Behind the Scenes of the Funniest 'Survivor' Opening Ever
Jeff Probst with the contestants of 'Survivor 46' during the season's opening
I stood behind a row of cameras as the 18 castaways of Survivor 46 anxiously stood on their tribe mats. It's the first few official minutes of the season. After sitting in anticipation for days in Fiji, the players have officially donned their colors and hit the beach (albeit amidst some rain and rocky waves). Now, all they're waiting to do is hear from Jeff Probst for some words of wisdom to kick off the game officially.
The past ten seasons or so of Survivor have usually contained a constant. Probst engages the new crop of castaways via what's known by fans as "mat chat." In it, he'll direct questions about the show, the game, and their current feelings to the contestants, allowing both their competition and us at home to get a first impression of them as they're "birthed" into the Survivor?experience.
A million ideas were running through the heads of the Survivor 46 players. Would Jeff impart onto them a distillation of the game, like the idea of a "social contract" that pervaded season 43? What would he single each person out on as they gave their introduction? No matter what they were expecting, it certainly wasn't how Probst actually started the mat chat.
"If you pick up a sponge, and it smells bad, do you still use it?"
Related: Everything We Know About Survivor Season 46
It's a question that threw not only the castaways for a loop, but also myself and the crew (who all exchanged smiles as they kept the cameras rolling). Trying to take it all in, both software engineer Jess Chong and artist Tiffany Nicole Ervin tried to come up with answers to this seemingly out-of-nowhere question. Probst struck gold, though, when he went to data analyst Venus Vafa.
"I don't do the dishes," she said. "I use the dishwasher for that."
The comment elicited a laugh from the rest of the cast and served as a harbinger of what would be the funniest opening in the show's history, a true marker of a group that Probst has previously highlighted for their humor. So it comes as no surprise that, following Venus' answer, he immediately turned to Jem Hussain-Adams.
"What's the perfect bowl of popcorn?"
Now the contestants were starting to play ball a bit more, getting to talk about food one last time before they were deprived of it for the next 26 days. The international brand mentor showed her sweet tooth by covering the confectionary in caramel sauce. She was met with some dissent by fellow tribe member Moriah Gaynor, who nixes the liquidy addition, adding that she wants it a little burnt. Probst then threw it to Tevin Davis, and, knowing his role, the actor delivered the oddest answer of the day.
"It needs to be yellow and buttery and dripping down my body," he said both dramatically and salaciously, even going so far as to mime the action itself. His delivery elicited more laughs from the group, as well as even a couple of hoots and hollers.
Probst stayed on Tevin for his next question: "Is there a funny knock-knock joke?" Perhaps still caught up in his butter-laden fantasy, he stammered. But there to swoop in was his fellow tribe member, Liz Wilcox. Even though the marketing strategist took the baton from him, it wasn't long before she stumbled herself, seemingly forgetting the next line after the response, "Who's there?" called back to her.
"See, everybody's laughing!" she exclaimed in response to the reaction to her slip-up. But she's soon able to recover and finally deliver the punchline: "The winner of Survivor." The reaction then turned from laughter to impressive applause at the stuck landing.
The host then turned his attention to David Jelinsky, pointing out his initiative in wanting to be called by his last name from the jump (a feat, mentioned by Probst, usually reserved for legendary players). He presents a scenario to the slot machine salesman: "You can be 10% smarter, but appear to be 20% dumber to others." The season's youngest contestant, who already talked to me two days before about wanting to be underestimated for his age, firmly agreed to the offer. His tribe member Bhanu Gopal, when given the deal, declared that he was "90% dumb and 10% smart."
"You didn't answer the question," Probst responded, perhaps a hint towards the "edge" he was promising to bring back this season.
The third man in the Yanu tribe, Q Burdette, pitched in. With all the confidence he commanded from years of playing football in college and becoming an incredibly successful real estate agent, he turns down the offer. "I'm already 100% smart." The response elicited eye contact exchanged between multiple castaways.
"I want that answer," piped up Jelinsky.
Related: Jeff Probst Reveals the Secret Theme of Survivor 46
Next came Probst's most intense question yet. "You punch yourself in the face and it hurts. Are you weak, or are you strong?" Perhaps a bit thrown off by the disquieting image of hitting oneself, law student Charlie Davis represented the scales of justice in a balanced answer, simply replying, "Equal."
"You're strong!" replied salon owner Kenzie Petty. "Going through pain takes strength." Parent coach Maria Shrime Gonzalez evaded the binary by going with a third option: She's so agile that she misses her own punch. Once again, Moriah came in with a blunt challenge, this time to Probst's question itself.
"If you're punching yourself in the face," she said, "it means you're a dumbass."
We turn from aggression to altruism with the next question. "Do you tell a stranger they have a booger in their nose?" It was not a note of hesitation for musician Ben Katzman, immediately asserting he would tell them, "You gotta wipe clean." College coach Tim Spicer wanted to keep to himself, uttering, "I'm in line to get my coffee, not your booger." Soda Thompson agreed with the sentiment, saying she would simply "judge and walk away."
Related: Jeff Probst Calls Survivor 46 "One of the Most Vicious Seasons Ever"
Finally, perhaps already forecasting what would turn out to be a very musical cast, Probst asked for the theme song that was playing through everyone's heads at this moment. Science teacher Hunter McKnight started things in a colorful place with his answer of "Can't Stop the Feeling," eliciting applause from the Trolls fans in the cast. Randen Montalvo brought it to R&B with Missy Elliot's "The Rain," referring to the wet conditions that began their "birth" into the game. An excited Soda couldn't help but launch into a snatch of the song in response.
Liz said "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff, on brand considering her supposed moniker of "The Fresh Princess of Email." Jem invoked a rival network's former reality stalwart with "A Moment Like This." Jelinsky went hard rock with "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC, referencing its use in Iron Man 2. Finally, it arrived back on Kenzie, who seemed to have a whole jukebox racing through her mind.
"All that pops in my head right now is happy birthday!" she cheerfully declared. As everyone laughed at the randomness of the answer, Probst perhaps brought in a hot take, asking if the song was even that good. He was met with a unified yes from the players.
And then, almost as if on command, the entire group of 18 contestants, who range from different walks of life, who come from the jungles of Guyana to the cold of Canada, who are about to spend the next 26 days slitting each other's throats in the hopes of the title of Sole Survivor, all launched into a full-throated rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" to Jeff Probst.
It was a truly wild way to end the most unconventional start to a Survivor season I've ever seen. And though the scene, unfortunately, did not make the final edit, as there was plenty to get into in the jam-packed two-hour premiere, it interestingly did serve as an appetizer for what to expect from this cast. As odd as these questions may be, the answers showcased personality, which we have in droves with this cast. Everyone looked at each question differently, much like a query from Probst from Tribal Council, an advantage in the game, or an alliance offer.
After such a humorous and exciting beginning to Survivor 46, we should get the popcorn for what will surely be an entertaining season. Caramel sauce is optional.
Next, check out the photos and bios of the Survivor 46 cast.
