The concept of Returning Players in Suitman's Survivor offer the opportunity for former contestants to return for another shot at winning the game.
Returnee Season Types[]
All Returning Players[]
There have so far been eight seasons featuring casts comprised of all returning players. These are generally dubbed "all-star" seasons, after the name given to the first season of this kind.
The eponymous season, Survivor: All-Stars, saw eighteen returnees from the first five seasons divided, for the first time, into three competing tribes. Unlike future seasons there was no set theme to the season, and the returning players were selected for their notoriety in their original season. Dylan B. ultimately won the against fellow Brazil competitors Colleen M. and Jamie G..
The second season to have an all-returnee cast was Survivor: Moral vs. Merciless, which had 20 returnees, some whom had played once before, and some whom had played twice before, divided up into two tribes based up their reputation as either a Moral or Merciless castaway. It concluded with Wyatt A. becoming the first two-time winner of the Second Generation.
The eighteenth season, Survivor: Second Chances, saw twenty former pre-merge and pre-jury boots, who had shown promise during their short time, return for another chance at the game. It is therefore the reverse of the idea from the inaugural All-Stars season. The season was won by Mongolia competitor Jeremy B., who was against Ranz T. (Saint Lucia) and Shadi C. (Cursed Hand) in the Final Three.
The fourth all-returnee season, Survivor: New Zealand, featured the return of the three-tribe format, and the saw eighteen castaways divided by a new theme. The tribes are split by pre-merge "Failures", non-winner "Finalists", and popular "Favorites". The season was won by Bingo vs. Suitman castaway, John B.
Survivor: Last Leap and Survivor: Conqueror's Crusade were two back-to-back all-star seasons, both featuring large twenty-four person casts. Originally envisioned as a way to end the Second Generation before the series was expanded, it was changed to serve as a chance for the big names to play one more time. Last Leap featured some of the best to never win the game in a chance to be a part of Conqueror's Crusade, an all-winners season featuring champions from both the first and second generations. Sagar O., the winner of Last Leap, is therefore the only person to compete in both seasons. Conqueror's Crusade then concluded with Sam S. becoming the second two-time winner of Gen Two.
Survivor: Polynesia was the seventh mainstream all-returnee season, and it featured three tribes of well-known castaways to the series divided into three tribes based upon their primary skill showcased in past seasons. Players known for winning challenges, the "Strong" tribe, faced off against players known for utilising relationships to further their game, the "Social" tribe, and players known for making big daring moves, the "Strategic" tribe. It also has another expanded cast of twenty-one people. The season saw one of the first two players to ever play for a second time in Gen Two, John P., finally win the game on his fourth try.
After thirteen seasons away, a new iteration of the Second Chances theme featured on Survivor: Unfinished Business, with the concept expanded to all one-time non-winners, instead of just pre-merge and pre-jury boots. There was a public vote to decide the cast out of 60 former one-time players, with only the top 20 making the final cast. It was be eighth all-returnee season.
Survivor: Solomon Islands was the ninth all-returnee season, which saw the return of a twenty-four person cast. This time castaways were chosen for embodying one of six pre-determined player "Archetypes", each representing a different style or reputation of playing the game. They were selected as either a Hero, Villain, Character, Gamebot, Flop or Wildcard.
Survivor: Entitled vs. Earned was the tenth all-returnee season, which saw the return of a twenty-four person cast. The castaways were either selected by production as deserving to play again, and are labelled as "Entitled", or won their spot on the season through The Earned Trials, and are labelled as "Earned".
After fifteen seasons away, the Conqueror's Crusade theme featured again on Survivor: Ragnarok, with only second generation winners this time. The season commemorated the end of the second generation of the series.
Returnees vs. Newbies[]
Three seasons have directly pitted returning players against new players on separate starting tribes. These seasons have also utilised the method of letting the returning players each select a newbie player for the other tribe, with the exception of Rejects vs. Royals.
The twelfth season, Survivor: Friends vs. Favorites, featured ten returning players, dubbed "Favorites" due to their popularity. Each returnee was allowed to select a Tengaged "Friend" who had yet to play in Gen Two to face them on the other tribe. It ended with two returning Favorites and one newbie Friend, all without their original partners, in the Final Three. The newbie, Oliver L., beat returnees Jack T. and Ryan W. in a 5-4-1 Jury vote. This theme was reprised and reformatted for Survivor: Eritrea.
