Throughout nearly 20 years on the air, Survivor has brought veteran players back into the game in a variety of leadership roles. But for its 39th season, the groundbreaking reality show has taken two of its best players and ascended them to godhood.

Island of the Idols, the title of the season, does not refer to a patch of land covered in game-changing trinkets. It’s the location of literal idols in the form of Survivor winners “Boston” Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine. With three wins and seven appearances between them, the duo will be taking on a brand new role in the show’s canon, advising this season’s new contestants on some of Survivor’s most basic skills.

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“Island of the Idols is our version of a Survivor boot camp,” explains host and executive producer Jeff Probst. “Rob and Sandra are not competing for the million dollars. They can’t cast votes; they can’t be voted out. They’re not in the competition. They’re serving as mentors to teach new players various aspects of the game to help them improve their gameplay as the season goes on.”

While comparable to a Survivor football combine, the island itself invokes Mount Rushmore or Mount Olympus. Two 20-foot high busts of the two flank the main path to camp, towering above all who enter their premises. The statues are merely a fringe benefit of the job to Sandra and Rob, who never shy away from their legendary status in the game.

“If you don’t have a totem yet? You still have to put in work,” Sandra jokes, making it clear there’s a new bar for other players to clear in terms of notoriety.

The last time the two were seen on the show, Sandra had been voted off for the first time in Game Changers, while Rob had taken home a win in Redemption Island. It was the unorthodox job description that attracted them to return to the beach. “I always said I wouldn’t come back to Survivor unless it was some kind of unique experience that made sense,” says Rob. “When Jeff pitched us the idea of us coming back as coaches or mentors, it rang true. I said, ‘Why not?'”

Despite not being actual players, the veterans will still be getting the Survivor experience. That includes living out on the Island of the Idols for the full 39 days, with only each other and the occasional visitor for company. According to Sandra, this addendum was mandatory to get them involved on the season. “It has to be organic. That was the first thing Rob said: ‘It has to be organic. It has to be real.'”

Roughing it like old times will also allow them to brush up on their Survivor expertise, which they’ll be using in the island classroom once their unsuspecting students visit. “We can do anything, you know?” says Rob. “We’ve been here over 200 days between the two of us. We can make a fire like that. We can teach them how to fish. We have everything that they would need to learn how to do any skill that it takes to survive out here.”

But a “how to” won’t be the only thing that the visitor can get during their stay. “After they teach them, they then get an opportunity to test what they learned for a shot at winning an advantage,” Probst says. “You’re going to learn from experts in the game how to improve your game.” Both the tests and advantages will vary throughout the season and will showcase whether this new crop of contenders can heed the advice of the two champions to improve their own pursuit for the million dollars.

Stay tuned to Parade for more Island of the Idols coverage this fall leading up to the premiere, including exclusive cast and crew interviews.