Well, this starts up on Thursday. I figured more people might be into this season since it' another All-Star version and you can see some of the better players from the past come back. Here's the cast list...

HEROES
Rupert Boneham (Pearl Islands, All-Stars)
James Clement (China, Fans vs. Favorites)
Colby Donaldson (Australian Outback, All-Stars)
Cirie Fields (Panama, Fans vs. Favorites)
Amanda Kimmel (China, Fans vs. Favorites)
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper (Gabon)
Stephenie LaGrossa (Palau, Guatemala)
JT Thomas (Tocantins)
Tom Westman (Palau)
Candice Woodcock (Cook Islands)

VILLAINS

Tyson Apostol (Tocantins)
Randy Bailey (Gabon)
Sandra Diaz (Pearl Islands)
Danielle DiLorenzo (Panama)
Russell Hantz (Samoa)
Jerri Manthey (Australian Outback)
Boston Rob Mariano (Marquesas, All-Stars)
Parvati Shallow (Cook Islands, Fans vs. Favorites)
Benjamin "Coach" Wade (Tocantins)
Courtney Yates (China)

Seems like a pretty solid lineup and I'm pretty excited to see a lot of these people back. It's kind of crazy that for some of these people it will be their third season on the show. Should be interesting. Thoughts? Predictions?

I hope Russell wins.

He played the perfect game, maybe too perfect in Samoa and for mine should have won.

Well, Russell definitely should have won his season. He was the best player by far last season. He's probably one of the top 5 players of all time, if not the all time best, honestly. And the one thing he really has going for him on the All-Stars season is that nobody is going to know who he is, because his season was airing when they were filming this one.

The one person I wish they could have got back for this season is Richard Hatch. I guess they tried and he couldn't get a judge to let him out of the country because of his tax deal.

I fucking hate this bitch.



Happy to see Gravedigger James back. I wonder how he'll screw up the immunity idol this time around.

Ah, Tyson, very cool.

I hope that Amanda wins just because she is Amanda

Knowing her, she'll get to the finals and cry a lot again. She is the anti-Chris (Vanuatu).

I could not disagree with you more. Russell played a *good* game without a shadow of
a doubt, but he also caught a bunch of lucky breaks. If the other Russell wouldn't have
overworked himself into exhaustion...and the rest of the other Russell's tribe weren't so
dense and had some cojones.... if the producers hadn't abandoned the concept of Exile
Island, thus forcing the Idols to be placed at the camp like Easter eggs....and so on.

I look back at the merge episode where Erik got blindsided. Russell had absolutely no clue
what was going on, needlessly threw away an Immunity Idol, and had to rely on Jaison
and Natalie to come up with the blindside. Compare that to your Yuls and Earls who *always* seemed to think at least one step ahead and Russell doesn't measure up. Hell, I'd even say Sugar was more of a power player than Russ, even though Sugar played it full-tilt chaos theory style.

I wait for the return of Cao Boi

sucks they weren't filming this in Rhode Island or at Richard Hatch's house so that he could participate.

So, how will they avoid giving the money to Rupert again?

Well, if I had wheels, I'd be a wagon. That whole first paragraph is IF this had happened then THIS would have happened. I mean, you have to roll with the things that actually happened and that's what he did. The fact that he found immunity idols without clues is amazing in itself. He played basically everybody and was still able to make it to the end.

Pretty interesting first episode. Sugar was the right choice to let go as she seems to still be pretty crazy/emotional and not much use in challenges.

After one episode, I'm digging the Tom/Steph alliance. Tom was awesome his first go around as was Steph. Although I didn't care for Steph her second go around on the show.

I'm a little curious what happened to Boston Rob, based on the preview it looks pretty serious. I'm saying medical makes him leave the game, which is really disappointing.

Why is Cirie on the heroes side? I'll admit I'm biased because I find her incredibly annoying, but didn't she backstab a bunch of people on her go-round on the show? Is it just that she's an "inspiration" to other fat couch potatoes?

I don't really remember mucb from her original season. But, I think she played a pretty big role in the whole getting Erik to give away his immunity idol thing in Fans vs. Favorites. But, you're probably on the money with her being on the heroes side just because she's an "inspiration" and always comes off super nice, she's just a background schemer.

Not sure what you mean there, Rupert is terrible at Survivor.

Yeah, but he is really popular and wins a lot of those fan vote thingies.

Yeah, that America's Tribal Council thing after All-Stars should have been called How Can We Give Rupert A Million Dollars?

