One of the worst kept secrets in all of reality news was that the upcoming season of Survivor would feature (gasp!) the return of Boston Rob Mariano and the notorious Russell Hantz.
Well, today CBS made it official: Survivor: Redemption Island will feature 16 new castaways, including two returning for "one last shot": Boston Rob Mariano and Russell Hantz. The two famously squared off on the recent Heroes vs. Villains season, with Russell somehow managing to oust Boston Rob from the game. At the reunion show that season, they challenged each other again, with Rob saying that if given the chance he'd kick Russell's ass at Survivor. Russell retorted to Probst, "make it happen," and just like that the seed was planted.
So what does this mean for the game?
Well, Boston Rob becomes the first four-time player of Survivor. He has appeared so often, I wouldn't be surprised if they announce that in future seasons, Rob will just live in a cave somewhere on the island where contestants can go hang with him and ask the wise old man for advice. He has made the miraculous journey from one of the best villains in the show's history to one of the most beloved heroes. He himself during Heroes vs. Villains thought he had lost touch with the game, not having played in the era of the hidden immunity idols and such. Russell was the new brand of villain, and their egos prevented the dream-team match-up that we all wanted: a Russell/Rob power alliance.
Speaking of Russell, our favorite little idol-finding troll dominated Samoa only to lose to the bitter jury. He then dominated Heroes vs. Villains, having the advantage of the others never having seen him play (Samoa aired after Heroes vs. Villains began taping). He was much better in Samoa, but both times he played a ruthless, cutthroat game, earning massive respect from some and vile hatred from others. One thing is true: love or hate Russell, he's one of the best to have never won Survivor. In fact, he may be the perfect person to take to the end every single time.
Speaking of winning... is it even possible that either of these two can win Redemption Island? My answer is a big fat no. No chance. Their inclusion in this season gives me mixed emotions: on one hand, they are two of my favorite players and I love watching them play Survivor. On the other hand, this move to include them is one of the biggest gimmicks in the show's history. This marks three out of four seasons featuring Russell Hantz; a bit too much and maybe a sign that the show is winding down. I mean, in the early days we didn't see a player play the game that often, no matter how well liked or well hated he/she was. Russell has played the game twice before, and this time out is the first time that his competitors will actually know who he is and what he's up to. They'd be stupid to align with him. And that goes for Boston Rob as well.
Call me a dreamer, but I would love for this season to include both Boston Rob and Russell making the merge, and then teaming up in the alliance we all want to see. It'll never happen. Never underestimate the humongous egomaniacs on the show. There's no way Russell and Rob make the merge, let alone align with one another. But they do have one chance at survival...
...Redemption Island. They were both brought back to battle. And this season, with the new twist of Redemption Island, the best we can hope for is a duel between the two. As you may know, this season when you are voted out, you go to Redemption Island first before leaving the game. You get to duel the next person who goes there and the winner stays, with a chance to join the game at a later time. So even if the cast votes off Rob or Russell early, they will have a chance to fight on Redemption Island, and who knows what new dynamic this island will have on the game.
So what do you think about Rob and Russell returning to Survivor one more time? If given the chance should they team up or would you rather them go at it head-to-head? Let's just hope that they both advance far into the season to give us the excitement that last season failed to provide.
I agree that these are major and multiple new twists to throw into the mix at once, but I'm looking forward to seeing what that happens. That said, I also absolutely agree that odds are that both Russell and Rob get booted early.
Have to think of them both as nearly Jimmy Johnson-like figures by now in terms of their Survivor celebrity, no? The egomaniacs you mentioned want their own shot at stardom so I'd say by the fifth or sixth episode they'll be goners.