It's back! For its 24th season, Survivor returns to Samoa with a few notable twists: No returning veterans, no Redemption Island, tribes divided by gender, and most intriguingly, a shared living area for ALL 18 players. Let the overlapping alliances begin!
Today, CBS released the line-up of new faces for Survivor: One World. Ladies and gentlemen, meet your players:
The Women
Name: Kourtney Moon (29)
Occupation: Motorcycle Repair
From CBS Bio: On her personal claim to fame: "I grew a person inside my body, squeezed him out of a tiny orifice, and managed not to completely bomb at parenting (so far). He's actually the neatest person I know."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Kourtney walks the line between adorable and hardcore; assuming she can make friends quickly, she'll be a fan favorite.
Name: Sabrina Thompson (33)
Occupation: High School Teacher
From CBS Bio: On her pet peeves: "People who put leashes on kids! Really?! Also, people who enter elevators or subways before others exit, people who spit and guys who constantly adjust their genitals."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Sabrina appears to be my favorite kind of player: The Hilarious Soundbyte-Giver. For that reason alone I'm pulling for her.
Name: Kat Edorsson (22)
Occupation: Timeshare Rep
From CBS Bio: On her inspiration in life: "Her name is Xena. She is the warrior princess, who serves as my alter ego. In her series, she changes from simple farm girl to an Amazon warrior, recognizing and pursuing challenges for the greater good. She is my hero and I could only wish I can be half the woman she is."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Kat is by no means the first cute blonde to grace the set of Survivor, but her charms seem to include a funny and forthright personality, two things that could win her allies (or enemies).
Name: Monica Culpepper (41)
Occupation: Ex-NFL Player's Wife
From CBS Bio: "Wife of [Vikings, Buccaneers, and Bears] NFL Defensive Tackle Brad Culpepper, and mother of three straight-A students."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: While it's tempting to peg Monica as a Real Housewives type, she has the physical prowess and social skills that could get her far but more likely will put a target on her back from the get-go.
Name: Chelsea Meissner (26)
Occupation: Medical Sales
From CBS Bio: Describes herself as a "country girl" with "a strong redneck side."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: She certainly looks like a typical Survivor contestant, but her self-proclaimed experience with spear fishing and hunting might just elevate her above your average Survivor babe.
Name: Alicia Rosa (25)
Occupation: Special Ed Teacher
From CBS Bio: "I have yet to find someone to call my hero. I just continue to strive and work hard so that one day I might be considered an inspiration to someone."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: This self-described "ambitious" woman with "bad manners" needs to establish leadership skills right away. Bossy, outspoken people tend to get the boot pretty quick.
Name: Christina Cha (29)
Occupation: Career Consultant
From CBS Bio: On her contradictory inspirations: "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi with his inspiration of enrollment and empowerment in transforming people in non-violence movement and Winston Churchill. I know they contradict. However, he is one of the most sophisticated and insightful politicians who will go down in history as one of the world's most admired leaders. "
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Smart and likable, Christina could fly under the radar quite easily as long as she doesn't get too academic on everyone.
Name: Nina Acosta (51)
Occupation: Retired LAPD Officer
From CBS Bio: "In 1991 and 1993 I competed for the S.W.A.T. Team. Both times the two-week tryouts took place in Camp Pendleton and I was the only woman competing against 19 men."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Nina strikes me as just the sort of tough cookie an audience could pull for, so long as she doesn't let the social game get to her.
Name: Kim Spradlin (29)
Occupation: Bridal Shop Owner
From CBS Bio: "I can figure out what animal a person would be within five minutes of meeting them."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: This small business owner and adventurer has "challenge winner" written all over her. Expect her to be a physical asset to her tribe.
The Men
Name: Jay Byars (25)
Occupation: Model
From CBS Bio: On his inspiration in life: "Bear Grylls—that guy is crazy! And, I just found out he is a Christian. I love his 'I can go anywhere and do anything mentality.'"
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Jay belongs to two big Survivor archetypes: The Male Model and The Outspoken Christian. While each has had historical advantages, they can also prove irritating to other tribe mates.
Name: Bill Posley (28)
Occupation: Stand-Up Comedian
From CBS Bio: Cites "athletic ex-military experience" as a game advantage; biggest pet peeve is "clichés."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Appears to have the strength and intelligence necessary to go far, but it's unclear if Bill's comedy background will be an advantage or an annoyance in an often overly serious game.
Name: Troy Robertson (50)
Occupation: Swimsuit Photographer
From CBS Bio: On his personal claim to fame: "Adopting and raising my family of 12 marmoset monkeys."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: At first glance Troy seems to be the most eccentric, but for his sake let's hope he's closer to Coach than he is to Phillip.
