Was Jeff Probst of Survivor Intimidated by Benjamin “Coach” Wade?

One of the most iconic Survivors in history is undoubtedly the man everyone calls Coach. The way he played the game was unlike anyone else. While many players nowadays will do almost anything to win and are highly duplicitous, Coach played with a sense of honor and nobility the show had hardly seen before and has hardly seen since. He wanted to compete against the best of the best and didn’t pursue the strategy of most in trying to get rid of the strongest challengers. Iron sharpens iron after all. He has so many notable quotes, so many stories that could be made into Hollywood movies, and he carried himself with such a stoic demeanor; I will always cherish his time on the show and I would like to thank him for providing such a great viewing experience. The Dragon Slayer revolutionized Survivor and the world of reality television. Now let us address the elephant in the room. Jeff Probst is a talented host and I cannot imagine anyone else hosting Survivor. However, he obviously had never met a man quite like Coach. The tension was palpable as the veteran host was somewhat on edge during Tribal Councils, as he knew the eloquent Coach could have easily dived into an incisive diatribe toward Mr. Probst if Mr. Probst was too snarky. The host still managed to make some measured snide remarks, however. The Dragon Slayer handled it all with dignity. He wasn’t about to let even a veteran host like Mr. Probst cut him down. So we circle back to the headline: Did Jeff Probst feel intimidated by Coach? The answer can only be yes. As a veteran body language studier, I saw many indicators (how Jeff’s eyes sort of wrinkled more than normal toward the edges, and how his jaw subtly clenched) that show Jeff was certainly somewhat apprehensive when dealing with the last of the Mohicans.