“Survivor” host Jeff Probst previews season 45 and reveals what makes a great player

With “Survivor” season 45, host and executive producer Jeff Probst has finally gotten his wish.

The upcoming season of the long-running reality competition show will feature 90-minute-long episodes — a change Probst had long pushed for behind the scenes.

“It’s 50% more show,” Probst told CBS News’ John Dickerson. “I’ve been pitching, saying we can do it, and our fans will enjoy it.”

Probst spoke with CBS News ahead of the new season premiere, saying fans can expect more creative challenges thanks to the longer runtime.

“We’re just able to have more fun,” Probst said. “We’re able to do more things, spend more time with the players, do more elaborate advantages and twists and things that sort of keep our game going.”

After 23 years on air, Probst said “Survivor” still gets “tens of thousands of people applying every year.” But what makes a great player? Probst attributed it to “emotional intelligence” and “social skills.”

“What’s fun about ‘Survivor’ is you are also a detective,” he said. “You are playing this game of who knows what, and what do they know about me, and how can I get around here?”

Probst reflected on how the show has evolved since its inception, referring to the first season as “‘Lord of the Flies’ without the death.”

“Where it is now is that, ultimately, ‘Survivor’ is about this human experience, but the lure is the game,” he said. “So you design this complicated game where you get to be a detective and use your emotional intelligence and be social — but when it’s over, what you realize is, oh, it wasn’t about the game. It was about the experience. But you had to play the game to get the experience.”

“Survivor” returns Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

CBS and CBS News and Stations are both part of Paramount Global.