Survivor: Jeff Probst on How the Second Chance Players Can Redeem Themselves

Survivorhost Jeff Probst is the first to admit that he and the other producers weren't sure what they were in for when they announced the cast of returning players who would be heading to Cambodia to compete on Second Chance (some of whom had just completed the Worlds Apart reunion show days earlier).

"The truth is, you bring back returning players, and they're kind of full of themselves," Probst told TVGuide.com. "And I thought, man, we're bringing back 20 second chances who, not only did we invite them back, they were voted in by America. How's this going to go? And they were so gracious and humble and appreciative of the second chance that it made all of us on the team that much more inspired to give them the best season we could."

Fall TV Premiere Calendar: When are your favorite shows returning?

Stretching all the way back to Season 1's runner-up Kelly Wiglesworth, the latest crop of contestants features all returning players who narrowly missed out on the million-dollar prize their first time around. (The majority of the challenges will also be repeats from past seasons, in keeping with the Second Chance theme.)

The producers also faced the more-difficult-than-usual task of trying to introduce new twists in the competition. "We're dealing with 20 players who are really, really savvy at the game," Probst notes. "The fun of this season was knowing that we're going up against people who probably know the game as well as - and maybe even better than - the people who produce it. So we did spend a lot of time thinking, is there any way we could catch them off guard? What could we do?"

For one thing, immunity idols will be hidden in the vicinity of the challenges, as opposed to around camp. Players who sneak off from camp will merely find a clue to the idol's location. "'Here's a diagram, and this is exactly where you will find it,'" Probst says. "All you have to do is be brave enough within an immunity challenge, in which your tribe is counting on you to win, to slip away and get that idol and put it in your pocket or your bikini."

Check out Probst's assessment of what each contestant needs to do to take full advantage of his or her Second Chance.

The hottest female Survivor contestants of all time

Joe Anglim
Original Season: Worlds Apart
Probst's Take: "I think Joe's second chance is based around, how do you play a game in which you've proven you can win in every area? You're very likable, very social, great at camp, can win every challenge. ... The only problem is, this a game in which your fate is ultimately not in your hands. So you can do everything right and because of that, people can vote you out. Joe has this Herculean task. How do I come in the game with all of this great baggage? It's the kind of baggage you long for in life, but in Survivor, it's just one target after another painted on his back. How do I do that and win?"

Vytas Baskauskas
Original Season: Blood vs. Water
Probst's Take: "He came on the first time and his brother is the golden child. Vytas gets put out there against his brother and ends up in the villain role, really, by being the darker version of his brother. I think Vytas' second chance is, is that really my story? Is that how I want to end this, or is there more to me than people know? And if I could just get a chance to play without having to be compared to my brother, then I can just be me. It's different when you're playing a game with a loved one, because they know your secrets. They know your tricks. But now Vytas can play with a group of people who don't really know what he's like, and he doesn't have to worry about Aras."

Spencer Bledsoe
Original Season: Cagayan
Probst's Take: "All of Spencer's instincts are to treat people as chess pieces. Spencer is one of my favorite stories because I was so wrong about him in the beginning, personally. When we first met Spencer, he was so arrogant and self-assured that I told him, 'You have no chance to win this game. As in zero-point-zero, it will not happen.' And what do you know, 30-some days later, he's almost won that game. Had he won one more challenge, had one thing gone his way, Spencer could have been the winner of that season. ... The one thing his game missed was just the personal part. He's a really smart young man. He's great at strategy, he fights and scraps. ... Has Spencer grown up? Has he learned how to treat people as people? And if so, he goes right back into the category of a true, legitimate threat to get another shot to win."

Jeremy Collins
Original Season: San Juan del Sur - Blood vs. Water
Probst's Take: "Jeremy comes out and the very first thing that happens in the game is, he has to compete against his wife, and he beats his wife. And his wife never recovers and is voted out, and it haunted Jeremy the rest of the game. ... So, he was playing in the shadow of this choice he had to make, and now he gets to come back and say, not only don't I have to worry about my wife, I can actually now play the way I think I should play. ... He left a lot of game on the table. So, the question with Jeremy is, here's your shot. You don't have your wife to worry about. What are you going to do with it?"

The hottest male Survivor contestants of all time

Terry Deitz
Original Season: Panama
Probst's Take: "Terry's story is one that kind of captures what Survivor is all about. He's so good at so many things. Terry can build your shelter and Terry can win challenges for you, and he's almost unbeatable individually, but what Terry doesn't do very well is socialize with people. And Survivor's a game about relationships. Terry's problem is, he really doesn't know how to do the one fundamental thing on Survivor, and that is relate to people. And he knows that. He's a great dad and a good husband and a nice guy, but then he gets out in the game and he forgets how to use those skills. And so, Terry's story is, can I come out here and build actual relationships with people, where they will trust me? Because if I can't, they're going to get rid of me, for the simple fact that they know sooner or later, I'll become a threat in challenges and they may not be able to get rid of me."

