“It’s a vicious game. But it doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole to play it,” #Survivor host #JeffProbst tells Variety. Probst nearly walked away from “Survivor” after becoming disillusioned with the show’s early era of negativity. But after taking over as showrunner in 2010, he says he made it his mission to reshape the franchise, moving away from outright villains and steering the series toward more optimistic storytelling. That creative shift is at the center of the landmark 50th season, which experiments with celebrity collaborations from #JimmyFallon, #BillieEilish, #MrBeast and Zac Brown, whose heavily featured cameo sparked major backlash online. But Probst says reports that producers re-edited episodes in response are “absolutely, unequivocally false.” “We’ve changed nothing,” he says. The new season also marks the return of Mike White, who came back to “Survivor” less than two months after “The White Lotus” Season 3 finale aired, hoping the island would offer an escape f...