CBS 'Survivor' Season 32 in Kaoh Rong: Hidden Immunity Idol Twist; Contestants to Include Former NBA Player and 'Big Brother' Star

Feb 08, 2016 02:05 PM EST

What's said to be "The most punishing season ever," on the promo videos, Survivor season 32 is due to start up in a little over a week, and fans are awaiting the start- especially after CBS took the opportunity to pump up their show during the Super Bowl. There are all new contestants in this Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty theme that has been seen in the past (season 28 Cagayan show). There is also a new hidden immunity idol twist that will be introduced.

Among the contestants is a former NBA player, Scott Pollard, who played for five teams in the course of 11 years. His final year in the NBA, he played for the Boston Celtics, and won a championship. Another former, NBA player, Cliff Robinson, competed on Season 28, and was voted off on Day 14. Can Scott last longer than Cliff?

CBS.com  has pictures of the teams and contestants up. The Brains Tribe is named Chan Loh. The members are Peter Baggenstos (34, ER doctor), Neal Gottlieb (38, ice cream entrepreneur), Debbie Wanner (49, chemist), Aubry Braco (29, social media marketer), Joseph Del Campo (72, former FBI agent), and Elisabeth Markham (27, quantative strategist). Joseph is the oldest contestant this season, but appears to be in pretty good shape. He is pretty muscular. At 72, though, people are speculating that maybe he could be one of the medical evacs.

The members of the Gondol Tribe (Beauty) are Tai Trang (51, gardener), Nick Maiorano (30, personal trainer), Anna Khait (26, professional poker player), Michele Fitzgerald (24, bartender), Julia Sokolowski (19, college student), and Caleb Reynolds (28, Army veteran). Reality fans might also know Caleb Reynolds from Big Brother. He called himself "Beast Mode Cowboy" in the third person while he competed on the sixteenth season of the show, and he often wore a cowboy hat. He was also obsessed with one of his female contestants. He may bring the bad guy drama to this season of Survivor, if his former tv appearance is any indication.

The Brawn Tribe is named To Tang. The members are Kyle Jason (31, bounty hunter), Darnell Hamilton (27, postal worker), Jennifer Lanzetti (38, contractor), Alecia Holden (24, real estate agent), Scot Pollard (40, former NBA champ), and Cydney Gillon (23, body builder).

Inside Survivor reveals the new twist of the hidden immunity idols. Each tribe's camp will have a hidden idol. In the past, the idols have looked different, but this time, they look very similar. This is because the twist is that idols can be combined in order to make a super idol. The hand-carved wooden ornaments will be half of a Yin-Yang symbol. There is a connector that will hold two idols together. Each tribe has their animal carved onto each idol. The Brains' tribe has a crocodile, Brawns' tribe is a tiger, and the Beauty tribe has a snake. The torches, also have the animals carved into them.

Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly in an interview, " If you find an idol, it has the regular powers of a normal idol, But when put together with another idol - two can actually fit together - they can be used as one super idol that can be played after the votes are read. "If an idol is used alone it plays as always - after the votes are cast but before they are read," explains Probst. "But if you find someone else who has an idol and you are willing to combine your idols and play them together for one move, then you can play the idol after the votes have been cast and after they have been read. It essentially becomes a free pass. But you can obviously only use it for one person, so that means that you have to have a strong alliance because at least one of you is giving up their own personal protection to save their partner or possibly a third person. It has the potential to be a massive game changer, but like all big moves it, requires a big risk."

This new twist, along with the three medical evacuations could make this season an interesting one to watch, for sure. Season 32 of Survivor: Kaoh Rong will air Wednesdays, beginning February 17th on CBS. What are you looking forward to in this season? Let us know in the comments below!