Jeff Probst Was In Tears During This Emotional Interaction With An Autistic Contestant, And It Should Be Required Viewing

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02-04-2025

Another week, another amazing episode of Survivor that left me in tears — but I wasn't the only one. Just a few weeks after an incredible interaction with a contestant with a disability, Jeff Probst got emotional while watching one contestant comfort another who is autistic. CBS shared the video on TikTok, and the exchange has now gone viral.
Eva Erickson, a PhD student from Rhode Island, was the final member of the Lagi tribe to complete a task during the immunity challenge. As other tribes gained their lead, this put more pressure on Eva, which made her frustrated and begin to struggle.
A few weeks prior, Eva had privately confided in then-tribe mate Joe Hunter, a fire captain from California, that she had autism. She asked for his assistance if she ever had any episodes during the competition and gave him instructions on how to help her.
Joe, now on the Vula tribe, watched from a distance, quietly encouraging her to continue to breathe through her frustration.
After one final push, Eva managed to navigate her ball down the maze, securing safety for her tribe. The rest of the Lagi tribe immediately surrounded her, celebrating.
However, as the tribe's celebrations continued, it became clear that even though Eva had successfully completed the challenge, she was not okay. She continued to cry and was having trouble catching her breath. Joe continued to watch from a distance, looking very concerned.
Jeff Probst, quickly analyzing the situation, asked, "Joe, you want to give her a hug?"
Joe nodded and raced over to Eva, grabbing her tightly and helping her calm down. "Deep breaths, remember?" he said. He tightly squeezed her hands, just as she'd asked him to do in case she had an episode.
He encouraged her to "Come back down out of it" and told her, "You're in a safe place," until she finally replied, "I'm good, I'm good."
Once everyone was back with their tribes, Jeff addressed the contestants. "So, can we talk about what happened at the end of the challenge?"
@cbssurvivor / Via tiktok.com
He continued, "I think this is a sign of where Survivor is when it's great. Normally, when a challenge ends, we keep the tribes separated. But I think everybody here saw that something really powerful was happening."
"Eva was struggling," Jeff continued, "emotionally struggling. Clearly, there was a connection with a former tribe mate in Joe. I felt it was okay for me to suggest that they hugged, and I could tell everybody agreed."
@cbssurvivor / Via tiktok.com
He then turned to Joe. "But Joe, the other thing that's happening there is [that] relationships are being revealed. You clearly have a relationship with Eva that matters to you. So why was it important for you, Joe, to reveal part of your game and go give comfort to somebody who is on the other tribe?"
Joe responded, "Jeff, you know, I want my kids watching to know I'm gonna be the man I want them to be, the people who I want them to be, regardless of this game."
@cbssurvivor / Via tiktok.com
"And that's what you do. And it's beyond, and that's who I am. So if it exposes, it exposes. But she was in need, and I would want someone to treat my daughter that way if they were playing this game," he continued.
Jeff then asked, "Eva, what was happening for you?" Eva said, "Yeah, um — I'm ready to tell my story to everybody. This is something that's really, really important to me. I have autism."
@cbssurvivor / Via tiktok.com
Eva continued, "I was diagnosed when I was very, very young. Doctors told my parents that I would never live independently, that I would never hold a job, that at most, I could hope to marry someone else with autism. And my parents — they did not give up on me, and they put me through so many different treatments to help me get all the support that I needed.
And I was able to then enter school and be mainstream."
"I've never viewed my autism as a roadblock to success," Eva continued. "It's not something to work around. It's just part of who I am. It's nothing bad about it. But I still have so many things that I struggle with, with my autism. I have these things called 'episodes' where when I get extremely overstimulated, I will get ungrounded and lose control of myself."
"And luckily, I was able to still finish the challenge. I can't believe I finished it. I can't believe that happened."
@cbssurvivor / Via tiktok.com
"But when I did finish it, all of a sudden, everything just came over me, and I got extremely overwhelmed, and I started screaming, and everyone saw that," she said.
"I know nobody else knew what was going on, but Joe knew because I needed someone in this game to understand what was going on in case something happened," she continued. "And that means the world to me, and that's beyond this game. That we're on different teams, but he was willing to make sure that I was okay."
"Please, let's take a step away from the game and understand that this is something that I deal with with my autism, and everyone who has autism should not be ashamed to ask for help and ashamed to receive it," she said. "So, thank you all for allowing this to happen, allowing him to come and help me, and just supporting me in this."
Jeff then replied, "Eva, it takes so much courage to play Survivor for anybody. But for you to come out here, knowing something like this might happen, and then be brave enough to share your story — because there is a young girl or boy just like you, watching right now, going 'Hey Mom, hey Dad...'" Jeff paused, starting to get emotional. "Now, you got me," he said tearfully.
"I'm a parent, too. And I do see it, and..." Jeff paused to compose himself again. "Wow, this has never happened."
Jeff continued, "But I see it, too, and it's why I love Survivor. I really do. I like that, you know, Joe may end up blindsiding you, or you him. Who knows? But, in this moment, it's possible to have all of this work."
"As an ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] woman and an ASD mom, this is bigger than a game. Joe wins for his compassion. Eva wins for her courage. Jeff wins for his understanding. Survivor wins today," said another.
"Watching Joe and Jeff both clock what was happening and making sure she was taken care of gives me hope, as a mom to a little boy with autism, that people will be there to care for him when I won't be," another said.
If you are an autistic person, how do you feel about this interaction? And how do you want others to support you? Let us know in the comments.