I had no idea James was such an ass. I have always known that Boston Rob was awesome. Rob is so much smarter than everyone out there (save Cerie and possibly JT and Parvati) that it's scary. I have the feeling that Russell is gone as soon as the Villians lose, a la Rob Cesternino in All-Stars. Rob doesn't like keeping "best people to never win" around. Although, Russell probably thinks that he's won already. With his ego, he probably went into this season thinking he had the jury vote from Samoa in his back pocket and this was like the Champions League for him.

I never realized (or don't remember) how much James sucks either. Tom needs to knock him down a few pegs. It looks like the people I was rooting for on the Heroes side are going to get picked off, though. Steph leaving number two sucked.

Russell might be able to sneak his way through if he lays low so he needs to make sure Boston Rob stays around. He's a good manipulator but he doesn't seem like a strong personality around camp like a lot of the villains. Coach, Jerri, Pavrati, Courtney, Tyson, all have annoyed the fuck out tribe members in the past and will likely do it again.

So did Boston Rob pull off a great face turn this week or what? Although it seemed quite staged, his pass out scene sure was something.

Randy's the best.

Courtesy RNO

RealityNewsOnline: Hello, Randy, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here once again at RealityNewsOnline!

Randy: (In a very dry tone.) Like I said last year, they make us do it.

Haha, this is awesome. I actually liked Randy as well. I wasn't as bummed to see him go as I was Steph, but he's entertaining and I would've liked him to stick around a bit longer.

Man, between Tom and Steph leaving, that's two of my favorites on this show gone in the first 5 weeks. I'm hoping Colby can stick around for awhile, but it's not looking promising.

I really liked JT and Rupert on their original seasons, but I'm not digging them quite as much so far.

James still sucks. I can see the logic in keeping him around for voting numbers, but it's going to kill them while he can't compete in challenges.

I'm really hoping that Russell outsmarts Rob and ousts him. I couldn't stand Rob on All-Stars 1, but he's not so bad this season. However, Russell is one of my all-time favorites and I really want him to school Rob.

I too hope Russell sends Rob packing.
And Coach is not bothering me near as much as last time.

They're not making him out to be quite the moron they did last time. I mean nearly every episode of his season had his insane stories. I think he's only told one story this whole season. And really, Coach isn't a villain as much as he's just annoying.

I'd like to thank that dumbass Tyson for officially ruining this season. I can't believe he'd get talked out of a fail-safe plan when his own ass was on the line. That troll Russell leaned on his crutch and swung power his way, and now he and the completely unlikable Pavarti, and the completely useless Danielle are the power players. I was wondering if Boston Rob would blow idol strategy, and he may have blown it by letting Russell acquire it in the first place (although one could argue that his strategy cemented everyone else in favour of a Russell boot) and he DID come up with an airtight strategy to flush out the idol and eliminate someone they wanted, but that dillhole Tyson ruined that. Seriously, why listen to Russell, who no one trusts, over Boston Rob who is proven to be loyal up until the very point where he has to be done with you. Tyson was probably looking at final three with Rob and Sandra. Argh.

Rob's plan was only airtight if his alliance is solid. I'm not sure if Coach is as solid with Rob as he'd like. And having Sandra as a solid ally is like trying to catch mercury. Let's give Russell some credit for keeping his alliance solid and managing to play the confidence game against the exact right person in the majority alliance.

Russell proved again that he's pretty smart and knows what he's doing. I mean, that move could have really backfired if Tyson wasn't so stupid, but he played Tyson and ended up getting what he wanted. Like I said earlier, I'm glad Russell one upped Rob and I really hope he ends up eliminating him. I think Russell could pretty easily sway Coach onto his side, especially now that Tyson is gone.

As for the rookies, they finally made a smart decision and got ride of a weak link in James. Colby really has played awful this season, but I still think he's better than an injured James.

The best part was everybody eating the hot dogs and Rob just sitting there like WTF just happened.

WAR Russell.

Sandra needs to go next.
She is nothing but mouth.
That was one of the ballsiest moves ever by Russell.
I can see Russell's risky move swaying Coach to his side.
My wife loves James and was sad to see him go, I thought he should have been gone weeks ago.

I don't get the James love. Seems really arrogant, not too smart, and easily swayed.

Since they filmed this before the last season of Survivor, I wonder if Russell really wins this prompting him to goad Jeff with "declare me the best player ever." Interesting season.

Heroes vs. Villains was filmed after Samoa.

It was filmed after but Samoa hadn't aired while they were filming this season.

That means the Samoa finale was after this season had been done? I'm guessing.

Yeah sorry, the Samoa Finale was taped after the Heroes v Villains.

I'm pretty pumped for tonight's episode just to see what Boston Rob's thoughts on what went down.

