Image credit: Monty Brinton/CBS[/caption]

As much as former Survivor contestants beat down producers’ doors in the hopes of being asked to come back and appear on the show again, there are always a few players who simply don’t want to return or cannot due to other commitments. (Corinne Kaplan, for instance, gave up her spot on Heroes vs. Villains because she could not get out of work, but will be back this season.) So after the 10 returning contestants were named to come back for Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites (premiering Feb. 13 on CBS), I asked host Jeff Probst whom they could not get to come play again this time around.

“There’s two people we wanted back,” says Probst. “Matt from Redemption Island we would have been interested in, but he is just done with it. I think it was enough for him. And Shambo has basically said, ‘I never want to do it again.’ We would have loved her as well. But in both cases I think their story is similar in that they don’t want Survivor to define their life and they feel like once was enough. And that’s it.” Someone from a reality show not wanting being on TV to be the defining moment of his or her life? STOP THE PRESSES! (Oh, wait, this is online. There are no presses. Never mind.)

I also wanted to know, since they asked Malcolm to play again on Survivor: Caramoan just weeks after he finished on Survivor: Philippines, was there any consideration in trying to bring fan favorite and runner-up Lisa Whelchel back immediately as well? “Lisa isn’t somebody you would bring back right off the bat,” says Probst. “She’s a mom with a personal life. Malcolm is a single guy with no attachments.” So does that mean Lisa might come back later for another season? The host thinks it’s unlikely. “I would love to see Lisa Whelchel play again,” says Probst. “I would be very surprised if she did.”

So there you have it. Now time for you to play Survivor casting agent: Do you wish Matt, Shambo, and Lisa were part of the Caramoan cast? And, if so, whom would you have them replace? Hit the message boards and let us know. Also check the links below for more Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites articles you may have missed. And for crazy amounts of Survivor coverage all year long, follow me on Twitter @DaltonRoss.