Associated Press
NEW YORK - Being a "Survivor" once doesn't mean a little lobbying is beneath you.

Host Jeff Probst says he's been getting tapes from past contestants on the CBS reality show who hope to compete again. Casting for the alumni edition of "Survivor" is happening soon and the series will air early next year.

Some of the game's indelible personalities may be in for a surprise, Probst said.

"The notion of 'just because you won entitles you to a shot' is, from my point of view, baloney," he said.

Meanwhile, the seventh edition of the show, from Pearl Islands, debuts at 8 p.m. EDT Thursday. It features the biggest whopper of a lie told by a "Survivor" contestant and a near drowning.

When a contestant started struggling during a water-based challenge, Probst was on shore telling antsy rescuers to wait and see if the person's teammates would come to the rescue.

"I was on the beach saying, 'Hold off, hold off,'" he said.