"That was one of the top 20 things said in a first episode, for sure," the executive producer and host tells THR about one castaway's very bold statement.

[This story contains full spoilers for the season premiere of Survivor: Ghost Island.]

Best. Tribe. Ever.

Such is the assessment of one Jacob Derwin, the singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, a lifelong Survivor super fan and blogger turned temporary Survivor player. After a loss at the first immunity challenge of the season, Jacob declared that his group, the orange-buffed Malolo tribe, was among the very best in Survivor lore — a lore that extends across 36 seasons and almost two decades. Big words, to be sure, and words that were apparently uttered as a means of getting the rival players over atNaviti to send Jacob over to Ghost Island, the spooky new location from which the season derives its theme and name.

Mission accomplished, if only for a time. Jacob was Malolo's consensus target for the first vote, but his banishment to Ghost Island extended his life in the game for one more round. Instead, Stephanie Gonzalez became the first one out of the season, with Jacob sent packing shortly thereafter.

Hear more from Gonzalez and Jacob in the final episode of First One Out: Ghost Zero, our preseason podcast series:

While on location for the first three days of the season, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Probst mere minutes after the first Tribal Council concluded. Here's what he said about the season's very first blindside, Jacob's big display of bravado, the