The "Survivor" series has generally drifted away from the hardcore survival aspect that made it so popular when it began and has instead shifted toward a game of strategy and loyalty. While the latter aspects will remain, a report from Entertainment Weekly explains "Survivor: Kaoh Rong" will bring back the brutality of the early seasons.
"This season is also going to see a lot of hardship," explained "Survivor" host Jeff Probst. "From the extreme of an evacuation to something as small as a really bad sunburn, every day truly posed a new risk to this group. The heat, the rain, the bugs and the infections were a daily obstacle."
This is further emphasized in the season's trailer, which showcases at least one of the survivors being evacuated, with a whole medevac team trying to keep the person alive and a helicopter arriving to take them off the island. Unfortunately, the promo video does not reveal who the injured survivor is.
Clues can be picked up from the official synopsis for the premiere episode, courtesy of Inside Survivor. The synopsis reads that one of the survivors will go through excruciating pain when a bug is stuck in their ear. This may lead to poisoning, infections or other serious injuries that would indicate that the struggle will start right from the first episode.
As Probst stated it is also likely for the survivors to suffer from heat strokes, pneumonia, diseases from mosquitoes such as malaria or dengue, and suffer from all sorts of infections due to open wounds or poorly cooked meals.
According to a report from EnStarz, this indicates the series will bring back the balance between survival and gameplay that the more recent seasons lack. Gameplay and loyalty between survivors is still going to prove important, particularly as this season brings back the "Brawns vs Brains vs Beauty" mechanic from "Survivor: Cagayan."
"Survivor: Kaoh Rong" premieres this Feb. 17.
