Watch: 'Survivor's Jeff Probst Details "Blatant" Disrespect by Contestants Removed from Season 49One of Survivor's many challenges? Making friends. After all, host Jeff Probst revealed the extraordinary steps the competition series takes to ensure none of its contestants know one another before the games begin. "We go to great lengths to learn as much as we can about every player," he shared on the Sept. 24 episode of his On Fire with Jeff Probst podcast. "Our background checks and our deep dives into your history and your social media, they're pretty thorough.