Fifteen years ago, Richard Hatch waltzed around the beaches of Borneo, in the buff save for his buff, on the warpath toward his predestined million-dollar check. Twenty-nine seasons later, Survivor still stands.

The legendary reality competition series premieres its milestone 30th season on February 25, titled Survivor: Worlds Apart. And yet, to hear Jeff Probst tell it, it’s just the show’s 30th season. Survivor won’t mark the occasion with a bevy of all-stars, as it has done in the past. The greatest heroes and villains the game has ever seen won’t return for a second (or third, fourth, even fifth in two cases) chance at the title of Sole Survivor. There are no fireworks, no celebrity cameos, no grand plans to celebrate 15 years of Survivor — just straight-up Survivor, with all-new players, a few new twists, and the classic formula that’s kept this show on the air since 2000 with no signs of slowing down.

I spoke with Jeff about what we can expect from the new season, the idea of splitting the contestants into three tribes based on social class and approaches to life, and his take on a few of the players by way of high school yearbook superlatives. Plus, I dished out some superlatives of my own for the new Survivor class; launch the gallery to check that out.

Jeff, you’ve been talking about how Survivor: Worlds Apart is “just” your 30th season. How are you so relaxed about this? Is there no part of you that thinks, “Holy [expletive], this is season 30!”

Well, it’s an odd thing to experience, because Survivor has been on for so long now that we’re used to it being on. But when I intellectualize it and just look back, I can’t believe it’s still on. I live simultaneously in both worlds, which is why on one hand, we looked at our 30th season as this giant celebration, but on the other hand, we were reminding ourselves, “It is just our 30th season. We’re going to have seasons 31 and 32 as well!” That’s where we kind of landed with it. But it’s completely changed my life. Everything about my life is somehow related to Survivor, including meeting my wife through [Survivor executive producer] Mark Burnett at a party.

I’m the crazy Survivor fan in my social circle. When I tell people who don’t watch the show that we’re hitting season 30, the reaction is always the same: “Survivor has been on for 30 years?!” And I have to tell them, no, but it’s been on for 15 years. Their jaws still drop.

Yeah, mine does too. And I’ll tell you: I think this is the season that if you’ve never watched Survivor, or if you used to watch and then you dropped out, watch this premiere. If you’re not in all the way, you’ll never be in. This is a good season.

For the past few seasons — the first Blood vs Water and Cagayan, specifically — I feel like you played your cards close to the vest in terms of your enthusiasm. And yet here you are, on record, saying that Worlds Apart cast is one of your favorite seasons of all time. What makes you feel so confident about stepping up right now and making such a big declaration?

You know, I learned a lesson years ago that the audience is always right. This season is only good if the audience thinks it’s good. That taught me what not to say. Just do the show and let the audience decide. But I had such a good time with this season. I was riveted for so many days over what was happening, that I just gave myself a gut-check and decided, “Why am I going to hold back my enthusiasm when I feel this strongly?” Survivor fans trust me, I think. I’m pretty honest and candid. For instance, I’ve said that last season was not one of our best, and it was my mistake. I’m saying now, you should pack in and enjoy the season, because it’s going to be pretty damn good. If I’m wrong, I’ll go back in my hole and keep my mouth shut. But I don’t think I’m going to be wrong.

Tell me more about the season’s theme — pitting White Collar versus Blue Collar versus No Collar — in terms of the origin. Did the concept for the season come from the cast, or had the concept been on the board for a while, and now was the right time to pull the trigger?

The biggest lesson we learned from season 29’s Blood vs Water is that we made a mistake in that we put the theme ahead of the cast, and had to cast to the theme. That’s not how we typically do it. So for 30, we went back to what we always do: Let’s find the best people and then figure out how to divide them. Once we had our 18, then we figured out the theme. The theme always comes from different places. This one came from me. I had the pictures of everyone [on the cast] on my coffee table, and for about five days, I was just staring at them, trying to figure out what these people have in common, what are their differences.