The twenty-first season, Survivor: Eritrea, saw a brand new take on the Friends vs. Favorites idea. This time, the ten returning players were also five pairs of rivals from past seasons. They formed the "Adversaries" tribe, and each of the returning players' chosen friends formed the "Allies" tribe. Similarly to it's parent season, a newbie castaway won out over two returning players, as Patrick J. defeated Charlie B. and Shadi C. in vote of 3-2-2.
The twenty-eighth season, Survivor: Rejects vs. Royals saw the returnee vs. newbies idea from both Friends vs. Favorites and Allies vs. Adversaries given a new spin. Ten former players who had failed to be cast on Last Leap, dubbed "Rejects" were selected to return. They faced ten new players known for doing well in Tengaged group games, called the "Royals". In the end, Reject returnee Julian S. defeated fellow Reject Andrew T. and Royal newbie Jacob B. in a 5-2-0 Jury vote.
The thirty-eighth season, Survivor: Canary Islands saw the returnee vs. newbie idea from Friends vs. Favorites, Allies vs. Adversaries, and Rejects vs. Royals given a new spin. Ten former players who failed to "make their mark" on their original season, dubbed "Last Chancers" were selected to return for a potential last chance to win. They face ten new players, called the "First Chancers" who were casted to get their first chances to play the game.
Mixed Returnees[]
The following seasons were less formal in their returnee format. The amount of returning players are not necessarily even to the number of new players that featured, but the tribes may still be divided based upon their status as newbie or returnee.
The fourteenth season, Survivor: Occultus Island, saw eight former players return, picked because they were notable players in either the First or Second Generation, in a twist known as Generation Wars. They were joined by ten new players, five of whom played in the First Gen, and five of whom had never played before. Those who first played in Gen One were put together on one tribe, and those who first played in Gen Two were grouped on the other. Four of the returning players (two per-tribe) were the first first four people to play for a third time in the Second Generation. The Final Two were both returning players from the First Generation tribe, as Mike S. defeated Austin E. in a vote of 6-1.
In a "winners vs. newbies" theme, the seventeenth season, Survivor: Reclamation, saw seven former players return, as former First Generation winners who hadn't performed as well in the Second Generation. They were joined by two other First Generation winners who hadn't played in Gen Two, as well as nine completely new players to the series. In the end, two of the newbie players prevailed to be the Final Two, and Jim B. beat out Joe E. in a 5-4 Jury vote.
The twentieth season, Survivor: Bingo vs. Suitman, was landmarked by a coalition season with fellow Survivor host Bingo21. Ten people were elected by each host to return for the season and fight on their own tribes, however the castaways were all united under the theme of castaways who made the finale, but not the Final Tribal Council. Fourteen of the twenty total castaways had competed before in the Second Generation, with four of Bingo21's castaways also being former Suitman's Survivor castaways, with the other six being brand new players. Suitman castaway James S. ultimately won the season against and fellow Suitman castaway Eric E. and Bingo21 castaway Ryan C.
The thirty-third season, Survivor: Puerto Rico saw the return of a mixed format for the first time in thirteen seasons. Two tribes of castaways featured obscure returning players, dubbed "Fools" or "Floaters" for their poor reputations, while a third tribe featured new castaways, dubbed "Fans". The Final Two featured two castaways from the returnee Corozal "Floaters" tribe, with Nolan K. defeating Owen A. in a 5-1 Jury vote.
The thirty-seventh season, Survivor: Indonesia saw fifteen former players return. Ten of them were chosen by production in pairs, due to their rivalry with one another in a past season, while the remaining five were each picked as an ally by those individuals. Five brand new castaways were also chosen as an ally by the ten individuals. The Final Three featured three returning players, with Ashley L. defeating Natalie S. and Jeremy W. in a 5-3-1 Jury vote.
Returnees per Tribe[]
The returnee per tribe twist typically sees two/three returning players competing against new castaways, with one returnee placed on each of the competing tribes. The exceptions to this are East Timor and Ayia Thekla, which featured multiple returnees per tribe.
The twist was first introduced in Survivor: Jordan. Two former castaways, Porsche F. from Survivor: Saint Lucia, and John P. from Survivor: Jordan, returned to play due to the fact they were both the first person voted out at the merge in tenth place, meaning they missed out on a spot on the Jury. Porsche was booted pre-merge before the switch, and John made it all the way to 4th place.
