Love is in the air in the Survivor community — and this time, it includes longtime host and showrunner Jeff Probst. But, it isn’t Jeff who’s happily entangled in a new romance — his niece is — and she’s with a popular former castaway.
Okay, let’s cut the suspense.
Austin Li Coon of Survivor 45 fame is dating Amanda Probst. And if you’re thinking, “Isn’t that the long-haired jacked guy who linked up with Dee Valladares,” then you’d be spot-on. Before placing as the runner-up behind Dee, the two engaged in a flirty showmance that seemed destined to follow them out of Fiji. Well, that ended, and Austin’s moved on.
The 27-year-old revealed his tie to Miss Probst on social media ahead of Survivor 47’s premiere. He shared a slideshow of their 10-month relationship, which included several photos of them together with big ol’ smiles. Take a gander:
According to the Instagram post, Austin and Amanda first met in November 2023 when Survivor 45 was airing. Apparently, a “casual meet-up to talk about Survivor” has led to “10 months of cross-country flights to visit each other.”
“So this happened… just as shocked as you are,” the ex-Reba tribe member wrote.
Although they’re in a long-distance relationship, Austin wrote that the “vibes” are so good, they “can’t just drop it.” “She’s amazing and has made this year the most fun I’ve ever had,” Austin gushed.
He also addressed one of the elephants in the comment section — his prior relations with Dee. Without diving deep into what happened between them, Austin clarified that the filming for Survivor 45 wrapped in the spring of 2023, “and everything since happened in a respectful way.”
In a December 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Dee somewhat threw cold water on the status of her relationship with Austin but still alluded to them seeing each other. “This has been a whirlwind of emotions and we have decided to keep it low-key for now,” she said. “It’s been too crazy and it’s getting crazier. So we’ve decided to keep it low-key for now, only because it’s been insane.”
If Survivor fans have kept up with the rumors, they likely wouldn’t be too surprised that Dee and Austin parted ways. Things looked like they went south a while ago, judging by the lack of social media posts together. But, the fact that he’s dating a Probst is shocking — and fantastic for Survivor lore.
Amanda’s life has been out of the public eye, so not much is known about her. However, she did drop the “L” bomb on Instagram a few days after Austin hard-launched them. “My turn! I love you [Austin],” she wrote, sharing more photos of them embracing being Survivor’s newest couple.
Now we’re anxiously awaiting Probst’s comments on the two. But, it’s hard to imagine the host being anything but fully supportive and excited for them. And who knows? With Survivor 50’s all-star season fast approaching, maybe we’ll see Austin back, and Uncle Jeff bantering with him about Amanda.