“Stranded on an island off the coast of Panama, 16 strangers must live together and compete for the million-dollar prize. This time, the castaways will begin their competition as four tribes: older men, older women, younger men and younger women. At least one Survivor each week will be banished to a separate island miles away from camp. How will this change the game? Who will outwit, outplay, and outlast all others? Don’t miss a single episode of SURVIVOR: PANAMA–EXILE ISLAND, premiering Thursday, February 2 at 8 pm ET/PT, only on CBS.”

This is the third time the Survivor series is in Panama. The first two were located on the Pearl Islands off the Pacific coast, not too far from Panama City.

This time, if accounts are correct, the series was filmed on the Caribbean side of the Isthmus, in a tropical fantasy area known as the Bocas del Toro archipelago in and around the Bay of Chiriqui, near the border with Costa Rica.
Bocas del Toro is a tropical dream come true: warm, turquoise waters teeming with fish and coral reefs to explore; white sandy beaches where palm trees provide shade before giving way to a dense, natural rain forest where wild life abounds–ah, paradise.
Bocas del Toro archipelago consists of sixty-eight islands and several keys rimmed by spectacular beaches, crystal waters, colorful reefs, and tropical fish. The principal islands are Bastimentos, Popa Cristobal, Carinero and Colon, the location of the capital of the province. Also called Bocas del Toro, the town is locally known as Bocas (see close up map), and until recently, almost an “undiscovered” destination for tourist travel. With a colorful history and a colonial feel to the towns on the islands, the islands now attract visitors who come for the beaches, the wildlife and the great diving and snorkeling.

Locals travel between the islands in dugout canoes, called pongas some with motors, but most without.

The islands feature a mangrove swamp, the largest freshwater lake in Panama, hundreds of bird species, marine turtles, reptiles including iguanas, caimans, boa constrictors and the tiny colored poison dart frogs that make an insect-like chirping noise. They are the same species and over time, evolved into different coloration by location.

Note to Suvivor watchers:
Watch the color of the frogs! They’ll clue you in to which island the castaways are on:
# red poison dart frog - Bastimentos
# Blue frogs - Cerro Brujo
# Orange frogs - Nancy Key
# Green frogs - Popa Island
# Green and yellow frogs with black polka dots - Bocas Island

The sea around the Bocas del Toro are rich with fish and marine life. The local delicacy is lobster, called langusta, but sport fishermen come to the islands for sailfish, blue and black marlin, shark, barracuda, red snapper and snook.

Will the sixteen Survivor castaways find life easy on the islands? When they have to live by their wits and their survival skills, how will they contend with the less enchanting forms of wildlife? Howler monkeys disturbing their rest, gnats, “no see-em’s,” sand fleas, and other nuisances, will their individual personalities, age and gender prove to be an advantage?

In a twist from previous shows, the beginning four tribes are grouped by age and gender. Will the older tribes have the advantage of experience and wisdom?

Older Men:

Wearing greenbuffs, initially known as Viveros:
# Bruce Kanegai - 58 year old karate instructor and high school art teacher from Simi Valley, CA
# Dan Barry - 52 year old retired astronaut from South Hadley, MA
# Terry Deitz - 46 year old airline pilot and retired navy fighter pilot from Simsbury, CT
# Shane Powers - 35 year old owner of an entertainment marketing company from Los Angeles, CA

Older Women:

Wearing purple buffs, initially known as Cassaya:
# Cirie Fields - 35 year old registered nurse from Walterboro, SC
# Melinda Hyder - 32 year old singer from Sevierville, TN
# Ruth Marie Milliman - 48 year old director of retail leasing, from Greenville, SC
# Tina Scheer - 45 year old logging sports promoter and performer from Hayward, WI

Will the younger tribes have the advantage of youth and agility?

Younger Men:

# Wearing orange buffs, initially known as La Mina: Aras Baskauskas - 24 year old yoga instructor from Santa Monica, CA
# Austin Carty - 24 year old author from High Point, NC
# Bobby Mason - 32 year old attorney from Los Angeles, CA
# Nick Stanbury - 25 year old financial salesman from Tempe, AZ

Younger Women:

Wearing blue buffs, initially known as Bayoneta:
# Courtney Marit - 31 year old performance artist from Los Angeles, CA
# Danielle DiLorenzo - 24 year old medical sales representative from Pompano Beach, FL
# Misty Giles - 24 year old engineer from Dallas, TX
# Sally Schumann - 27 year old social worker from Chicago, Illinois

This grouping is for the first episode of Panama 12 only.

All we have heard is that castaways will be “exiled” to an island where there is little natural protection, however a cave-like structure has been built to provide some shade. Somewhere on the island, an idol has been hidden, and the castawwy who finds that can keep it hidden until needed to save himself or herself from being voted out at Tribal Council.