POPsessions: Jeff Probst on Why He Collected Alligators

As the host of "Survivor" for the last 13 years, Jeff Probst has braved torrential downpours, wild animals, and exotic insects. He's one tough guy, but there is something that can reduce him to tears.

"'The Notebook' still gets me," Probst confessed to Yahoo TV, "even though I don't normally like corny movies."

We learned a lot of other surprising things about the wisecracking reality host in our POPsessions interview. Read on to discover his TV crush, musical preferences, and more!

1. Have you ever dressed as a celeb for Halloween? No, the only reason I dress up on Halloween is to see my wife in her sexy Halloween outfit, and I'm pretty sure that's the reason any guy dresses up for Halloween.

2. What article of clothing could you not live without? Flip-flops. Living in L.A., wearing socks is something I do when I'm dressed up or if I'm going to dinner. Otherwise, I prefer to wear flip-flops everywhere. And in my house, I never have shoes or socks on, whether I'm inside or outside. And it's not because I'm some big adventure guy, I just really don't like wearing shoes and socks.

3. What do you eat or drink while watching a movie in the theater? Popcorn. It's an essential part of the movie experience.

4. What was the first movie you saw? The first movie I remember seeing was "Planet of the Apes," the original. It definitely scared me. I remember a lot of movies from my childhood scaring me — "Jaws" was another one that rocked my boat.

5. What song was playing during your first kiss? If a teenage boy can remember the song playing during his first kiss, then the first kiss does not qualify as a first anything.

6. Did you have a poster of a celeb on your wall when you were a kid or a teen? Yes, Farrah Fawcett. And it was not for her hair.

7. What movie makes you cry? "The Notebook" still gets me, even though I don't normally like corny movies. "The Notebook" at the end, when James Garner tells Gena Rowlands that last time they only had about 15 minutes, that gets me every time. Then again, so does "True Romance," so I like a variety of love stories.

8. What's the guiltiest pleasure currently on your DVR? Well, we have two kids, so there really isn't much space left on our DVR for anything guilty or otherwise. It's full of "Jessie" and "Ninjago" and "How Things Work," and more "Jessie" and more "Ninjago." That's really it. I go to the queue and it's 98 percent full and I'm looking for something to watch and if it's not Disney-related, it's not on there.

9. What movie character do you wish you could be? Oh, I'd start with George Clooney in "Ocean's Eleven."

10. What's the TV show you never miss?Now that "Breaking Bad" is over, it's "Eastbound and Down." I normally don't like comedies, but I can't get enough of that show.

11. What TV show would you like to live in? "Downton Abbey." I think that'd be a fun ride.

12. Who is your TV crush? Robin Wright on "House of Cards." Her body on that show ...

13. What website do you visit when no one is watching? TMZ. I hate admitting it, but there are times it draws me in, and the next thing you know a day has passed.

14. What phone app do you use the most? Probably Uber. Uber is fantastic. And the cars are there it seems like instantly.

15. Who is your favorite tweeter? It used to be Damon Lindelof until he wisely chose to abandon Twitter. I loved his tweets.

16. What TV theme song do you still remember the words to? "The Jeffersons."

17. What is your favorite karaoke song? Van Halen, first album, start to finish. Start with "Runnin' With the Devil," "Jamie's Cryin'," "Atomic Punk," any of those. Go ahead and pick one. I'm an equal opportunity Van Halen karaoke-r. If I had to pick one, it would have to be Van Halen "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love."

18. What is your favorite album? Anything by Dave Matthews. They all move me in different ways. I don't really have a favorite Dave Matthews album. I like bits and pieces of all of them. I'm also a massive Lady Gaga fan, and I'm anxiously waiting an acoustic solo live album, something where it's just her and a piano.

19. What was your first concert? The band was Kansas and I saw them fittingly in Wichita, Kansas. I could've believe the ownership I had over that band at that point. When they sang "Dust in the Wind," I knew what they were talking about.

20. What was on your favorite T-shirt when you were growing up? I don't know why I remember this, but I had a black and gold striped T-shirt and it was the same colors as our local college, the Wichita State Shockers. And I have no idea why I liked that T-shirt, but it's in so many family photos. I wore it until my mom said it's just no longer a shirt, it's just some thread, and I had to give it up.

21. Did you collect anything when you were a kid?Yeah, I collected alligators. And I'm not sure how it started, other than I have a fear of alligators and crocodiles, and my mom started collecting them for me. It's sort of ironic that I end up on a show where several times we've been in waters in which there were alligators and crocodiles. And the fear is not gone — when we were in the Amazon, we would take a boat from Tribal back to our living accommodations and you would shine your flashlight on the banks of the riverbed, and there were all these pairs of red eyes of the crocs. And I always imagined the boat tipping over and frantically — like you would if you were in "Jaws" — your legs just swimming as quickly as they can trying to get back in the boat.

22. What's the best birthday present you ever received?I think, as corny as it sounds, since being a dad, I just had a birthday a week ago and I got two homemade cards from our kids. And then a week later, I got another card, just last night, from Ava our daughter, saying, "I'm not sure if I missed your birthday or not, but wanted to give you this card." It was like she was an adult sending a card to a long-lost friend! She had given me a birthday card, we had a great time, it was a beautiful card. And then she comes home from school with a belated birthday card and said, it's still your birthday right? It made absolutely no sense, but it is treasured.

Watch an exclusive clip from this week's episode of "Survivor":

"Survivor" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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