Changes: Returning Players

Revision as of 08:22, 6 October 2019

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

Origins

The idea of former players returning originally occurred in Survivor: All-Stars. Executive Producer Mark Burnett wanted to showcase "The best of the best" after the ratings increase of Survivor: Pearl Islands. 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 feature casts comprised entirely of returning players. The eponymous season, All-Stars, saw 18 returnees divided into three competing tribes. The All-Stars twist was revived for the ten-year anniversary season, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. This season divided the returnees based on the heroic or villainous reputations.

Survivor: Cambodia 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. Survivor: Game Changers featured former contestants who contributed to the evolution of Survivor strategy and gameplay.

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". Survivor: Micronesia and Survivor: Caramoan both utilized this format.

One Returnee per Tribe

This format features two to three former castaways, each being assigned to a tribe of new players. Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Redemption Island, Survivor: South Pacific, and Survivor: Philippines followed this format.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction expanded on this format, bringing back four former castaways and assigning two to each tribe of new players.

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 Survivor: Blood vs. Water, where ten returning castaways would compete against their loved ones, similarly to the "Fans vs. Favorites" format. 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 could opt to replace their partner on Redemption Island before a duel took place, thus allowing their partner to take their place on their tribe.

Returning Players by Season

Season	Returned to Future Season	Season	Returned to Future Season

















	None		None
	None		None
	Current season

Trivia

Of the 92 returnees: 67 have played twice, 21 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. Rob is the only four-time returnee who won on his fourth attempt.
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 in their third sea son.
On every season featuring an all-returnee cast, the eventual Sole Survivor was playing for the second time.
Kelly Wiglesworth currently holds the record for the longest period between appearances on Survivor, with 30 seasons.

Seasons and Twists

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains currently has the most castaways return from it, with nine.
Survivor: The Australian Outback has the most first-time castaways return from it, with eight.
- The eight returnees from The Australian Outback have returned twelve times total, the most of any season.
The fin al four of Survivor: Borneo, the fin al four of Survivor: Panama, and the fin al four of Survivor: Cagayan have all been returning players.
All four returning players from Survivor: Tocantins have reached Final Tribal Council at some point in their Survivor careers.
All the returnees from Survivor: Cook Islands 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.
Throughout his Survivor career, 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 or two returnee per tribe season, and an all-returnees season. Ozzy has also been to both Exile Island and Redemption Island.
- Aras Baskauskas and Candice Cody are the other two contestants who have been to both islands.
- Of the three, Ozzy is the only person to return from Redemption Island.
Stephenie LaGrossa is the only female contestant to return in a season with one returnee per tribe.
Every season prior to Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers has produced at least one returning player.
- However, no players that debuted in Survivor: Guatemala or Survivor: Caramoan have returned. The only returnees from Guatemala (Stephenie LaGrossa) and Caramoan (Andrea Boehlke and Malcolm Freberg) were returnees themselves on those seasons.
Prior to Survivor: Philippines, no contestant to place worse than 10th on their first season had returned. Philippines broke this pattern by having Michael Skupin (11th) from The Australian Outback and Russell Swan (14th) from Samoa return.
- Russell was the first pre-merge returnee who failed to reach the merge twice. He was followed by Francesca Hogi, Colton Cumbie, and Caleb Reynolds.
- Though he did reach the merge once, Jeff Varner competed thrice and missed a spot on the jury in all three of his seasons.
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 wi nn er was the fifth person eliminated.
Among the eight seasons that featured a mix of new and returning players, Survivor: Edge of Extinction is the first and only season where all the returning players were voted out before the Final Tribal Council.
- Due to the Edge of Extinction twist that allowed players to stay in the game after being voted out, all eight seasons have featured at least one returning player actively competing in the season finale.
Andrea Boehlke has received more votes over her Survivor career than any other returning player, with 36 total votes.
Cirie Fields and Aubry Bracco are the only contestants to successfully make it to the finale episode of a season on three separate occasions.
On every all-returnee season that included at least one Tribe Switch, one tri be had no members remain on the tribe during its entire existence.

