Is that funny?
Yes, that’s very funny.
How did Probst react once he realized what he had done?
During the break, Probst could be seen asking the audience what the issue was, according to video posted on social media.
“What did happen? Did we show the wrong — so I came out too soon?” Probst said, before turning around. But Probst, in his 27th year of hosting the show, remained a true professional. After the break ended, he told the cameras:
“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 fun. 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 going to watch Rizo lose in fire to Jonathan. Roll it!”
The studio audience roared with laughter. And so did America. Balance was restored.
On Thursday morning, Probst sat down with “CBS This Morning” to further explain what happened. Probst said that as the pretaped segments aired, he was backstage preparing for live interviews with contestants. Because of that, he wasn’t able to watch what had aired.
It wasn’t until he was speaking with Velovic that he recognized the energy of the studio audience began to shift.
“So what happened? I’m still not sure,” Probst said on Thursday. “You know, we have a big team, mistakes happen, but we just got ahead of ourselves. And none of us saw it, but Rizo even told me later. He goes, ‘I was standing next to you going, I don’t know why he’s going to send me over to the jury. I haven’t even lost yet, so.’”
Probst added later, “What else can you do? That’s why live is fun!” It sure is.
Has this ever happened before?
Yes! You may remember that in 2015, Steve Harvey crowned the wrong Miss Universe. Or at the 2017 Academy Awards, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway accidentally awarded Best Picture to “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight,” though it wasn’t their fault.
Even fully taped shows like the Great British Bake Off aren’t immune: the longtime host Prue Leith congratulated a winner in 2017 hours before the show aired.
So let’s raise a glass to live television, and the unpredictable moments it brings us.
