Richard Hatch and other vets return for <I>Survivor: All-Stars</I> (10954)

Get ready to welcome Rudy, Richard, Tina, and other favorite Survivor castaways for a rematch on the upcoming Survivor: All-Stars competition. The chosen 18, representing all seven of CBS's past Survivor seasons, were announced Monday during the network's Early Show. They face off when the hit reality-challenge series returns for its new edition after the Super Bowl telecast on February 1.

The contestants are: Richard Hatch, openly gay winner of the original Survivor: Pulau Tiga, along with Rudy Boesch, Sue Hawk, and Jenna Lewis; Tina Wesson, winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback, as well as her runner-up, Colby Donaldson, and Amber Brkich, Jerri Manthey, and Alicia Calaway; Ethan Zohn, winner of Survivor: Africa, plus Lex van den Berghe and Tom Buchanan; from Survivor: Marquesas, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien and Rob Mariano; from Survivor: Thailand, Shii Ann Huang; Jenna Morasca, winner of Survivor: The Amazon, and Rob Cesternino; and Rupert Boneham from Survivor: Pearl Islands. Breaking with tradition, the 18 contestants will be broken into three tribes, not the usual two.

For Survivor handicappers, the invited contestants represented little surprise; the roster had been posted for weeks on at least one fan Web site. Survivor: All-Stars will represent another return--to the Pearl Islands off Panama, where the most recent Survivor was set. Host Jeff Probst, of course, returns.

The first Survivor premiered in May 2000 and became a surprise hit, then a national phenomenon, before Hatch took the title in the finale that aired that August. Subsequent editions have continued to attract a strong audience.