CBS has revealed the identities of the 15 new castaways who will be competing on Survivor: Philippines, the 25th Survivor edition that will debut Wednesday, September 19 at 8PM ET/PT with a special 90-minute episode.
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As CBS previously announced, Survivor: Philippines' 18-person cast will also feature three former Survivor castaways who were medically evacuated from the game and returning for another chance to compete in the game.
The network is keeping the formal announcement of the identities of the returning castaways under wraps until later this week, however online reports the three returning castaways are Jonathan Penner, Michael Skupin, and Russell Swan have circulated since this spring.
In addition to the usual assortment of former beauty queens and models, Survivor: Philippines' 15 first-time castaways also includes two celebrities: Jeff Kent, a retired MLB professional baseball player who was the National League MVP in 2000 and still holds the all-time MLB record for home runs by a second baseman, and Lisa Whelchel, a former actress best known for playing Blair Warner in the 1980's sitcom The Facts of Life.
CBS had announced three former Survivor castaways who were medically evacuated would compete on Survivor: Philippines during May's broadcast of Survivor: One World's reunion show. During the announcement, Survivor host Jeff Probst had also revealed that for the first time since Survivor: All-Stars, the franchise's eighth edition which aired in 2004, Survivor: Philippines would feature a three-tribe configuration in which one returning castaway would be part of each tribe.
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Survivor: Philippines -- which was filmed in March and April -- is the second Survivor edition for Skupin and Swan and the third Survivor edition for Penner.
Penner originally competed on Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006, finishing seventh. He then returned to compete as a "favorite" on Survivor: Micronesia -- Fans vs. Favorites, the "half all-stars edition" which aired on CBS in early 2008, but was medically evacuated from the game during the sixth episode after he developed a life-threatening infection in a knee that was punctured during one of the competition's challenges.
Skupin competed on Survivor: Australia, the second Survivor edition which aired on CBS in early 2001, and was arguably the subject of Survivor's most memorable injury ever. Similar to Penner, he was medically evacuated from the game during the season's sixth episode after he passed out and fell into his tribe's campfire and severely burned his hands. (Watch a Survivor: The Australian Outback video clip of Skupin's memorable injury below.)
Swan competed on Survivor: Samoa in 2009 and, like Penner and Skupin, was also medically evacuated during his season's sixth episode. In his case, he collapsed while blindfolded during a Reward Challenge after he had exhausted himself attempting to lead his tribe by example by performing chores around camp.
Survivor: Philippines' initial three tribes will be called Kalabaw, Tandang and Matsing -- the Filipino words for water buffalo, rooster and monkey, respectively.
The five first-time members of the Kalabaw tribe are:
- Sarah Dawson, a 28-year-old insurance saleswoman from Silver Spring, MD
- Katie Hanson, a 22-year-old former Miss Delaware from Newark, NJ
- Jeff Kent, a 44-year-old retired baseball player from Austin, TX
- Dana Lambert, a 32-year-old cosmetologist from Winston-Salem, NC
- Carter Williams, a 24-year-old track coach from Shawnee, KS
The five first-time members of the Tandang tribe are:
- Abi-Maria Gomes, a 32-year-old business student from Los Angeles, CA
- "RC" Roberta Saint-Amour, a 27-year-old investment banker from New York, NY
- Artis Silvester, a 53-year-old computer engineer from Terry Town, LA
- Lisa Whelchel, a 49-year-old former actress from Dallas, TX
- "Pete" Peter Yurkowski, a 24-year-old engineering graduate from Holmdel, NJ
The five first-time members of the Matsing tribe are:
- Malcolm Freberg, a 25-year-old bartender from Hermosa Beach, CA
- Zane Knight, a 28-year-old tire repairman from Danville, VA
- Angie Layton, a 20-year-old student from Provo, UT
- "Roxy" Roxanne Morris, a 28-year-old seminary student from Brooklyn, NY
- Denise Stapley, a 41-year-old sex therapist from Cedar Rapids, IA
About The Author: Steven Rogers