Jeff Probst on Latest ‘Survivor’ Quitter Hall of Shame Inductee

Last night’s episode of Survivor: Cagayan, hosted by Jeff Probst, added another member to the Survivor Quitter Hall of Shame: Lindsey Ogle. The 29-year-old hairstylist, who was originally on the Brawn tribe in a season dividing contestants into Brains, Beauty, and Brawn, informed Probst that she was removing herself from the game after getting into a confrontation with fellow tribemate Trish Hegarty.

Ogle had credited herself as someone whose brain works better under pressure, but perhaps the pressure of Survivor and the oftentimes gleeful fervor of host Jeff Probst’s questioning at tribal council proved to be just too much. After removing herself from the group to sit on the beach alone, Probst arrived on the beach to talk with Lindsey.

Today, Jeff Probst spoke with Entertainment Weekly to give some insight into how exactly the whole thing went down. Although Probst is usually visibly disappointed in contestants who quit, in this case the safety of the contestants seemed to be a concern. “I was really impressed with the way Lindsey handled it,” said Probst. “She was so upset with Trish that she was genuinely concerned she might get physical with her if she stayed in the game.” After discussing it, Jeff proceeded to inform the rest of the tribe that Lindsey was removing herself from the game.

The episode later flashed a shot of the beach where Ogle and Probst had their talk, with “Shame on you! Lindsie” written in the sand. It appears to have been written by Lindsey to Trish, but one could just as easily assume that the message could read, “Shame on you, Lindsie!” for quitting the show.

In the history of Survivor, there’s really only been one contestant truly spared the shame of quitting. Jenna Morasca (Season 8), heard from a crew member that her mother was very ill. She removed herself from the game and returned home. Her mother passed away a mere eight days later.

When questioned about how the show works around people who quit unexpectedly, Probst said they account for evacuations or quitters and ensure they start with more than enough players. “We’ve gotten pretty good at the math of Survivor,” Probst said.

One of Lindsey’s primary allies, former NBA All-Star Cliff Robinson, had just been blindsided and voted out (pictured above, right). Already moving on, Jeff Probst was eager to play up next week’s episode of the show, which this week’s teaser revealed will contain a tribal merge. Jeff says the episode is sure to deliver, “The merge episode is fantastic. Huge moments.”