Ciera Eastin
Original Season: Blood vs. Water
Probst's Take: "When we watched Ciera play the first time, she was pretty tentative in the beginning. She was looking to her mom, who she played alongside, for advice. And then, as the game began to grow, you saw Ciera get more and more confident, and ultimately fulfilling the promise of blood vs. water when the daughter votes out her mom. ... Ciera's story is, I started too late the first time and I couldn't recover. Give me a chance to come out of the gate and play this way from Day 1, and see what I can do."

Stephen Fishbach
Original Season: Tocantins
Probst's Take: "Fishbach is such a really relatable guy from the standpoint of, he's not great with fire. He's not going to build you the most awesome shelter. He may not even ever win a challenge. But he's, in many ways, most of us. He doesn't have the great, long beautiful hair and the tanned body. He's just a guy who wants to play this game. ... Much like Wiglesworth, he was the runner-up in his season, and maybe his only mistake was the guy he chose to go to the end with. He played a very good game. He made a lot of moves. He was there to the end. But when push came to shove, the guy he was sitting next to was deemed more likable or more charming. And there you go. Here is Fishbach's dilemma. I'm not the good-looking athlete who's going to charm you in the end. I'm the sometimes socially awkward but really smart Survivor player. And I picked the one guy I couldn't beat."

Tasha Fox
Original Season: Cagayan
Probst's Take: "One thing that held Tasha back the first time was her religious views, her belief that, as a good Christian, I have to basically be a good person. So my moves can be clever but they can't be mean and they can't be really manipulative. And Tasha said she went home and her church said, 'You go play Survivor and you can pray for forgiveness later. It's a game.' As silly as that might sound to somebody, it really released this burden that she didn't feel she was going to disappoint with anyone by her behavior. ... And man, Tasha showed up at the beach with the attitude of, 'You all better watch out. Because I did not use all of my ammunition. I didn't use all my tricks. What you saw was the nice version of me, but I've got another side, and now that I know it's okay to use it and I'm not a bad person, I'm here to play and I'm here to win.' And that will be very clear from the beginning, that Tasha is not out there because she thought it was just a fun experience. She wants to win this game."

Abi-Maria Gomes
Original Season: Philippines
Probst's Take: "Abi's controversial in that Abi is combative, and she will challenge you quickly and accuse you even faster of doing something that may be true or not. But the big question with Abi was, are you really just kind of a mean-spirited person who likes to argue, or is this really an example of cultural differences? .... Abi kept repeating through her season, 'I didn't mean to offend you.' But then she'd turn around and somebody else would be offended. So Abi's story is, can I come back this second time and play a game in which I control my temper, I bite my tongue, and I get people to see the real me and get them to like me, so that I can get deeper into this game and then maybe charm my way to the end? Abi might have the single biggest hurdle to overcome, but it will be really fun to watch."

Add new fall shows to your Watchlist now!

Woo Hwang
Original Season: Cagayan
Probst's Take: "I think everyone rooted for Woo because he seemed just so unlikely to get to the end, and yet he did. And then, he believed in Tony, the cop who was lying the whole time. And a lot of people who watched Woo's season believe he made a million-dollar mistake and that, had he not taken Tony to the end, and instead taken someone else, he would have won. ... And I think Woo has lived with that question of, did I make a million-dollar mistake? If I did, I made it for all the right reasons. But maybe there's another way to play this game. Maybe I shouldn't trust people so much. I'm still going to be likable. I'm still going to be great in challenges. But maybe you'd better think twice about what I tell you, and maybe I'll think twice about what you tell me."

Kimmi Kappenberg
Original Season: The Australian Outback
Probst's Take: "She represents this old-school idea of Survivor. ... The first time, Kimmi was the girl who didn't want to eat chicken, and wanted to defend any animal that was going to be hurt on the show and have everybody get along. It's a whole new world, and Kimmi is a completely different person. She's a mom. She's gone through a lot. And now she's coming back saying, 'Oh, I can play this game with a vengeance. Give me a shot." The question is, can she? Are you going to be able to drop into a game in its 31st season, that has changed dramatically in the 29 seasons since you played, and keep up?"

Peih-Gee Law
Original Season: China
Probst's Take: "Peih-Gee was a really underestimated player. I was happy to see her get another shot. She actually made a really good run, with the odds heavily against her. Peih-Gee's second chance is, I think similar to Savage's in that, I played a pretty good game the first time. I got deep and I really didn't have any help. Give me a second chance. Let's see if luck falls on my side a little bit. Sometimes, that is really the only reason somebody doesn't do well on Survivor is, they didn't get the luck. They know how to play, they know how to manipulate. They know when to make a move and when to back off. And then a switch happens and they're down in the numbers and it's over. Peih-Gee falls into that category of, she's a pretty good player. A lot of people have forgotten about her. That might be a mistake."