White Collar and Blue Collar kept coming up. But that wasn’t enough for us in our 30th season. We needed a third element to triangulate things. And then I looked at these pictures that were left over — and I don’t even know if “No Collar” is a phrase, but it became a phrase for me. What I realized with this group of people is that they’re rule-breakers. I started thinking backwards: White Collars tend to make the rules, Blue Collars tend to follow the rules, and No Collars tend to break the rules. Once we had that concept, we went to CBS and pitched it.

It took them a bit to figure out. This is a building full of White Collars. They didn’t understand No Collar. I thought it was really interesting. We joked about it over a period of weeks, while I was pitching it. We joked that there’s something here in that nobody even knows what a No Collar is. But anybody who is a No Collar, says they are one. So, when they said, “Well, what’s an example of No Collar?” I said, “Me! I’m a No Collar! I hate authority, I don’t like Corporate America, I’m certainly not Blue Collar, I’m a rule breaker, I do what I want, when I want, with who I want. That’s a No Collar.” As the conversation continued, we realized there was something compelling here. They finally said yes.

The first few moments of the show was a test to see how each of the players, once they were divided, would react. And every one of them owned their tribe. The Blue Collars couldn’t have been more proud to be Blue Collar. The No Collars were laughing and giggling and dancing on their mats, saying, “Oh, we’re definitely No Collars.” And the White Collars, as expected, said, “Yes, reluctantly, we’re White Collars, but we hate being labeled that, because we know nobody likes White Collars.”

That’s a hard label to come into this game with. I feel like that’s the group that I’d look at as the big threat.

Yeah, it depends. You know, Joaquin, who is on White Collar, says, “I don’t mind being on White Collar, because my job doesn’t define me. Yes, I’m a White Collar. I work in an office. I wear a suit. I’m in charge. But there’s more to me than that.” And with the Blue Collars, if you judge them as hard-working but not bright, you’re probably going to get blindsided. With the No Collars, if you think that they have such an easygoing way of life that they’re not hard-working enough, you might be in for a surprise as well. You can’t judge a book by its cover. But there are certain tendencies that each of these three groups have, and that certainly plays out this season.

In Survivor: Cagayan, you divided the cast into three tribes of six players, built on a theme, and the result was your best seasons in years. How inspired were you by Cagayan when you were coming up with the Worlds Apart concept? Was there a feeling in the room that you had something special in season 28, and you wanted to repeat that success with season 30?

Honestly, we don’t look at it that way, so much as we look at it as this: Three tribes offer us a few things that are working right now in terms of where the show is. One is, with a tribe of six, you get to know people a lot faster. That’s good for the audience, because they can go, “I know those two guys from that tribe, and I know those two girls from that tribe.” With three tribes, it changes the numbers part of the game, in that it’s no longer ten on ten. It’s six versus six versus six, so that when we merge, there’s a lot more dynamics in terms of how the numbers can play out. That’s been working really well for us. It makes it less desirable to have a strong alliance and hold onto it, because you can’t trust it through switches and merges. That forces people to play a more aggressive game. As a result, the players playing aggressive realize, “It actually behooves me to play a bit more aggressive because it’s the only way to keep in control of my destiny.”

Having three tribes of six players also means there are very few places to hide.

You’re right. That’s another good element. There’s nowhere to hide. Every Tribal Council becomes an event.

The game is going to begin with the reliable Day 1 twist of charging specific tribe members with making a choice between an immunity idol clue or food for their tribe — except this time, you have two contestants making this call instead of just one, and even if they take the immunity idol clue, they get a smaller supply of food to share with the tribe.

Right.

But there’s another twist I’ve seen you talk about, too…

Yeah, there is another twist. Something we’ve played around with for quite a while, but didn’t feel it was appropriate yet for the show. This season, we decided these people could handle it. So there is a new twist, and no one is going to see it coming. It plays out beautifully. Everything you would hope a twist would bring you, it brings you.

