How would you play Survivor if you had two of the best competitors there to mentor you? The cast of Survivor: Island of Idols will get to do just that. On Monday, September 9, CBS announced the cast of season 39 of Survivor, including legends Boston Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, who return to the game to serve as mentors to a group of 20 new castaways in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.
Rob, 43, has competed on four seasons of Survivor; he was the runner-up on All-Stars and won Redemption Island. He also competed on two seasons of The Amazing Race and landed in second place on season 7. Meanwhile, Sandra has competed in three seasons of Survivor and won two. She is the series’ only two-time winner.
For the first time, the duo will mentor the 20 castaways. Some of the contestants will have the chance to visit the Island of Idols to learn from them. There are various ways for the castaways to visit the island; when there, they “will have to decide if they should put their knowledge to the test for a chance at a possible advantage in the game or risk losing something very important in the process,” according to the press release.
“It’s a Survivor boot camp where each week, players will be instructed on a different facet of the game and then have a chance to test what they’ve learned for a shot at an advantage,” host Jeff Probst said in the press release.
Meet the 20 castaways below: