Unlike previous seasons where a break in production occurred between seasons , the twentieth season was shot twenty days after '' Survivor : Samoa '' was completed , taking advantage of the existing infrastructure from that season . Casting for '' Heroes vs. Villains '' was done simultaneously with casting for '' Survivor : Samoa '' . '' Heroes vs. Villains '' features ten former Survivors known for their acts of integrity and honor , the '' Heroes '' , and ten former Survivors known for their deeds of deception and duplicity , the '' Villains '' . The cast was officially announced during the 36th People 's Choice Awards on January 6 , 2010 . Jeff Probst , the show 's host , stated that while they wanted to do another season where they brought back former players for the show 's ten-year anniversary and 20th cycle , they did not want to simply do another '' All-Stars '' season . On reflecting on the most popular players , they realized that these players were either seen as liked or despised for those respective seasons , and opted to use that as the theme for this season . While the players were classified as Heroes or Villains , '' Survivor '' s creator Mark Burnett did not expect these players to maintain these roles in the game , but rather to do what they need to survive to the end . Rather than the usual slogan " Outwit , Outplay , Outlast " , the slogan for this season is " Return , Revenge , Redemption " . All challenges in this season were based on challenges used in previous seasons
36th People 's Choice Awards
36th People's Choice Awards
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains