Survivor’s Crew Relationships Have Resulted in 67 Babies (Exclusive)

Boston Rob and Amber might be the most famous couple to come from Survivor’s 25-year history, but there are plenty of love stories happening on the other side of the camera.

Across 50 seasons of the game-changing reality TV series, crew members have met on set, fallen in love and had children — in fact, 67 kids dubbed “Survivor babies” have been born from those relationships.

Now, several of the children travel to Fiji to live at the base camp while their parents work on the show.

Jeff Probst, the show’s host and executive producer, tells PEOPLE exclusively, “You can be out here at any given point in a season and see between seven and 13 little people” — and that’s not counting the kids who are now young adults and working on production alongside their parents.

Probst, 63, says changing the family visiting policy was “literally the first thing” he did when he took over the show, citing the many months per year that they spend on location filming.

“As people started having kids, they’re not going to want to leave them. I know because I deal with it,” a stepfather of two children with his wife, Lisa Ann Russell.

Around base camp in Fiji, it’s no secret that the Survivor crew members are a big family. Many have been part of the production since early seasons of the show, and numerous started as members of the Dream Team — who do everything from test the challenges and act as lighting stand-ins to assist across departments — before moving into different roles.

And the signs of the families within the family are apparent nearly everywhere: there are high chairs in the catering hall, strollers parked outside accommodations and even boats used to transport crew to different islands are named after Survivor babies.

Referencing co-executive producer Brittany Crapper’s daughters, Probst said, “I see her three little girls — married to a guy who also worked on the show forever, and they’re both Dream Teamers. It’s f—— crazy! It’s amazing! It just doesn’t happen anywhere.” 

The Emmy-winning host adds that some of the youngsters get involved in the production, from director David Dryden’s son Levi acting as Probst’s “partner” — “He’s got a shirt on, two walkies in his ears: ‘Dad, Jeff’s ready’ ” — to executive producer Matt Van Wagenen’s daughter Lyla helping in wardrobe and makeup.

“She gives me my shirt to wear and my shorts to wear, so they feel like they’re crew members,” Probst says. “They are!”

Balancing a career and a family is a relatable challenge for many — especially in the entertainment industry, where traveling for months at a time is often required — but Survivor has worked to make it possible. Senior producer Riley Rantfle met her husband, David Rantfle, on set, but she didn’t start to think about having kids until she realized that she could continue her career while being a parent.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“I can actually have both — and no one sees me differently. It’s not like you’re a mom or you can’t handle it — that just doesn’t come into play at all. It’s extremely supportive,” she says, adding that she “wouldn’t come” if her husband and their two children — 4-year-old daughter Charlie and almost 2-year-old son Bud — weren’t allowed on location. 

Rantfle says that Probst has always been one to welcome families. She recalls that after having her daughter, Probst would ask why she didn’t bring Charlie to rehearsals and test blocks more often.

“I’m like, ‘I’m at work.’ He’s like, ‘Bring her, don’t be silly,’ ” Rantfle tells PEOPLE. “I always like to get permission, so I always ask before like, ‘Can I bring Charlie and Bud to rehearsal?’ And he just wrote back recently, ‘Consider this as always a yes — no need to ask again.’ ”

Probst credits both of the Rantfles for their contributions: Riley for having a “massive job” that’s “all day, every day” and David for taking care of their kids so she can work on Survivor.

“He decides, ‘Alright, you’ve got the great gig. I’ll be the dad. And for this period of time while Survivor‘s alive, I will come to location, and I’ll take care of the kids during the day while you go out and run this big show,’ ” Probst says. “So when you see that — Riley gets all the credit, but it’s because she has a partner who is willing to say, ‘I’ll take the kids during the day.'”

Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happen true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.

Crapper — a mom to three daughters — recalls that she feared that she could lose her job after becoming pregnant for the first time, having to leave Fiji due to Zika risks.

“But Matt and Jeff were like, ‘Do not worry. Your place is always here, and we’re ready for you once you’re ready,'” she says. “They always made me feel like I could do both.”

“I feel really lucky. I pinch myself daily, still, and cry most of the time,” she adds. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime job and experience that I know will forever be the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Another Survivor couple, Jimmy and Ariel Quigley, say that the show’s family policy made their discussions about starting a family easier. While Jimmy’s job as a co-executive producer requires him to be on location, Ariel and their 1-year-old son, Trey, were able to join him in Fiji.

Ariel, who was pregnant with their second child during the filming of seasons 49 and 50, tells PEOPLE, “Survivor’s truly like no other show in how they have set up and made it possible for families to be here. No other show operates like that. I’m here the entire time Jimmy is here — I’m really grateful for that. That’s truly unheard of now in production.”

And Ariel continued to work behind the scenes while in Fiji — during their son’s naps.

“She’s a real rockstar,” Jimmy says of his wife. “She’s looking after our son, pregnant with our second son, while pulling interview bites for the premiere of season 49.”

Keep reading to learn more about some of Survivor’s off-camera love stories and families that bring the show to life.

Brittany and Riley Crapper

Co-executive producer Brittany Crapper started on Survivor in 2011, fresh out of college, as part of the Dream Team. Her now-husband, Riley Crapper, had already been working on the show for several years in the art department, and they met for the first time the night she landed on location in Samoa.

“I just thought, ‘Oh my god, he’s so cute,’ ” she recalls, adding that they were assigned to work on the same team a week or so later. “I was so nervous, but we ended up having the best time working together that day — and then he asked me to go to dinner at catering, a real romantic date.”

The couple continued working on the show as they dated, married and welcomed three daughters: Mila, 8, Dani, 7, and Elodie, 4. While they took a break from working on location while their children were young, they returned with their trio in tow in 2024.

