The show premiered at the beginning of Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire as a result of the popularity of House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show, which began airing the previous summer during Big Brother 5.
The second season of Survivor Live, with the start of Survivor: Palau, was retooled, mostly due to Hatch's then-new legal troubles, with new hosts Jenna Morasca, winner of Survivor: Amazon and a contestant on Survivor: All-Stars, and Dalton Ross, an editor of Entertainment Weekly magazine.