Jeff Probst is an award-winning American television host best known for hosting the American version of the popular reality television show Survivor. He has hosted Survivor since 2000, bagging several Emmy Awards for his skillset. While Probst is widely recognized as the host of Survivor, he was no stranger to the spotlight before the gig. He hosted VH1’s Rock & Roll Jeopardy! (1998) and a variety of other shows for different networks such as KIRO-TV, FX, and Sirius/XM radio. He has also hosted his own The Jeff Probst Show on CBS Television Distribution.
Beyond his career exploits as a television host, Jeff Probst is also a producer, filmmaker, and writer. Before fame, Probst worked at Boeing Motion Picture and Television Studio as a producer and narrator of sales and marketing videos. He now boasts a successful career as one of the most famous television hosts in the world. Probst made the list of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” in 2001. Here’s an in-depth look at the Survivor host‘s life and career.
Early Life of Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst is an American by nationality. He was born on November 4, 1961, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas to Jerry and Barbara Probst. The oldest of three sons, Probst was 15 when his family left Kansas for Bellevue, Washington, where he completed his education. Probst graduated from Newport High School in 1979 and enrolled in Seattle Pacific University. However, he left college before graduation to launch his television career.
After ditching college, Jeff Probst secured a producer job at Boeing Motion Picture/Television studio. He grew with the company and later worked as narrator of marketing and training videos. Probst’s early career days were marked with hosting gigs across various networks. In 1996, Probst hosted FX shows Backchat and Sound FX, with the latter featuring Orlando Jones. From 1998 to 2001, Probst hosted the VH1 series Rock & Roll Jeopardy. He also contributed to the syndicated program Access Hollywood as a correspondent, interviewing high-profile celebrities.
Jeff Probst Has Been The Host Of Survivor Since The Show’s Inception
Four years into his television career, Jeff Probst landed a career-defining role as the original host of the United States’s version of Survivor. His interview with Sandra Bullock on Access Hollywood sold him to Survivor creator Mark Burnett as the best man for the job. Burnett was moved by Probst’s skillfulness in getting useful information from celebrities who often love to keep things under wraps. Thus, Survivor was launched in 2000 with Probst as host. His style of hosting and interacting with Survivor contestants received praise from the Los Angeles Times.
While serving as the host of Survivor, Jeff Probst has continued to explore other gigs. He is a frequent contributor on Jeopardy! and made a few appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy! Probst has made guest appearances on several television shows such as MADtv, I Get That a Lot, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, and Life in Pieces. He also hosted the self-titled TV program The Jeff Probst Show. The syndicated daytime talk show was produced by CBS Television Distribution from September 2012 to May 2013 but was canceled after the first season due to low ratings.
As a filmmaker, Probst has worked on a few projects. He wrote and directed Finder’s Fee, a 2001 Lionsgate film from his original screenplay. He directed and produced his second feature film, Kiss Me in 2012 and collaborated with Christopher Tebbetts in 2013 on a Scholastic Corporation’s adventure series Stranded. Probst is still active in his illustrious television career and fans of the Survivor host always look forward to his next project.
Awards and Recognition
As the host of the globally syndicated reality show, Survivor, Jeff Probst has won multiple Primetime Emmy Awards. Probst won the inaugural Emmy for Best Reality Show Host in 2008. He also scooped the same award in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He received an Emmy as Host/Producer of Survivor in 2001. The signature catchphrase he says to contestants who lost on Survivor, “The tribe has spoken. It’s time for you to go” was included in TV Land’s “The 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catch Phrases” special in 2006.
Jeff Probst Has Been Married Twice
From 1996 to 2001, Jeff Probst was married to psychotherapist Shelley Wright. The marriage ended in a divorce and didn’t produce any children. Probst moved on with his love life in 2004, dating Julie Berry, one of the contestants of Survivor: Vanuatu. The relationship lasted for four years before they broke up in 2008. Jeff Probst’s second wife is Lisa Ann Russell. He married her on December 5, 2011, and became the stepfather of her two children (Michael and Ava) from a previous marriage to actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Follow Us
