Jeff Probst is speaking out and addressing the allegations that CBS’s Survivor is a competition geared toward men. Does the show have some sort of bias against women? Turns out, this is what a large portion of viewers at home think despite there being a pretty even split between male and female winners.
If the divide between male and female winners is pretty even, what is it that has fans accusing the show of being biased towards women? More importantly, what did Survivor host Jeff Probst have to say about it? Keep reading for the details.
The Male To Female Split Isn’t Really Even
According to Entertainment Weekly, it was only during the first 25 seasons of Survivor that the male-to-female winner ratio was a pretty even split. During those first 25 seasons, there were 13 male winners and 12 female. Starting with Season 26, however, something shifted. During the next 15 seasons, there were 12 male winners and just three female winners.
Turns out, things got even worse from Season 35 to Season 40 when viewers saw six male winners in a row. Moreover, statistics show that during those last six seasons, men received 62 of the final Tribal Council votes to declare the winner. Women sitting at the end only received six votes total stretching out over those six seasons.
Pictured (L-R): Host Jeff Probst. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In the past few seasons, from Season 41 to the current season, the winners have become even again. Moreover, the final votes at the Tribal Council have also become even. That, however, hasn’t stopped far more women from leaving than men thus far in the new season. So, some viewers question if the gender imbalance has really been resolved.
Wanting to get to the truth, Entertainment Weekly reached out to Jeff Probst and asked for some answers. What shifted with the show that turned it into more of a reality TV competition for men?
Survivor: Jeff Probst Addresses The Show’s Attack On Women
According to Entertainment Weekly, many fans believe the problem is the number of tribes. With just two tribes, each tribe has nine or ten members. This set-up makes it a lot easier for the tribute to favor men. The outlet proposes that three tribes of six members make it easier for women to survive.
The Survivor host admitted he was going to give a “frustrating answer.” He proceeded to insist that just the past four seasons of the show were not enough for him to collect data and draw conclusions on whether the number of tribes has anything to do with gender imbalance.
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Jeff, however, did offer advice to anyone interested in having the opportunity to be on Survivor. From his point of view, the game couldn’t be viewed as a man versus woman competition. He insisted there were so many layers to Survivor that much more was needed to win.
My advice to anyone who applies to be on the show is figure out how that’s an opportunity. Because it’s a crazy assumption to say that it’s always going to be a woman who is the weakest player in a game which has so many layers to it like Survivor.”
Jeff Probst Addresses Pros and Cons
The Survivor host explains there are pros and cons to switching from tribes of six to two larger tribes. Jeff explained that they prefer the tribes of six because there isn’t an opportunity for anyone to hide. In a tribe of six, everyone has to jump into the game and start playing. Jeff also argues that three different tribes makes the merge into a single tribe more complex.
Pictured (L-R): Host Jeff Probst. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
With just two tribes merging, there was always the issue of the bigger tribe just picking off the smaller one.
Three tribes make tribe switches and the merge much more complex, but also offers more opportunity for the smart player. And three tribes gives you more contrast between tribes in terms of watching how they live together and how they work as a unit while conspiring against each other.
During the interview, Jeff Probst didn’t really deny a gender imbalance. But, he did insist that Survivor was not a game to be created with fear in mind. Likewise, even with all the parameters in place, the producers don’t have control over who a tribe decides to keep versus who they send home.
Do you think gender imbalance is an issue in Survivor? What did you think of what Jeff had to say about it? Let us know in the comments. And, keep coming back for more news on your favorite reality TV shows.
[Feature Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.]
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