I wanted to get your opinion on some of the players this season, but rather than run down the line of contestants, I thought I’d try something different. I’m going to list off some superlatives, and you tell me who fits where.

Let’s start with the Class Clown.

Ha! That’s a good one. Let me think for a sec, because there are a couple of good choices. [Pauses, then laughs.] I’m going with an odd choice, but for the Class Clown, I’m going to go with Rodney, who some people will say, after seeing him play, “Class Clown?” I think Rodney’s intention was to be funny, jovial, light-hearted. I’m not sure he achieved that, but I think he was going for it.

There’s another guy vying for Class Clown honors, and that would be Dan, also from the Blue Collar tribe. I’m not sure he achieved it. I think both guys had different approaches, but with the same goal: Bring some fun to camp.

How about Best Hair? Is it even a contest when you have Vince Sly on your season?

Best Hair? Yes, it is a contest. It’s between Vince and Joe, both No Collars. What’s interesting is, both of those guys are adversaries from the beginning. One is envious of the other. It’s interesting that you asked that question, because it really is a great way to categorize their relationship. You could call it a “Battle of the Hair,” and it’s a pretty decent metaphor for what goes down between them.

Who is the Biggest Flirt?

Well… I think Mike does a pretty good job of flirting. I think Jenn from No Collar does a good job of flirting by being an anti-flirt. She appears to care not at all what anybody thinks, which is oddly appealing. It draws you in. I would put those two as the flirts.

I would assume this next one goes to someone on White Collar, but maybe not: Who is Most Likely to Become President?

That’s another good one. Most likely to become President… I’m thinking through the names. Who is the most diplomatic? I would say Tyler, from White Collar. And you know what’s interesting again about your question is, the reason I’d give it to Tyler is that he’s a bit of an outlier on the White Collar tribe. I think that might have to do with the fact that he survived being an assistant to a talent agent, so he literally lived through the darkest chasm you can go through, the darkest hole, and came out of it alive. As a result, though he’s still White Collar, he’s got a little bit of, “You know? It’s not that bad. We can get through it.” He has a little bit of No Collar in him. That might make him the best candidate for President.

Who out of this cast will leave Survivor and win a Nobel Prize?

Hali. She’s a No Collar who is getting into the criminal justice system, not because she has White Collar tendencies. She’s getting in because she wants to go in and blow up the established rules of the criminal justice system, so she can help the underserved. That’s a woman who goes on to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

There are no cars on Survivor — well, not anymore — but who would have the Best Car of this crew?

Oh, yeah, I think that’s gotta go to Rodney. I think Rodney is a guy who, if he drives — and he’s from Boston, so I’m not sure that he drives — but he’s the guy who would have a truck with the wheels a little too big, and the muffler a little too loud, maybe a gun rack in the back, and then he’d tell you about how he’s all about peace and love and he loves his mom.

How about Most Likely to Succeed? Go back to your first time looking at these contestants. Sight unseen, who was your pick to win it?

My guess in the beginning would have been Mike. He’s from Texas, he works in the oil fields, he has the gift of gab, he is incredibly enthusiastic, and has a lot of gusto. He can push it too far and annoy you, but he’s pretty good at recovering. I think he’s not afraid to pull a fast one. So, going in? I’d say Mike.

You listed your Top Ten Survivor Winners of All Time. Obviously, it’s way too early for you to be specific, but where do you think this season’s winner will ultimately fit in the mix? When the dust settles on Worlds Apart, what kind of conversation are we having about the winner?

I think you’re right, that it’s with an asterisk — we have to see how it all plays out — but it would not surprise me if the winner of Season 30 became one of the favorite winners of all time. I do think when this season is over, the audience will feel that whoever has won has absolutely earned it, and this is a very good season of Survivor played very hard by very good players. That’s why I like this group. They play. There is no monkeying around. There won’t be anyone saying, “Well, there wasn’t really any strategy this year…” No. There’s strategy from the get go.