Jeff Probst says Survivor Applebee's meltdown was 'obviously upsetting'"I have a lot of empathy for Liz," says the host. "But it is also part of the adventure that comes with playing this game."
By Dalton Ross Published on May 1, 2024 09:30PM EDT
http://ew.com/survivor-46-jeff-probst-applebees-meltdown-obviously-upsetting-8642012
Survivor 46 just aired its most emotional outburst of the franchise’s new era, and it was all over a plate of Applebee’s.
Contestant Liz Wilcox has had it harder than anybody this season due to allergies that prevent her from eating coconut or fruit on the island. So when she found out that this week’s reward challenge winner, Q Burdette, would get to pick players to feast on the entire Applebee’s menu, she literally begged and cried to be picked. Not only did she desperately need the nutrition, but it was also her favorite restaurant, and one which she and her daughter would go to every Wednesday night before watching Survivor.
So when Q picked Tiffany Nicole Ervin, Maria Shrime Gonzalez, and Kenzie Petty to go eat instead of Liz, it set the marketing strategist off into a screaming rage over the fact that Q did not select her, and also had overshadowed her blindside of Tevin Davis by attempting to quit the game.
So what did host Jeff Probst — who led into the incident by inquiring, “Liz, do you feel comfortable talking about what you’re feeling?" — make of the meltdown? He revealed his reaction on the latest episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast. “My reaction on the day was very similar to the reaction I had just now hearing it again on this podcast,” says the host and showrunner. “It's obviously upsetting. That's real emotion and absolute vulnerability.”
While Probst knows that Liz’s breakdown will live on in infamy on social media for years to come, he also implores the viewers to put themselves in Liz’s shoes. “This is the kind of moment on Survivor when a lot of people will make fun, and there will be memes. But imagine that's you, and for whatever reason you've been triggered in the same way. I mean, that is proof that you forget about the cameras because there's no facade going on there.”
As for what he makes of the player having that sort of reaction over a plate or Applebee’s, Probst says, “I have a lot of empathy for Liz, but it is also part of the adventure that comes with playing this game because it is designed to push you, and sometimes it does push you so far out of your comfort zone that you break down in some way.”
He also thinks it may ultimately be a moment of triumph for the player. “I have not yet talked to Liz about this moment, so I'm only going on the history of other players. But when you reach that bottom and then you realize, ‘You know what, I'm still standing. I'm still here’ — that's where the growth comes.”
Probst also takes the opportunity on the podcast to assure fans that although sometimes the contestant reactions to an Applebee’s meal may seem a bit over the top — we’re looking at you, Karishma Patel — they are, in fact, genuine.
“You saw it with Liz,” says the host. “She said, we go every Wednesday night, and she had a photo of herself and her daughter at Applebee's. So when I'm out there and I say 'Applebee's' to the players, I just want you to know those are not prompted reactions. We're not holding up big cards saying ‘Applause! Applebee's!’ That's legitimate. And I think it's one of the very best partnerships we've ever had on the show for that reason. It's a win for Applebee's, it's a win for Survivor, and it's a win for the players.”
And this week, it was a win for viewers as well.
To listen to Probst break down everything else that happened this week on Survivor 46 — including if they specifically came up with the small rice trade later for Liz — check out On Fire with Jeff Probst .
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