Kass McQuillen
Original Season: Cagayan
Probst's Take: "Kass put herself in an interesting box by nicknaming herself Chaos Kass the first time she played. It was a great move in terms of making her memorable, and it was certainly delicious to volley with her at Tribal. ... But Kass' story on her second chance is, can I play this game as my likable self? Lose the Chaos and get people to trust me. Because if Kass comes in and plays the same game she played the first time, she won't last at all. ... I think Kass has the skills to get very deep in the game again, because she is good at maneuvering. It's just, the hurdle she has to overcome is, when your first impression is not a great one, how do you remedy that?"

Keith Nale
Original Season: San Juan del Sur - Blood vs. Water
Probst's Take: "People feel about Keith the way they do their favorite uncle. He's just that guy that's bigger than life, seems so unassuming. ... Before you know it, he's final six, final five. He's creeping up to win this game. I think Keith's second chance is really pretty simple. I came out here the first time and I did not know one thing about the show. I played because my son wanted to play. Well, I stayed out there for 30-some days. I figured this game out. I'm ready to give 'er another go."

Shirin Oskooi
Original Season: Worlds Apart
Probst's Take: Shirin's second chance story is really a question for me. She finished in controversy. There was so much happening. She shared so much of her personal story while she was out there, and I think it drew a lot of people in and a lot of fans saw her as vulnerable, and willing to share, and doing it in the most extreme situation. Then we go to the live show, and Shirin is vocal and frustrated and unresolved. And then she gets on a bus and starts heading to the airport. Where is Shirin's head, is the question. Shirin's second chance is an unknown when the game starts, because she's so fresh from a personal wound that she could come out like a lion, or she could come out and crumble. She might be angry or she might find her resolution and her peace. It's going to be really interesting. What's fun about Shirin is, she doesn't make small moves. She takes big swings, and that is what you have to do in Survivor. The question is, what kind of swing will she take?"

Monica Padilla
Original Season: Samoa
Probst's Take: "She's going to be judged based on the way she played the first time, which is a late bloomer at best. Her story is, how do you come into a competitive game in which people want to align with you when you don't really have a great track record to show people? ... My curiosity with Monica is, what is she going to do those first few days to make an impact and say, 'Listen, I'm here to play. I'm worth looking at as an alliance partner, and here's why.' Because she's in a field of people who have big Survivor resumes and can say, 'This is what I did; this is what I did.' What are you going to bring to the group?"

Andrew Savage
Original Season: Pearl Islands
Probst's Take: "Savage is a guy that I've wanted back on the show for years, for a very specific reason. ... Savage was the victim of a twist we did that is still, to this day, is the only twist I didn't like, and don't think we should have done, and think was patently unfair. He was voted out as a result of the outcast twist. And I have felt from that day, we have to get him back on the show. We have to give him a second chance to finish his game. Savage, I don't think, has anything new or different to do. I think Savage just needs to be given the chance to finish what he was doing the first time when we pulled out the outcast twist. ... This is a second chance for us to give Savage his shot."

Jeff Varner
Original Season: The Australian Outback
Probst's Take: "Jeff's legacy on Survivor: Australia is, he took the temptation, during an immunity challenge, of peanut butter ... and he was voted out that night. It's a classic Survivor tale. The reason it happens so often is, in a game of absolute uncertainty, you often feel certain. And that's the trick of the game. It's unavoidable, because you have to believe in somebody, but sometimes the person you choose to believe in is not being honest. ... He's been living with that for 14 years. In fact, I think he's said he hasn't had peanut butter since. Varner believes he can win this game. He believed he could have won it the first time, and he's haunted by one mistake. ... Varner was a legitimate threat in Australia, and suddenly he was gone."

Kelley Wentworth
Original Season: San Juan del Sur - Blood vs. Water
Probst's Take: "She played the first time with her dad, and her dad was an anchor. Her dad didn't know how to play the game socially, and Kelley saw that. But you know, It's her dad. She couldn't get away from him. ... Her second chance story is, I'm on my own now. I don't have to worry about anybody but myself, and nobody really knows my game because I never got a chance to show them. This is my chance."

Kelly Wiglesworth
Original Season: Borneo
Probst's Take: "If you think of a movie poster, when you think of second chance, the one face that you absolutely have to see on that poster is the very first runner-up from the very first season, who lost by one vote. ... Kelly's story is truly like the sports analogy, to finish what you started. She played a pretty good game the first time, and she got all the way to the end, but she couldn't close the deal. ... I think Wiglesworth has been haunted, wondering, could I have done a better job in that final Tribal? Could I have sold myself better? Because I clearly deserved it. I played a great game, but I didn't close the deal."

Which player are you rooting for?

Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chance premieres Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)