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Survivor: Iceland Press Conference

Question: Tell us about Iceland as a location. It's really different from anything we've seen on the show before. How did the cold climate affect the game?

Jeff Probst: We chose Iceland for this season mostly because it is so different from any other location we've done. We filmed during the summer, so the temperatures were pretty mild for most of the time, although we had a couple of snow storms during filming. The thing I love about Iceland is the mythology around it.

Question: How does the fact that the players all knew each other ten years ago affect people's attitudes toward each other?

Jeff Probst: It has a huge affect! Everyone's wondering: who can I trust? Who's changed since last time? Who can I still be friends with? A lot changes in ten years, and I think that in any other context, people would be able put their old grudges behind them. But once you get on Survivor, you know with the lack of food, the paranoia, and the harsh environment, some of those old grudges come back and come back hard. On the other hand, there are a lot of friendships from Kid Nation that continue on during Survivor.

Question: Tell us your thoughts on the cast as a whole.

Jeff Probst: This group is by far the youngest cast we've ever had on Survivor. Greg, the oldest, is only 25 and Mallory, who is the youngest person we have ever cast, is 19. As a group, they're really emotional, quick to anger and fairly impulsive. At the same time, we have some big Survivor fans this time who know the game really well. One thing I will say, this cast is not shy about making huge moves and the strategy is some of the most complex I've seen. I will say that there are both some really great moves in this game and some really, really stupid ones.

Question: What twists can we expect this season?

Jeff Probst: We went easy on the twists this season and kind of had it as a "back to basics." We did decide to use the kidnapping twist last seen in China, but this time, there is no hidden immunity idol. It's all about the social interaction.

Question: Olivia and Mallory are sisters and the first relatives ever to be cast in the same season. Does their background play a big role in the season?

Jeff Probst: I won't give away too much, but the relationship between the sisters is definitely going to play some sort of role. You'll have to wait and see, but it will be interesting.

Question: With this cast being so young (everyone in their twenties), can we expect any romances this season?

Jeff Probst: There is one, and I'm not going to mention any names, but this relationship is by far the most complex "romance" we've ever had on the show. It's pretty much a love-hate thing until the very end. It's definitely different than anything we've seen before.

Question: Could you tell us about each of the castaways individually?

Jeff Probst: Sure. I'll start with Grindavik.

First off, we have Nathan and he is going to be an interesting character to watch. He's a very, very smart guy, but he's had a tough life: been bullied for a lot of years, suffers from OCD and is unsure about his sexual identity. Nathan tends to be a bit of a loner as well, which may lead to some trouble with his tribe and he doesn't have the best social skills. He is however, an extremely hard worker which could benefit him.

Zach is pretty much a typical college guy: he likes to party and have a good time, flirt with the ladies and be the center of attention. That said, he is definitely willing to get his hands dirty and really play this game all out. He might be a leader for his tribe, although he can be a little stubborn at times and may clash with other people who want to be in charge.

Historically, beauty queens have done pretty well on Survivor, so we'll see how it goes for Taylor, who actually is a former pageant contestant but hasn't been involved in that since she was about 13. She's going to be a lot of fun to watch: she's lazy, stubborn and a major loud-mouth. If she wants to do well in this game, she's going to have to keep her emotions in check, which will be hard, but it's been done before. We'll see.

What's there to say about Greg? He's a very complex character. He's an extremely charming, charismatic, handsome and outgoing guy. He'll have the girls on his tribe fighting over him for sure. On the other hand, Greg has an explosive temper and can be sort of an asshole at times too. He's one of those players who can and will use bullying to get ahead in the game.

Divad was infamous in Kid Nation for nominating herself several times for the Gold Star and getting upset when no one noticed her contributions. Ten years later, she is still a bit of a drama queen, but is willing to make more of an effort to support the group. She has a lot of great outdoor skills and is pretty comfortable with physical activity. She should be a great asset to her tribe if she doesn't end up annoying them.

Of the Grindavik Tribe, Blaine is definitely the most laid-back and quiet. He's not one who you notice very much, but he's strong in challenges and works hard around camp. In Kid Nation, Blaine was Greg's ally, so it'll be interesting to see if they team up again.

Laurel has really great social skills and gets along well with everyone and will likely be a quiet leader on her tribe. On Kid Nation, she was the member of the council who really had the most control, so some of her tribe mates might eventually see her as a threat. If she backs off a little though and lets someone else take the reins, she could definitely get to the end.

The youngest person ever to play this game, Mallory is nineteen. She and her sister, Olivia were both cast in this season as they both were on Kid Nation, but the two were put on opposite tribes. Mallory makes it clear that she wants to get out of her big sister's shadow and make her own impact in the game, despite being so young. She's very friendly, bubbly and enthusiastic and I think she'll get along well with her tribe mates.

Moving on to the Akranes tribe, we have Olivia, Mallory's older sister, who is this season's religious fanatic. She is very outspoken and opinionated especially when it comes to religious issues, which may rub her tribe the wrong way. Olivia is going through a difficult time in her life right now, however, and is questioning her beliefs about a lot of things. It will be interesting to see where her journey ends up.

We've never had anyone quite like Jared on the show before. This is a guy who marches to the beat of his own drum. Jared is a glass blower, which is one of the odder professions we have had on the show and he is also extremely smart. He's also quite likable despite his peculiarities. I'm not sure how Jared will do strategically though. He seems more like he is here for a good time and entertainment than anything.

Emilie is an animal lover and a vegetarian, so it'll be interesting to see what she plans to eat out there. Physically, she isn't very athletic and may struggle with that aspect as well. Emilie is one of those people who really wants to be liked and accepted as part of a group, so I don't think she'll cause much trouble. That is, unless someone messes with her animal rights views.

Mike was definitely one of my favorites this season. He's a guy who has so much energy and enthusiasm for life that you just can't help but like him. He has a really positive and upbeat attitude about the situation and really seems to want to be there. Mike does tend to be a little impulsive though which could lead to some trouble. I think his excitable nature may annoy some of his tribe mates, but if he makes the right alliances, he could end up staying till the end.

Of all the people on this show, I think Anjay has grown up the most and is the most different from his Kid Nation persona. While twelve year old Anjay was a bit spineless and more of a follower, as an adult, he is successful and has a lot more confidence. However, putting him on a tribe with his ex-nemesis, Olivia, may open up some old wounds for Anjay. We'll see how he handles it.

Morgan is a nurse and she's a very calm, nurturing person. She's not the most dramatic person out there: she tends to be fairly quiet and reserved, but she's a good listener and a hard worker and will likely make it far because her nursing skills will benefit the tribe in Iceland's harsh environment.

Guylan is a nice, cool person who gets along with everybody pretty well. That said, it seemed to me that he was more here for fun than to actually play the game of Survivor. As soon as the game isn't fun anymore, Guylan won't want to be there anymore. He may also be too nice and have too much integrity to want to vote his friends out or stab anyone in the back.

Last but not least is Sophia, the opinion writer for her local news paper. She'll bring some really witty, snarky humor to this season and give some great confessionals. Sophia is definitely a bit on the cocky side and she does seem to think of herself as above everyone else, so it'll be interesting to see if Survivor ends up being a wake up call for her and if she shapes up her attitude. She has a really good work ethic and isn't very happy when others aren't doing their part.

ETA - I have no idea why the font size is so big. Hopefully I can get it figured out before I post any episodes.