5 Questions With: Jeff Probst

For 18 seasons, 'Survivor' host Jeff Probst has presided over tribal council, serving as witness to alliances, betrayals and contestants trying to outwit, outplay and outlast each other.

As the latest edition of the reality series, 'Survivor: Tocantins,' comes to an end this week (Sun., 8PM ET on CBS), the Emmy winner gave us a sneak peek at the finale and some more insight into Benjamin "Coach" Wade, the show's most over-the-top competitor since Richard Hatch.





1. What can we expect from the finale?
There's a pretty decent betrayal in the finale. I think it will shock a lot of people, and then for others they'll say "Doesn't surprise me at all." I like the final four ... It's been a pretty remarkable journey for them because there were these two tribes, this Timbira tribe that had the numbers, and all they had to do was pick off the Jalapao people and they would be sitting really pretty. But 'Survivor' has this great element to it and that is there's only one winner, and so no matter how strong your alliance is, somebody's always on the bottom of that alliance ... The thing you can count on is somebody [realizing], "I don't like being on the bottom, so I'm going to the other side," and then you have your twists and you're back in the game.

2. Some fans say you've become more pointed in your questioning at tribal council. What do you think?
I think as the game evolved, and the show evolved, it just became a natural part of the discourse for me to let my opinion out. And I always approach tribal council as though I am the audience -- what does the audience want to know right now? But I don't ever feel like I influence the game too much ... In 18 seasons, I've never had a Survivor say, "You're singling me out, and it's not fair." Because tribal council will last 45 minutes or an hour, and everybody gets asked a lot of questions. It's just that all that we use on the show are those five questions that make it appear as though I know everything.

3. Where does this season rank in 'Survivor' history?
Coming into this season, I thought it was going to crack our top five, possibly ... I think it's definitely a top 10 season, but it's hard to know until it's over and you have your winner. But I think everybody's going to be very satisfied with the way this season ends, and hands down we have had one of the biggest characters in the history of our 18 seasons in Coach.

4. Do you really think he could have his own reality show, like you wrote in your EW.com blog?
I really do. I'm not kidding. I think you could set up a situation in which you followed Coach around in his daily life and create scenarios for him to be a part of. Think of all the things you wonder about: Does Coach have a girlfriend? Does he actually go on dates and talk like the Dragon Slayer to his girlfriend? Who are his friends? Where is his family? Do they think he's crazy? And what does Coach's house looks like? I mean, I have endless questions about a guy like this [laughs].

5. But would you have been happy if Coach won?
Oh, I [would've been] through the roof if Coach won. If a guy like Coach -- as outrageous as he is, with all the stories he told -- could somehow make it to the end and then convince the jury that he was more worthy than the person he was sitting next to, that would probably be the greatest win since Richard Hatch. [In last night's episode] Coach has one of the greatest scenes ever, and I've watched it several times and I just marvel at it. In fact, Jenna Fischer from 'The Office' wrote me the other day and said, "Coach's speeches are Dwight. That's exactly something Dwight on 'The Office' would say." It's just so beautiful. I mean, nobody writes like that.