• Malcolm's CBS pre-S26 interview (YouTube)
• CBS Survivor: Caramoan "Meet the Cast" (YouTube)
• CBS pre-S25 "Meet Malcolm" video (YouTube)
• CBS pre-S25 "Meet the Cast" video (YouTube)

Other links:

• Malcolm's official CBS bio page for Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites.
• Malcolm's official CBS bio page for Survivor: Philippines.
• Malcolm's pre-S26 interview with XfinityTV's Gordon Holmes: "Girls Are More Terrifying Than Guys"
• Follow Malcolm Freberg on: facebook, twitter.

Images from the preview, pre-game interviews, and other circa-Ep1 Caramoan footage:

Vidcap gallery: Click on thumbnails to expand; use arrow keys to navigate between enlarged pics.

Who is Malcolm Freberg?

From his official CBS Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites bio page:

"Previous Season: Survivor: Philippines – 15th castaway voted off/8th Jury member
Current Residence: Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Bartender
Personal Claim to Fame: Once I spent over a month with Abi-Maria Gomes, and I'm still considered legally sane by the state of California.
Inspiration in Life: O.J. Simpson before the murder trial. When he was a kid he had Rickets. For his birthday when he was still young his father took him to a signing to meet Jim Brown and O.J. hobbled right up to him and told him he was going to break all his records which he eventually did. I’m a sucker for underdog stories.
Hobbies: Exercising, writing/reading and partying.
Pet Peeves: Ex-TV stars.
3 Words to Describe You: Charming, brilliant and slightly-less cocky than the last time I did this.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why?
1)    Soap - Not for me; for whoever I end up cuddling with at night 2)    Book of puzzles – Your mind is a muscle and needs to be kept in shape. 3)    The Hidden Immunity Idol I never played in the Philippines - Early advantage. Seems obvious.
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: This feels like a trick question.
Reason for Being on Survivor: I'm a super-fan of the show. Getting to do it once was incredible. To get a second chance… How could anyone say no?
Why You Think You’ll 'Survive' Survivor: Experience plays a huge roll in any situation in life. I made it through 38 days the first time so I have to like my survival odds the second time around. Oh,and I'm also smart, athletic and nice to look at.  
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: You play the game to win the game. I'm not on Survivor to 'have a life-changing experience' or 'grow as a person' or 'see how far I can make it.' Those things may happen, but that's not the reason I'm out there. The best thing I have going for me is my single-mindedness and focus towards a single goal: a seven-digit bank account."

Summary of evidence for Malcolm Freberg being on Survivor 26.

- Update (12/22/12): Malcolm is partially visible in the post-Philippines preview of Caramoan. (Right foreground of the pic at right.)

- In the era of facebook and twitter, returning contestants are reasonably difficult to conceal, as is evident from this Sucks thread. Most were fairly easy to pick out within a week or so of departure. birdseyetoo at Sucks (5/22/12), for example, had a near-complete list, as did matty p (5/23/12), including evidence of absence.

- Redmond (5/26/12) confirmed Francesca was indeed an S26 contestant. (And later, Brenda, Dawn, Cochran, and Andrea).

- beatlebum79 (6/9/12) confirmed the above list (still not sure on Erik R) but added that "Malcolm," a returnee from S25, was also on: "My source said that the names listed above as returning players are correct but with the addition of Malcolm.  Malcolm, I assume, is from Survivor: Philippines since I cannot remember any Malcolm from the previous aired seasons."

- Redmond (6/18/12) remained adamant that Brandon was indeed a contestant, despite his return to online activity.

Who is Malcolm Freberg?

Most of his early biographical info comes from his time as an NCAA defensive end at Dartmouth (football stats here):

- He's originally from Marietta, Georgia.

- Attended Dartmouth, obviously. Appears to have graduated in 2009, econ major.

- Following his graduation in 2009, Malcolm was a Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program volunteer teacher, in the Marshall Islands (for a year?).

- On his facebook, mentions moving to Hollywood circa early 2012.

From his official CBS bio page:

"Personal Claim to Fame: In college, I helped to organize and run a program that paired varsity athletes with underprivileged children in a free-to-join sports league. It still exists today.  
Inspiration in Life: O.J. Simpson before the legal drama. When he was a kid, he had rickets. For his birthday, when he was still young, his father took him to a signing to meet Jim Brown and O.J. hobbled right up to him and told him he was going to break all his records which he eventually did. I’m a sucker for underdog stories. 
Hobbies: Exercising, writing/reading and partying. 
Pet Peeves: Dumb people. 
3 Words to Describe You: Charming, brilliant and cocky.
If You Could Have 3 Things on The Island What Would They Be and Why?
1) Hair ties – I can’t see anything without them.
2) Book of puzzles – Your mind is a muscle and needs to be kept in shape.
3) Whiskey – to unwind after a hard day of challenge domination and competitor manipulation. 
Survivor Contestant You Are Most Like: I think I will play most like Russell. You can control and rule with an iron first. You just have to be clever enough for them to thank you for it in the end. I’ll run the show from day 1 until I’m handed an oversized check with my name on it. 
Reason for Being on Survivor: I’ve been watching Survivor since I was 12 years old. Some kids grow up watching baseball on TV and dream of getting their chance to play in the big leagues. I grew up watching and dreaming about playing Survivor.  
Why You Think You’ll 'Survive' Survivor: I’m smart, I’m athletic and I’m nice to look at.  
Why You Think You Will Be the Sole Survivor: There’s no reason to play the game if you’re not playing to win. I’m not trying to see ‘if I have what it takes’ or ‘how far I can make it.’ The best thing I have going for me is my single-mindedness to be the champion."