's remarks should be welcome ones for Survivor fans. When the 90-minute episode announcement was made last year, many were concerned that this would give the show an excuse to stuff more idols and advantages into a game that was arguably already stuffed to the gills. But it seems like the approach to Survivor 46 is to use the extra time to focus more on camp life and character-driven moments, rather than a surplus of trinkets.

However, this is Survivor after all. Much like the players are kept on their toes, there's a good chance we may still see 90-minute episodes show some advantages get thrown in. Even Survivor 45 had several on-island twists not make the final cut. Kendra McQuarrie, for example, visited the Lulu camp in the premiere, attended Tribal Council, and even cast a vote. However, that was ultimately removed from the final edit, as Hannah Rose's quit had canceled the vote. At the tribe swap, Brandon "Brando" Meyer had found a note in his buff that was later confiscated by production. Though the nature of the note is a mystery, fans believe that he had randomly been given the power to switch places with someone on one of the other swapped tribes.

"The philosophy of the new era is to create uncertainty at every turn," Probst says when asked about returning twists and advantages. "The more the players begin to accept the uncertainty, the more permission they can give themselves to just go play the game. And that’s what you’re going to see happen this season… tremendous game play."

Survivor 46 will not only continue the extended runtime from last season, but expand upon it even further. In addition to 90-minute episodes all season long, both the February 28 premiere and the second episode on March 6 will run a whopping two hours each. This is partially due to a shortened season of The Amazing Race 36, which will return with 90-minute episodes the week after. Which means even more character time for one of the most unique casts the show has ever seen.

"We’re so happy to have two-hour episodes for weeks one and two because it really gives us a lot of time to get to know the players, and this is a REALLY fun group!" Probst says. "Any time you can lay an early foundation from a character standpoint, it will pay off down the road.

"The easiest way to think about the positive impact is that it gives the episodes a chance to breathe. So we can spend a few more moments with a tribe as they are building shelter, or eavesdrop on them as they play a game of music trivia. These are the kinds of moments that we often have to cut out of the episode due to time length. But for this season, we can keep them in, and, as a result, you get to know the players on a deeper and more personal level."

Source: https://parade.com/tv/survivor-46-90-minute-episodes-jeff-probst-interview

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Brian