Its also a landmark 40th season anniversary of the franchise.
So there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.
And thats exactly what the host and players did at the very start of the season.
Robert Voets/CBS
It was a very cool moment to honor the legacy of both the players and the show itself.
But as Probst tells EW, the entire idea was originally attached to a nefarious twist.
We were going to toast them and celebrate them and then lead them into this devilish idea.
Well, the idea we had, we got rid off.
We didnt like it.
And so it stayed in the creative.
And then as Im handing it out, they are all looking for the twist.
Like, no matter what it was still going to be a question of was it real or not.
You see Parvati going, I dont trust you.
That really tickled me because Im being genuine but the game is so unpredictable you cant trust it.
Considering the history of the cast and the show itself, the toast plays well without any sadistic underside.
To your point, the toast was genuine, Probst says.
The immediate takeaway was relief and exhilaration, says Probst.
And weve had many ideas, and weve gone down many roads.
And some of the pieces stayed in, like the toast with champagne, and some left.
This is what we should do.
And that was a really cool moment.
So to see it play out, beat after beat after beat and finish with this battle was exhilarating.
And then when it was over, was relief.
