Jeff Probst is slamming prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket for allowing users to make trades about who won “Survivor” Season 50, saying that the companies are “incentivizing people to lie, cheat and steal to get ahead.”
“They have figured out a way to capitalize on [the show],” he tells Variety. “It doesn’t sit well with me as a human. I get it — they built a great business. They don’t care.”
Aubry Bracco wasn’t officially crowned as the Sole Survivor of “Survivor 50” until the finale on Wednesday night, but many fans were spoiled on her win in advance due to widely circulated reports about her odds on Kalshi and Polymarket. On both platforms, she was forecast to have above an 80% chance of winning before the season even premiered. By the finale, Kalshi’s “Survivor” market had reached a volume of $32.7 million, with Bracco at 97% odds.
Moments before the premiere debuted on Wednesday night, Kalshi sent out a push notification that read, “Survivor S50 finale TONIGHT. Aubry’s at 97% — is the island already decided?”
Probst learned how much money was in Kalshi’s “Survivor” market, and that they’d sent out the cheeky notification, for the first time while being interviewed by Variety. “I’m not happy about it,” he said. “I am learning this in real time — this is announced before our finale?”
