Jimmy Fallon’s next hosting gig might take him to a faraway island—and another network. That is, if Jeff Probst’s offer for Fallon to substitute as Survivor host was genuine.
Probst was guesting on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night when the idea was tossed around. With Survivor about to begin its 48th season, Probst was explaining that the show is gearing up for a 50th season dictated by fan votes, dubbed “In the Hands of the Fans.” In keeping with that theme, Fallon let his own audience offer their suggestions for Survivor in a series of live polls.
One of those questions: “In season 50, should Jeff Probst be a Survivor contestant instead of the host?”
For his part, Fallon voted no, calling Probst “the best host on television… Without you, there is no Survivor.” But the crowd disagreed, resulting in a resounding 173-11 vote that Probst should step into a contestant role.
That led Probst to ask Fallon’s audience a question of his own: “If I were to appear on Survivor in some fashion, should Jimmy host?”. Though Fallon got a kick out of the crowd’s enthusiastic agreement, he was surprised when Probst extended his hand to shake on the deal. “Really?” Fallon asked. “I don’t know what that means.” Am I on Survivor? What happened?”
It wouldn’t be the first time that Fallon, a self-proclaimed Survivor superfan, influenced the show. Ahead of season 39, Fallon pitched Probst on adding a booth to the Tribal Council for former contestants to provide commentary. It wound up being added to the show.
While last night’s moment was hardly a confirmation that Fallon will become involved in the series, there is precedent for seemingly off-the-cuff invites like this on The Tonight Show coming true. A similar interaction with Mike Tirico on The Tonight Show last winter ended with Fallon co-hosting the Olympics closing ceremony.
In that case, however, the invite was for another NBC gig. Survivor airs on CBS, which could complicate matters if Fallon is truly interested in appearing onthe reality competition show.
Time will tell what happens—and with the 50th season still a year away, there’s plenty of time to go. In the meantime, Survivor’s 48th season premieres tonight (February 28) at 8 PM ET on CBS.
Dear God, no.