Jeff Probst is addressing criticism he’s gotten over his alliance with Zac Brown.
Fans of the long-running reality competition series haven’t been pleased how much screentime the controversial country singer has received in the show’s landmark 50th season.
Speaking with Variety in an interview published on Wednesday (May 13), the Survivor host said: “It’s fascinating to me that a couple of people, most of them either former players or people who will never play, criticize the show, and it gets momentum. I tell anyone who wants to listen: If that’s your goal, to somehow impact our point of view, it will fail. We trust what we’re doing.”
He went on to say that if anyone thought they were going to “re-edit” because they thought “there was too much Zac Brown,” they haven’t been paying attention to his interviews.
“I couldn’t be more serious,” Probst continued. “I love Survivor. I love joy. I love fans. I’ve also got a backbone. It’s gonna take more than that to knock me over.”
Online backlash focused on Zac‘s prominent role in episode four, with viewers frustrated that he seemed to receive more screen time than actual contestants.
During the March 18 episode, the “Chicken Fried” singer, who is one of Jeff‘s close friends in real life, appeared in multiple solo confessionals, joined the Fiji-set reward challenge, spearfished for the winners, and performed for them afterward.
Critics argued the attention on the celebrity cameo came at the expense of players like season 46’s Tiffany Ervin.
Notably, former contestant Angelina Keely amplified concerns in a viral March Instagram post, saying fans expected Tiffany to receive more confessionals than “a random celeb that no one asked to see” and criticized the show for relying on outdated stereotypes.
Did you know Probst was supposed to make a cameo appearance in one of this year’s biggest horror movies?
The post Jeff Probst Fires Back at ‘Survivor 50’ Criticism Aimed at Zac Brown: ‘We Trust What We’re Doing’ appeared first on Just Jared – Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment.