While Brittany puts in long hours during shooting, Riley stopped working on Survivor so he could be with the girls on location — where they spend time at the beach, on the tennis court, in the pool and at slumber parties with the other parents and children. 

Brittany says, “It’s this community. We call it ‘Daddy Day Care’ or ‘Summer Camp’ – the best summer camp you could ever imagine being at.”

Their time in Fiji in 2025 and their bonds with the Survivor community took on a deeper meaning after the Crappers lost their home in the wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January.

“I’ve always felt how special this family is, but every single one of these people out here kept us standing – supported us, kept us moving forward,” Brittany says. “They’re the reason we made it out and are doing so well, and then being here and being with everyone, this year it feels even [more] special than normal.”

The California native says she came to Survivor at age 22 looking for a career, but she ended up with a lot more.

“This show not only created my entire adult life and career but also created my life. I met the man of my dreams; I had three kids. My whole family is because of this show. My immediate family and my babies, but also everybody I work with is my family too,” she says. “It’s such a special place.”

Riley and David Rantfle

Riley Rantfle, who started on the Dream Team in 2003, recalls calling her future husband “Dave from post” because she didn’t know how to pronounce his last name — not knowing that someday they’d share the moniker. “I now know how to say it,” she quips.

In 2025, they were joined in Fiji by 4-year-old daughter Charlie and almost 2-year-old son Bud, who love creating drawings in mom’s office, hunting for hermit crabs on the beach and feeding fish from the pier.

“We always worry when we’re here with the kids that they’re going to be so bored when we go home. Because here they’ve got built-in playmates,” says the senior producer, who hails from Queensland, Australia.

Being surrounded by crew members who feel like family and locals who have gotten to know the children is an added benefit, knowing they never have to worry.

“They’ll go into catering and wander off, and Bud will be sitting with the sign-in desk, handing the pen over to crew members to sign in for lunch,” Riley says.

Jimmy and Ariel Quigley

Co-executive producer Jimmy Quigley was working at a pizza shop before he started working on Survivor in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2016 that he met his future wife, who first came on set as a Dream Teamer. However, they wouldn’t describe their relationship as love at first sight, exactly.

Former segment producer Ariel Quigley recalls, “I was so scared of Jimmy. He has this big presence, but he’s also very busy.”

Their relationship as colleagues eventually blossomed into something more over the next couple of years, and Jimmy can pinpoint the moment when it finally clicked for him.

“I remember being on a boat coming back from an island back to base, and I was like — felt like my head came out of the sand — and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in love with Ariel,’ ” he says.

But even then, it took some more convincing. Jimmy recalls, “For about five months, I asked her out, and she kept saying no because she didn’t want to date someone she worked with. I didn’t want to do that either, but I couldn’t help myself. She said no for a long time, then finally gave in, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Ariel agrees: “We had a really deep friendship before I looked at him like, ‘I think I have a crush on you.’ I really appreciated that. I love our story.”

The pair, who now live in Connecticut, married in 2022 and later welcomed their first child, 1-year-old son Trey, who joined them in Fiji while filming seasons 49 and 50. 

“Our routine has included Survivor for so long that it would be abnormal to try to think of something outside of that,” Jimmy says. “I’ve been coming out here for four to five months for 15 years now, so it’s just a part of our life in a way.”

“The line between life and work here on Survivor is very blurred,” he adds. “It’s something that we want our son to experience and be a part of, the way it’s a part of our lives. It’s something special that he’ll be able to talk about, his summers in Fiji, when he grows up.”

In addition to mastering his new skill of walking, Trey goes to the beach, swims in the pool and plays with the coconuts — but their favorite activity is driving around the island in a golf cart.

“He loves it,” Jimmy says of his son. “He sits on his mom’s lap in the golf cart, and he points at all of the construction workers making the challenges. He waves hello to the local security guards. It’s the best.”

Ariel, who went from not knowing “a single soul” on production when she started to growing her family behind the scenes of Survivor, says it’s not lost on her how “lucky” they are.

“Every single day, I’m so grateful to be here,” she says. “I know what it means to be here with my son and my husband, and we’re not separate.”

Kahaia Pearson and Steven Owens

Kahaia Pearson, from Tahiti, began working on Survivor when they filmed season 4 in the Marquesas, hired as an interpreter and eventually becoming an executive producer. Ten years later, Steven Owens came onto the show in Samoa as a member of the Dream Team before becoming an electrician for the show. 

“We just started having drinks together with a bunch of friends. One thing led to another,” she says.

Now, the couple has a 2-year-old daughter named Mahana, who joins them on location.

“I feel so lucky. I always thought that you couldn’t really mix this job with being a mom — because we’re out in the middle of nowhere for six months, especially when we’re traveling from country to country, it wasn’t really something to think about. That’s probably why I delayed having a kid for so long. But I met the right person and we tried for a long time, and it worked out.”

Mahana, who has a boat named after her, even joined her parents in Fiji when she was just 4 months old. 

“It’s really daunting as a first-time mom with a tiny baby. Like, ‘Oh my goodness, what are we doing?’ But it’s so amazing being out here,” Kahaia says.

Now, “You walk out of your room, and you know everyone. The little one knows everyone’s name. It’s just the best.”

Ty and Bree Craine

Ty Craine first got involved with Survivor in 2009 as a carpenter when the show was filming in Samoa. After leaving the show for some time, he is now the construction manager of the tribal council set, and he’s married to former Dream Teamer Bree — and now, they have three children together.

He says coming back to Survivor while they film in Fiji has given his kids the “unique experience” of bonding with local kids.

“My children now have friends in the village who they keep in contact with,” he says. “Giving my children the opportunity to connect with another culture is something my wife and I have also wanted to do.”

Survivor season 49 premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.