Jeff Probst's Goal: Be A Syndication Survivor

If events had unfolded a bit differently, Jeff Probst might have replaced Regis Philbin on Live! After sitting in for Philbin as a guest co-host, he says it's something that he had thought about, but he didn't think Philbin would ever retire.

And by the time Philbin did retire, Probst was plotting his own talk show with CBS Television Distribution that he says is closer to his soul.

Just last week, CTD recruited former Oprah supervising producer Amy Coleman to join Probst as co-executive producer on the show, which has been cleared in more than 80% of the country and set to debut this fall.

Jeff Probst will compete for viewers and ad dollars with returning shows and three other newbies: Disney/ABC’s Katie, NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution’s Steve Harvey and Twentieth Television’s Ricki.

Jeff Probst recently spoke with TVNewsCheck Contributing Editor Kevin Downey about the nature of his upcoming show, the competition and using social media to interact with viewers.

An edited transcript:

What's your vision for the Jeff Probst show?

The umbrella idea is a philosophy that guides me, which is a Joseph Campbell quote: “The adventure you’re ready for is the one you get.” That’s been guiding my life for the past decade.

I think it’s a timely idea. People are looking for change. My feeling is: Well, how about now? Why wait? Let’s get something happening. We want to have a show that inspires people to get off the couch and accomplish what they want to in their lives.

How will you do that?

This isn’t a motivational show, in the sense of "Rah, rah, rah! Come on, you can do it!” But it has elements of Survivor’s tribal council, where you put your finger to someone’s chest and say: “Hold yourself accountable.”

But the end goal of this show is different. It’s a positive end, which is about making your life better and accomplishing the things you want to accomplish.

Will the topics always be upbeat or will you tackle tough issues, too?

When we did the pilot, the shows ranged from a convicted rapist, who was seeking forgiveness so he could move on with his life, to a really fun segment with a mom who hadn’t worn a bikini in 10 years. It was holding her back. That was equally moving, but at the completely other end of the spectrum.

Will that format stick when the show debuts in September?

Any new show has to find its legs. We’re really comfortable — and CBS has been really supportive — with saying that’s what we should do. We’re going to go out there and see what the audience responds to. We’ll adapt and assess and adapt and assess, as necessary.

I want to build the show with the audience. I want us to learn together. If we build the show in the right way, the audience will feel invested in it. If we can get that two-way street working, we’ll get somewhere.

The key for any talk show is the point of view of the host. I’m not a journalist and I’m not a doctor and I’m not an expert. I’m just a guy who likes to have conversations about real life and I’m not afraid to share. I have found that if you’re willing to share, the other person tends to open up.

You and Amy Coleman are executive producers on the show. Is the rest of executive team in place?

We’re just getting into that now. But I can tell you that we’re going to put together a team with a nice blend of experience and new, young, enthusiastic talent. I’ve been rewarded many times on Survivor when I had faith in somebody who I moved into a position that, if you read their resume, they weren’t ready for. But, in talking to them for 10 minutes, you know they’re ready to amaze you.

We’re going to strive to always keep our show fresh — the ideas are fresh, the points of view are fresh. We’re not going to be locked into any point of view where, “This is always how we do it.”

How have your past experiences, like co-hosting Live, influenced this show?

One of the things I enjoyed about filling in for Regis was the first 15 minutes, where you just talk about your life. It’s a very freeing environment. We’re going to have a bit of that feel, meaning the freedom to share your own life. If a celebrity comes on, we won’t know what we’re talking about until we start sharing.

I just got married. I’ve been a dad for a while to two incredible kids. That informs my life in a whole new way. I want to share that when it’s appropriate.

Did you ever speak with Disney about becoming the permanent co-host on Live?