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Daron Aldridge: Personally, I guess I am heading into the season with the same mindset that it has an uphill climb to live up to the last season. It probably won’t happen but I think that even a bad season of Survivor (I am looking at you Africa, which followed the great Outback season) still has plenty of entertaining and memorable moments. As Kim pointed out, I am curious if the switch to Wednesdays will factor into ratings, especially now competing with the critical and audience-favorite Modern Family. This season already has two strikes against it, so if it turns out to be boring or full of no one to root for, then that would be a third strike and I could be out for the season.

I understand the complaint about the age separation being a gimmick but this show has never tried to hide its affinity for a gimmick. Just look at the much-discussed season where the teams were divided along racial lines or the "haves" and the "have-nots" season. I am actually looking forward to seeing the younger (probably cockier) team getting knocked down a few pegs. Since the "Old" team covers a pretty large age span (I assume that 40 is the line of demarcation), I don’t think the physicality will be as big of a factor. I believe this team ranges from a 41-year-old to a 67-year-old. It’s not like the team consists of a bunch of Scouts and Rudys (who still could destroy me even into his 80s).

Let's try not to kill someone in the challenges this year, hmm?

Kim Hollis: In recent seasons, the producers of the show have really ramped up the difficulty in the challenges. How successful do you think they will be at balancing the challenges in such a way that it will be evenly divisible between the older contestants and the younger contestants?

Jim Van Nest: Challenges are the one area where the show has gotten annoying for me. Every challenge is exactly the same. Lots of strength required at the start, then a puzzle to even things out. I have no doubt this horrible trend will continue as it will give the older, "wiser" tribe a chance to be in every challenge at the end.

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