Fans are taking to social media to react to Jeff Probst's seemingly controversial decision to change his long-running "come on in, guys" catchphrase during the Survivor season 41 premiere episode. Due to growing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, Survivor 41 wasn't filmed until April 2021, which was a much longer delay than the show had experienced in recent history. Alas, after a very long wait, longtime viewers were finally able to tune in to watch this new cycle on Wednesday, September 22.
The changes relating to COVID-19 protocols didn't end there. Unlike most recent seasons, the Survivor season 41 cast featured 18 castaways instead of 20 players. The season will also be filmed in Fiji once again, considering that production didn't want to take any chances filming at a brand-new location. The pre-season sequester period has also been extended for all reality shows currently airing on TV in order to accommodate COVID-19 tests and additional health guidelines.
Last but certainly not least, Survivor 41 was shortened to 26 days, which are 13 fewer days than the series' usual 39-day run. Alas, certain changes that are not related to COVID-19 protocols are causing quite a stir within the fandom. During the Survivor season 41 premiere episode, Jeff Probst asked the new castaways if they thought he should change his "come on in, guys" catchphrase so that it became more inclusive to players who aren't men. Evvie Jagoda, who identifies as a queer woman, said that it didn't bother her. However, Ricard Foye, who identifies as a gay man, did ask Jeff to change it.
Survivor Fans Who Disagreed With Catchphrase Changes
Upon hearing Ricard's feedback in response to his dilemma, Jeff chose to change his "come on in, guys!" catchphrase to just "come on in!" Needless to say, a few fans of Survivor took to social media to express their disapproval of these changes. Some fans argued that this change was inconsequential to the larger conversation about gender inclusion. Other fans commented on the irony of Evvie's opinion as a woman being trumped by Ricard's opinion as a man.
Survivor Fans Who Agreed With Catchphrase Changes
In turn, there were also Survivor 41 fans who agreed with Jeff's decision to change his catchphrase and praised his intentions behind these changes. One person threw shade at the fans who declared that they'd stop watching Survivor after this minor alteration to Jeff's catchphrase. Other fans explained how this change only proves that Jeff and the other producers are committed to always allowing this franchise to keep evolving as the years go by.
With so many exciting players on Survivor season 41, it is rather shocking that so many viewers have chosen to fixate on a very minor change to one of the several catchphrases that have been coined by Jeff Probst on the show. In practical terms, it doesn't really make that big of a difference whether or not Jeff says "guys" at the end of "come on in" while hosting challenges. His intent is clearly to make the show more inclusive, which is a pretty positive thing to most fans of reality TV.
Survivor season 41 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.