‘Survivor’ Host Jeff Probst Confirms Romance on Show for First Time in 7 Seasons

Love is all over, especially on the shores of Fiji as part of Survivor. As 18 new contestants battle it out for the chance to win the $1 million grand prize, two contestants will also be dealing with romance in Survivor Season 44. Before the new season’s premiere on March 1, long-time host Jeff Probst confirmed that Survivor 44 features a coupling between two contestants, marking the first Survivor showmance in seven seasons and five years, a short-lived romance having last sparked between Dan Rengering and Kara Kay in Season 37 in 2018.

Probst confirmed the season’s romance in a new interview with TV Insider just a few weeks after cast member Danny Massa told Entertainment Weekly that he predicted “there might be a little showmance action.” Asked his thoughts on that prediction, Probst confirmed that while he “hadn’t heard of Danny’s prognostication,” there may be some truth to it.

“That’s fascinating. I wonder if he noticed something between two players during pre-game or if he just has a hobby of making love predictions,” he said. “Either way, he might want to consider getting a crystal ball and doing this full time because his instincts were spot on! Survivor 44 has a showmance, our first showmance in a very long time. I won’t say anything other than if it lasted, it would make me very happy.”

Probst stopped short of revealing which two contestants will find themselves in a showmance. The upcoming season is set to bring 18 new contestants to the shores of Fiji for the epic competition. The group will be split into three tribes. On Ratu tribe (orange) will be Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, Barbershop Owner; Brandon Cottom, Security Specialist; Kane Fritzler, Law Student; Jaime Lynn Ruiz, Yogi; Lauren Harpe, Elementary School Teacher; and Maddy Pomilla, Charity Projects Manager. Making up Soke tribe (green) will be Josh Wilder, Surgical Podiatrist; Frannie Marin, Research Coordinator; Danny Massa, NYC Firefighter; Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, Engineering Manager; Matt Blankinship, Security Software Engineer; and Claire Rafson, Tech Investor. The purple Tika tribe will consist of Bruce Perreault, Insurance Agent; Sarah Wade, Management Consultant; Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, Salon Owner; Helen Li, Product Manager; Carson Garrett, NASA Engineering Student; and Carolyn Wiger, Drug Counselor.

Survivor Season 44 kicks off with a two-hour season premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 1 on CBS. New episodes will also be available to stream at the same time on Paramount+, which you can sign up for here.