The TV Chick

The 22nd season of Survivor premieres this Wednesday, and a few surprising twists are bound to make it the most exiting one yet. We had the chance to chat with Executive Producer Mark Burnett about Redemption Island – check out what he had to say here!

• This will be the first season in which the eliminated contestant will have a shot at redemption – rather than going home, they’ll be sent to live alone on a deserted island with the potential to come back to win the game. Each time a contestant is voted out, they will join the previous contestant on redemption island where they will duel, and the winner will stay.
• The idea of having a “redemption island” is something Jeff Probst had actually thought of four years ago, but he and the producers couldn’t figure out how to execute it until now.
• Contestants will not know about the “redemption” twist until they arrive on the island.
• They will also be led to believe the tribes will be 8 on 8 – until former Survivor contestants Russell and Rob show up to join them.
• Russell and Rob have over 150 days of Survivor expertise together.
• When asked about the rumors regarding Russell leaking information to the press, Mark Burnett claimed not to have had a conversation with Probst, or CBS.
• A major controversy in the past had been the fact that contestants who quit were still allowed to serve on the jury. Burnett explained that after much deliberation, they’ve decided to change that rule and this season, contestants who quit are sent home without a chance to cast a vote in the finals.
• Burnett also discussed the idea of a “Celebrity Survivor” a la “Celebrity Apprentice.” He said it was definitely in the realm of possibility, and that if CBS was interested, and it could be a shortened version for charity, he’d pursue it.

Survivor: Redemption Island premieres tonight at 8 pm on CBS.