For the past two decades, Jeff Probst’s name has been synonymous with one thing: “Survivor.” And he’s totally fine with that. When he received an Emmy nomination for outstanding reality competition host—his first nomination (and win) in that category since 2011—I was keen to tell a story about who Probst is outside of the two seasons a year he films in Fiji.

“It’s interesting because most people think I do ‘Survivor’ and then it’s over until I do it again,” he says from his home in Los Angeles. “It’s a bit like juggling plates.”

We discussed seasons 45 and 46 in detail for our recent Emmy story. Then he traveled to Fiji to film seasons 47 and 48 – the first season will premiere next month – and within three days of his return, he started watching cuts from season 47.

“That’s how it goes. I’m in post-production on season 47, I’m in pre-production on season 49, I’m starting casting on season 49, and season 50 is coming up this year, so that’s a bigger deal,” he explains. “Then we also have the podcast that we do. It’s a year-round job. I know that surprises people. How can that be? But almost every day I touch ‘Survivor’ in some way.”

On the day of our Zoom meeting, he has a lot of meetings scheduled—but his day starts hours before. He wakes up at 6:30 a.m. without an alarm clock. He starts his day with Kaya, the Doberman German Shepherd he and his wife, Lisa Ann Russell, rescued a year ago and who is “the most loving, beautiful little beast.”

“We go downstairs together. She reaches out and gives me a little kiss. I make a cup of coffee. We go outside,” he explains. He leaves the door open for Stevie, his other dog, a Bernedoodle, who is a little slower and runs out when he’s ready to take them for a walk on his property. Sometimes he listens to a news podcast or a book. Sometimes he’s just alone and lost in thought.

Recently he listened to a book about the connection between the body and the mind and the extent to which thoughts can affect both mental and physical health.

“I always told myself when I went to bed that I was telling my cells, ‘Here’s what I want to work on tonight,’ and I was talking to my body like it was my team and could solve a creative problem,” he explains. “The reason I’m really into it is because ultimately, that’s what I want to bring to ‘Survivor.’ Even though people find that ridiculous when I try to explain it to them, I don’t see ‘Survivor’ as a reality competition show. I see that as a huge misdirection. It’s a life adventure and you have to be willing to put yourself in that crisis mode that we’re in and where we’re going to withhold everything from you.”

When the weather becomes bad or hunger becomes unbearable, thoughts take over, explains Probst.

“I find it amazing how often people overcome an initial fear or setback and say, ‘I’m not happy with this. I’m better than this. I can recover from this moment.’ And suddenly they’re at the end of the game and they say, ‘I can’t believe what I’ve learned about myself. Jeff, I never thought I’d win a challenge. I can’t believe I opened a coconut and made a fire.’ So I’m always looking for ways to make the experience more adventurous, and often times that’s done by disguising it as a game.”

This daily routine of walking and concentrating on himself (and his dogs) has changed everything for Probst and allows him to start the day right.

When he returns, it’s time for a quick breakfast. “I’m not a big eater. I eat to get energy,” says Probst. “But these zucchini muffins are so delicious, they’re like a treat. I drink a cup of coffee and eat a muffin. Then I pick up some dog poop and eat another muffin.”

If we weren’t on Zoom, now would be the time to watch another episode of “Survivor” 47 to take notes and get the runtime down to 65 minutes. For about three hours, he watches and shares his notes with the production team. At this point, “our collaboration is seamless,” he says. “We’re one unit. The idea of ​​the showrunner has kind of been lost. It’s gone. We’re a show team and my job is just to be another pair of eyes.”

“99.9% of the time” there is “not a single news story” from CBS, he says. “You have to work hard for that. In our world, people are used to getting pages of news,” he says. “They trust us to do research. That allows us to experiment.”

Next up is a 30-minute walk with the dogs, usually combined with a work meeting. Today he’s having a conversation with Jay Wolff, executive producer of “On Fire With Jeff Probst,” the official “Survivor” podcast that Probst co-hosts with a former winner. “We’ve chosen our new co-host for this new season,” he reveals. “We’re very excited about our new choice.”

The fact that he is busy with work calls on the side doesn’t bother him. Quite the opposite. “I want to make it clear: I’m not saying, ‘I have a lot to do.’ That’s what gives me joy,” says Probst. “I like to achieve things.”

After his call, he goes inside, where he has set up three whiteboards. It’s time to dive into Season 50 and find out exactly what it will look like – marketing, twists, casting, etc.

