Now that Survivor has been on the air for more than 25 years, fans of Jeff Probst’s beloved reality show tend to see the show in a certain way. Whether someone is a new viewer who has to figure out which seasons to watch first or they know which former players have refused to return, fans usually care most about the game. After all, when most fans think about Survivor, they envision the best seasons, they remember the show’s most iconic players, and the show’s best winners come to mind.

Since Survivor fans care so much about the show’s strategy, that is what they focus most on. As a result, fans sometimes forget about how many players have been medically evacuated and how dangerous Survivor’s challenges can be. Another thing that many fans forget about is how dangerous the wildlife in the jungle can be. With that in mind, it is fascinating to know that Jeff previously revealed the encounter he once had with a potentially deadly creature while filming Survivor.

Jeff Probst Almost Had A Deadly Encounter With A Snake While Filming Survivor

As of June 2025, Survivor fans have gotten to watch 48 seasons of the beloved reality show. Over those many seasons, fans have gotten to watch many incredible things happen from afar.

One of the biggest appeals of Survivor is how unpredictable the show can be at times. Despite that, one of the most unpredictable things about Survivor is the fact that fans have never seen some things happen on the show.

Despite the fact that Survivor players spend days outside in nature, often in the jungle, there has never been a player who was seriously injured by a wildlife attack. However, Jeff Probst has previously revealed how close he came to being the victim of a wildlife attack himself.

In 2002, Jeff Probst made an appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly.

As can be seen in a recently resurfaced Instagram video of that appearance, Jeff told Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa about a wildlife interaction he had with a potentially deadly snake.

While talking to the hosts, Jeff explained that when they were filming Survivor: Thailand, they were in a location that was the habitat for king cobras.

Furthermore, Jeff explained how deadly a king cobra snake bite is.

“Here’s how long you have to live if it bites you… You’ve gotta have snake venom there. If you get bit by a king cobra or something like that, you’re done. Because it’s literally a half hour lifespan that you have.”

After Jeff Probst talked about how deadly king cobra snakes are, Regis asked him the most obvious question. “Did you see a king cobra in this series? I mean, outside of a cage.”

In response, Jeff told Regis that he encountered a king cobra snake while filming Survivor, even though he didn’t know what it was at first.

“I did come across a king cobra, you know, and they look like a normal snake until they sort of rear up and then their hood opens up.”

Jeff then explained to Regis that as he looked at the king cobra, the snake looked like it was going to strike him. However, Jeff claimed that the tremendous heat in Thailand saved him because he believed that the snake was so hot that it didn’t bother to strike him.

“The heat up there is about 115 or so during the day. And I watched this king cobra for just a second as it looked at me, and it literally [reared its head]. It went to strike and [then it just dropped its head]. I mean, the humidity.”

The reason why Jeff’s story about almost getting killed by a king cobra is relevant now is because of another statement Jeff recently made about Survivor and snakes.

On April 23rd, 2025, an episode of “On Fire with Jeff Probst: The Official Survivor Podcast” was published. During that episode, which can be listened to on Apple Podcasts, Jeff Probst revealed something stunning about Survivor.

During the podcast episode, Jeff was asked how Survivor’s producers would handle it if they recognized there was a snake near the players. Without hesitation, Jeff stated that Survivor’s producers wouldn’t warn players who were in peril from a snake.

An Icon Exclusively Told TheThings Why Survivor’s Producers Shouldn’t Protect Players From Danger

During Survivor: All-Stars, Richard Hatch had one of the most intense wildlife interactions in the show’s history. While hunting for fish, Richard spotted a shark and decided to catch it. That shark wound up biting Richard’s arm and holding on for a long time as Survivor’s first winner attempted to free himself and still catch the shark.

Even though the shark wasn’t huge, its bite could easily have killed Richard if he bled out. Failing that, Richard could have suffered a serious injury that could have led to his medical evacuation or worse.

Given that experience, it seems like Richard would advocate for Survivor’s producers to keep the players safe. However, it turns out that the exact opposite is true.

In December 2024, the Survivor Hall of Famer Richard Hatch was interviewed by TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas. During that interview, Richard argued that Survivor’s players should be allowed to take the risks they choose to.

“Gosh no. Survivor’s producers have no responsibility to protect players from their own choices and risks with regard to things like this, and I don’t think they should involve themselves. Specifically, when it comes to how Survivor players decide what risks are worth taking to secure food, producers should not be involved.”

Richard then explained that he believed Survivor players shouldn’t be protected because they understand that they’ve put themselves in danger. “We Survivor players understand the risks involved in playing this physically challenging and mentally sophisticated game. We sign reams of paperwork accepting responsibility for what takes place when the game is played.”