The 31st season of "Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance" is bound to be an extra special one, as some of our favorite, and not-so-favorite, castaways return for a second chance to be the ultimate survivor.
This is the first season that the show has allowed the public to vote from a producer-picked pool of 32 players from past seasons who fought their hardest, but never came out on top. The 18 chosen castaways were revealed on May 20 after the finale of "Survivor: Worlds Apart." They immediately took off to Cambodia from the set of the after show, where filming began May 31. It ended just last month on July 8, and as always, we can expect all the blood, sweat, betrayal, and tears that immediately hook us in each and every year.
When revealing the votes on Live TV in front of all 32 players hoping for a second chance, host Jeff Probst unfortunately had to be the one to break the bad news. "Everyone one of them earned a ton of respect from me," he told Entertainment Weekly. "And I hope we find a way to put them on in a future season."
As for the 20 chosen castaways, who Probst was "pleasantly surprised" with, they were apparently broken up into two tribes: the Bayon Tribe and the Ta Keo Tribe, according to Inside Survivor. Bayon will wear pink/magenta and Ta Keo will wear green/turquoise.
Survivor Insider has even learned who the teams will be made up of. Bayon will have Andrew Savage (Season 7), Jeremy Collins (Season 29), Joe Anglim (Season 30), Keith Nale (Season 29), Stephen Fishbach (Season 18), Ciera Eastin (Season 27), Kass McQuillen (Season 28), Kimmi Kappenberg (Season 2), Monica Padilla (Season 19) and Tasha Fox (Season 28).
Ta Keo will have Jeff Varner (Season 2), Spencer Bledsoe (Season 28) Terry Deitz (Season 12), Vytas Baskauskas (Season 27), Woo Hwang (Season 28), Abi-Maria Gomes (Season 25), Kelly Wiglesworth (Season 1), Kelley Wentworth (Season 29), Peih-Gee Law (Season 15) and Shirin Oskooi (Season 30).
If these are in fact the teams, which considering Martin Holmes' (a.k.a. Redmond) track record they most likely are, there is bound to be a ton of drama, but isn't that what we love most about this show anyways? It also seems as though the producers split these teams up pretty wisely, putting players with history on opposite tribes and splitting up the demographics evenly, according to Enstarz. Their logic is that each team has one from each of these categories: Female villains, old school athletic male, old school female, superfan strategist male, superfan strategist female, funny older male, scrappy fifth place undergo, scheming 10th placer, laidback dude, and attractive female with potential.
Rumors have it that this location in Koh Rong, Cambodia has been rough, as most of them are, but some factors worse than usual, according to Inside Survivor. The intense heat and conditions of the location have been described as "brutal," leaving contestants with the "worst bug bites ever." It may be a beautiful and exotic place, but the climate can be a "nightmare," with temperatures reaching almost 120 degrees some days. Many cast members, and even crew members, apparently suffered extreme exhaustion and even got sick, causing some of the crew to even be sent home. The bug bites caused infections, and possible surgery was required for not just the crew, but contestants as well.
See how bad the conditions really are when "Survivor: Cambodia-Second Chance" premiers on CBS on Sept. 23.
Think you have what it takes to be on "Survivor"? Auditions for upcoming seasons will take place at the famous Mall of America in Minnesota on Saturday, Aug. 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "Join WCCO-TV on Saturday August 15 at 11 a.m. for the chance to become a contestant on 'Survivor!'" the website reads. "Tell us why you want to be a contestant and you could be cast in an upcoming season of 'Survivor.' Entrants must be legal U.S. residents age 18 or over and meet certain eligibility requirements."
