Winner Winner
Ahead of the show's live finale, Probst breaks down a milestone season shaped by artists like Billie Eilish, Zac Brown, and Billie Joe Armstrong
For one glittering moment in 2016, a woman in an oversized two-tone wig and matching top hat stepped onto the Survivor finale stage to hand $50,000 to a gardener from San Francisco. The hefty prize had been awarded not because the man outwitted, outplayed, or outlasted his competitors, but because he refused to let his tribe slaughter a chicken.
The woman behind the prize was Sia — yes, that Sia — and what first felt like a wonderfully random act of reality-TV chaos soon evolved into one of Survivor’s strangest traditions: the “Sia Prize,” an unofficial cash award for players whose stories moved her. More often than not, the money went to the underdogs. Across eight seasons, she handed out more than $1 million of her own money to 19 contestants before host Jeff Probst finally stepped in.
“I called her and said, ‘I’m stopping this because you’ll just keep giving money and you have a family,’” he told Rolling Stone. “She didn’t fight me, but she didn’t thank me either.” Now, the fan favorite award is back for the 50th season finale of Survivor, set to air Wednesday, May 20.
This time, however, there’s a twist. Per the season’s “In the Hands of the Fans” theme, Sia is inviting viewers to vote for “the kind of player she always recognizes” and the chosen winner will walk away with $100,000.
This season, however, Sia isn’t the only musician-fan circling the island. Survivor 50 has turned into a mixtape of music-making superfans, from Billie Joe Armstrong to Zac Brown washing ashore for a reward-challenge serenade. Notably, the show’s latest installment also saw the introduction of the “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol,” a collaborative idea that came from the pop star herself.
Even Probst couldn’t resist the pull, unleashing his “inner David Lee Roth” to cut a custom Survivor anthem of his own.
Ahead of the finale — with Season 51 in the can and Season 52 gearing up soon in Fiji — the host reflects on why musicians gravitate toward the show, whether more famous fans might join, and what wrangling Dave Mustaine on a midnight tour bus once taught him about running the wildest workplace on television.
How did the Sia Prize come back? What was her reaction to turning it over to the fans?
When we decided that Survivor 50 was going to be “In the Hands of the Fans,” I reached out to Sia to let her know what we were doing and to see if she had any interest in being part of it again. She loved the idea of fans having a real voice in shaping the game and was very enthusiastic about participating. And the twist on the Sia Prize was actually her idea. She said, “If this season is truly about the fans having a say, then the fans should choose the winner of the Sia Prize too.”
What do you think motivates Sia to do something like this?
One night after a live show, everybody had gone to dinner and I was the last one grabbing my stuff. Two blank checks, signed by Sia, just sitting there. I texted her a photo: “You are such a weirdo.” She goes, “Oh yeah, just bring them and give them to me, or tear them up.” But that’s Sia. Another night she was in the green room and I asked why she does this. She said, “I’ve been really fortunate. Music has been good to me. I make a lot of money, and Survivor brings me a lot of joy, so I want to share my money with people who brought me a lot of joy.” Then she gave them tax advice.
What is it about the show, or the lessons of the show, that you think musicians like Sia, Billie Eilish, or Zac Brown might gravitate toward?
From the music perspective, because people like Sia are fans who happen to be musicians. But I think, to extrapolate, our son is a musician. When he plays us a song he just wrote, he’s nervous. It’s from his soul. And that’s Survivor: real people telling you their truth. Being vulnerable. Like the vulnerability of sharing your art. That’s what people connect with.
This season, Zac Brown was the first mainstream performer to be part of a reward. Was introducing a musical element something you’d been thinking about?
No. This wasn’t a hole we were trying to fill. I’m a Zac Brown fan, so it was only personal in that I love his music and I like what he stands for. But honestly, he was the one that brought it up. What’s key, to me, is that he said: “I wish I could play, but I’ll never have 39 days, but if you ever need me for a day or two…” And I just said, “I may take you up on that.” But I did have this idea: Why be limited in our definition of a fan? If somebody’s cool, and they happen to be famous, and they love Survivor and want to be part of it, that should be okay. It’s what Mike White said: “All kinds of people watch Survivor, even very famous, very successful people.” But Zac didn’t come out here as a country music star. He came out here as a fan, and that’s what the players felt. It came authentically from him, like the Sia Prize came from her.
Some fans might have missed that Billie Joe Armstrong and his son, Jakob, recorded a cover of “Heroes” for Survivor 50. Who chose that as the song?
Laurel Dusenberry and Amy Osler from CBS wanted to do something big and different for 50, centered around music. They reached out to Billie Joe Armstrong to see if they would be interested. Turns out, Billy and his family are Survivor fans, so they were excited to be a part of it. CBS originally suggested “Feeling Good,” by Nina Simone, but Billie countered with David Bowie’s “Heroes,” and everybody instantly fell in love with that idea.
