February 11, 2009 5:30 PM

"Survivor" Heads For Fiji

By
Brian Dakss
(CBS)  "Survivor" returns next month, with 19 castaways heading to the tiny South Pacific nation of Fiji to vie for the $1 million prize.

As always, the challenge for each is to outwit, outplay and outlast the others — this time in a country made up of many tiny islands.

There happened to be a real-life coup in Fiji during production of the show.

"Survivor: Fiji" begins Thursday, Feb. 8, on CBS.

The Early Show introduced the castaways to viewers Friday.

Some have already been through some tough times in Iraq and during Hurricane Katrina, for instance.

For a complete list, and details on all of them, click here.

To see photos of the entire cast, and much more, click here.
Briefly, in alphabetical order, they are:

Alex Angarita, a 28-year-old attorney from Los Angeles, who knows not everybody trusts a lawyer's skills of persuasion.

Kenward "Boo" Bernis, a construction worker from Lafayette, La. Look out, ladies: He says romance is part of his strategy.

Yau-Man Chan, a computer engineer, is the self described "geek of the group." He hopes he doesn't stand out so much that he's voted off the island.

Earl Cole is an ad executive from Santa Monica, Calif. The Kansas native says he's a Midwesterner at heart, with a little California flavor.

Fashion stylist Jessica deBen is used to exotic locations. She says living in Los Angeles, where people don't eat, has prepared her for the game.

Erica Durousseau is a Louisiana native who was forced to leave New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Cassandra Franklin is a civil engineer manager also from Los Angeles. She says her goals for "Survivor" are pretty simple: to win the million dollars and lose 25 pounds!

Loan officer Liliana Gomez describes herself as "the feisty Latina." She joined the Marines out of high school, and served in Iraq.

Andria "Dre" Herd knows how to survive from growing up homeless in North Carolina. This cheerleading coach first wowed crowds as a street performer with his brothers.

Internet producer Stacy Kimball says she may be high maintenance, but she'll do whatever it takes to win.

Sylvia Kwan is an architect in Northern California. The affable wife and mother says she can be devious — if she has to be.

With loan manager Mookie Lee, what you see is what you get. Cocky or strong-headed, Mookie just likes to have fun.

Customer service rep Lisette "Lisi" Linares' big challenge is going to be keeping her mouth shut. She says with a laugh, "I want to stop myself from looking at everyone and being like, 'Dude, I'm trapped on the island of morons here!' "

Bartender James Reid says he just doesn't care: "I can be a pain in the ---, I can be a hypocrite, I can be a bunch of things. The only difference between me and the average cat is that I admit it."

Ad exec Edgardo Rivera likes to party every weekend, and says he's good at manipulating people.

Anthony Robinson beat the mean streets of Compton, Calif., and graduated from Yale. The expert witness locator says he's the nice guy nobody expects will stab them in the back.

Fifty-five-year-old Gary Stritesky says his wife wants to know when he'll finally grow up and get a real job.

Rita Verreos is a single mother of two. She's an image consultant by trade, but says she enjoys a much simpler life, like one an exotic tropical island.

And finally, Michelle Yi is a 23-year-old college student from Cincinnati who says she's bubbly and energetic, but look out, players: There may be a dark side there.

Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved.
Add a Comment
by sghrbison January 15, 2007 12:18 PM EST
I am also wondering why so many of the contestants are from California. Hello, there are more states in the USA!!! Let me say that I am a long time fan of Survivor. The Cook Island Survivor was my least favorite one EVER. I always lived for the next show and could not wait until the next episode. With this one it didn't matter to me if I missed one or not. It just did not hold my interest. Please go back to what you normally do, it was much better then.
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by zeekylord January 12, 2007 3:58 PM EST
Something tells me that it will be quite a while before any edition of Survivor will match the one that just past.

Yul and Ozzy for The White House 2008! LOL.

Seriously, tho... Cook Islands actually had people that you could root for, and that has been very rare in this show that entices you to watch and care about the characters.
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by inmand January 12, 2007 2:57 PM EST
I guess my best chance of being on the show is to move from Indiana to California. How sad they have a better chance.
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by inmand January 12, 2007 2:50 PM EST
What is up with Survivior??? It is my all time favorite show but.........what is with having over 50% of the contestants for Ca.?? That really bothers me. Is it cheaper for the production of the show? They used to have a good mix of people but last time it was the same thing......Please go back to having people from the entire USA. Survivior........go back to what made you so popular.
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