The ninth season, Survivor: East Timor, saw a new spin on the returnees pre-tribe idea. Two pairs of former castaways returned because of their rivalries with one another in their respective seasons. The rivalries were Jake H. and Katie L. from Survivor: Saint Lucia, and Adam B. and Ronnie R. from Survivor: Caicos Islands. The returning players were very successful, with all four reaching the final six and the Final Three comprising solely of returnees. Adam claimed the title, while rival turned closest ally Ronnie came second, with Katie placing third. This theme was reprised and reformatted for Eritrea.
This standard one-per-tribe twist returned for the eleventh season, Survivor: Brunei, which saw Gerard S. from Survivor: Jordan, and James D. from Survivor: Caicos Islands, return because a hidden immunity idol caused the demise of both of them in their respective seasons. James took 10th place after inactivity saw his premature booting from the game, and loss at Redemption Island to opponent returnee Gerard, who was voted out one day before James, but survived on Redemption Island winning four duels, before losing at the final duel to re-enter the game, and taking 7th place.
The one returnee per tribe theme as revived for its third outing in Survivor: Kiribati after a fifteen season absence. This season featured three returnees instead of two due to the three-tribe format, and the returnees were three people who were lucky enough to win the viewers sweepstakes in seasons from Last Leap to Bhutan, in keeping with the Casino Chaos theme. The three returnees were Brendon R. from Survivor: Vietnam, Survivor: Second Chances and Survivor: Bingo vs. Suitman, Chris C. from Survivor: Seychelles and Survivor: Second Chances, and Ollie M. from Survivor: Japan. Unlike the previous two seasons above, none of the returnees managed to make it to the Jury, with Brendon making it to the first merged Tribal Council before taking 10th place, just missing the Jury phase. Chris and Ollie placed 17th and 12th respectively.
The Bloodlines theme of the thirty-fourth season, Survivor: Ayia Thekla, saw three "legends" get the opportunity to build their own tribes. Andrew T., Blake B. and Nick M. were each allowed to pick two one-time players to join them, along with three new players, returning in three returning players on each tribe. Andrew selected Ray G. (Japan) and Sam S. (Mongolia). Blake selected Chazz P. (Japan) and John C. (Bhutan). Nick selected Ashley L. (Puerto Rico) and Courtney M. (Kiribati). Blake was the worst performing of the captains, coming in 14th place, however his selected returnee, Chazz, was the Sole Survivor, and one of his newbie selections, Jordan X., also made it to the Final Tribal Council taking 3rd. Andrew took 10th place, and saw his last tribe member, returnee Sam, be voted out in 4th place. Nick was the best performing returning player taking 6th place, with selected newbie Carl M. taking 2nd place.
Returning Players by Season[]
Jordan[]
- Returnees per Tribe
John |
Porsche |
All-Stars[]
- All Returning Players
Alexandra |
Chris |
Colleen |
Cory |
Simon |
Dylan B. |
Dylan J. |
Evan |
Game |
Jamie |
Joe |
Josh |
Logan |
Mikey |
Nick |
Reynold |
Stephen |
Will |
East Timor[]
- Returnees per Tribe
Adam |
Jake |
Katie |
Ronnie |
Brunei[]
- Returnees per Tribe
Gerard |
James |
Friends vs. Favorites[]
- Returnees vs. Newbies
Alan |
Anthony |
Chris |
Conor |
Jack |
Joe |
Raphael |
Ryan |
Tim |
Will |
Occultus Island[]
- Mixed Returnees
Andaib |
Austin |
Dylan |
Game |
Link |
Mike |
Raphael |
