Returning Players

Returning Player seasons offer the opportunity to former contestants to play the game of Survivor.

Origins
The idea of former players returning originally occurred in. Executive Producer Mark Burnett wanted to showcase "The best of the best" after the ratings increase of. During pre-production for All-Stars, Burnett wrote down the series' most likable, villainous, and memorable players on a legal pad and shortlisted eighteen names within minutes.

All-Stars
"All-Stars" seasons featured a cast comprised entirely of returning players. The eponymous season,, saw 18 returnees divided into three competing tribes. The All-Stars twist was revived for the ten-year anniversary season,. This season divided the returnees based on the heroic or villainous reputations.

featured a "second chance" theme, consisting of contestants who played only once and lost; and its cast was entirely chosen by viewers through an online poll. featured former contestants who have contributed to the evolution of Survivor strategy and game play.

Fans vs. Favorites
Although initially intending to produce a second all-stars season, Burnett pushed for Survivor to experiment with different twists in their 16th season. The result was the "Fans vs. Favorites" twist that saw a tribe of ten returning players pitted against a tribe of ten "superfans." and were the iterations of this format.

One Returnee per Tribe
This format featured 2-3 former castaways, each being assigned to a tribe of new players. ,, , and followed this format.

Blood vs. Water
Another type of "Returnees vs. New Players" format is the couples format, where returnees would compete against people they personally know. It was first used in, where ten returning castaways would compete against their loved ones. However, each castaway would compete individually, so a castaway would still be in the game even after their partner was voted out. The twist would play its part when a castaway can opt to replace their partner who is currently on Redemption Island before a duel takes place, thus allowing their partner to take their place in the tribe.

Trivia

 * Of the 91 returnees: 69 have played twice, 18 have played three times, and 4 have played four times.
 * Rob Mariano, Rupert Boneham, Cirie Fields, and Ozzy Lusth are the only contestants to play four times.
 * Jenna Morasca, Michael Skupin, and Colton Cumbie are the only returning players to never be voted out.
 * Amanda Kimmel, Russell Hantz, and Sandra Diaz-Twine each played their first two seasons without being voted out, but were each voted out of their third season.
 * currently has the most castaways return from it, with nine.
 * has the most returning players that debuted in that season, with eight.
 * The eight returnees from The Australian Outback have returned twelve times total, the most of any season.
 * Erik Reichenbach was the only player who debuted in to return for another season.
 * Every season pre- has produced at least one returning player.
 * However, no players that debuted in or  have returned. The only returnees from Guatemala (Stephenie LaGrossa) and Caramoan (Andrea Boehlke and Malcolm Freberg) were returnees themselves on those seasons.
 * The final four of, the final four of , and the final four of have all been returning players.
 * All the returnees from have participated in the game at least three times, with Ozzy Lusth having competed four times. Cook Islands has introduced the highest number of three-time players, with four.
 * Prior to, no contestant to place worse than 10th on their first season had returned. Philippines broke this pattern by having Michael Skupin (11th) from and Russell Swan (14th) from  return.
 * Kelly Wiglesworth currently holds the record for the longest period between appearances on Survivor, with 30 seasons.
 * All four returning players from have reached Final Tribal Council at some point in their Survivor careers.
 * In all three seasons where the tribes were divided as new players against returning players:
 * A tribe switch occurred, mixing the tribes between new and returning players.
 * Post-switch, the tribe originally consisting of new players won every Immunity Challenge.
 * The Sole Survivor and at least one runner-up were returning players, and no new players received votes from the jury.
 * In every all-returnee season in which at least one previous winner returned, a winner was the fifth person eliminated.
 * In every season with a returnee, at least one returnee reached at the Final Tribal Council.
 * Ozzy Lusth is the only person to compete in all different styles of player seasons: an all new players season, a season with half new players and half returnees, a one returnee per tribe season, and an all-returnees season.
 * Andrea Boehlke has received more votes over her Survivor career than any other returning player, with 36 total votes.
 * Cirie Fields is the only contestant to successfully make it to the finale episode of a season on three separate occasions.
 * On every season featuring an all-returnee cast, the eventual Sole Survivor was playing for the second time.
 * On every all-returnee season that included at least one tribe switch, one tribe had no members remain on the tribe during its entire existence.