Jeff Probst. Robert Voets/CBS

Longtime Survivor fans were met with a welcome surprise during the Wednesday, November 13 episode of the long-running CBS reality show when the jury introduction segment returned to Tribal Council.

Now in its 47th season, Survivor episodes have largely followed the same format since the show began, with each one culminating in a trip to Tribal Council.

Pre-COVID, host Jeff Probst would begin each Tribal during the jury portion of the game by saying, “We’ll now bring in the first member of our jury.” (or first two members, or three members, etc.). Each jury member would then silently enter, only able to communicate with players still in the game via their body language.

Starting with Survivor 41, the beginning of Survivor’s “new era,” the show cut the jury introduction. Until this week. When the players arrived at Tribal on Wednesday, Probst, 58, surprised viewers by welcoming in the season’s first juror, Sierra Wright, with the famous line.

Related: Survivor’s Jeff Probst on How the Game Has Evolved Over 45 Seasons

Robert Voets/CBS Jeff Probst has seen his fair share of tribal councils since Survivor premiered 23 years ago — and it hasn’t gotten old. “There’s a phrase I said to myself years ago that stayed with me — which is one of the things I learned from Survivor — everybody has a story,” Probst, 61, […]

By now, Survivor fans know everything on the show is done with intention, so it would make sense for there to be a hidden meaning behind the return of the jury introduction. As Probst revealed to Entertainment Weekly in a story published Thursday, November 14, it’s nothing that exciting.

But that didn’t stop Probst from trying to jazz it up with his innate storytelling ability.

Robert Voets/CBS

“Well, I could make up a really interesting story about how a group of us sat around a fire discussing the pros and cons of having the jury walk into Tribal Council,” Probst said. “I could describe in vivid detail how things got pᴀssionate as we debated very late into the night over several cans of Milwaukee’s Best! And how at one point, [challenge producer] John Kirhoffer even stood up on a table and like a Survivor preacher proclaimed, ‘We need to see the jury walk in so we can all heal!’”

Then Probst relented.

“I could make up a story like that, or I could tell you the much less interesting truth,” he continued. “It was a very casual suggestion from [executive producer] Matt Van Wagenen. I think he literally said, ‘Maybe we should see the jury walk in this season?’ And so we did.”

Related: Jeff Probst Is ‘Not Interested’ in Casting Any More ‘Survivor’ Villains

Jeff Probst isn’t looking for any more self-proclaimed villains for future seasons of Survivor. “The first person to win was one of the biggest villains, still, of all time, Richard Hatch. Mark [Burnett] understood something [about casting],” Probst, 62, said on the Sunday, February 25, episode of “Rob Has a Podcast” while chatting with Survivor […]

The jury introduction isn’t the only element of old-school Survivor that the show has brought back recently. In Survivor 45, CBS expanded each episode to 90 minutes, giving the show enough time to bring back the opening sequence where it introduces each player as Survivor theme song “Ancient Voices” plays. Season 45 also brought back the fan favorite Survivor Auction, which again graced Survivor 47.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Probst frequently fields questions about bringing old elements of the show back to Survivor on his weekly “On Fire” podcast, and he rarely delivers an absolute “no.” So fans hoping for other old favorites to return, such as the popular “loved ones visit” shouldn’t give up hope, even if the shorter 26-day format makes it less likely.

Another themed season may be on the horizon as well, as Probst has already confirmed that season 50 will feature returning players. He has not said what the format will be, leading fans to speculate about a New Era vs. Old Era setup, another All-Stars season or another second chances season.

Survivor airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.