Will |
Moral vs. Merciless[]
- All Returning Players
Ashley |
Chris |
Dana |
Dave |
Davey |
David |
Derek |
Gerard |
Jack |
Jamie |
Kiko |
Klaus |
Mikey |
Neil |
Nick |
Tony |
Trey |
Ty |
Will |
Wyatt |
Reclamation[]
- Mixed Returnees
George |
Jayson |
Jet |
Martin |
Mearl |
Millie |
Natasha |
Second Chances[]
- All Returning Players
Ali |
Brendon |
Cameron |
Chris |
Cole |
Ethan |
Jacob |
Jake |
Jeremy |
Katherine |
Lynette |
Mickle |
Nikki |
Ranz |
Ryan |
Sagar |
Sean |
Shadi |
Snow |
Tyler |
Bingo vs. Suitman[]
- Mixed Returnees
Alexandra |
Brendon |
Cory |
Eric |
Erik |
James |
Jayson |
John P. |
Mikey |
Newz |
Porsche |
Ryan |
Sagar |
Tony |
Eritrea[]
- Returnees vs. Newbies
Andaib |
Andrew |
Ben |
Charlie |
Game |
Gerard |
Jacob S. |
Joe |
Mearl |
Shadi |
New Zealand[]
- All Returning Players
Adam |
Bennett |
Benny |
Cedric |
Chris |
Ethan |
Joe |
John |
Jordan |
Kamani |
Marshal |
Matt |
Matthew |
Natalie |
Nathan |
Robby |
Ryan |
Sim |
Last Leap[]
- All Returning Players
Alexandra |
Blake |
Cam |
Charlie |
Cole |
Connor |
Ethan |
Evan |
Jake |
Joe E. |
Joe W. |
Jordan |
Logan |
Mikey |
Nathan |
Newz |
Nick |
Robby |
Ryan |
Sagar |
Shadi |
Tim |
Will S. |
Will T. |
Conqueror's Crusade[]
- All Returning Players
Adam |
Alex |
Ben |
Dana |
Derek |
Dylan |
James |
Jayson |
Jeremy |
Jet |
Jim |
John |
Martin |
Mearl |
Mike |
Millie |
Patrick |
Rhys |
Rich |
Sagar |
Sam |
Simon |
Trey |
Wyatt |
Kiribati[]
- Returnees per Tribe
Brendon |
Chris |
Ollie |
Rejects vs. Royals[]
- Returnees vs. Newbies
Andrew |
Erik |
Josh |
Julian |
Lynette |
Natasha |
Nick |
Ranz |
Stephen |
Zach |
Polynesia[]
- All Returning Players
AJ |
Austin |
Charlie |
Chris |
Daniel |
Derek |
Evan |
George |
Jacob |
John |
Kelly |
Mickle |
Morgan |
Newz |
Nick J. |
Nick R. |
Robby |
Sam |
Tony |
Will C. |
Will T. |
Unfinished Business[]
- All Returning Players
AJ |
Amy |
Andy |
Brittany |
Chris |
Christian |
FireDragon |
Jacob |
Jonathan |
JT |
Marissa |
Max |
Noah |
Piper |
Renny |
Rich |
Rob |
Steve |
Sydney |
Tocan |
Puerto Rico[]
- Returnees vs. Newbies
Alan |
Dakota |
Nolan |
Andaib |
Kol |
Matt |
Owen |
Ryan |
Tyler |
Noah |
Rose |
Zach |
Ayia Thekla[]
- Returnees per Tribe
Andrew |
Ray |
Sam |
Nick |
Ashley |
Courtney |
Blake |
Chazz |
John |
Solomon Islands[]
- All Returning Players
AJ |
Alan |
Alexandra |
Brandon |
Brendon |
Cory |
Eric |
Jacob |
Jera |
Jeremy |
Jim |
Joe |
Joel |
Julian |
LeQuisha |
Marcus |
Max |
Nick |
Nolan |
Patrick |
Peyton |
Rhys |
Rob |
Sean |
Worlds Collide[]
- All Returning Players (exception of Brian C.)
AJ |
Cole |
Cory |
Eric |
Jacob |
Joe E. |
Joe W. |
Joel |
LeQuisha |
Matt |
Max |
Qaz |
Rhys |
Rob |
Sam |
Indonesia[]
- Mixed Returnees
Ashley |
Cole |
Eric |
Hudson |
Jeremy |
Julian |
Kelly |
Kol |
LeQuisha |
Max |
Mike |
Natalie |
Newz |
Piper |
Shadi |
Tim |
Canary Islands[]
- Returnees vs. Newbies
Brian |
Chris |
Christian |
Coldan |
Garrett |
Jack |
Jacob |
Jake |
Joe |
Leah |
Entitled vs. Earned[]
- All Returning Players
Alan |
Brittany |
Charlie |
Davey |
Eric |
Ethan |
Evan |
Hudson |
Jacob |
Jake |
Joe E. |
Joe W. |
Leah |
Marissa |
Max |
Nick J. |
Nick M. |
Piper |
Qaz |
Riley |
Robby |
Ryan |
Tim |
Will |
Ragnarok[]
- All Returning Players
Adam |
Alex |
Ashley |
Ben |
Chazz |
Christian |
Dana |
Derek |
Dylan |
James |
Jeremy |
John |
Julian |
Kelly |
Marcus |
Max |
Nick |
Nolan |
Patrick |
Rhys |
Sagar |
Sam |
Tim |
Trey |
Returned from Past Seasons[]
Season | Returned to Future Season | Season | Returned to Future Season | ||
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