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Billed as "the greatest Survivor ever" when it launched following the Super Bowl in January 2004, Survivor All-Stars broke new ground for the hit reality series by bringing back 18 of its most famous (and infamous) characters from the previous seven installments to battle it out in a quest for affirmation or redemption (and, of course, the million-dollar prize). Half the fun was seeing who was picked to return, and there were many tasty selections: original winner Richard (natch) from Borneo; Colby, Jerri, and Tina from the Australian Outback; Ethan, Lex, and Big Tom from Africa; and the newest alumnus, Rupert from the just-completed Pearl Islands. (There were, of course, many omissions, such as Mike Skupin, who deserved a second chance after falling into the fire in Australia.) Right from the beginning, it was clear that this Survivor was going to be different. Because people now knew each other (from sharing a previous game, watching on TV, or mixing at Survivor-related functions), some of the schemers were quickly sniffed out and snuffed out, and players were more aggressive about creating alliances (which sometimes overlapped, but hey, it's only a problem if you get caught). In addition, because no one wanted to see someone win a second million dollars, previous champions found that they had targets on their backs. As a result, there was an entirely new wave of power players. Along the way there were some surprising and very emotional developments (which had the unfortunate side effect of killing some of the show's action) and the first on-screen Survivor romance. In the end, Survivor All-Stars didn't live up to its billing as the best ever (that title would remain with season 2 in the Australian Outback), but it did bring a new twist and some genuinely memorable moments to a long-running series. --David Horiuchi
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