On Monday, August 22, CBS officially announced 16 of the 18 castaways who will be competing on Survivor: South Pacific (including Sears’ Casting Contest winner Rick Nelson and Russell Hantz’s nephew Brandon Hantz). Along with this announcement, we also found out for the first time some of the twists that the latest group of contestants will face on their journey to the million dollars: hidden Immunity Idols and Redemption Island. But, while the twists may be familiar, producers have tweaked them from previous seasons in order to keep the contestants on their toes.
How Will Redemption Island Work on Survivor: South Pacific?
At its core, Redemption Island will remain unchanged. Each time a castaway is voted out of their tribe at Tribal Council, he/she will be sent to Redemption Island and will remain there until the next castaway to be voted out arrives. The two will then compete in a duel and the winner will remain on Redemption Island while the loser will be eliminated from the game for good.
After the merge on Survivor: Redemption Island, the concept deviated slightly from the idea of one-on-one duels by allowing three and even four voted-out tribe members to remain on Redemption Island at one time. Many fans were not happy with this decision, which kept 8 contestants in contention for the million-dollar prize heading into the show’s season finale. However, as reported by Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly, producers have decided to eliminate the group duels, meaning that every duel will be a one-on-one competition where the winner stays and the loser goes home (Dalton Ross, August 22, 2011).
How Will The Hidden Immunity Idol Clues Work on Survivor: South Pacific?
Since its eleventh season, Survivor: Guatemala, the show has featured at least one hidden Immunity Idol, which nullifies any votes cast against the user and eliminates the person with the next highest number of votes. In some seasons, the idols were hidden at Exile Island, while more recent seasons have seen the idols hidden at camp with clues being given out as part of rewards. After notorious Survivor villain Russell Hantz found multiple idols without any clues, fans criticized producers for making the idol too easy to find. As a result, clues for Survivor: Nicaragua became visual as opposed to written clues in an effort to make the idol more difficult to find. However, for Survivor: Redemption Island, which saw the return of Russell, the clues also became written once again – just like they were during Survivor: Samoa and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Russell, however, didn’t find any idols on his latest season).
So how have producers tweaked the hidden Immunity Idol clues this time? As reported by Dalton Ross, even the clues will be hidden – not just the idol itself. “This year with hidden immunity idols, we’re hiding the clue,” explains host Jeff Probst. “No clue as to where the clue is. Once you find the clue, then you have to find the idol” (Dalton Ross, August 22, 2011). This tweak should make it more difficult for contestants to simply stumble upon an idol without first finding a clue.
Who are the Two Returning Players?
As first spoiled in May 2011, Survivor: South Pacific will once again feature two returning players who are seeking their own shot at redemption. These veterans will play against the 16 new competitors. Although their identities have yet to be officially revealed, the returning players are Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth of Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor: Micronesia, and Benjamin “Coach” Wade of Survivor: Tocantins and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. A separate announcement during the week of August 22nd is expected to confirm their return.
When to Watch
Don’t miss the special 90-minute season premiere of Survivor: South Pacific, airing on Wednesday, September 14th at 8:00 pm EST on CBS. For more on the new season, please see the show’s official Web site at CBS.com.
Sources:
- Dalton Ross, Survivor South Pacific: New Cast and New Twists Revealed, Entertainment Weekly, August 22, 2011.
Steven Fife - I am a fourth-year university student from Ontario, who has always had an interest in writing both fiction and non-fiction. I have written ...
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