Re the twelve team question, How about this?
Twelve teams start out at the lineup and only eleven teams drive off to LAX.
One team has been eliminated on the spot, at the initial challenge!
It's just a hunch on my part but I am starting to see lots of evidence that point towards us having a Philimination right at the start!
This is pretty much like Survivor Palau, but oddly, not as much as TAR10. With TAR10, the first team out had a chance at surviving, and they had more control over their own destiny (despite not knowing about the mid-leg Philimination).
OTOH, with Survivor TEN, those two unfortunate souls had no control. Someone's going to be left out, no complete intention there. Well, they actually did have control, IIRC. They could have won that first Individual IC in the opener. Still, it emulates Palau more than, if not as much as TAR10.
ETA:
ouch... Imagine not getting to travel anywhere. I have to wonder, if this does occur would the eliminated team even go to sequesterville or would they simply be sent home?
Sequesterville. They would still know the identities of the other teams as well as some of the other stuff, including the fact that they were left out of the race so early. They're family would be asking them,
"Well, that was a quick filming process! I thought you were going to be in Egypt for a month! What happened?!!" Then they'll be all like, "Uh, we were planning to make a stop in Russia, but because we're too stupid to keep our visas on hand, we had to settle with a trip to Luxor Las Vegas instead."
Still, that a very good question. I think they're definitely not going to be going back home to their loved ones, but the question is which sequesterville will they be sent to. They're probably be somewhere in the States, near the finish line. However, that would suck to be sans anyone else for 3 weeks. So chances are that they'll fly with TAR staff, straight to the main sequesterville with the other first 6 boots.