Utahn Rick Nelson wasn't surprised when he learned that two former contestants were returning to "Survivor: South Pacific" (Wednesday, 7 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2). After all, the same thing happened last season when Rob Mariano (the eventual winner) and Russell Hantz came back.

One of the veterans returning this time is fan favorite Ozzy Lusth, who

finished second (losing a 5-4 vote) in Season 13 and also competed in Season 16. The other is non-fan favorite Benjamin "Coach" Wade, who annoyed pretty much everyone - including normally unflappable host Jeff Probst - in Seasons 18 and 20.

Nelson wasn't exactly happy when he saw Coach standing on the beach in Samoa.

"I didn't want to see him at all," said the 51-year-old cattle rancher from Aurora. "I really slammed him on my application video.

"When I first saw him it was like karma. It was like I got kicked in the gut. I kind of knew in the back on my mind that was going to happen because that is the way life works."

Nelson isn't allowed to talk about anything that happened after that. But we do know that he ended up in the same tribe as Coach.

Gee, "Survivor: South Pacific" could be fun!

Nelson sure had a good time. After trying to get on the show for a decade, he finally made it. And it was everything he hoped it wouild be.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "It was that and more. It was great."

And he proved to himself that the harsh conditions, the deprivation that contestants face is in no way exaggerated on the show.

"I didn't know if they actually helped you. If they stick you in a hotel someplace and in the daytime you come out," Nelson said. "It's a true thing. They don't help you a bit. You're on your own, you and your tribesmates."

For Nelson, however, the conditions didn't seem particularly harsh..

"It was great for me because I'm used to it," he said. "I run cattle for a living and I don't hire anybody. I work the guts out of my friends and family when we have big cattle moves, but other than that I'm by myself. Just me and a couple of horses and some dogs. And I kept thinking to myself, if I do get in the game that would be a plus for me. City people are used to taking a bath and being clean. Not that I'm a dirty guy, but I'm just kind of used to roughing it."

He admits that, for him, the social part of the game might be "weaker."

"I'm out here by myself and I don't get around a lot of people," Nelson said, "but I get along with everybody when I do get to meet people. I like that part of it."

Nelson said the thinks that, physically, he might have been better able to compete a decade ago when he was in better shape

"I've been kicking that around in my head," he said. "But there are other things to the game.

"Heck, raising kids helped me a lot. When you're raising kids, at first it's like, 'You little bugger, go pick your bike up!' I've got a grandkid now, it's, like, 'Heck, leave it laying there! Sure we can have ice cream for dinner!'

"That part of it kind of compensated for being 10 years older."