CBS Announces the 20 Castaways for New Season of SURVIVOR

CBS announced today THE 20 castaways who will compete against each other on SURVIVOR when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 39th season with a special 90-minute premiere, Wednesday, Sept. 25 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

This edition features two legendary winners, Boston Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, who return to the game to serve as mentors to a group of 20 new castaways. Combined, Boston Rob and Sandra have played over 200 days of SURVIVOR and plan to share their knowledge with the new castaways, but for the first time, they won't be competing for the money. During the 39 days, some castaways will have the opportunity to visit the Island of the Idols to learn skills and strategy from these "idols." Each player, selected to visit the special island in various ways throughout the season, will have to decide if they should put their knowledge to the test for a chance at a possible advantage in the game, or risk losing something very important in the process. Those who can rise up to the challenge will possibly gain an advantage and continue their individual quest for $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.

"For our 39th season, we are bringing back two of our most dominant winners to serve as mentors to a new group of castaways," said executive producer and host Jeff Probst. "It's a SURVIVOR boot camp where each week, players will be instructed on a different facet of the game and then have a chance to test what they've learned for a shot at an advantage."

These new castaways will be forced to compete against each other with the same ultimate goal: to outwit, outplay and outlast each other, and in the end only one will remain to claim the title of Sole Survivor. The show films in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, and is hosted by Emmy Award winner Jeff Probst.

The following are THE 20 castaways competing this fall.

"LAIRO" TRIBE

Ronnie Bardah (35)

Hometown: Brockton, Mass.

Current Residence: Henderson, Nev.

Occupation: Pro Poker Player

Elizabeth Beisel (26)

Hometown: Saunderstown, R.I.

Current Residence: Saunderstown, R.I.

Occupation: Olympic Medalist

Missy Byrd (24)

Hometown: Decatur, Ga.

Current Residence: Tacoma, Wash.

Occupation: Air Force Veteran

Dean Kowalski (28)

Hometown: Westfield, N. J.

Current Residence: New York, N.Y.

Occupation: Tech Sales

Tom Laidlaw (60)

Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Current Residence: Greenwich, Conn.

Occupation: Former NHL Player

Aaron Meredith (36)

Hometown: Uncasville, Conn.

Current Residence: Warwick, R.I.

Occupation: Gym Owner

Vince Moua (27)

Hometown: Merced, Calif.

Current Residence: Palo Alto, Calif.

Occupation: Admissions Counselor

Karishma Patel (37)

Hometown: Philadelphia

Current Residence: Houston

Occupation: Personal Injury Lawyer

Elaine Stott (41)

Hometown: Woodbine, Ky.

Current Residence: Rockholds, Ky.

Occupation: Factory Worker

Chelsea Walker (26)

Hometown: Marlton, N.J.

Current Residence: Los Angeles

Occupation: Digital Content Creator

"VOKAI" TRIBE

Lauren Beck (28)

Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif. and Rochester Hills, Mich.

Current Residence: Glendale, Calif.

Occupation: Nanny

Molly Byman (27)

Hometown: Boston

Current Residence: Durham, N.C.

Occupation: Law Student

Janet Carbin (59)

Hometown: Neptune, N.J.

Current Residence: Palm Bay, Fla.

Occupation: Chief Lifeguard

Kellee Kim (29)

Hometown: Costa Mesa, Calif.

Current Residence: Philadelphia

Occupation: MBA Student

Jason Linden (32)

Hometown: New York, N.Y.

Current Residence: New York, N.Y.

Occupation: Personal Injury Lawyer

Jack Nichting (23)

Hometown: Newport News, Va.

Current Residence: Harrisonburg, Va.

Occupation: Graduate Student

Noura Salman (36)

Hometown: London, UK / Bethesda, Md.

Current Residence: North Potomac, Md.

Occupation: Entrepreneur

Tommy Sheehan (26)

Hometown: Bayville, N.Y.

Current Residence: Long Beach, N.Y.

Occupation: 4th Grade Teacher

Jamal Shipman (33)

Hometown: Jersey City, N.J.

Current Residence: Providence, R.I.

Occupation: College Administrator

Dan Spilo (48)

Hometown: New York, N.Y.

Current Residence: Los Angeles

Occupation: Talent Manager

Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment

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