On Feb. 12, "Survivor: Winners at War" will premiere on CBS, which will kick off Season 40. Since 2000, the reality competition has been entertaining audiences. Each season, teams are forced to both endure the elements of various exotic locations and, subsequently, they must vote people off at the end of every episode during Tribal Council.

However, many fans may have wondered over the years where one of the show's iconic lines came from. Why do cast members say "The tribe has spoken?"

In a new interview on "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon," host Jeff Probst gave fans a bit of insight as to how the line originated.

"When 'Survivor' started, Regis [Philbin] was on with 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' and he had that line, ‘Final answer?'" Probst said, adding, "And so I had this big white board and I was like, ‘You guys, we got to have our Regis line.' We had all these lame lines, couldn't come up with anything."

Continuing, he added, "Getting close having tribal counsel and I'm talking with Mark Burnett, and I said, ‘Mark, I got to have a line when we snuff the torch.'"

This, Probst said, prompted Burnett to say, "All right, obviously your tribe don't want you around no more." After the quip, the producer then added, "Well, I don't know what to tell you, Jeff. The tribe has spoken," which the "Survivor" host recognized was a perfect fit. The full interview can be seen below.

During the interview on "The Tonight Show," Probst also revealed that Fallon had been the one who came up with the Invisibility Box, which was used on a previous season of the CBS reality show.

As for what lies ahead during Season 40, "Survivor: Winners at Wars" is set to bring back champions from past seasons, who will then compete once more. The two-hour premiere "unites the most memorable, heroic, and celebrated champions from the past two decades in the biggest battle in the show's history," per the season's description. It will also include an increased prize of $2 million, which is the biggest jackpot in reality show history.

"Boston" Rob Mariano, who won "Survivor: Redemption Island" (Season 22), Amber Mariano, who bested everyone on "Survivor: All-Stars" (Season 8), and Natalie Anderson, who took home the prize money on Survivor: San Juan del Sur (Season 29) are all set to compete on the new season.

"Survivor: Winners at War" will premiere Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 8/7c on CBS and CBS All Access.

Survivor Season 39
Cast members of "Survivor" Season 39 are pictured during a tribal council. Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment
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