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'Survivor: Edge of Extinction': Why Jeff Probst is the godfather of TV show hosts

Jeff Probst, 54, returns with season 38 of ‘Survivor’ titled ‘Edge of Extinction’ on Wednesday, February 20 on CBS

In 1997, before the Real Housewives started throwing drinks at each other, before hip-hop artists started pulling each other’s wigs off, and before people found the joy in keeping up with the Kardashians, CBS had sent a group of strangers to an isolated island and got them to fight for survival. It was revolutionary at the time and, after 22 years, the formula has stood the test of time. While the contestants, competitions and the exotic locations have all contributed to the show’s success, we would argue that one aspect of ‘Survivor,’ the host and executive producer Jeff Probst, has been the biggest factor.

There are hosts and there are hosts who are as important as the show itself, and Probst is one of the latter. In fact, we would argue that he is the Godfather when it comes to being a television host. Spanning over 37 seasons on CBS, ‘Survivor’ is by far one of the longest-running reality TV shows of all time. During this period, Probst has come up with and fine-tuned great catchphrases, while playing a fair, firm and fastidious referee.