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Believe it or not, Survivor is just about ready to air its 44th season—and CBS officially revealed its latest cast of 18 castaways on Jan. 31.
Ahead of the two-hour season premiere on March 1, host Jeff Probst and his crew will be returning to the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji for the 12th consecutive season to see who has what it takes to outwit, outplay and outlast their competition in order to win the $1 million prize.
The new cast of hopefuls will be split across three tribes of six for 26 days’ worth of gameplay, with contestants ranging in age from 20 to 46. Most notably, former Seattle Seahawks fullback Brandon Cottom will be amongst the players.
Probst previously detailed his future on the show following the most recent season finale, which saw Mike Gabler beat out Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight for the title of Sole Survivor and the cash prize, which he donated to military veterans.
“It’s impossible to describe what Survivor represents to me. Impossible,” the showrunner told Entertainment Weekly in December. “It goes beyond creative expression or professional recognition. It’s much deeper. It’s right in line with the ideas I try to impress on our players. It’s about pushing myself further than I think I can go, about trying to stay in the moment and adapt to my surroundings, about being a good ‘tribe member,’ about being open to new ideas and new people.”
Probst added, “The same opportunities Survivor offers the players, it offers me. I love Survivor and I still need Survivor.”
And if you also need Survivor, make sure to tune in for season 44, March 1 on CBS.
But until then, meet the cast below…
Robert Voets/CBS
Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, 36
Occupation: Salon owner
Hometown: Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Current Residence: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Robert Voets/CBS
Matt Blankinship, 27
Occupation: Security software engineer
Hometown: Albany, California
Current Residence: San Francisco, California
Robert Voets/CBS
Brandon Cottom, 30
Occupation: Security specialist
Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Current Residence: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Robert Voets/CBS
Kane Fritzler, 25
Occupation: Law student
Hometown: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Current Residence: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Robert Voets/CBS
Carson Garrett, 20
Occupation: NASA engineering student
Hometown: Rome, Georgia
Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia
Robert Voets/CBS
Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, 43
Occupation: Barbershop owner
Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio
Current Residence: Columbus, Ohio
Robert Voets/CBS
Lauren Harpe, 31
Occupation: Elementary school teacher
Hometown: Port Arthur, Texas
Current Residence: Mont Belvieu, Texas
Robert Voets/CBS
Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, 43
Occupation: Engineering manager
Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Current Residence: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Robert Voets/CBS
Helen Li, 29
Occupation: Product manager
Hometown: Wayland, Massachusetts
Current Residence: San Francisco, California
Robert Voets/CBS
Frannie Marin, 23
Occupation: Research coordinator
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Current Residence: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Robert Voets/CBS
Danny Massa, 32
Occupation: N.Y.C. firefighter
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Current Residence: Bronx, New York
Robert Voets/CBS
Bruce Perreault, 46
Occupation: Insurance agent
Hometown: West Warwick, Rhode Island
Current Residence: Warwick, Rhode Island
Robert Voets/CBS
Maddy Pomilla, 28
Occupation: Charity projects manager
Hometown: Huntingtown, Maryland
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Robert Voets/CBS
Claire Rafson, 25
Occupation: Tech investor
Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Robert Voets/CBS
Jaime Lynn Ruiz, 35
Occupation: Yogi
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Current Residence: Mesa, Arizona
Robert Voets/CBS
Sarah Wade, 27
Occupation: Management consultant
Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota
Current Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Robert Voets/CBS
Carolyn Wiger, 35
Occupation: Drug counselor
Hometown: North St. Paul, Minnesota
Current Residence: Hugo, Minnesota
Robert Voets/CBS
Josh Wilder, 34
Occupation: Surgical podiatrist
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia
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