Utahn Todd Herzog scared Jeff Probst and made the host of "Survivor" feel old. Neither of which is necessarily a bad thing.

Herzog is a huge fan of the show — he's seen every episode since it premiered. The first day of filming on "Survivor: China" (7 p.m., Ch. 2), "He says ... 'Jeff, I've been watching this show since I was 16,"' Probst said in a conference call with television critics. "And I thought, 'Oh my (gosh), how old am I?"'

Probst said Herzog — a self-described "gay Mormon" — and one other contestant knew the game of "Survivor" better than the other 14 castaways.

"In his case, it pays off," Probst said. "He knew going in how to start the game. He had a game plan of how an alliance best worked and how you work people. ... Todd knows what to expect.

"He knows the odds of there being a merge or a loved-one visit or an auction. He can tell you, based on what day it is, what we're probably doing back at base camp. It's kind of scary how much he knows about the show."

According to Probst, Herzog definitely isn't one of those contestants who sort of fades into the background.

"He's a great storyteller and ... Todd is somebody you go to all the time because he always gives you something good," he said.

Probst did not, of course, talk specifically about how the 22-year-old flight attendant from Pleasant Grove fares on "Survivor: China" — but from the way he talked, it sounds like Herzog is going to be around for a while.

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