Jeff Probst, the legendary host of Survivor, recently made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, but the appearance is just the latest development in the friendship between Probst and SNL's guest host Jack Harlow. Probst has been the host of Survivor since its first season in 2000, having hosted the show for 43 seasons over 22 years. During the mid-2000s, Probst became an executive producer on the show and is now in charge of the show's casting and creative decisions as well. Through his work on Survivor, Probst has become one of the most well-respected figures in reality television and is viewed by many as one of the greatest reality hosts of all time.
Probst appeared in a sketch on the Oct. 29 episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Jack Harlow, who also served as the episode's musical guest. Probst wasn't the only celebrity to make a surprise appearance on the Halloween-themed episode. Joining him were Tom Hanks, who reprised his beloved David S. Pumpkins character, and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan, who returned to Weekend Update as his classic "Drunk Uncle" role.
How Survivor Host Jeff Probst Ended Up On SNL With Jack Harlow
Jeff Probst appeared in one of the first sketches of the night, surprising SNL viewers when he entered a sketch about a groomsman who attended a Halloween wedding dressed as the Joker. The groomsman, portrayed by Andrew Dismukes, upset the bride, Heidi Gardner, and to solve their dispute, they decided to poll the wedding guests. Instead, Probst showed up to adjudicate the situation like it was a Survivor Tribal Council. Probst then appeared in a TikTok posted by SNL, in a bit in which he gave a pep talk to the newest SNL cast members (Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker), using the Survivor credo of "Outwit, outplay, and outlast." The clip led to several commenters requesting that Probst host an episode of Saturday Night Live in the future.
Probst's involvement in the show was certainly unexpected, but it actually tracks with the development of his friendship with host and musical guest Jack Harlow, who likely played a major part in inviting him to be a part of the episode. Harlow has publicly expressed his love for Survivor many times in the past. He's even posted pictures of himself with Survivor legend "Boston" Rob Mariano on social media. His fandom for the show led Jeff Probst to, in unprecedented fashion, publicly invite Harlow and his friends to come to Fiji to watch a Survivor Tribal Council in person. Probst indicated that Harlow essentially has an open invitation to play on a season but is probably too busy with his career to commit the time to play.
Probst's appearance on Harlow's SNL episode definitely shows that the lines of communication are open between the two, so it wouldn't be too shocking if Harlow eventually ends up affiliated with Survivor in one form or another. As one of the most popular entertainers at the moment, his love of the show has the potential to encourage younger viewers to check it out, which is probably one reason why Probst has been so enthusiastic about his fandom. Time will tell where the friendship between the two leads, but it was certainly a fun intersection for fans of Saturday Night Live and Survivor.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Source: Saturday Night Live/TikTok