Ozzy Lusth and Benjamin "Coach" Wade's Survivor returns are now official.
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"We knew we wanted to bring two people back. We liked how it worked with Rob and Russell, and we looked at different pairings," Survivor host Jeff Probst explained.
"At first you wouldn't put [Ozzy and Coach] together, but when I looked at it, I see them as two sides of a similar coin... both Ozzy and Coach have had miserable social games."
In addition to Lusth and Wade, Survivor: South Pacific's cast will also include 16 first-time castaways CBS previously announced on Monday.
Survivor: South Pacific -- which was filmed in Samoa in June and early July -- is the third Survivor edition for both Lusth and Wade, whose Survivor returns had been widely rumored since late spring.
Lusth originally competed on Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006, finishing second to winner Yul Kwon in a tight 5-4 Tribal Council vote. He then returned to compete as a "favorite" on Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs. Favorites, the "half all-stars edition" which aired on CBS in early 2008, and finished in ninth place.
Wade originally competed on Survivor: Tocantins, which aired on CBS in early 2009, and finished fifth, lasting 36 days. A year later, he returned to compete on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, which aired in early 2010, and finished twelfth.
Survivor: South Pacific's 18 castaways will initially be divided into two tribes -- Savaii and Upolu -- named after the two islands of Samoa, which also previously served as the filming location of Survivor: Samoa and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains when they were filmed back-to-back in Summer 2009. Like Mariano and Hantz, Lusth and Wade will begin Survivor: South Pacific on opposing tribes.
Survivor: South Pacific will also reprise the "Redemption Island" twist which debuted on Survivor: Redemption Island and allow castaways who are voted out of the competition to earn "redemption" and return at a later date.
However, unlike last season, Survivor: South Pacific's version of Redemption Island will not change format and utilize "group duels" in the later days of the game.
Survivor: South Pacific will premiere on CBS on Wednesday, September 14 at 8PM ET/PT with a special 90-minute episode.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
