Survivor host Jeff Probst says that producers “had no idea” about the connection between two Island of the Idols competitors. It was revealed that two Lairo tribal members share an off-island link. What is it? Well, they share someone in common. If you thought the six degrees of Kevin Bacon made the world feel super-interconnected, wait for it!
It turns out that Island of the Idols competitor Kellee Kim goes to business school with Dean Kowalski’s girlfriend. It makes for a potentially exciting dynamic between the fellow Lairo tribal members. Jeff Probst explained the situation, saying this to EW:
We had no idea about their connection. When we are in the casting phase of the show, we do extensive background checks, psychological profiles, thorough medical tests, and lots and lots of time just spent talking with each player about their life. I’m very impressed with the information we uncover. But occasionally an overlapping social connection happens and it’s on the players to figure out how to navigate it within the game. In this case, it appears that Dean and Kellee are trying to exploit it as an opportunity. But anytime you pair up, it can work against you, as it did last week with Dean’s other alliance member, Chelsea.
So, Survivor only discovered the Island of Idols pair’s connection after they were both on the same tribe! This sounds like a lesson in how intricately intertwined people’s lives can be. Interestingly, it is something that managed to get past Survivor’s exhaustive research team, which Jeff Probst explained takes a pretty in-depth look into someone’s life.
That all takes place before Survivor begins each season, though, well before a connection would to impact the competition. After so many seasons, things like this are bound to happen.
Now it is up to Kellee and Dean to find out what they are going to do with this intel. Will it be the connection the Survivor contestants need to outlast the competition? It could help Kelle and Dean forge a pretty deep alliance. Hopefully CBS’s commercials do not spoil the outcome.
Survivor’s host seems to think that Kellee and Dean’s desire to use to their off-island connection as an advantage may end up working against them. Jeff Probst even gives an example as to why it could. He points out Dean’s situation with his other alliance member, Chelsea. She was voted off of Survivor and called her fellow tribal members “a bunch of clowns” afterward.
If anyone has a good idea of how things between Survivor players could work out, it is Jeff Probst. He has hosted the series ever since Season 1. Fans will have to tune in and see where Kellee and Dean’s connection ends up taking them in the game.
Season 39 has seen the reveal of a significant change to the storytelling, but the desire to win remains the same. While CinemBlend’s Corey Chichizola thought the premiere for The Island of Idols was weird, it ended up winning him over. Now, viewers will get to see if Kellee and Dean come up with a winning alliance.
Find out how Kellee and Dean’s strategy plays out when new episodes of Survivor air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The long-running reality competition is one of the many series airing new this fall.
