CBS and Mark Burnett have decided to scrap Exile Island for the upcoming Survivor: China, the show's fifteenth season.  Exile Island was first used in the show's twelfth season, Survivor: Panama, and has been used in every season since.  Exile Island was, quite literally, a place of exile for one Survivor castaway, typically a member of whichever tribe lost the latest reward challenge.  Exile Island, though lonely and often in harsh living conditions, held clues to the location of a hidden immunity idol.

While Exile Island has been scratched from Survivor: China, there will be at least one hidden immunity idol.  Mark Burnett explained, "We still have a hidden Immunity Idol but it is right under [the castaways] noses."  Survivor: China will only feature 16 castaways, less than the normal 20 contestants that have been a part of the more recent seasons.  This leads one to believe that Survivor: China will also go back to two-person final tribal council rather than the three-person council used in the previous two seasons. 

None of this news is terribly surprising.  The lack of an Exile Island this time around may simply be the product of the geography of the surrounding area.  Maybe there wasn't a suitable island for exiling purposes.  As for the immunity idol, the question now is where the castaways will receive clues to its whereabouts.  Maybe there will be no clues, considering it will be “right under their noses”. 

The sixteen contestants is disappointing for me, as a fan of Survivor, only because it means there will be less episodes this season.  I hope they do go back to the two-person final tribal council because the three-pronged system hasn't paid dividends. 

Survivor: China will premiere on CBS on Thursday, September 20 at 8PM ET/PT.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: Reality TV World
(Image Courtesy of SurvivorFever)