References

Survivor Gameplay
Challenges		Challenge Advantage · Do-It-Yourself Challenge · Duel · Family Visit · Immunity Challenge (Final Immunity Challenge) · Immunity Idol · Immunity Necklace · Medallion of Power · Reward Challenge · Survivor Auction
Elimination		Edge of Extinction · Ejection · Evacuation · Final Tribal Council · Jury · Null Vote · Quit · Redemption Island · Snuffer · Sole Survivor (Perfect Game) · Tiebreaker · Torch · Tribal Council · Urn
Strategy		Alliance · Goat Strategy · Pagonging · Split Vote
Social Dynamics		Final Two · Final Three · Merge · Tribe
Twists	Casting	Battle of the Sexes · Blood vs. Water · Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty · Old vs. Young · Returning Players · Schoolyard Pick · Tribes Divided by Ethnicity
	Tribal Council	Advantage Amulet · Do or Die · Double Elimination · Double Tribal Council · Extra Vote · Hidden Immunity Idol (History) · Idol Nullifier · Joint Tribal Council · Juror Removal · Legacy Advantage · Knowledge is Power · Safety Without Power · Shot in the Dark · Vote Blocker · Vote Steal
	Game Mechanics	Advantage Menu · Buried Treasure · Day Zero · Exile Island · Fake Merge · Fire Token · First Impressions · Ghost Island · Haves vs. Have Nots · Hourglass · Island of the Idols · Kidnapping · Looting · Mutiny · One World · Reward Steal · Summit · The Outcasts · Tribe Leader · Tribe Switch
Post-Game		Fan Favorite Award · Lawsuits and Legal Action · Ponderosa · Reunion Show
Miscellaneous		Buff · Camp · Confessional · Luxury Item · Rites of Passage · Survivor Rulebook · Ulonging

