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Survivor: Micronesia premieres February 7 and pits fans of the show versus veteran favorites from years past.

Here is a photo - along with the identities - of that second group:

11 â€" Cirie Fields, 37, Survivor: Panama
12 â€" Jonathan Penner, 45, Survivor: Cook Islands
13 â€" Amanda Kimmel, 23, Survivor: China
14 â€" James Clement, 30, Survivor: China
15 â€" Ozzy Lusth, 26, Survivor: Cook Islands
16 â€" Yau-Man Chan, 55, Survivor: Fiji
17 â€" Eliza Orlins, 25, Survivor: Vanuatu
18 â€" Jon Dalton (aka Johnny Fairplay), 33, Survivor: Pearl Islands
19 â€" Parvati Shallow, 25, Survivor: Cook Islands
20 â€" Ami Cusack, 24, Survivor Pearl Islands

As Jeff Probst noted this week about the next edition of Survivor:

"For fifteen seasons, Survivor has taken millions of viewers to remote locations all over the world.  Many fans have watched from day one and have always wanted to play.  Now, a select few will get their chance at the adventure of a lifetime."

Probst went on to reveal that these super fans would be playing against favorite Survivor castaways from the past.  ProbsHe also revealed the official title for Survivor 16 as Survivor Micronesia: Fans Vs. Favorites.

While Probst did not tell who exactly would be among the favorites, he did say at least one of the sixteen members of the Survivor China cast would be returning next season.

Todd Herzog, a longtime fan of Survivor, claimed the reality show's $1 million prize after 39 days of lying and scheming.

"I wasn't the strongest. I wasn't the smartest," Herzog said during the finale. "But I was definitely the most strategic."

The 22-year-old flight attendant overcame his allies Courtney Yates and Amanda Kimmel to win the prize, becoming the 15th victor in the history of the popular show. Herzog won with four votes against Yates' two and Kimmel's one.

He's the youngest winner in the show's history.

"I knew that the second that I got out there that, no matter what it took, I would do everything that I possibly could to be sitting right here," Herzog said after the votes were revealed.

With six contestants remaining on Survivor, host Jeff Probst recently helped TV Guide narrow down the list of favorites to win this season.

On Todd: "Todd has been exciting to watch because he gets such joy out of playing the game. He's loving this manipulative adventure he's on, and he's good at it. But it's always fun to be the person in charge of giving the blind side to somebody until you get to the final tribal council and they're sitting on the jury. Todd's gotta let other people get credit for making moves if he wants a chance to convince people he's worthy [of winning]."
Odds: 5 out of 6

On Peih-Gee: "I didn't really like her in the beginning. She was kind of toxic. But the more she stayed, the more I started to see she's a pretty good player. She's [become] a true underdog. She's got a lot of former tribe members on the jury, and that could work to her advantage."
Odds: 3 out of 6

On Erik: "Erik has no chance of winning this game. I don't care who you put him up against in the final three. Very nice guy, talented musician, gonna be a great husband, probably a great dad. But lousy Survivor player. You have to be willing to reach a little deeper inside yourself and find the fun part that enjoys the game."

On Courtney: "It's been a long time since I've been surprised to see somebody still in the game. But I actually think she could have chance at winning, depending on who she's up against and what argument she makes. If she could take all of her negative traits and turn them into [obstacles] that she overcame, she has a shot."
Odds: 4 out of 6

On Denise: "She is the dark-horse favorite. Out of anybody in this game right now, I would want to get rid of Denise as soon as possible because she's so likable and she's really done nothing wrong. She's been a true friend to everybody. It's hard not to root for her. And I like her even more for the story she told about why she has her mullet."
Odds: 2 out of 6

On Amanda: "Amanda's been in Todd's shadow, but she knows this game as well as he does. She just pulled out a big sword and lopped somebody's head off with it. If she's willing to do that again, she could have a check for a million bucks. If she goes back to being timid, it'll be tougher for her to win."
Odds: 6 out of 6

Survivor bid farewell to WWE Diva Ashley Massaro this week. But Reality TV World caught up with the beauty following her exit. Here are highlights from the interview:

 How did you end up being cast for Survivor: China?
Ashley: It was basically a joint decision because I work for WWE. I needed to do some arm-wrenching to go because that meant I was going to be off the air with them for a long time. But it all worked out great and they let me go.

