• Lisa Ann Russell is a former model and actress and is married to television personality Jeff Probst.
• Her net worth is estimated to be over $1 million and Jeff's net worth is estimated to be over $50 million.
• She grew up in Sterling, Illinois before moving to California for college and modeling for Revlon.
• She met Jeff Probst while he was working on the FX series "Sound FX" and later "Survivor".
• She was married to actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar for 15 years before divorcing and marrying Jeff Probst in 2011.

 

Who is Lisa Ann Russell?

Lisa Ann Russell was born on 21 March 1972, in Sterling, Illinois, USA, and is a former model as well as a former actress, but perhaps best known for being the wife of television personality Jeff Probst. Her husband is noted for being the host of the US version of “Survivor”, one of the most popular reality television series in US history.

The Riches of Lisa Ann Russell

As of mid-2020, Lisa Ann Russell’s net worth is estimated to be over $1 million, earned through success in her various endeavors, working on numerous modeling and acting projects during her youth.

She probably benefits from the success of her husband, as Jeff has a net worth estimated to be over $50 million, earned through his many years of success in “Survivor” as well as other television programs.

Life and Career

Lisa Ann grew up in Sterling, and at a young age aspired to a career in the entertainment industry. Later on her family moved to Chicago, Illinois where she would complete her high school education. After matriculating, she then moved to California, enrolling in college while also looking for opportunities.

While a college student, she experienced her first work as a professional model, leading her to eventually work with the company Revlon, known for its products focused on cosmetics, including skin care and related products such as fragrances.

She worked with the company for many years, and then became interested in working as an actress. Her first job was as a guest in the show “Saved by the Bell: The College Years”, in which she would meet her first husband Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Later on, she appeared in films including “Twisted Love”, and “Kounterfeit”.

Husband – Jeff Probst

Jeff grew up in Bellevue, Washington State, where he attended the nearby Newport High School (NHS). After matriculating, he enrolled at Seattle Pacific University, where he became interested in a career on television.

Jeff Probst

After graduating, he got his first job with the Boeing Motion Picture/Television studio, where he mainly worked on various marketing videos; he handled the production of said videos, and even narrated some of them.

Following this work, he ventured towards more hosting-related work, first on the FX music series “Sound FX”, alongside actor Orlando Jones. He also worked on the show “Backchat”, which featured him reading letters on-air, and responding to them along with two other crew members. The show was later canceled, with FX dropping the similarly gimmicked shows.

He later admitted that many of the show’s segments were made-up, as viewers eventually stopped sending in letters, leading to a drought.

In 1998 he joined VH1 as the host of the program “Rock & Roll Jeopardy!”, an adaptation of the show “Jeopardy!” but with its primary focus on music. While working in this show, he was also a correspondent for the program “Access Hollywood”, and during this time attracting a bit of attention, and was even named as one of the most beautiful people of 2001.

Survivor

Probst rose to international fame following the creation of the show “Survivor”, an adaptation of the Swedish program “Expedition Robinson”.

He hosted the show that featured a large group of strangers who are stuck in an isolated location, trying to survive and become the last person standing through various challenges, that often give them immunity from being voted out of the group. The winner of each season would be awarded $1 million.

For most of its run, “Survivor” has been named as one of the top programs of its season, becoming a hit in the US. It is considered one of the best shows of the 2000s, and was nominated for several awards including the Emmys – Probst even won an Emmy Award for his hosting work. The show has been running continuously for 40 seasons, with the latest iteration being “Survivor: Winners at War”.

The show’s production has been delayed due to the rise of the coronavirus pandemic, which has affected many parts of the world.

Other Endeavors – Jeff Probst

Aside from his work on “Survivor”, Jeff also appeared as a celebrity guest of many game shows, making the transition from host to contestant following his fame with the celebrated franchise. One of the shows he appeared in was “Celebrity Jeopardy!”, a celebrity edition of the popular game show. He remains as the host of “Survivor”, as he believes that it is special and due to the fame as well as the income it has brought his way. In 2008, he worked on the pilot for the program “Live for the Moment”, but which wasn’t picked up by a network.

In 2011, he made a guest appearance in the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother”, before venturing into directorial work in “Kiss Me”, which starred Sarah Bolger and John Corbett. The following year, he was hired to host a daytime talk show which would become “The Jeff Probst Show”, which ran for a season but was canceled due to low ratings. A few of his latest appearances include guesting in “Life in Pieces” and “Two and a Half Men”. He also partnered with the publisher Scholastic for the book series “Stranded”, which follows middle school students as they become stranded on a deserted island.

Personal Life

Lisa Ann married actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar in 1996, three years after meeting on the set of “Saved by the Bell: The College Years”. They remained together for 15 years and had two children together, but eventually divorced, details of which haven’t been shared publicly, but were separated during the last few years of their marriage. During this time, she met and began a relationship with Probst, and they were married later in 2011. In 2017, rumors spread that she was asking her husband to retire from his hosting work with “Survivor” as they didn’t need the money. She never confirmed if the rumors were true, preferring to stay away from the press.

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