Over the last 25 years, more than 750 “Survivor” castaways have had their reality competition careers overseen by the show’s longtime host and executive producer Jeff Probst.
While the majority of those players are on a first-name basis with the 64-year-old host – barring the few who refer to him as simply “Probst” – it hasn’t stopped some castaways from testing the waters with a series of increasingly odd nicknames for the Emmy-winning television personality.
In the past, castaways like Courtney Yates (“Survivor: China”) and Jay Starrett (“Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X”) have flipped the script by referring to Probst by his full birth name, Jeffrey, while “Survivor: Game Changers” champion Sarah Lacina took things a step further by calling the host “Pretty Boy Probst.”
While the silly nicknames have come and gone on previous seasons with little fanfare, the cast of the show’s currently-airing 49th season have whipped the “Survivor” fandom into a frenzy after castaway Kristina Mills first referred to Probst as “Uncle Jeff.”
Some ‘Survivor’ Alumni Find the Moniker ‘Cringe’ & ‘Weird’
While Probst doesn’t seem to mind the nickname on-air, hearing “Uncle Jeff” every episode has certainly stirred up some discontent amongst former castaways, including the likes of “Survivor 50” contestant Q Burdette, who said, “Every single time I hear that, I just cringe.”
Q’s thoughts on the nickname were revealed during his appearance on “The Pod Has Spoken” podcast, hosted by “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” champion Tyson Apostol, earlier this fall.
“It’s like, you said it once, it’s okay,” Q told Apostol and his co-host Riley McAtee, adding that the nickname feels far too familiar for players who, in the grand scheme of things, barely know Probst. “The first episode, you get on the mat, you’re excited. But to now turn this into your ‘thing’ – It’s so annoying to hear just from the standpoint of, okay, at this point you’ve met Jeff maybe nine times. How did he get to the point to be called ‘uncle’?”
“I personally don’t love the sound of it,” added Apostol.
As a four-time player and former “Sole Survivor” himself, who most recently appeared on 2020’s all-winner season “Winners at War,” even Apostol felt uncomfortable with the overly-familiar moniker.
“It sounds weird to me,” he said. “Even still, after four seasons, to call him anything other than ‘Jeff’ or ‘Mr. Probst.”
Tyson joked that he might also deign to refer to the illustrious host as “bro” or “dude,” but admitted that Probst would “hate both of those from me.”
Kristina Mills Responds to Outrage Over ‘Uncle Jeff’ Nickname
Following the net negative response from fans and former players alike, Kristina Mills – who originally coined the “Uncle Jeff” nickname – responded to the controversy on Instagram.
“I did not think this was something I would ever have to address or talk about, but I’ve seen Reddit threads, and I’ve seen articles and lots and lots of comments, and so let’s talk about the whole ‘Uncle Jeff’ thing,” she said in a video uploaded to the platform on December 8. “If it bothers you, if it gets on your nerves, if it’s cringe for you, I’m very, very, sorry, but from the bottom of my heart, truly, and I cannot stress this enough, I don’t care.”
“There are more things in the world to care about than someone being called ‘uncle’ on TV,” the Final 6 castaway continued. “Also, please stop saying, ‘Stop it.’ What do you guys want us to do? Do you want us to go back and film everything we filmed months ago? I can’t just magically stop.”
Mills similarly revealed the origins of the “Uncle Jeff” moniker, tying it back to the fact that reality TV fans have been calling longtime “Big Brother” host Julie Chen-Moonves “Auntie Julie” for years now.
“I’m a huge ‘Big Brother’ fan, and from the first time Chelsie [Baham] called Julie ‘Auntie,’ I looked over to my husband, and I said, ‘Hey, if Julie is the OG auntie of reality TV, then Jeff is for sure the OG uncle,’” Kristina revealed. “And I said, ‘If I ever get the chance to meet him, then I’m gonna tell him that.’”
The 36-year-old MBA career coach added that her dream became a reality when she referred to Probst as “Uncle Jeffrey” during her first audition for “Survivor 49.”
Probst Reveals His Thoughts on Being Called ‘Uncle Jeff’
The familial nickname, to the dismay of fans and former alumni alike, has stuck throughout the season, with other players like Jawan Pitts and Rizo Velovic similarly adopting the moniker while talking to Probst ahead of challenges and during Tribal Council ceremonies.
GettyProbst himself discussed the new nickname during an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Dalton Ross earlier this season, saying that he prefers the moniker to others he has been called over the years.
“I don’t know where that came from,” he told the editorial director. “But it’s better than granddad. I was called a ‘granddad’ by Dee [Valladares] after she won. And we’re here at the after show and she said to me, ‘Jeff, this is really surreal. I grew up with you; you were like a father figure, I mean, now it’s more like a granddad.’ So I’ll take Uncle Jeff all day.”
Love it or hate it, it seems fans will have to put up with the “Uncle Jeff” nickname for at least two more weeks until the “explosive” three-hour finale of “Survivor 49” airs on Wednesday, December 17 at 8:00pm ET.
Yeah, the Uncle Jeff thing really bugs me!