'Survivor" launches new season in South Pacific

(CBS) Season 23 of "Survivor" gets underway in the South Pacific in a 90-minute special debut episode tonight on CBS.

And for those who care about such things, there was a good omen for the show this weekend when host Jeff Probst picked up his fourth Emmy Award for outstanding reality show host. Probst has won every time he has been nominated.

Pictures: "Survivor: South Pacific"
Pictures: Creative Arts Emmys

(Oh, you didn't really miss the Emmys. The major awards will be given out in a glitzy red carpet ceremony on Sunday night, but awards in 75 behind-the-scenes "creative arts," such as hairstyling and sound editing, were handed out Saturday in a ceremony to air Sept. 17 on ReelzChannel.)

Probst won't be the only familiar face on this season's show. Returning are "Coach" Benjamin Wade, a professional musician who called himself "The Dragonslayer," and Ozzie Lusth, a Mexican-born writer and photographer.

Wade made his debut on "Survivor: Tocantins" and came back on the villians team for "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." Lusth came in second place on "Survivor: Cook Islands" and returned as one of the favorites on "Survivor: Micronesia."

They will face off against 16 new castaways who include a rancher, a mortician, several teachers and students and a retired NYPD detective. This season also will include the Redemption Island twist that was added last spring. Those voted out by their tribes go to the island, where they battle one another for the right to return to the game.

Are you planning to watch tonight? If you do, return here Thursday to discuss the episode and vote for your favorite contestant. If you happen to miss it, return here Thursday to find out what happened.