24 Hours With … Jeff Probst

It’s been 19 years—and nearly 40 seasons—since Survivor host Jeff Probst first snuffed out a tropical torch with a solemn “The tribe has spoken.” Here, he shares his typical day in paradise.

- David Hochman

5:00 AM I’m up an hour before sunrise. It’s nice to have a bit of quiet before the day begins. I’ll text my wife to say good morning. It’s so important to start the day with that connection. In Borneo the first season, we had dial-up internet, and the crew would line up for hours for the one phone line. Now I FaceTime with my wife and kids. I couldn’t have survived it this long otherwise.

6:30 AM A quick workout. I have a small gym that travels with me full of gear I’ve accumulated over the years. At the start of the shoot, I try to work out five days a week. But with each passing week, the physical and mental fatigue starts to take a toll on my energy levels. By the end of the shoot, I’m lucky if I can manage 20 minutes, three times a week.

7:30 AM Breakfast. Survivor is essentially a live television show. We shoot 39 straight days, we don’t do second takes, and we don’t skip a day due to weather or illness. So every crew member has to be healthy in order to contribute, and that includes me. My food routine is pretty boring. For breakfast, I always have an egg frittata with a protein shake and coffee. I always get sleep and rarely drink alcohol. Like I said, pretty boring.

9:15 AM Prepping for the challenge. My prep is pretty fast, and sunscreen is the No. 1 priority. In the early days of