What was the reaction of some of your fellow wrestlers?
Ashley: Well they didn't know I was going to be on Survivor until I got back (laughing). They were surprised. I got lots of phone calls and everybody was excited. They were like, "How's your ankle going to be?" This and that... asking all these questions. Worried.

Had you watched a lot of Survivor before going on the show?
Ashley: Yeah, I watched Season 1 of course. I mean everyone and their friend watched Season 1 (laughing). I watched Pearl Islands. That's the one with Jonny Fairplay right?

Yup.
Ashley: I like that one... a couple of other ones. I definitely brushed up on it before I left.

That leads well into my next question. How did you prepare yourself both physically and mentally prior to leaving for the competition?
Ashley: Well... I definitely tried to do some training outside. You know what was funny? I went outside and I sat in the rain. I'm not even joking you. Just one day for like 10 minutes to see what it felt like. And I'm like, "This is probably not going to be the case. But I just wanted to feel like every element. It might rain a few times."

Click here to read the full interview.

Our thanks to TV Squad for delivering the following spoilers for Survivor: China...

•  The second boot (next week) will be Ashley Massaro, the WWE Diva.

• Rumors have both Leslie and Sherea out of the game early.

• There will be no car given away this season.

• The merge is set for episode seven.

• Exile Island is gone... but the hidden Immunity Idol is hidden in plain sight.

Are viewers in store for another Survivor All-Star edition after this season's China?

"We're going into our sixteenth season, it wouldn't be a bad idea," Jeff Probst told the media during a conference call to discuss Survivor: China.

Although rumors that CBS might be planning another All-Stars edition have circulated for years, more formal reports that Survivor's Spring 2008 edition would be another All-Stars installment began to surface earlier this year.

Previously, Probst seemed against the idea. But his stance is softening.

"The only thing I can say is that I've come around to understanding that even though the All-Stars we did was a pain-in-the-ass from a production point of view, it was one of our best seasons," Probst reiterated to reporters last week. "And it was our best season because we had our best people back. I get that."

Thanks to TV Guide for giving us the first detailed look at the cast of Survivor: China. Jeff Probst includes his thoughts on each player...

Here is the ZHAN HU Tribe:

1. PEIH-GEE LAW
29, Marina Del Rey, California; music-video dancer turned jeweler
Jeff's take: "Historically, Peih-Gee's qualities don't bode well. She's quick with an opinion and she's got a lot of them. But Peih-Gee is a player â€" she's smart and knows how to work with people even though she may have no idea what they're saying behind her back. She understands you can be bossy and make it work."

2. DAVE CRUSER
37, Simi Valley, California; model/actor turned bartender
Jeff's take: "Dave is crazy. To his credit, he's a workaholic but sometimes to a fault. He fully embraces The Art of War from a strategic point of view â€" like, how to work with his tribe. Dave jumps out in the first few days and he's a delight to watch in his zaniness. You'll remember Dave for sure."

3. ERIK HUFFMAN
26, Nashville, Tennessee; musician, model
Jeff's take: "Erik is a throwback to old-school politeness. When we cast him, [Survivor: Africa winner] Ethan went through our heads. He's humble, quiet and a nice guy. There was something refreshing about him being exactly what he said he would be."

4. ASHLEY MASSARO
28, East Northport, New York; WWE SmackDown Diva, beauty queen, reality-show host
Jeff's take: "Ashley is definitely fit. She told me in casting, ‘On a daily basis I get thrown from 15 feet in the air and land on my back. I think I can push some coconuts around. Put me on the show.' She's strong and she's mouthy and she spends a lot of time running around in very little clothing."

5. MICHAEL "FROSTI" ZERNOW
20, Chicago; film student, parkour expert
Jeff's take: "He's a good kid who brings something new. Parkour is a mix of gymnastics and martial arts. When we saw his tape, we thought he could just fly over some of our obstacle walls. We've never had somebody that had his kind of physical gift â€" he'll do a backflip when he's bored. And he's a sharp kid, too. He gets it."

