Survivor has made some controversial game choices over the years, but the most contentious one has been the shift in the length of the season.

Host Jeff Probst has addressed the issue a few times in the years following the shortened Survivor 41 season.

When the world shut down, they adjusted that season to be shorter to account for the time and cost of a two-week quarantine before Episode 1 began filming.

The production team adjusted the game and ensured it was still difficult to compete – despite having the castaways compete for 26 days instead of 39 days.

Having less food has been one of the big selling points of Jeff and his team, and hunger was a huge part of the Survivor 46 season.

Jeff again addressed the shortened seasons on his On Fire podcast as the latest season began wrapping up.

Jeff Probst addresses fan complaints about 26-day seasons

“The looming question is, ‘Would you ever go back to 39 days,'” Jeff Probst stated during his On Fire podcast.

A new podcast episode dropped on May 15, following the penultimate Survivor 46 episode. Before speaking about what happened with the letters from home and the newly found Immunity Idol, he circled back to fan questions about whether or not the show would ever return to 39-day seasons.

“Well, never say never, and I mean that. We’re always open to where the game takes us as much as where we take the game, but for the time being, 26 days is the game,” Jeff elaborated.

Jeff has always been good at being aware of how the fans and viewers see his decisions and those of the other producers. Fans may disagree with some of the producers’ decisions that attempted to improve the game — like adding Hidden Immunity Idols and creating new advantages and disadvantages — but Jeff is always listening to them.

“And I get it. If somebody else were sitting in this seat, they might make a very different decision, even people on our own team,” Jeff added. “I think there’s some of them that kinda wish we were at 39 days. So it’s not a right or wrong, it’s just this is what we’re doing.”

The Play or Get Played episode of On Fire also addressed players breaking down on Survivor 46. Even though it hasn’t been a 39-day season, the changed game has been difficult for these new players.

More seasons of Survivor are coming

CBS announced the return of Survivor for Seasons 47 and 48 in the upcoming television season. The hit reality competition show maintains its 8/7c timeslot on Wednesdays, and a new season begins in the fall.

We aren’t there yet, but Jeff is also teasing Survivor 50, which should be an exciting milestone for the franchise.

As for the latest season, the Survivor 46 season finale debuts on Wednesday, May 22. After that, it will be available for streaming on Paramount+. Here is a breakdown of what fans should expect on finale night.

Previous seasons of Survivor are also available for streaming on Paramount+. That includes the final season of the Old Era: Survivor 40.

Survivor airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.