Warning: Spoilers ahead.
In an unexpected twist during Wednesday night’s live finale of “Survivor 50,” host Jeff Probst inadvertently let slip a crucial outcome of the competition.
The seasoned host, 64, unwittingly disclosed that contestant Rizo Velovic was defeated in the pivotal fire-making challenge, which determines who progresses to the Final Three. This revelation came before the segment was broadcast, leaving viewers in suspense.
During the live event in Los Angeles, Probst commented, “Camp life is also about fire-making,” as Velovic stood by his side on the stage.
He then continued, somewhat absentmindedly, “I don’t know if there’s something in there to think about. Anyway, Rizo, you’ve become the final member of our jury. Take a spot over here,” inadvertently confirming Velovic’s loss and subsequent elimination from the competition.
“This is it. These are our people. Their games fell a little short, but this is the group that is going to…” Probst added before suddenly stopping.
“What just happened?” he asked.
Several contestants seated nearby quickly pointed out the mistake, telling Probst, “The fire hasn’t happened yet.”
“Huh?” Probst replied as cast members continued speaking over one another. “Keep going,” someone yelled from off camera.
“I’m not even sure what’s happened,” Probst admitted before CBS cut to commercial.
When the broadcast returned, Probst addressed the mix-up.
“Alright, so, I love doing live television,” he said as the audience cheered.
“In case you’re confused, this is what happened. We were going to show you fire-making, and then have the loser of fire-making, Rizo, come out and talk about if he had practiced fire-making maybe he would’ve won.
“Instead, we did a ‘Survivor’ twist, it’s the last twist of the season. We call it, ‘A peek into the future.’ So now, we’re going to watch Rizo lose in a fire to Jonathan.”
The fire-making challenge had been filmed months earlier in Fiji. The segment showed Jonathan Young defeating Velovic to secure a spot in the Final Three.
Probst then introduced the footage by telling the audience to “watch Rizo lose!”
Fans quickly reacted to the on-air mistake on social media.
“As someone who missed the Will Smith slap live, this was the wildest live TV moment I’ve ever seen. RIP to whoever just lost their job,” one viewer wrote.
“Welp we’re never getting a live finale again,” another posted.
“It’s incredible – but handled it very well. It was funny. We all knew who was going to win fire. All good,” a third added.
Aubry Bracco was ultimately crowned the winner of “Survivor 50,” defeating Young and Joe Hunter at the Final Tribal Council to win the $2 million prize.
The live TV mishap came just one week after Probst responded to fan criticism that “Survivor” has become less cutthroat in recent years.
“We experiment with all kinds of new ideas, and we tried to usher in the most unpredictability we’ve ever had,” Probst told Variety.
“Whether or not you like the season is subjective, but it’s not that something didn’t work. We’ve made bad choices in the past. I just don’t think we did in 50.”