Survivor: Blood vs. Water

Survivor: Blood vs Water is the 27th installment of Survivor.

Production
Jeff Probst stated during the Survivor: Caramoan reunion that he was leaving to film Survivor: Blood vs. Water on May 13, 2013. He stated a "game changing" twist would be involved. He then confirmed the season would begin airing on September 18, 2013.

Twists

 * Returning Players: In mid-May 2013, it was revealed that this season would have returning players.
 * Couples Format: Players will be paired with a competing family member or loved one on the cast. Every castaway will be playing individually, so they will remain in the game even if their family member is voted out. This season, the pairs will be comprised of returning players and their loved ones, though it is currently unknown whether they will be on the same tribe.

Trivia

 * The US Survivor franchise would be the second version to adapt a couples format, following the Philippine version, which had pairs of celebrities, each with a pre-existing relationship.
 * Instead of revealing the location during the previous season's Reunion Show, Jeff showed a clue, which was a short clip of blood spreading in water. The second clue was the same as the first, only with the season logo shown for a split second afterwards.
 * This is the first time Survivor has filmed three consecutive seasons on the same country, with, and Blood vs Water all being shot in the Philippines.
 * This is the second season that is filmed in another location within a previous host country. and  were both filmed in Brazil, albeit in different locations; namely, Rio Negro and Rio Novo, respectively.
 * This is the ninth season to feature returning players.
 * This is the third season in a row to feature returning players. This is the longest consecutive streak of seasons with returning players.
 * This is the first time to have to two back to back half returning castaways seasons.