Survivor is finally back and once again, a crop of contestants will compete, scheme, and backstab en route to the $1 million grand prize and the title of “Sole Survivor.”
Wednesday, Sept. 27 will mark the long-running franchise’s 45th season of the US-based series. With weekly supersized 90-minute episodes, Survivor 45 will premiere at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount Plus.
All in all, 18 competitors set out to Fiji in anticipation of battling weeks while marooned with the bare necessities. Seventeen of the players are brand-new castaways and one is a returning player from Survivor 44 — Bruce Perreault lasted less than a day before suffering a concussion during the first challenge, and was medically evacuated.
Here’s the entire cast list for Survivor 45 (the ages reflect how old they were when filming the show):
- Austin Li Coon: a 26-year-old grad student living in Chicago, IL
- Brandon “Brando” Meyer: a 23-year-old software developer living in Seattle, WA
- Brandon Donlon: a 26-year-old content producer living in Sicklerville, NJ
- Bruce Perreault: a 47-year-old insurance agent living in Warwick, RI
- Dee Valladares: a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Cuba living in Miami, FL
- Drew Basile: a 23-year-old grad student living in Philadelphia, PA
- Emily Flippen: a 28-year-old investment analyst living in Laurel, MD
- Hannah Rose: a 33-year-old therapist living in Baltimore City, MD
- Janani “J. Maya” Krishnan-Jha: a 24-year-old singer living in Los Angeles, CA
- Jake O-Kane: a 26-year-old attorney living in Boston, MA
- Julie Alley: a 49-year-old estate attorney living in Brentwood, TN
- Kaleb Gebrewold: a 29-year-old software salesman living in Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Katurah Topps: a 35-year-old civil rights attorney living in Brooklyn, NY
- Kellie Nalbandian: a 29-year-old critical care nurse living in New York, NY
- Kendra McQuarrie: a 31-year-old bartender living in Steamboat Springs, CO
- Sabiyah Broderick: a 28-year-old truck driver living in Jacksonville, NC
- Sean Edwards: a 35-year-old school principal living in Provo-Orem, UT
- Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup: a 30-year-old gym owner living in O’Fallon, IL
Like many seasons, Survivor 45 will begin as a three-tribe game with six players apiece. And we already know the tribe names and who will be donning what buff on day 1. Here they are:
- Reba (Red) Tribe: Austin, Dee, Drew, J. Maya, Julie, and Sifu
- Belo (Blue) Tribe: Brando, Bruce, Jake, Katurah, Kellie, and Kendra
- Lulu (Yellow) Tribe: Brandon, Emily, Hannah, Kaleb, Sabiyah, and Sean
As usual, Jeff Probst was tasked as Survivor 45’s host. And sticking with the post-Season-40 trend, the game lasted only 26 days, as opposed to 39.