Survivor: Samoa Cast Revealed!
Meet the 20 New Castaways Who Will Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast
Aug 27, 2009
On the morning of August 27, 2009, CBS officially unveiled the identities of the 20 contestants who will compete on Survivor: Samoa. Ten of the new castaways are in their 20s, six are in their 30s, three are in their 40s, and one is in their 60s. The number of contestants from California is also up again this season, with half of them calling the Golden State home (and 8 of those from the LA-area).
This season’s super-sized cast is the largest since Survivor: Micronesia, with the previous two seasons featuring 18 and 16 castaways respectively. According to CBS promos, “size matters” this season and Samoa will be the “biggest Survivor” yet. It’s not yet clear what exactly they mean by this. CBS also promises that one of the new castaways will be one of the biggest villains in the series’ history.
The contestants of Survivor: Samoa will be divided into two tribes: Foa Foa (wearing yellow) and Galu (wearing purple), each with 10 members.
Foa Foa Tribe
- Ashley Trainer is a 22 year-old spa saleswoman from Osseo, MN. This bubbly former competitive cheerleader plans to flirt her way to the top and claims she can sell almost sell almost anything.
- Ben Browning is a 28 year-old actor and mixologist from Los Angeles, CA (originally from Kirksville, MO). This motorcycle rider hates "whiners" and "whimps", always has a girl on each arm, and claims that he's never been rejected.
- Betsy Bolan is a 48 year-old police officer from Campton, NH. This married mother of four always dreamed of being a cop and fulfilled her dream last year at age 47.
- Elizabeth Kim is a 33 year-old attorney from New York, NY. This South Korean native immigrated to the U.S. at age 2 and is proud to have worked for everything she has.
- Jaison Robinson is a 28 year-old law student from Chicago, IL. This highly educated and goal-oriented former Eagle Scout says his greatest accomplishment is making the U.S. National Water Polo team.
- Marisa Calihan is a 27 year-old student from Cincinnati, OH. She grew up in a farm in Ohio, has lived abroad in third world countries, and comes from a family with nine children.
- Mick Trimming is a 33 year-old doctor from Los Angeles, CA. This anesthesiologist at UCLA plans to pay off hundreds of thousands of student loans if he wins the game.
- Mike Borissa is a 62 year-old personal chef from Marina del Rey, CA. This former college football coach was almost selected to compete on Survivor: Tocantins.
- Natalie White is a 26 year-old pharmaceutical sales rep from Van Buren, AR. This Southern Belle claims she's not afraid to get dirty to win.
- Russell Hantz is a 36 year-old oil tanker and married father of four from Dayton, TX. Speculated by fans to be this season's "villain," this Survivor fan and self-made man wants to get into the game and "show these morons how it's done."
Galu Tribe
- Brett Clouser is a 23 year-old fashion entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA (originally from Salem, OR). This t-shirt designer achieved his dream of launching a cause-based clothing company to support and advocate for healthy body image.
- Dave Ball is a 38 year-old fitness instructor and musician from Los Angeles, CA (originally from Edmonds, OK). Nicknamed "Danger Dave," this fiery rock 'n roll rebel grew up in a family full of preachers.
- Erik Cardona is a 28 year-old bartender from Los Angeles, CA. He has no problem dating four or five women at one time and enjoys the challenge of chasing a taken woman.
- John Fincher is a 25 year-old rocket scientist from Los Angeles, CA. This cocky genius is a former semi-pro soccer player who has traveled the world and comes from a privileged background.
- Kelly Sharbaugh is a 25 year-old hairstylist from Los Angeles, CA (originally from Wilmington, DE). This self-described free spirit plans to play a very social game to help her in the competition.
- Laura Morett is a 39 year-old office manager from Salem, OR. This Hawaiian mother of three recently became a grandmother when her daughter had a child at age 18.
- Monica Padilla is a 26 year-old recent law school graduate and model from San Diego, CA (originally from Queens, NY). This exotic intelluctual plans to play the game like Parvati and Amanda of Survivor: Micronesia.
- Russ Swan is a 42 year-old environmental lawyer from Philadelphia, PA. This passionate husband and father has overcome tumultous circumstances to become successful in his field and is also a minority youth education advocate.
- Shannon Waters is a 45 year-old sales representative from Renton, WA. She is proud to be the first female Marine Sergeant to play the game of Survivor.
- Yasmin Giles is a 33 year-old hairstylist from Los Angeles, CA (originally from Detroit, MI). Nicknamed "Sassy Yassy," this opinionated motor mouth admits to constantly chatting but says she is funny and likable.
What to Expect From Samoa
In an IGN interview with host Jeff Probst posted on Wednesday, August 26, 2009, Probst revealed that several players were evacuated from the game this season – a trend that has become more and more common since Micronesia, when two players left the game due to infected cuts.
Probst also promises that this season contains at least four very memorable moments and one of the most compelling characters in Survivor history. For a preview of Episode 1 of Survivor: Samoa, click here. For a more in-depth preview of the entire season click here.
When to Watch
Survivor: Samoa will premiere Thursday, September 17 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. For more information on the 20 castaways, see the show’s official Web site at CBS.com.
Who are your early favorites and least favorites? Who will be the first castaway voted off and who will walk away with the $1,000,000 grand prize?
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