I hope Russell waste no time and starts searching for the idol again.

Wow I did not expect Russell to go at Rob the way he did, putting all his chips on Jerri without an immunity idol for security. I was predicting Courtney going home but I guess it's now pretty much a guarantee Russell getting a spot in the merged tribe.

Man, Coach really is a coward. At least me man enough to vote with or against Rob, not do a ditch vote in hopes you don't anger either side. Doing that just shows that NO one can trust you.

I really hate to defend Coach, but I honestly think he's clueless enough to believe that his tribal speech influenced the rest of the tribe to vote Courtney out as well.

It was pretty awesome to see Russell out duel Rob and send him home, though.

I'm ready for the merge, things could get pretty nasty in a hurry, especially since the villains tribe looks like it will implode next week.

Also, I'm wondering if they're going to do some kind of TWIST~! this season.

Russell and Rupert going at it would have been awesome

Russell basically had him pinned down that whole challenge.

I guess JT just totally shot himself (and the Heroes tribe) in the foot with that one. Also I'd like to see how Russell eventually reacts to Parvati not telling him about her idol. Either way I can see the Heroes voting Parvati off (forcing her to use her idol) and the Villians booting off Sandra.

That was some Next Level Survivor by Parvati last night. I don't ever want to play poker against her. Doesn't hurt that Amanda and Colby are the worst at lying ever.

Someone explain to me why she chose to save Sandra last night. Wasn't Sandra gunning to take her out 2 weeks before? That was a complete waste of an idol and now both her and Russell are vulnerable again.

The idol was wasted on Sandra, although that may have been to buy a jury vote. It certainly won't buy Sandra's loyalty, and it's awesome that she can flip next week and this move was all for naught. That being said, I absolutely cannot stand girls like Parv, but she has been a master for her last two seasons. Hell, I barely remember Cook Islands, and cannot imagine anyone voting her out. Well, I can, but I can't imagine them being successful. She's like some sort of sorceress out there. I am calling it right now: Her "Queen of Survivor" comment was an editing hint that she will be the only ever two time winner. That really seems too unprecedented to happen given the disdain for former winners shown in seasons past, but it seems inevitable now. Seriously, would you give the win to Russell or Danielle?

I'm not real sure I understand the Candice flip, but whatever. Looks like there's going to be a showdown between Parvarti and Russell. I'm really hoping Russell gets the upper hand in this, because Parv is just annoying. I was pretty sad to see Amanda go too, she's smokin.

Candice is super paranoid and always scheming. They haven't showed it much recently but early on she was almost voted out by the Heroes for doing so much. She's hitched her wagon to Russell which might be a smart move considering he's likely to go after Parv soon.

Russell using the idol turned out to be a waste but they keep putting them back in the game so he likely figures he'll just find the next one.

Okay.. so Parvati essentially destroyed her own alliance by not telling Russell about the idol for no reason in particular which she then chooses to waste on Sandra who trys to vote both of them off. I wonder if that was any less dumb than JT. At this point the Heroes are done. I can see the Villians swerving and taking out Candice next.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if that happened, but it would be pretty dumb. She showed she's on the villain side and she's a secure vote, no real need to screw her over quite yet. I think they need to be gunning for Colby or Rupert pretty quick. I know this hasn't been their best go at it this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if either of them turned it on and won a few immunities. But, it looks like next week is going to be a showdown between Parv and Russell, unless the preview was a swerve. I'm not sure who is going to side with who on that one, other than Danielle with Parv and Candice with Russell. Sandra, Jerrie and the heroes would all be swing votes, I think.

Last week ruined the dream of an Amanda, Danielle & Parvati final 3...i could've gotten behind a 6 hour special of them running on the beach, playing in the water and rolling around in the mud, if that happened lol. Damn. And I fuckin hate Russell. Hopefully the endgame is him getting his ultimate comeuppance...

I

I think he wins it. I can't stand Danielle and Parv but Russell seems like Hatch - a douche but open about it.

IMO Russell's style of play will get him to the top 3 but he makes too many enemies along the way. He's essentially been a mastermind who doesn't have anyone dumb enough to do his dirty work. He's using the same strategy which really should have won him Samoa, solely based on the reason he took a 4 man Foa Foa to the final 3. However it only works if you have absolute goons for allies which is clearly not the case this season. I wonder if Sandra is smart enough to realize she can potentially take control if she forms an alliance with Rupert and Colby. If she can sway Jerri, Russell and Parvati are easy pickings since they both really suck at challenges. Russell has only won one challenge in his 1.5 seasons thus far.