Survivor This Thursday!

Survivor Guatemala, the eleventh edition of the popular reality series, starts this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET / PT.

While you were out . . .
If you have been out of the Survivor-loop since Survivor Palau, here's a quick recap of what happened this summer.

Survivor Guatemala was shot from June to early August in Yaxha, northeastern Guatemala near the Belize border. The Survivors lived amongst ancient Mayan ruins. Reports are that it was very demanding physically for the contestants. More about Guatemala: About Guatemala , more about the Mayans: Civilization of the Mayans .

The Survivor's who are getting the early attention are Gary, a former NFL quarterback, and Danni, a former beauty contestant and sports talk show host. Several online betting sites make one of these two the favorite to win it all. For my preview of the cast check out Cast Revealed! .

The Big Rumor
The big rumor of the summer is that Stephenie and Bobby Jon from Survivor Palau will be involved in some way with Survivor Guatemala. It looks like this rumor will turn out to be true.

In other Survivor news
Tom Westman, winner of Survivor Palau, did a cameo on Bold and the Beautiful (he played a fireman) and became a spokesperson for Caribbean Joe, a clothing manufacturer. Katie Gallagher, also from Survivor Palau, was arrested earlier this month for DUI in her hometown of Modesto, CA. Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, is still in tax trouble for failing to report his winnings. He was in court again recently.

Outdoor Life Network is airing past seasons of Survivor. They are currently showing Survivor Africa. Also several former Survivors are on Battle of the Network Reality Stars on Bravo. Kill Reality, on E! Entertainment, follows the making of a horror movie using just former reality stars as actors, several former Survivors are involved.

What's next?
Tuesday. I'll handicap the Survivors and tell you which players I think have the best chance of winning the 1 million dollars.

Wednesday. My first episode preview.

Thursday. After the first episode airs, I'll post my review (usually it's posted 2-3 hours after the show ends on the east coast).

Friday (or Saturday). My recap / review of Survivor Live, the official CBS online talk show (assuming there will be one again this season).