Survivor, you don’t look a day over 50. The very first episode of Survivor aired 25 years in the past at this time on Might 31, 2000. Who knew {that a} quarter of a century later, Jeff Probst and CBS would nonetheless be churning out seasons of the truth competitors hit? Survivor unveiled the forged for its milestone fiftieth season on Wednesday, Might 28, simply in time for Survivor‘s twenty fifth anniversary. Once we had Probst on the TV Insider studio to speak Seasons 48 and 50 earlier this yr, we had the Emmy-winning host look again on Survivor‘s legacy by his first TV Information Journal cowl shoot.
Probst flips by the pages of the January 2003 situation within the video above, sharing with us what he remembers from that day on set with our print publication, American Idol‘s Simon Cowell, and The Bachelorette‘s Trista Sutter. Even if Survivor had being there to advertise Survivor Season 6 and Idol and Bachelorette had been newer reveals, Probst remembers some emotions of imposter syndrome on the day.
Cowell was already a well known title within the music business by the point American Idol began. “Idol was gigantic and Trista was all over the place” on the time, so Probst, whose breakout function was internet hosting Survivor, felt like he was “undoubtedly within the shadows of those nice reveals.” Nevertheless it was a nonetheless a pinch-me second for host, now 63.
“Truthfully, I used to be honored. I couldn’t consider that I used to be going to be on the duvet of TV Information [Magazine],” Probst shares. “I bear in mind telling my mother, ‘I simply did a shoot with Simon Cowell and Trista, and I feel I’m going to be on the duvet.’”
He begins to unpack his wardrobe on the duvet. Probst, Sutter, and Cowell all wore white shirts with kinds befitting the themes of their reveals. Probst dons a linen button-down that’s good for Survivor‘s out of doors adventures. The parted material on the shoulders of Sutter’s sleeveless shirt have an air of romance to them — good for somebody who was about to fall in love on TV (Survivor would get its personal onscreen romance two seasons later when Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich fell in love whereas competing within the first-ever returning gamers season, Season 8). And Cowell wore a crisp white tee that grew to become a signature type for the music government on Idol. Probst remembers his choker and bracelet from this cowl and notes that he probably put that bracelet on when Season 1 started filming and had but to take it off.
See extra of Probst’s journey down Survivor reminiscence lane within the full video above. Comfortable birthday, Survivor!
Survivor, Season 49 Premiere, Fall 2025, Season 50 Premiere, Spring 2026, CBS