For more than two decades, Jeff Probst has been the proud face of Survivor. What started as hosting the show slowly changed to him being an executive producer and then showrunner of Survivor. Throughout the years, he has helped several participants navigate the grueling puzzles and the dramatic Tribal Councils.
But while his blue shirts and love for the show have remained constant, one element of his attire has slowly disappeared from the show—his cowboy hat. While fans loved it, Probst, on the other hand, had his own reasoning for why he started wearing cowboy hats in the first place.
Jeff Probst used his cowboy hat as a silent rebellion
Jeff Probst is almost synonymous with Survivor, having hosted the show for more than twenty years. Throughout the seasons, fans have spotted him in several funky shirts and attires. But in the initial seasons, he had his cowboy hat, which he wore in almost all of the episodes.
Many thought this was a well-thought-out fashion choice, but for Probst, it was something else entirely. For him, it was actually an act of rebellion.
In an episode of his On Fire podcast, Probst dived deeper into this and revealed that his decision to wear the cowboy hat was his way of pushing back against an unnecessary but long-standing Survivor tradition. This was the idea that the host should wear a specific “uniform” to fit the show’s adventure theme. While this was done to ensure the rugged and remote atmosphere of the show, Probst was never actually a big fan of that concept.
He said, “I’ve always been against wearing uniforms,” adding that he preferred a more relaxed and natural approach to his appearance. So, his cowboy hat became his way of standing out while also subtly rejecting the idea that he had to fit into a mold.
But eventually, the hat disappeared from the show as he stopped fighting expectations and simply embraced the standard look of the show. While the hat may no longer be a part of his appearance, it remains a fun element of Survivor history.
How a near-death stunt almost cost Jeff Probst his life!
Survivor is a tough game, and there have been several medical emergencies on the show. But even Jeff Probst had to deal with a life-threatening situation when a stunt took a rather deadly turn on Survivor: Vanuatu. In an episode of On Fire, he shared a chilling story about a skydiving sequence that almost turned fatal.
In 2004, as part of the dramatic vote reveal segment, he had to leap from a plane and free-fall before landing and delivering the results. While the final footage looked smooth, the reality was completely different. Probst added that while he was fully prepared with the required practice, his overconfidence soon kicked in.
During the jump, he got distracted by the stunning California scenery and momentarily forgot to check his altitude. When he realized his mistake, he scrambled to deploy his parachute. However, when the chute finally opened, something went wrong, and it wasn’t fully deployed. Thanks to his training, he was quickly able to scissor kick mid-air, forcing the parachute to open properly.
While this could have turned disastrous, with his presence of mind, Probst was able to turn the situation around.
You can watch all the seasons of Survivor on Hulu.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
