Despite the fact that online sleuths managed to identify the names of all eighteen of its castmembers over the last few weeks, CBS has officially announced the names and biographical information of the castaways who will compete in Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire, which premieres Thursday, September 16 at 8PM ET/PT.

ADVERTISEMENT

During an unveiling on CBS's The Early Show, program co-host Julie Chen (who also doubles as the network's Big Brother host) announced the identities of the show's eighteen new castaways (an increase from the show's previous non-All-Stars standard of sixteen) and chatted with Survivor: All-Stars couple Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano. Amber and Rob once again teased fans with discussion of a televised wedding, with Rob telling Julie (who's reportedly planning her own "CBS family" wedding) that "we're working on it" with Amber adding "it's a pretty big possibility."

As in Spring 2003's Survivor: The Amazon, Survivor: Vanuatu will initially pit the men versus the women, with the women's tribe being called Yasur (with yellow as its tribal color) and the men's tribe being called Lopevi (with red as its tribal color.)

Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire takes place on the islands of Vanuatu, located in the remote waters of the South Pacific near the tumultuous "Ring Of Fire," a land of volcanoes and rituals where sorcery and black magic are a part of tribal life and the spirits of the dead are believed to have power over the living. The island chain is comprised of over 80 islands that are home to a diverse group of tribes and clans whose history includes cannibalism and features more than 100 hundred languages.

The castaways for Survivor: Vanuatu -- Islands of Fire are:

• Julie Berry, age 23, a youth mentor from Gorham, Maine









• Chad Crittenden, age 35, a teacher from Oakland, Calif. (Chad is an amputee.)









• Ami Cusack, age 31, a barista (coffee server) and model from Lakewood, Colo.









• Chris Daugherty, age 33, who works in highway construction, from South Vienna, Ohio









• Brady Finta, age 33, an FBI agent who was formerly in the military service, from Huntington Beach, Calif.









• Rory Freeman, age 35, a housing case manager from Des Moines, Iowa









• Mia Galeotalanza, age 30, a finance manager from Tom’s River, N.J.









• Brook Geraghty, age 27, a project manager from Boston









• Lisa Keiffer, age 44, a real estate agent from New Orleans









• John Kenney, age 22, a mechanical bull operator and model from Los Angeles









• Scout Cloud Lee, age 59, a rancher and entrepreneur from Stillwater, Okla.









• Lea "Sarge" Masters, age 40, a drill sergeant who lives in Columbia, S.C.









• Dolly Neely, age 25, a sheep farmer from Mercer, Pa.









• Eliza Orlins, age 21, a pre-law student from Syracuse, N.Y.









• John Palyok, age 31, of Los Angeles is a sales manager at a Home Depot.









• Travis "Bubba" Sampson, age 33, of Johnson City, Tenn., works in loss prevention.









• Leann Slaby, age 35, a research assistant from Kansasville, Wis.









• Twila Tanner, age 41, of Marshall, Mo., who works in highway repair

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS