Meet Amazon 'Survivors'

A Bigger Challenge For Next Set Of Players

(CBS)  The sixth installment of the "Survivor" series begins Thursday, Feb. 13, with a special 90-minute premiere, and the 16 contestants who will compete for a million dollars were introduced Monday on The Early Show.

Giant snakes, man-eating fish, alligators and natives who lack the gift of hospitality are a few of the challenges that the next "Survivor" location harbors. The contestants' destination is the world's biggest source of oxygen- the Amazon Rainforest.

TV Guide staff writer Eileen Rudolph traveled near the Rio Negro, a remote river located in the heart of the Amazon jungle, to talk to each of the hopefuls.

And this time there's a twist. For the first time on "Survivor," the tribes were separated by sexes — men versus women.

Beginning with the men of the Tambaqui tribe, the new survivors are:

• Ryan Aiken, a 23-year-old model from Ellicott City, Md.
  
  
• Alex Bell, a 32-year-old triathalon coach from Los Angeles.
  
  
• Rob Cesternino, a 24-year-old computer projects coordinator from Wantagh, N.Y.
  
  
• Mathew Von Ertfelda, a 33-year-old restaurant designer.
  
  
• Dave Johnson, a 24-year-old rocket scientist from Pasadena, Calif.
  
  
• Butch Lockley, a 50-year-old school principal from Olney, Ill.
  
  
• Daniel Lue, a 27-year-old tax accountant from Houston, Texas.
  
  
• Roger Sexston, a 56-year-old construction company executive from Valencia, Calif.

The women of the Jaburu tribe are:

• Shawna Mitchell, a 23-year-old retail saleswoman from Redwood City, Calif.
  
  
• Deena Bennett, a 35-year-old deputy district attorney from Riverside, Calif.
  
  
• Jeanne Hebert, a 41-year-old marketing director from North Attleboro, Mass.
  
  
• Christy Smith, a 24-year-old children's adventure guide from Basalt, Colo.
  
  
• Janet Koth, a 47-year-old homemaker from Manchester, Mo.
  
  
• Jenna Morasca, a 21-year-old swimsuit model from Pittsburgh, Pa.
  
  
• JoAnna Ward, a 31-year-old school guidance counselor from Orangeburg, S.C.
  
  
• Heidi Strobel, a 24-year-old school gym teacher from Eldon, Mo.

The contestants on the next "Survivor" game will have to deal with scorching temperatures, torrential rains and “crazy animals,” said the show's creator Mark Burnett on The Early Show.

He was referring to Cayman alligators, piranhas, anacondas and animals like the sloth, which he said he had never seen before.

"The sloth is almost like a miniature bear with these arms that just go like this and they can hook around and they've got claws and they sit in a tree." said "Survivor" host Jeff Probst. "You can't see them. They're so camouflaged. But they're the coolest animals. They move at about a half a mile a year," he explained.

For "Survior: The Amazon" each group will have to co-exist like never before, because the game is ever changing and always challenging.