Jeff Probst Shares Why The Survivor 48 Castaways Are On The Older Side: ‘Any Type Of Person Can Win Survivor’

Age has always been a major point of contention on Survivor, with the average age of castaways seemingly getting younger and younger as the seasons progress.

Survivor 48 has been a breath of fresh air, though, giving reality television lovers the oldest average cast we have seen in a while. Phew!

Survivor‘s Historically Younger Castaways

As mentioned, more recent seasons of Survivor have seen the average age of castaways getting younger and younger, especially in the “New Era.”

Kicking off the trend, 14 out of the 20 contestants Survivor: Ghost Island in 2018 were under the age of 30, and to follow, for the “New Era” of Survivor — AKA seasons 41 through 47 — an average of nine players per season have been under the age of 30.

The youngest of the “New Era” has been Survivor 45 in 2023, with 11 out of 18 contestants being under the age of 30: Kaleb Gebrewold (29), Kellie Nalbandian (29), Sabiyah Broderick (28), Emily Flippen (28), Jake O’Kane (26), Austin Li Coon (26), Dee Valladares (26), Brandon Donlon (26), J. Maya Krishnan-Jha (24), Drew Basile (23) and Brando Meyer (23).

As mentioned previously, Survivor 48 — which is airing as we speak via CBS — is a different story, with only 3 out of 18 contestants being under the age of 30: Justin Pioppi (29), Star Toomey (28) and Eva Erickson (24). How wild is that?

How Survivor 48 Compares

According to host and showrunner Jeff Probst, the team did not intentionally make the average age of castaways on Survivor 48 older. Instead, things just happened to work out that way during the casting process, finding 18 people who he and casting director Jesse Tannenbaum found interesting, regardless of age.

“I only care about one thing: ‘Do I think you can win, and do I think you’d be a likable winner?’ You don’t have to be both of those, and you don’t have to be either of those, but that’s the question I’m asking myself,” Jeff explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

He elaborated:

“If I don’t think you can win, then the question becomes: ‘Why are you on the show? What puzzle piece do you fit?’ I clearly could be wrong about who could win, and if I do think you can win, ‘Would I be happy to see you win? Are you a likable winner?’ Those are really the questions.”

He continued, passionately:

“The big one for me is always: ‘Do I want to talk to you at Tribal?’ and people during casting, I can see them working so hard to try and make it feel like you’re somebody I’d want to engage with, and I try to say to everyone, ‘Please don’t try to be someone you’re not. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m not looking for glib or Drew Basile’s intellect. I’m looking for you. I just want to know you. Would I like to talk to you?'”

How Older Castaways Alter Survivor

While age is not really a factor throughout the casting process, believe it or not, the average age of castaways can greatly impact how the game is played.

For example, Survivor 45 saw one of the first showmances the show had seen in a long time, with 26-year-olds Dee Valladeres and Austin Li Coon hitting it off on the shores of Fiji. Using the relationship to her advantage, Dee went on to be crowned “Sole Survivor,” but could the showmance have happened if the castaways were on the older side? I guess we’ll never know…

While showmances tend to flourish from younger castaways, Jeff explained that “showmances are never on [his] radar” throughout the casting process.

He continued, detailing the differences he finds between younger and older contestants:

“I think the biggest difference you get with age and maturity is I think you’re a little more thoughtful and a little more complex in your thinking. It’s not a criticism of a younger player, they’re just younger in life.”

“What you often get with the younger player that’s fun is a fast reaction, more of a trigger. They’re more likely to shoot from the hip. And so you want a balance of that because you want the young energy that says, ‘I came out here to make a name for myself on Survivor,’ and you also want the 50-year-old who says, ‘I’m going to count to 10 before I tell that youngster what I’m really thinking,’ and that’s the merge that can kind of work.”

“Any type of person can win Survivor. Age, ethnicity, sexuality, physical abilities, IQ, all of it. We’ve had every type of winner,” the host and showrunner concluded, leaving us on the edge of our seats as to who will take home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize at the end of Survivor 48.

Losing Stephanie Berger, Kevin Leung and Justin Pioppi in the first three episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series, the remaining castaways on Survivor 48 are as follows:

To see who emerges victorious come Final Tribal Council, tune into brand-new episodes of Survivor 48 each and every Wednesday via CBS, or stream them the following day via Paramount Plus.

With a tribe swap on the horizon, things are certain to get spicy…