The “Survivor” Season 50 finale just proved that anything can happen on live TV.
During the reality series’ three-hour season finale on Wednesday, May 20, host Jeff Probst make an awkward mistake that inadvertently spoiled one major detail for viewers.
The veteran TV host didn’t seem to realize his blunder at first, but later infused some humor into the situation and addressed it following a commercial break.
What happened, and how are viewers reacting? Catch up on all the details below.
The ‘Survivor’ Season 50 Finale Featured a Pre-Taped Episode and Live Segments
“Survivor,” which has been on the air for 26 years, returned to its original form as it wrapped up Season 50 on May 20. The finale featured a studio audience for the first time since 2019, and the winner was announced live.
As the pre-taped finale episode aired, viewers also got to see check-ins with Probst and eliminated contestants throughout the night.
Jeff Probst Accidentally Reveals That One Contestant Had Been Eliminated Before Viewers Saw It Happen
Before the final fire-making challenge aired in the finale, Probst checked in with some of the contestants during a live segment.
Even though viewers didn’t know who had been eliminated during the challenge just yet, Probst accidentally invited the contestant on stage.
“Rizo, you become the final member of our jury. Take a spot over here,” Probst said.
Rizo looked understandably confused, but took a seat with the rest of the jury members.
Probst could sense that something was awry as the jury got silent and he asked, “What just happened?”
A few members of the jury then informed the host that the fire-making challenge hadn’t aired yet in the pre-taped episode.
“I’m not even sure what’s happened,” Probst replied as the show went into a commercial break.
Jeff Probst Addresses the Blunder On Air
After Probst got up to speed on his mistake, he addressed it with humor.
“Alright, so I love doing live television. So, 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 how charming he is and if he had practiced fire-making maybe he would have won,” he said.
The host went on, saying, “Instead, we did a ‘Survivor’ twist. It’s the last twist of the season. We called it, ‘A peek into the future.’ So now we’re gonna watch Rizo lose in fire to Jonathan.”
Rizo Reacts to the Finale Spoiler
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly after the finale, Rizo spoke about how the awkward moment unfolded.
“So my understanding was they were under the assumption fire already happened. But I was in the green room saying like, ‘Wait, I’m waiting for myself to lose here. What are we doing?’ And Jeff’s like, “Bring out RizGod!’ And they’re like, ‘You’re up.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, I’m gonna work with what we’ve got here,’” he explained.
Rizo said he proceeded to do “the best RizGod that I do at tribal” and started “playing off Jeff.”
“And Jeff is talking about fire, and I was like, ‘Well, I’m not trying to reveal it, so win or lose, I’m proud of how I played,’” he explained. “And Jeff’s like, ‘Sit your ass on the bench.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, this is awkward.’ But I think we recovered well. I made a little joke with Jeff live on stage, so I thought it was fine.”
How ‘Survivor’ Viewers Reacted to the Moment
After watching Probst inadvertently reveal the last member of the jury, a lot of fans took to X to share their reactions.
“Genuinely cannot believe this happened. Jeff Probst, the ultimate professional, flubs one of the biggest reveals of the show in an all-time #Survivor moment. Gotta love live TV!” one wrote.
Another commented, “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.”
Some viewers criticized the show for what they thought was an avoidable mistake.
“Why did they even bring him out beforehand. Such a stupid idea. You knew he lost when he walked out bc they wouldn’t show a final 3 player that early,” one wrote.
Some viewers defended Probst, pointing out he has a whole crew of people behind him. Others appreciated the way Probst came back from the mistake.
“He actually handled it very well!! Lmao poor guy!! I personally can’t ever hate on Jeff!” one wrote.
So, Who Won ‘Survivor’ Season 50?
After Rizo’s elimination, three players remained before the final Tribal Council: Joe, Jonathan and Aubry.
In the end, Aubry was crowned the winner of Season 50 by a vote of eight to three and took home $2 million and a Toyota Land Cruiser.