Name: Leif Manson (27)
Occupation: Phlebotomist
From CBS Bio: On his best brush with fame: "Meeting and working with Billy Barty and Mickey Rooney in the same day."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Hold on, looking up "phlebotomist"... wow! It turns out being a little person isn't the most interesting thing about Leif. A phlebotomist is someone who draws blood. Opposing players should pray he doesn't do that too often during challenges.
Name: Matt Quinlan (33)
Occupation: Attorney
From CBS Bio: "I'll die out there before I quit. The only way I am leaving that island is with a tag on my toe or with a snuffed torch."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Although on paper (and in pictures!) Matt has the whole package, he also has that '80s yuppie/jerk vibe that tends to get people eliminated pretty quickly.
Name: Colton Cumbie (21)
Occupation: College Student
From CBS Bio: "I came out as gay when I was 12 years old, sixth grade in South Alabama. My parents definitely did not run out to join Parents of Lesbian and Gay (PFLAG) and it took a long time, but they came around. It was weird at school but I didn't play the victim and run home to cry. I stood up for myself and explained that being gay wasn't who I was but part of who I am."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Survivor hasn't had a lot of gay Republicans, so that alone is noteworthy, but Jeff Probst has already cited Colton as having huge villain potential, so he's definitely one to pay attention to.
Name: Greg Smith (64)
Occupation: Plastic Surgeon
From CBS Bio: On his favorite former cast-away: "Coach Ben Wade—he seems to be a romantic, adventurer, poetic, and creative."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Greg's background and viewpoint seem to be as unique as they come, but it's unclear whether his persona will be larger-than-life or agreeably mellow.
Name: Jonas Otsuji (37)
Occupation: Sushi Chef
From CBS Bio: On his personal claim to fame: "Making a name for myself as a sushi chef two years after going bankrupt and losing everything."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: The fact that he compares himself to Fabio makes Jonas come across as sweetly naive. But then again, Fabio WON.
Name: Michael Jefferson (30)
Occupation: Banker
From CBS Bio: "It's my mom's dream (Survivor is her favorite show) for me to be on and win."
Our Knee-Jerk Reaction: Michael comes across as a sweet, upright dude who could go far if he survives the first few Alpha-male showdowns his tribe will inevitably face at the outset.
QUESTIONS:
... Which team looks stronger, the men or women?
... Who is your at-first-glance Survivor crush?
... Are you excited about Survivor: One World, or are you just completely over the show?
I'm sorry fi this offend anyone. But I really don't understand why they have to make it so heavily about God all the time. I'm not even sure a lot of them actually BELIEVE in God or are just using him as a tool to gain trust ...or just turn to him when things are bad. I'm agnostic. But, I find this show to be a little hard to watch at times.. and I am a DIE hard. I just remember it not being about God . Thoughts?
The girls on this show tend to be crazy b**ches, so they're stronger.
I like Bill, what can I say? A guy who makes you laugh is just the best :)
I'm sorta over the show at this point but mr. sushi chef has gotta win it, sushi is just about the best thing ever..
Um, my crushes are Matt, Matt and uh...Matt.
I kinda love how every Survivor cast sounds like the set up for a really bad joke. A gay Republican, a little person, and a Warrior Princess Enthusiast step onto an island.....
JK! I'm a Warrior Princess enthusiast too (Xena was AWESOME!). I think because it's been on for so long Survivor cliches are inevitable, so the cast looks(and sounds) like dozens of other past casts, with the same formula for conflicting personalities. I can't really formulate an opinion until I see them in action during that first episode!Kourtney does sound like a hardcore chick I'd root for though. Kudos to her for not donning the skimpy bikini.
Snicker...Brad Culpepper played Quarterback, not Defensive Tackle. Aside from that, getting back to basics with no Redemption or past returnees could mean a great season of Survivor.
i like the "no vets" part.
But too many pretty boys. I may not watch for the first time in...schwiiing...ok, I'll watch until Alicia Rosa is voted off.
Thank you for getting rid of the gimmicks. For the first time since the segregated season, I might tune in.
Finally, a Chelsea worth watching!! ARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOO
The cast look cliched and are as far as I can tell the run-of-the-mill "Survivor Contestants" Personally I'm glad they've done away with the whole REDEMPTION ISLAND schtick that thing got old about 2 seconds after it debuted 50 years ago!
However, the new twist is that both tribes are on the same beach . Redemption had its interesting times to watch. I was really against it too , but started to find the twists interesting. But, agreed it was getting OLD !
The women look fierce and most of the men look like a bunch of wusses. First glance crush is Byars - he's hot. Women will dominate.