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |description = Former castaways compete for another shot at winning the title of [[Sole Survivor]].
 |seasonsappeared = {{S2|8}}<br />{{S2|11}}<br />{{S2|16}}<br />{{S2|20}}<br />{{S2|22}}<br />{{S2|23}}<br />{{S2|25}}<br />{{S2|26}}<br />{{S2|27}}<br />{{S2|31}}<br />{{S2|34}}<br />{{S2|38}}
+}}
-}}'''Returning Player''' seasons offer the opportunity to former contestants to play the game of ''Survivor'' again.
+'''Returning Player''' seasons offer the opportunity to former contestants to play the game of ''Survivor'' again.
 ==Origins==
@@ Line 124: / Line 125: @@
 | ''None''
 | [[File:Survivor 38 Logo.png|100px|link=Survivor: Edge of Extinction]]
-| ''Upcoming Season''
+| ''None''
+|-
+| [[File:Survivor Island of the Idols logo.png|100px|link=Survivor: Island of the Idols]]
+| ''Current season''
 |}
 ==Trivia==
 * Of the 92 returnees: 67 have played twice, 21 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. Rob is the only 4-time returnee who won on his fourth attempt.
+** [[Rob Mariano]], [[Rupert Boneham]], [[Cirie Fields]], and [[Ozzy Lusth]] are the only contestants to play four times. Rob is the only four-time returnee who won on his fourth attempt.
 * [[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 in their [[Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains|third]] [[Survivor: Redemption Island|sea]][[Survivor: Game Changers|son]].
@@ Line 140: / Line 144: @@
 ** The eight returnees from ''The Australian Outback'' have returned twelve times total, the most of any season.
 * [[Richard Hatch|The]] [[Kelly Wiglesworth|fin]][[Rudy Boesch|al]] [[Susan Hawk|four]] of {{S|1}}, [[Aras Baskauskas|the]] [[Danielle DiLorenzo|fin]][[Terry Deitz|al]] [[Cirie Fields|four]] of {{S|12}}, and [[Tony Vlachos|the]] [[Woo Hwang|fin]][[Kass McQuillen|al]] [[Spencer Bledsoe|four]] of {{S|28}} have all been returning players.
-* [[J.T. Thomas|All]] [[Stephen Fishbach|four]] [[Coach Wade|returning]] [[Tyson Apostol|players]] from  Survivor: Tocantins have reached [[Final Tribal Council]] at some point in their ''Survivor'' careers.
+* [[J.T. Thomas|All]] [[Stephen Fishbach|four]] [[Coach Wade|returning]] [[Tyson Apostol|players]] from {{S|18}} have reached [[Final Tribal Council]] at some point in their ''Survivor'' careers.
-* All the returnees from  Survivor: Cook Islands have participated in the game at least three times, with [[Ozzy Lusth]] having competed four times. ''Cook Islands ''and ''The Australian Outback'' have introduced the highest number of three-time players, with four.
+* All the returnees from {{S|13}} 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.
-* Throughout his ''Survivor'' career, Ozzy Lusth is the only person to compete in all different styles of player seasons: [[Survivor: Cook Islands|an all-new players season]], [[Survivor: Micronesia|a season with half new players and half returnees]], [[Survivor: South Pacific|a one returnee per tribe season]], and [[Survivor: Game Changers|an all-returnees season]]. Ozzy has also been to both Exile Island and{{dab|Redemption Island|twist}}.
+* Throughout his ''Survivor'' career, Ozzy Lusth is the only person to compete in all different styles of player seasons: [[Survivor: Cook Islands|an all-new players season]], [[Survivor: Micronesia|a season with half new players and half returnees]], [[Survivor: South Pacific|a one or two returnee per tribe season]], and [[Survivor: Game Changers|an all-returnees season]]. Ozzy has also been to both {{dab|Exile Island|twist}} and {{dab|Redemption Island|twist}}.
 ** [[Aras Baskauskas]] and [[Candice Cody]] are the other two contestants who have been to [[Exile Island|both]] [[Redemption Island|islands]].
 ** Of the three, Ozzy is the only person to return from Redemption Island.
 * [[Stephenie LaGrossa]] is the only female contestant to return in [[Survivor: Guatemala|a season with one returnee per tribe]].
 * Every season prior to {{S|35}} has produced at least one returning player.
-** However, no players that debuted in Survivor: Guatemala or {{S|26}} have returned. The only returnees from ''Guatemala'' ([[Stephenie LaGrossa]]) and ''Caramoan'' ([[Andrea Boehlke]] and [[Malcolm Freberg]]) were returnees themselves on those seasons.
+** However, no players that debuted in {{S|11}} or {{S|26}} have returned. The only returnees from ''Guatemala'' ([[Stephenie LaGrossa]]) and ''Caramoan'' ([[Andrea Boehlke]] and [[Malcolm Freberg]]) were returnees themselves on those seasons.
-* Prior to {{S|25}}, no contestant to rank worse than 10th on their first season had returned. ''Philippines'' broke this pattern by having [[Michael Skupin]] (11th) from ''The Australian Outback'' and [[Russell Swan]] (14th) from {{S4|19}} return.
+* Prior to {{S|25}}, no contestant to place worse than 10th on their first season had returned. ''Philippines'' broke this pattern by having [[Michael Skupin]] (11th) from ''The Australian Outback'' and [[Russell Swan]] (14th) from {{S4|19}} return.
 ** Russell was the first pre-merge returnee who failed to reach the [[merge]] twice. He was followed by [[Francesca Hogi]], [[Colton Cumbie]], and [[Caleb Reynolds]].
-** Though he did reach the merge once, [[Jeff Varner]] competed thrice and missed a spot on the jury in all three of his seasons.
+** Though he did reach the merge once, [[Jeff Varner]] competed thrice and missed a spot on the [[jury]] in all three of his seasons.
 * 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]].
+** 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 [[Richard Hatch|wi]][[Tom Westman|nn]][[J.T. Thomas|er]] was the fifth person eliminated.
-* In every season with a returnee, at least one returnee reached the [[Final Tribal Council]].
+* Among the eight seasons that featured a mix of new and returning players, {{S|38}} is the first and only season where all the returning players were voted out before the [[Final Tribal Council]].
+** Due to the {{dab|Edge of Extinction|twist}} twist that allowed players to stay in the game after being voted out, all eight seasons have featured at least one returning player actively competing in the season finale.
 * [[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.
+* [[Cirie Fields]] and [[Aubry Bracco]] are the only contestants to successfully make it to the finale episode of a season on three separate occasions.
 * On every all-returnee season that included at least one Tribe Switch, [[Mogo Mogo|one]] [[Ta Keo|tri]][[Nuku|be]] had no members remain on the tribe during its entire existence.
@@ Line 177: / Line 182: @@
 [[Category:Survivor: Cambodia]]
 [[Category:Survivor: Game Changers]]
+[[Category:Survivor: Edge of Extinction]]
 [[Category:Statistics]]