We have to talk about your song. How did “Survivor 50 Come and Get It” end up being recorded in the same studio as Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Carole King’s Tapestry?
When we decided 50 was going to be “In the Hands of the Fans,” I wanted the players to feel that I had some skin in the game too. That led to one of the more ridiculous thoughts I’ve ever had: “I should write a Survivor anthem and actually record it.” I know some people assume it was AI-generated, but every instrument was played live. I paid for it because this wasn’t about promoting anything or trying to become a musician. I genuinely wanted the life experience of making a record. For me, that meant channeling my inner David Lee Roth. So imagine my reaction when I found out that our bass player was David Lee Roth’s former bass player [Matt Bissonnette]. In some ways, this entire experience felt inevitable because right after high school, I joined a cover band called Kozmen. We played lots of Van Halen in bars across Kansas. Fortunately, there is no video evidence because I know I sucked. My go-to, today, is the first Van Halen record. I can air guitar the entire thing, including the gaps between songs.
What was going through your mind when you performed with the Roots?
I don’t remember much. I had so much adrenaline pumping through me. It was one of those out-of-body experiences. I remember looking at Questlove as he started playing, and next thing I know, I’m back in the car heading home. One of my favorite moments happened before we even taped. They asked if I wanted to rehearse. We ran it once. After the rehearsal I said, “I’m good.” Later, one of the producers came up laughing and said, “You’re the only person who’s ever rehearsed only one time.” Apparently most people are smart enough to take a couple of passes to lock it in. But by that point I had already committed mentally to the chaos of the whole thing.
A clip from your Sound FX days resurfaced — people are wondering what Jeff Probst was doing at a Goo Goo Dolls set. I also enjoyed the couch hang with the Melvins. Any overlap between interviewing musicians and castaways?
What I learned from interviewing musicians is how to be in the moment. Sometimes it was Harry Connick Jr., perfectly civil, showing you how he made gumbo. Other times it was Dave Mustaine giving us a tour-bus tour that was barely suitable for 11 p.m. Artists are unique and unpredictable. You have no idea what they’re going to say or do. So you can have your seven questions ready, but the minute the guest sits down and says, “I don’t want to play that song,” or “I’m a little tipsy,” you have to take that moment and make something of it. And that was the one thing that [Survivor creator] Mark Burnett actually said to me when he hired me — he said, “I’m hiring you mainly for all the live television you’ve done, because Survivor is going to be a live show — live to tape, but it’s a live show. We don’t do retakes and all that stuff.” Those three years on FX were fundamental. I learned not to panic when things go haywire. To embrace the chaos.
Is it true you ripped up your resume in the job interview?
Oh yeah. I was very dramatic. I was trying to get [Mark Burnett] to see me — don’t see this piece of paper with my picture on it and all this bullshit on the back. I said, “This is not me. I’m not a studio guy. I’m a student of the human condition. I’m a writer. I’ve been in therapy.”
How was that received?
I didn’t hear from him for months. I thought, “There’s only one other person they could be thinking of: Phil Keoghan.” Phil and I worked at FX together. So I made a “message in a bottle.” I wrote fake articles written from the future by CBS talent — Bryant Gumbel, Dan Rather — that said things like, “This phenomenal show Survivor has changed television, and experts say it’s due to the likable, but completely unknown, Jeff Probst.” Five months later, I got the call. It was down to me and Phil. We just laughed — how did the two of us get here? But Phil wasn’t as invested as I was. I was 100 percent. I’m still 100 percent.
You’ve watched players interact for 25 years. What has witnessing the game shown you about human nature?
Well, how do you get somebody off their idea and onto yours in a way they agree with? That’s the game, and that’s life. When we did season themes, the idea was, “Can I get you to buy into this label?” I’m calling you a hero. How does that change your behavior? You’re villains; anything goes. It’s interesting how quickly we adapt to a label put on us by somebody else until enough wear and tear happens that you realize, I’m a little hero; I’m a little villain. Maybe I’m a chameleon. But it does shape you.
Have you ever felt boxed in by a label yourself?
We did a season called “White Collar, Blue Collar, No Collar.” Somebody at CBS said, “I get White Collar and Blue Collar, but No Collar doesn’t exist.” I said, “Dude, the entire team that makes Survivor is No Collar.” Everyone here has earrings, tattoos, crazy hair, plays an instrument. We promote people before they’re ready and say, “It’s your department. Go.” And they come up with something amazing. It’s a fucking symphony of creativity.
Could this season’s guests open the door to more music on Survivor?
Who knows. Maybe another musician sees this and then says, “I’ve got an idea; I could do something.” We would love that.
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