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Revision as of 01:24, 4 January 2017

Returning Players in Survivor offers the opportunity for former contestants to return for another shot at becoming the Sole Survivor.

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 a cast comprised entirely of returning players. The eponymous season, All-Stars, saw 18 returnees divided into three competing tribes. Amber Brkich ultimately won the season against Rob Mariano. The All-Stars twist was revived for the ten-year anniversary season, Heroes vs. Villains. This season divided the returnees based on the heroic or villainous reputations. Sandra Diaz-Twine became the first two-time winner of Survivor, beating Parvati Shallow and Russell Hantz.

The "All-Stars" twist will return once again in Survivor: Game Changers.

Although proving to be a success for fans of the show, some critics argued that the survival aspects were completely removed in favor of strategy and exuberant challenges. Fans also responded negatively to players that, according to popular opinion, had little to no impact on their original season. Notable casting controversies include Amber Brkich in All-Stars (who had been a backup to Elisabeth Filarski and Colleen Haskell), and Candice Woodcock in Heroes vs. Villains (whose mutiny was seen as more villainous than heroic, if either at all).

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 "die-hard" fans of the show. Both iterations of this twist have seen the favorites tribe comprised solely of contestants who had only played once previously and who did not win.

The first installment, Survivor: Micronesia, became one of the series' most popular installments. Returning player Parvati Shallow beat out fellow favorite Amanda Kimmel in a 5-3 vote.

The twist was brought back ten seasons later for Survivor: Caramoan. Returning player John Cochran beat out fellow favorite Dawn Meehan and fan Sherri Biethman in a unanimous 8-0-0 vote.

One Returnee per Tribe

The "One Returnee per Tribe" twist sees two to three returning players competing against new castaways, with one returnee placed on each of the competing tribes. In all seasons featuring this twist, a returning player has made it to the Final Tribal Council.

The twist was first introduced in Survivor: Guatemala. Two former castaways from Survivor: Palau, Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie LaGrossa, returned for a shot at redemption after being the final two members of the infamous Ulong tribe. New contestant Danni Boatwright won the season against Stephenie.

The Redemption Island twist saw the resurrection of this method for introducing returnees. In Survivor: Redemption Island, Rob Mariano and Russell Hantz were brought back to settle their rivalry from Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Russell was targeted early when his tribe threw a challenge to vote him out. Meanwhile, Rob won the game against fellow Ometepe tribemates Phillip Sheppard and Natalie Tenerelli.

The Redemption Island format was revisited in Survivor: South Pacific, with Coach Wade and Ozzy Lusth returning to improve on their weak social games. This was the first time the two returning players had not previously competed on the same season. New contestant Sophie Clarke claimed the prize, beating Coach and Albert Destrade.

Survivor: Philippines introduced three previous contestants, Russell Swan, Michael Skupin, and Jonathan Penner, all of whom were evacuated due to medical reasons. This is the only iteration of the "One Returnee per Tribe" twist to bring back more than two returning players. New contestant Denise Stapley won the game against Lisa Whelchel and Skupin.

Couples

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. 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.

Second Chance

The most recent type of returning player season is Survivor: Cambodia in which the public had the opportunity to vote for 20 of 32 certain contestants to return and have another shot. These players each have only played once and have never won, while also originating from multiple seasons, all the way from season 1 to 30. These players can also be runner-ups, jury members, or even pre-merge boots.

Returning Players by Season

Season Returned to Future Season Season Returned to Future Season
Borneo File:S1 gervase t.jpgFile:S1 jenna t.jpgFile:S1 kelly t.jpg
File:S1 richard t.jpgFile:S1 rudy t.jpgFile:S1 susan t.jpg
SurvivorAustraliaLogo File:S2 alicia t.jpgFile:S2 amber t.jpgFile:S2 colby t.jpg
File:S2 jeff t.jpgFile:S2 jerri t.jpg
File:S2 kimmi t.jpgFile:S2 michael t.jpgFile:S2 tina t.jpg
Africa NB File:S3 ethan t.jpgFile:S3 lex t.jpgFile:S3 tom t.jpg Marquesas NB File:S4 kathy t.jpgFile:S4 rob t.jpg
ThailandTransparentLogo File:S5 shiiann t.jpg Amazon NB File:S6 jenna t.jpgFile:S6 rob t.jpg
SurvivorPearlIslandsLogo File:S7 andrew t.jpgFile:S7 jon t.jpg
File:S7 rupert t.jpgFile:S7 sandra t.jpg
SurvivorAllStarsLogo File:S8 colby t.jpgFile:S8 jerri t.jpg
File:S8 robm t.jpgFile:S8 rupert t.jpgFile:S8 tina t.jpg
Vanuatu NB File:S9 ami t.jpgFile:S9 eliza t.jpg Palau NB File:S10 bobbyjon t.jpgFile:S10 stephenie t.jpgFile:S10 tom t.jpg
GuatemalaLogo File:S11 stephenie t.jpg PanamaLogo File:S12 aras t.jpgFile:S12 cirie t.jpg
File:S12 danielle t.jpgFile:S12 terry t.jpg
SurvivorCookIslandsLogo File:S13 candice t.jpgFile:S13 jonathan t.jpg
File:S13 ozzy t.jpgFile:S13 parvati t.jpg
SurvivorFijiLogo File:S14 yauman t.jpg
ChinaLogo File:S15 amanda t.jpgFile:S15 courtney t.jpg
File:S15 james t.jpgFile:S15 peihgee t.jpg
MicronesiaLogo File:S16 amanda t.jpgFile:S16 cirie t.jpg
File:S16 erik t.jpgFile:S16 james t.jpgFile:S16 jonathan t.jpg
File:S16 ozzy t.jpgFile:S16 parvati t.jpg
GabonLogo File:S17 corinne t.jpgFile:S17 randy t.jpgFile:S17 sugar t.jpg TocantinsLogo File:S18 coach t.jpgFile:S18 jt t.jpg
File:S18 stephen t.jpgFile:S18 tyson t.jpg
SamoaLogo File:S19 laura t.jpgFile:S19 monica t.jpg
File:S19 russellh t.jpgFile:S19 russells t.jpg
HvVLogo File:S20 candice t.jpgFile:S20 cirie t.jpgFile:S20 coach t.jpg
File:S20 rob t.jpgFile:S20 rupert t.jpg
File:S20 russell t.jpgFile:S20 sandra t.jpgFile:S20 tyson t.jpg
NicaraguaLogo File:S21 brenda t.jpg RedemptionIslandLogo File:S22 andrea t.jpgFile:S22 francesca t.jpgFile:S22 phillip t.jpg
SouthPacificLogo File:S23 brandon t.jpgFile:S23 cochran t.jpg
File:S23 dawn t.jpgFile:S23 ozzy t.jpg
OneWorldLogo File:S24 colton t.jpgFile:S24 kat t.jpgFile:S24 monica t.jpg
PhilippinesLogo File:S25 abimaria t.jpgFile:S25 malcolm t.jpg CaramoanLogo File:S26 malcolm t.jpg
BvWLogo File:S27 ciera t.jpgFile:S27 vytas t.jpg CagayanLogo File:S28 kass c.pngFile:S28 spencer c.png
File:S28 tasha c.pngFile:S28 tony c.pngFile:S28 woo c.png
SJDSLogo S29 jeremy tS29 keith tS29 kelley t WALogo S30 joe tS30 shirin t
Survivor31logo S31 ciera t Survivor kaoh rong logo S32 caleb tS32 aubry t
S32 debbie t
S32 tai t
Survivor 33 Logo S33 michaela t Survivor 34 Logo Upcoming Season

Trivia

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