Jeff Probst. Robert Voets/CBS
Every season of Survivor there are talks of an all men or women’s alliance but they hardly come to fruition — and Jeff Probst has a feeling he knows why.
“Historically, we really haven’t had that many gender-based alliances,” the Survivor host, 63, said on his “On Fire” podcast following the Wednesday, December 4, episode. “The Black Widow alliance of Cirie [Fields,] Parvati [Shallow,] Natalie [Bolton] and Amanda Kimmel was obviously the most notable and most powerful, but generally speaking, I think they don’t work because the game is so fluid.”
Probst was referring to the dominant women group from season 16’s Micronesia, which aired in 2008, spear-headed by Shallow, now 42. When the Black Widow Brigade was faced with being voted out, they famously convinced Erik Reichenbach to give up his immunity and subsequently voted him out. Shallow would go on to win the season.
Nearly two decades later, no other all-gender alliances have been able to recreate the Black Widow Brigade’s success. After watching countless players attempt to form a group, Probst weighed in on why no one has been able to come together.
“It’s already a very, very, very difficult thing to keep a group of four or five people together in any situation for any amount of time,” Probst said on the podcast. “So if you initially base it merely on gender, you are giving up so many other important factors. ‘Do we even think the same way strategically? Do I trust you?’”
Probst added that players can’t just build trust just because they have the “same gender” in common.
“There are just a lot of variables that go into forming a great alliance,” he reflected. “And the minute anyone on the outside senses that it could be based on something as visual as gender, I think it just makes it a lot tougher.”
Parvati Shallow, Cirie Fields and Amanda Kimmel on ‘Survivor.’ YouTube
Probst also credits that the game’s evolution into Survivor’s new era — which features fewer days on the beach but more twists and turns — also plays a major factor. On Survivor 42, Rocksroy Bailey attempted to form a men’s alliance but was voted out immediately after others learned of his plan. Last season, a women’s alliance was talked about by multiple players but it never came to fruition.
On the most recent episode of Survivor 47, fans watched Teeny Chirichillo, Rachel Lamont, Sue Smey and Caroline Vidmar ban together after not getting picked to go on the loved one letters overnight reward. While enjoying an Italian meal, Sam Phalen, Andy Rueda and Genevieve Mushaluk devised a plan to convince the women, who had the majority, to split their votes between Phalen, 24, and Mushaluk, 33, in case they had an idol — which neither of them had.
The women ultimately fell for the trick, which was dubbed Operation Italy, since they believed Rueda, 31, was on their side. Rueda ultimately voted with Phalen and Mushaluk and the trio sent Vidmar to the jury.
Robert Voets/CBS Survivor fans get ready, because the season 47 finale is going to look a little different this year. Survivor 47’s finale will be split into two parts running for two hours each, Us Weekly can confirm. Part one will air on Wednesday, December 11, at 8 p.m. The second part will follow one […]
“I think gameplay in the new era is very different than the old era for a lot of reasons,” Probst said of the game’s evolution. “Most noticeably, it’s just constantly shifting because the game is now played in moments. And one moment … can change the entire game. It’s one of the hallmarks, in fact. You go on a reward and you see an opening and you take it. You’re trying to improve your game every second of every day because every other player is doing the same thing.”
While Survivor hasn’t seen a gender alliance be successful in the new era, Probst isn’t ruling out that it could happen — but it will be an uphill battle.
“If a group of men or women are able to pull off a gender-based alliance, it will be extremely noteworthy,” he shared. “Because the odds of someone leaving an alliance at any given moment are extremely high, and you don’t want to be the one that got left [behind.]”
Survivor airs on Wednesdays on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Paramount+.