6. SHEREA LLOYD
26, Atlanta; fourth-grade teacher
Jeff's take: "Sherea is a fish out of water here, but she's a fighter. She is another person who will tell you what she's thinking. Sherea and a few others made me see the beauty and power of announcing who you are and being that person, because that makes you identifiable."

7. JAIMIE DUGAN
22, Columbia, South Carolina; college student
Jeff's take: "Jaimie is a sorority girl and she's proud of it. The flip side is that's she's very bright. She speaks her mind and she actually makes some sense. She's very flirty, and she's good at it. I knew early on she was kind of the tribe mediator. She can hold her own â€" she's definitely not wimpy."

8. STEVE "CHICKEN" MORRIS
48, Marion, Virginia; former bouncer/fish breeder/logger turned chicken-farmer
Jeff's take: "They don't make a lot of guys like Chicken anymore. He's an old-school, hardworking guy who knows what it is to build a shelter, get firewood, build a fire, try to catch fish â€" and then have lunch. If you put him around people who aren't his age and don't have his work ethic, he doesn't understand. He's going to have to adapt and it's not an easy task."

And now for the FEI LONG Tribe:

Continue Reading...

Exile Island has been a Survivor staple since it was first introduced in Survivor: Panama, the long-running reality show's twelfth edition. However, the concept has been banished from Survivor: China, the still-filming fifteenth Survivor edition that CBS will air this fall.

"We got rid of Exile Island [for Survivor: China]," Survivor executive producer Mark Burnett told reporters attending the Television Critics Association's summer press tour and Reality TV World reported today.

While Exile Island may not be returning as a roadblock for Survivor: China's castaways, Burnett said the show's hidden Immunity Idol will return.

First introduced during Survivor: Guatemala, the hidden Immunity Idol has been tied to Exile Island since Survivor: Panama, which aired in Spring 2006. In both Survivor: Panama and Survivor: Cook Islands, which aired in Fall 2006, the hidden Immunity Idol could be found somewhere on Exile Island and only those banished there were provided clues to its whereabouts.

While two hidden Immunity Idols were present for Survivor: Fiji, neither was actually located on Exile Island - forcing the exlied castaways that received clues about the hidden Idols' locations to search for for them back at their camps without tipping off their fellow castaways.

"We still have a hidden Immunity Idol but it is right under [the castaways] noses," he said, hinting at a twist to come.

In addition to Exile Island's absence and the continuation of hiding an Immunity Idol, Burnett also revealed that Survivor: China will - for the first time since Survivor: Panama and only the second time in Survivor's last eight seasons - feature only 16 castaways.

Survivor: All-Stars, Vanuatu, and Guatemala each featured 18 castaways, while Palau and Cook Islands had 20. Fiji was also originally supposed to have 20 but ended up with only 19 when Melissa McNulty had to leave the game a few hours after filming began due to panic attacks she was suffering from.

CBS has announced that Survivor: China - the fifteenth edition of its long-running reality competition series - will premiere on Thursday, September 20 at 8PM ET/PT.

Survivor: China will mark the first time a major American television program will film an entire season on location "in the heart of China," which is how host Jeff Probst termed the show's location when CBS formally announced the title of Survivor's fifteenth installment at the conclusion of Survivor: Fiji's May finale.

"This fall, Survivor leaves the tropical islands for something completely different... China, where the modern world meshes with 5,000 years of colorful history," Probst teased in the preview. "The adventure will play out in the shadows of a sacred mountain on the shores of a remote lake in the land known for tigers, giant pandas, snow leopards and ancient tradition."

Probst had previously disclosed China as Survivor's next location when he appeared as a guest co-host on CBS' Live with Regis and Kelly in April.

Neither Probst or CBS have formally revealed any additional details about the show's production location, however according to online reports, Survivor: China began filming at Zhelin Lake, a man-made reservoir that was formed by Asia's largest earthen embarkment dam, in late June.

CBS has also not made released any additional details of Survivor: China's cast or what twists are in-store for them, including whether the season will feature the Exile Island concept that has become a Survivor staple since it twelfth season introduction.