Survivor Caramoan Watch ONLINE STREAM, Fans vs. Favorites Season Premiere: Jeff Probst Breaks Down Cast, Challenges, Tribal Council [VIDEO]

The hit CBS reality series “Survivor” is back for its 26th season with new twists, island romances, and intense physical/mental challenges. This time around, “Survivor: Caramoan” pits past competitor favorites vs. fresh-meat fans… and Wednesday’s premiere (Feb. 13) promises a season of good ol’ fashion, down-and-dirty survivor television. Longtime “Survivor” host Jeff Probst recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly to break down the new season – he dishes on the cast, challenges, tribal council, and more!

The show kicked off with the favorites arriving in style as the fans were dumped off in small wooden boats on the Caramoan Island in the Philippines. The teams promptly competed in an intense tug-of-war battle where 20 lbs. of beans and a piece of flint were at stake. The favorites proved victorious, but later fell short when it came to the immunity challenge. Quick alliances began forming on both teams, including a blossoming young “showmance” over on the fans side. But instead of giving away all the juicy premiere details, watch the full episode here.

Jeff Probst recently revealed some “Survivor: Caramoan” inside scoop to EW:

"The weather is a problem. This is a difficult season. The Survivors get pummeled. And there are evacuations. There are things out of the norm that happen this season that will be very memorable. I was on the boat a lot, going back and forth between camps… There's also some romance early on which continues to blow my mind! It knocks me over that people want the jungle love! As much as you can't believe we still do a final three, I can't believe romance happens in front of other people in a game like Survivor."

EW also asks: “This opening reward challenge reminded me a lot of the one to start of Heroes vs. Villains. Give me some of the sights, sounds, and smells of being there live, including some things we may not have picked up on TV. Who really impressed, surprised, or disappointed you in that competition?”

Probst: “The strongest scent was testosterone. It was really amp’d up. Both sides wanted to prove a point. I think part of it is also they have all this nervous energy that they’re waiting to release and so in the first challenge it just bursts out of their body. In a precursor of what is to come, Brandon and Shamar were definitely the most vocal and I was impressed by weaker players like Cochran really getting in there and mixing it up.”
And as for “Survivor” favorite Francesca getting the first tribal council boot… twice!

EW: “Not to make you sound like big jerks, but you and the other producers must have been delighted to have the only returning player who was voted out first come back on…and be voted out first again! That’s just too delicious. And this is coming from Francesca’s biggest fan. How does her being voted out first twice stack up to other Survivor humiliations, such as Matt getting blindsided by Boston Rob twice, and the two people who didn’t even make it past the schoolyard pick ’em in Palau?”

Probst: “It is with mixed emotions that I answer this question. The gentleman in me would like to say “it’s a shame Francesca was voted out first once again. She deserves better. She’s a good woman.” But the producer in me is compelled to dig a little deeper into my psyche and once again thank the Survivor gods for blessing us with yet another historic Survivor moment. I believe that within the 90 minute premiere, Francesca ponders being voted out first… again, more than a few times. I think she says she will A) eat a rock, B) drown myself. Francesca, please do not drown yourself, but it might be fun to bring a rock to the live reunion show? All jokes aside, I love Francesca for facing the ultimate fear – that she might be the first and probably only person that will ever be voted off first, twice — and still showed up to play!”

And for the full Favorites/Fans cast:

Favorites/Bikal tribe:

Andrea Boehlke
Previous Season: Survivor: Redemption Island - 13th castaway voted out/ 8th Jury Member
Age: 23
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Entertainment Host and Writer
Brandon Hantz
Previous Season: Survivor: South Pacific - 15th castaway voted out/7th Jury Member
Age: 21
Current Residence: Katy, Texas
Occupation: Chemical Disposal
Brenda Lowe
Previous Season: Survivor: Nicaragua - 11th castaway voted out/3rd Jury Member
Age: 30
Current Residence: Miami, Fla.
Occupation: Paddleboard Co. Owner
Corinne Kaplan
Previous Season: Survivor: Gabon - 12th castaway voted out/4th Jury Member
Age: 33
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Occupation: Clinical Consultant
Dawn Meehan
Previous Season: Survivor: South Pacific - 11th castaway voted off/3rd Jury Member
Age: 42
Current Residence: South Jordan, Utah
Occupation: English Professor
Erik Reichenbach
Previous Season: Survivor: Micronesia - 13th castaway voted out/6th Jury Member
Age: 27
Current Residence: Santa Clarita, Calif.
Occupation: Comic Book Artist
Francesca Hogi (ELIMINATED)
Previous Season: Survivor: Redemption Island - 1st castaway voted out
Age: 38
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Attorney
John Cochran
Previous Season: Survivor: South Pacific - 13th castaway voted out/5th Jury Member
Age: 25
Current Residence: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Harvard Law Student
Malcolm Freberg
Previous Season: Survivor: Philippines - 15th castaway voted off/8th Jury member
Age: 25
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Bartender
Phillip Sheppard
Previous Season: Survivor: Redemption Island - Made it to the final 3
Age: 54
Current Residence: Santa Monica, Calif.
Occupation: Chief Executive Officer of Enter Software Sales

Fans/Gota tribe

Alexandra "Allie" Pohevitz
Age: 25
Current Residence: Oceanside, N.Y.
Occupation: Bartender
Edward "Eddie" Fox
Age: 23
Current Residence: East Brunswick, N.J.
Occupation: Fireman/EMT
Hope Driskill
Age: 23
Current Residence: Jefferson City, Mo.
Occupation: Pre Law Student (Miss Missouri 2011)
Julia Landauer
Age: 21
Current Residence: Stanford, Calif.
Occupation: Racecar Driver
Laura Alexander
Age: 23
Current Residence: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Administrative Officer
Matt Bischoff
Age: 38
Current Residence: Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupation: BMX Bike Sales
Michael Snow
Age: 44
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Event Planner
Reynold Toepfer
Age: 30
Current Residence: San Francisco, Calif.
Occupation: Real Estate Sales
Shamar Thomas
Age: 27
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Iraq War Veteran
Sherri Biethman
Age: 41
Current Residence: Boise, Idaho
Occupation: Fast Food Franchisee

Meet the cast:

Probst breaks down cast:

Watch the "Survivor" season premiere at CBS (Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS).