Survivor: Palau Cast Revealed
Source:
E!Online
by Sarah Hall
Jan 13, 2005, 10:15 AM PT
Cue the catchy theme chant--Jeff Probst's latest band of fame and fortune-seeking castaways are ready to try their hands at outwitting, outplaying and outlasting.
A Vegas showgirl, a hairstylist and a personal trainer are among the contestants who will be battling it out for a million bucks in the upcoming Survivor:Palau, due to premiere Feb. 17 on CBS.
Filmed on an island in the South Pacific, season 10 of the reality series promises to mix it up from the start with a cluster of Survivor-befuddling plot twists, per producer Mark Burnett.
"You have this situation now where everyone thinks they know more about the rules and format than we do," Burnett told Daily Variety. "I wanted to see what happens by completely revamping the way of starting [the show]."
Instead of the usual 16 castaways, Survivor: Palau will pit 20 would-be millionaires against one another. However, by the end of episode one, only 17 will remain.
"They're given very little instruction about what to do, and some of them are genuinely lost," Burnett told Variety. "Two people don't make it to the first challenge. That's how tough it is. It's very emotional."
Palau's castaways are a younger bunch than in seasons past, with 11 contestants under 30. Williard Smith, a lawyer from Bellevue, Washington is the oldest at 57; 21-year-old Jeff Wilson, the aforementioned personal trainer of Ventura, California, is the baby of the group.
Other contestants include Ian Rosenberger, 23, a dolphin trainer, who "enjoys being outside" and Stephanie LaGrossa, 25, a pharmaceutical rep, who "likes going to the beach," according to their bios.
There's also token eye-candy for all. Graduate student Kimberly Mullen, 25, represented Ohio in the 2002 Miss USA Pageant and has worked as a model. Waiter Bobby Jon Drinkard, 27, was voted Alabama's Most Eligible Bachelor in 2003 by Cosmopolitan magazine and is currently pursuing a modeling career. (Bring on the swimsuit shots.)
The castaways' new island home remains littered with wreckage from World Word II. Most of the island is covered by dense tropical forests and inhabited by creatures such as skinks, wormsnakes and geckos.
The waters around the island are considered a diver's paradise and are home to saltwater crocodiles, sharks, barracuda, octopi, lionfish and giant clams that can weigh up to two tons.
Survivor has been reupped for an 11th and 12th season; however, Burnett said last month's tsunami changed plans for upcoming show locations.
"We were scouting locations in Madagascar, southern India, Sri Lanka. We had a real focus on the Indian Ocean," he told Variety. "Clearly, now, that won't be happening."
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