Season 5: Second Chances

***Second Chances*** is the fifth season of the online reality game series MintORGs.
The season premiered on November 10th 2023, introducing a cast of 24 returning players.

This season is best known for being the first season to allow players to play MintORGs for the second time, and for introducing Swap Tokens.

## Production

To allow eligible Production Team members to apply for the season discreetly if they wished to do so, all of Production had their roles removed, with only Season 1 winner Wei keeping his role as he was ineligible to play the season. After the marooning, the rest of the Production team were given back their roles.

This season, Production were referred to as 'Lab Assistants' to fit with the science/laboratory theme of the season. Similarly, the 'Hosts' role was renamed to 'Scientists'.

Casting was an especially tough process this season, with Bob and Minti spending hours reading through applications. Out of respect to the alumni who took the time to apply, this became the first season where players were informed in advance of the marooning that they were NOT on the cast.

Lars joined the Production Team this season, motivated to get involved with MintORGs while being ineligible to play Second Chances as the Season 4 winner.

## Twists/Changes

* **Tribe Division:** The 24 castaways were divided into 3 tribes of 8.
* **Lab Kits:** Each player received their own personalised Lab Kit, which contained a range of items.
* **Shot In The Dark:** This season introduced the Shot In The Dark mechanic.
* **Tribe Compounds:** Each player was given empty test tubes, with their tribe's colour test tube filled with a liquid. In public view are three beakers, each requiring a different mix of tribe compounds to turn them into something powerful...
* **Swap Token:** Each player was given a one-time-use Swap Token, allowing them to swap onto a tribe of their choice within the hour after a Tribal Council.

## Season Summary

It all began in a castle. Holding their owl-delivered acceptance letters, 28 castaways entered 4 houses divided. They faced dementors, potions and spells gone awry, The Dark Lord himself, and worst of all… each other. One by one they picked each other off until only the Sole Survivor remained.

It wasn’t long before 20 more arrived. Half clad in red and half clad in green, they fought through poisonous mushrooms and needlessly aggressive shells. Princesses, toadstools, and the infamous thundercloud guided their way, but only one castaway would come out alive.

Then came the river. Two cities divided between a bridge housed 16 castaways each. Neither side was aware of the other until someone was betrayed by their own and cast down the river. Through subterfuge, politics, and weapons of steampunk proportions, they battled through the fray but only the one who survived the river would rise to the top and survive.

Soon enough, the strum of a melancholy guitar rang in the distance. The final wave of castaways arrived, laughing in the face of death. With a burning desire to seize their moment and be remembered, they clamored through skulls, blessings, and tequila bottles. These valiant castaways even cast their own names into the urn in an unorthodox attempt to ensure their survival. In the end… only one made his way to the land of the living.

The beloved hosts of MintORGs sat up in their ivory towers and watched as their glorious armies grew in ranks. One hundred castaways entered, but only four survived. As they watched… they grew sympathetic. Perhaps a few of them did not deserve their treatment. Perhaps a few of them had their torches snuffed far too soon. Perhaps a few had more to prove. In fact… it seemed that nearly 25% of their ranks deserved…

A Second Chance

And so, twisted as they are, they began The Experiment. Through rigorous observation and fine-tuned testing, Bob and Minti donned their lab coats and employed a motley crew for a production team so they could open the MintORGs Lab. It’s time to welcome back some familiar warriors with something to prove. They must be broken down, analyzed, and put to the test to see if their initial blunders were fluke or fate. Among the fallen… surely one has what it takes to become the Sole Survivor. After this extensive research, 24 castaways have been officially hand-selected by the benevolent hosts and armed with Lab Kits to help them along the way. A few special pieces of equipment such as the newly revealed Swap Tokens, a Shot in the Dark, some Mysterious Chemicals, and of course… just some irrelevant picture. Now, they’ll each embark on an all-too-familiar journey. They’ll see faces both old and new, as well as treachery they’ve seen before and obstacles they can’t yet imagine. For now… welcome to… The MintORGs Lab.

## Trivia

* Season 5 marks the first season to allow returnees.
	+ It is also the first season to consist solely of returning players.
* Season 5 had the most competitive application pool to date, with a whopping 48 applicants - exactly half of all eligible alumni, and double the number of players on the season.
* It is the first season to be set in a fictional location that was created entirely by the hosts Minti & Bob.
* As previous winners, Wei, Shaun, Smiles and Lars were not eligible to play Season 5.