Robert Voets/CBS
I love lying and backstabbing onSurvivor.
The deceit and deception is positively intoxicating to this longtime reality competition fan.
Of perseverance and support.
Joe Hunter and Eva Erickson.Credit:Robert Voets/CBS
Of human bonds that transcend the game.
Thats what made me and millions of other viewers sob like babies on our couches.
And we werent the only ones crying.
David Kinne, Charity Nelms, Eva Erickson, and Mary Zheng.Robert Voets/CBS
For the first time in 48 seasons,SurvivorhostJeff Probstbroke into tears on camera.
Eva finally finished the challenge and erupted into emotion so much emotion that she became over-stimulated and ungrounded.
Now you got me, he explained through tears.
Joe Hunter on ‘Survivor 48’.Robert Voets/CBS
Im a parent, too, and I do see it.
Wow, this has never happened.
But I see it too, and its why I loveSurvivor.
Eva Erickson.Robert Voets/CBS
What did Probst see from Eva while he was calling the challenge?
Why did he decide to break protocol and allow Joe to leave his mat?
What was his reaction when he felt himself crying for the first time on camera?
And how did the moment hit him when he watched it all edited together for TV?
We caught up with the host to chat about everything that transpired.
So there was a lot going on all at once.
But the truth is, moments like this transcend anything else that is happening.
Its not about logic or rules, its about being human.
You dont analyze those decisions, you feel them.
You act before you even know what youre going to say.
Eva was visibly struggling, and in that moment, everything else fell away.
All that mattered was connection.
Letting her know she wasnt alone.
You have to see it to understand it.
Let me pull back the curtain a little bit.
Remember, I too was watching it as it was happening.
So I was already very emotional.
And I imagine that anyone who watches this moment will experience their own version of what I felt.
Something very deep and personal a place where words fall short, but the feeling stays with you.
This is one of thoseSurvivormoments I will never forget.
To the score and the sound mix.
And, of course, our incredible support teams that keep theSurvivorengine running day after day.
It literally takes a village.
Ive watched this scene more than any other scene that has ever happened on our show.
We put more time and energy and thought into getting this scene right than anything I can ever remember.
We knew we were a witness to magic, and we wanted the audience to feel it too.
I will be totally honest: I cry every single time I watch it.
I just watched it again, and I cried again.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
