Jeff Probst - CBS4Denver Podcast

Airdate:  9.25.08

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Reporter:  Congratulations are in order.  You are the Emmy winner as best reality show host. 

Jeff Probst:  It was a little surreal.  It was definitely a "living in the moment" moment.

Reporter:  This is the 17th installment [of Survivor] and the first time it's ever been in HD.  I imagine the African wilderness will really come alive in those colors. It seems like HD and Survivor are like a match made in heaven.

JP:  HD has completely changed the look of the show. When you think of Survivor with these big landscapes, beautiful wildlife and then these people that have bug bites and all that stuff, it actually makes sense that we're shooting on HD.   The problem was always the gear.  We were worried that the gear couldn't withstand the rain and the hot temperatures and being out in the water but we kept testing it and we finally got comfortable we could do our show in HD.  I can't imagine we'd ever go back. 

Reporter:  What will separate this version of Survivor from past ones?

JP:  It's always the people which is why you can't predict and you can't guarantee that you're going to have a good season.  Sometimes they come through in shining colors and other times they don't.  Ultimately the audience tells us.  We've had seasons that I thought, uhhhh, I don't know if it was that good.  Then people say that I loved it.  I think the audience is going to be very happy with who ends up in the final of this game but we'll find out if I'm right. 

Reporter:  I understand that good versus evil is kind of a recurring theme.

JP:  It happened naturally this season that we had a group of people sort of align themselves and they saw themselves as the good people, the nice people, the likeable people, the deserving people, all the positive attributes.  And then there was another group that got labeled as the mean-spirited kind of nasty group. It had become a battle of alliances.  "I want a good person to win."  "I don't care who it is as long as it's me"  That makes for great drama.

JP:  We're kicking it off with a two hour premiere.  We're doing two episodes back to back so that you can get to know people right away. 

Reporter:  What's energizing you about this season?

JP:  What's excited me this season were the people.  I like how this show finishes because I like there to be likeable people and obviously that's my own subjective opinion but I root for people to do well and for me if at the end of the year we have some likeable people then we've had a successful season.  We have likeable people in it at the end and I actually think the people who are up for maybe winning it I think the audience will like.