Jeff Probst Reveals What Old-School 'Survivor' Element May Come Back

When you're on the air for nearly 25 years and 50 seasons, it only makes sense to shed some elements from early iterations along the way. Indeed, when watching the first seasons of Survivor, there is plenty of creative choices that have disappeared into the ether. Gone are the days of a giant chest of money in the middle of Tribal Council, the Rites of Passage to remember the eliminated castaways, the set and prop aesthetics tinged with themes like pirates and war.

One of these old-school pastiches are individual castaway personal items. Ordinarily, Survivor players were stranded in the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on their backs, the surrounding flora and fauna, and any supplies that come their way via rewards. The sole exception in the early seasons, though, would be what were colloquially known as "luxury items." They served as a solitary, yet consistent reminder of the world that existed outside of their beachside bubble. Amidst both the dirt-filled elements, as well as the dirty gameplay, they were an anchor back to the friends and family waiting for them at home, indicating that this was all, in a phrase, worth playing for.

Over the first decade of Survivor, we saw plenty of personal mementos enter the game. The first boot in the show's history, Sonja Christopher, brought a ukulele, which she used in her sole episode to serenade the season's future winner Richard Hatch. The next season, Colby Donaldson brought in a giant Texas state flag, which doubled as a makeshift tarp. Rob Cesternino showcased his quirky charm immediately when he brandished a Magic 8 Ball in The Amazon. The luxury items even folded back in on themselves at a certain point, as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in Heroes vs. Villains showed James Clement chose to bring the two idols he was memorably voted out with.

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The topic of luxury items was brought up on the most recent episode of "On Fire: The Official Survivor Podcast." While the show typically recaps that week's installment of the CBS reality series, they often close out the podcast with questions from the audience. One listener asked about why the personal mementos have not been seen on the show in some time, allowing Jeff Probst to pull open the curtain on their decision-making.

"In the early seasons, we allowed them to bring one emotional item," the host and executive producer answered, "Which means it couldn't be survival related. You're not going to bring a toothbrush. But then we stopped letting them start the game, and we started using them as rewards. And then we just stopped altogether. But we do still have them. They bring one with them, and we approve them, and then we hold them in case we decide we want to use them in the game for any number of reasons."

Indeed, looking through Survivor history, we have seen a few instances of what Probst is indicating. For instance, during the seasons that utilized the Redemption Island mechanic, those that were sent off to live in isolation during the "loser's bracket"-style twist was given their luxury item, and even had the chance to leave it behind after they leave the game. Challenges in Seasons 12, 20, and 32 had the items up as a reward, allowing the winners to get a much-needed dose of the outside world. Interestingly, even though they haven't appeared on screen in nearly a decade, they still seem to be part of the show, as affirmed by Charlie Davis.

"My item was a stuffed animal," the Season 46 runner-up recalls. "I had named Rally Monkey. I got it at my first baseball game I ever went to with my dad. And then right after I got it, my dog, Shelby, completely chewed his face apart. And then my mom sewed him up and put buttons on him for eyes. I gave him to my girlfriend when we were long distance, so it had a lot of emotional ties. He looks a little bit like a horror movie prop now. But he makes me think of all my loved ones, and I think that's what the emotional item was really all about."

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The other part of the listener question asks if there's a chance that this invisible element can appear in the foreground. Is there a chance luxury items could make their in-game return?

"It's an interesting question," Charlie responds. "How would it affect the game? So if you got your emotional item at the start of the game, it would be an instant way to connect with your tribe mates more. You could tell stories of your loved ones, point to them in a photo, show them your mangled stuffed animal, your favorite place you used to visit back home. And then, if we're talking as a reward, talking as a part of the family reward, I think it would make people fight that much harder, because you're always looking for a little bit of comfort. But when you have people fighting a little harder, you also have the losers of the family reward feeling a lot worse about being left behind. So maybe some even more tension, if you had that in there."

The pitch seemed to work on Probst. saying he would put the suggestion in his notes. After all, the upcoming Season 50 has been mentioned to be a celebration of everything that has come before it. And what could be a better way to honor those foundational adolescent days of the series by bringing back one of its forgotten hallmarks?

Next, check out our Survivor 47 preseason interview with Jeff Probst.