“We just did a great season of 40. ‘Winners at War’ was a battle. And we had a very clear motto: We’re giving you all the weapons we have, and you’re all going to fight each other. Someone’s going to end up bloody but victorious,” says Probst. “So ‘Survivor’ 50 isn’t going to be like that. 50 has to be a celebration. Let’s do a great season of ‘Survivor’ but emphasize the word ‘fun.’ So I went through those notes and thought, ‘This could be interesting,’ or – more often – ‘What were you thinking when you wrote this down, because this doesn’t make any sense at all?'”

About four times a week, the host works out at the gym of his trainer/friend who he has been training with for 20 years. Although these workouts are constantly changing so he doesn’t get bored, going to the gym is vital for his mental health.

“My dad is 84 and still in really good shape. He never stopped. He always told me, ‘I don’t necessarily train hard, but I’m here,'” he says. “So, I’m here. I mean, I’m on a show called ‘Survivor.’ I don’t want to get voted out because suddenly I don’t look like I belong!”

He adds: “I feel really good after training, even if I don’t train hard. If people saw my training, no one would be impressed. It’s just about showing up and making it a part of the day.”

He also plays tennis two or three times a week, sometimes with Pete Wentz. Because it requires strategy, he sees the game as both fun and a “great stress reliever because you can’t think about anything else.” When he can’t play with friends, he’s almost always hitting a few balls on his tennis court while walking the dogs “while they’re laying in the sun.”

Probst also says he doesn’t know how he maintains his muscle because he basically only eats one big meal and snacks on blueberries or strawberries during the day and then usually has dinner with his wife around 7 p.m.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves – he has an exciting new addition to his day that he’s dying to share with us.

“This is the first big step of S50,” he says, beaming as he tells us about his plan for after training. First he pours himself a shot of tequila. Then it’s planning time.

“We’re trying to figure out who’s going to be on ‘Survivor’ 50. We know it’s going to be returning players. We started with a list of about 200, so every person we’d like to see, whether they want to be on it or not. And then we got the list down to 125, and now I’ve got it down to about 100,” he says. “I printed their faces on 4×6 magnetic sheets with their names, the season they first played on, and how old they’ll be when they’re on 50. I’m going to write them on the whiteboard and take the first steps toward what I think will go down as the most fun problem in history we’ve ever had to solve: How do you narrow it down to a handful of people playing ‘Survivor’ 50 to satisfy the fans and honor 50 seasons?”

When it’s time to actually go film In seasons 49 and 50, Probst “doesn’t pack anything,” he says. He brings a carry-on bag that fits his vitamins and tennis racket.

“Everything is on location. I’ve had the same T-shirts on location for at least 10 years, and these long-sleeved ‘Survivor’ shirts I only wear to rehearsals. I never dress up. I can’t go anywhere! You won’t see me walking around base camp. I don’t go to the bar, I don’t do anything. I’m the most hideous version of myself,” he says, laughing. “I often don’t shower unless it’s absolutely necessary. Shooting ‘Survivor’ is a total assault, and it feels so good to go to the location with literally nothing. And when it’s time to pack up to go home, it takes me about seven minutes to do it.”

On set, he is “slathered in sunscreen” and nothing else matters. In fact, in Fiji, he wears four different hats and a “foolproof” set of clothes.

“We used to have shirts in lots of different colors, and I work with a woman who makes the shirts for me,” Probst says. “We get these shirts, she just cuts them to fit, and then we dye them certain colors. In (season) 41, I said, ‘I just want one gray shirt, one black shirt, and two blue shirts, and that’s it.’ It’s like I’m a five-year-old and my parents only dress me in clothes that match. I can take any shirt, any shorts, any hat, and it all fits. So it’s foolproof. It’s changed everything!”

Although his wife is “very supportive” and knows he’s looking forward to it, she isn’t participating in the process. Instead, they meet up afterward for a nightcap and some TV.

They usually watch “Dateline.” Probst jokes: “It was always the husband. No matter what alibi the husband claims, he murdered his wife. That’s 100% certain. Just arrest us. It’s always the man!”

Probst’s daughter Ava is going to college soon, so he also spends as much time with her as he can before she leaves. They usually watch cartoons together, since she’s an animator, and they bond over different types of storytelling.

Probst ends every evening the same way: He makes a to-do list for the next day. His wife often makes fun of him for this.

“The list allows me to go to sleep without worrying about the next day because I’ve already written down what I’m going to do,” he says. “I lie down on the pillow and I’m gone. I don’t think about anything.”