'Survivor' host Jeff Probst on all-champs edition: 'We've never had a season played this hard'

"Survivor" host Jeff Probst wasn't certain he could line up a worthy cast for the CBS reality competition's first all-champions edition, "Winners at War" (premiering Wednesday, 8 EST/PST).

Many have moved on with their lives, pursuing careers and starting families, or might not want to risk competing again after their moment of triumph, he thought, even for $2 million, double the usual "Survivor" payoff.   

But Probst, who has hosted the pioneering reality show since its premiere in May 2000, had a good feeling after talking to veteran Rob Mariano ("Redemption Island," 2011), better known as Boston Rob.

"Rob had always told me: 'No. I won, I'm done.' And I called and he said, 'Lemme talk to Ambuh,'" Probst said, doing his best Boston accent in mentioning Mariano's wife, Amber (Brkich) Mariano ("All-Stars," 2004). "I said, 'Really?' He goes, 'Yeah, we're both going to do it (but) she doesn't know it yet.'"

Mariano reasoned it was time for the couple's four daughters to see their parents back on the show where they met, fell in love and where Rob proposed on the live "All-Stars" finale, Probst says..

"Survivor" could use a fun season of fan favorites, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking hit, after last fall's edition drew outrage when  a contestant accused of inappropriate touching was belatedly ousted from the show. Procedures put in place by CBS to prevent similar incidents took effect for this new season.

After the Marianos' two-fer commitment, other well-known winners signed on for the new contest in Fiji, including Ethan Zohn ("Africa," 2001), who has recovered from cancer; Parvati Shallow ("Fans vs. Favorites," 2008); Yul Kwon ("Cook Islands," 2006); Tyson Apostol ("Blood vs. Water," 2013); and Danni Boatwright ("Guatemala," 2005).

Later seasons are also represented – the most recent winner is Nick Wilson from 2018's "David vs. Goliath" – and so are modern game twists, including the Edge of Extinction option introduced last year, and a new element: money, in the form of fire tokens.

The first all-winners edition was different in intensity and familiarity from earlier contests featuring returning players, says Probst, also an executive producer of the show that started the reality competition trend. 

"We've never had a season that was played this hard from the opening seconds until the very last vote is made at final tribal (council). I could feel all 20 of them looking at each other and thinking: 'I used to be the top dog. … And this season I'm playing with 19 other people who feel the exact same way.' That's why we called it 'War.'"  

Relationships between competitors, forged on and off the show, affect strategy, Probst says.

"There is a sort of a club of former players. They all belong to it. And so they go to charity functions together or summer outings, and personal relationships develop. You will see those relationships come into play, because now you have players going: 'I know the three of you are very good friends. You played in a poker tournament together or you guys dated.' They're actually friends outside the game, and it is now going to either help or hurt them."

One champion who won't factor into those dynamics is perhaps the most famous – or infamous – of all: first "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch, who sometimes competed in the nude and drew criticism after his genitals came into contact with another original player, Sue Hawk, during a team challenge in 2004's "All-Stars." (He also served jail time for evading taxes on his winnings). She said she was traumatized and quit the show.

"As we started seeing how many (champions) were saying yes, we had to evaluate the fact that Richard doesn't really represent where the show is anymore. And so he didn't make the cut," Probst says.

Questionable behavior became a topic again last season, when Los Angeles talent manager Dan Spilo was dropped by producers after complaints of inappropriate touching. In the season finale, Probst apologized to contestant Kellie Kim and said the show should have acted earlier to handle complaints.

Probst declined to go into detail on what the show could have done better, but he says appropriate policies were put in place for Season 40 and beyond. CBS promised changes, including an on-site contact, new training and a prohibition on unwelcome touching and sexual harassment.

Improper player behavior:Jeff Probst apologizes to Kellee Kim on 'Survivor' finale; Time's Up CEO praises apology

"I feel like we dealt with that. I am satisfied with it and happy to be looking into (Season) 40 now," he says. 

But the players still have another fear: instant elimination.

"When I called to ask if they would play, all of them said: 'Is there going to be some sort of second chance? Because I can't leave my kids and my husband and my job and be the first person voted out and have to sit at Ponderosa for 36 days,'" Probst says, referring to the temporary home where eliminated contestants who make up the "Survivor" jury wait. "They knew there would be some kind of second chance."