Meet The New 'Survivor' Cast
Stranded in Kenya’s Shaba National Reserve, 16 Americans are forced to band together and carve out a new existence.
In this inhospitable land, with its malaria-bearing insects and marauding predators, the contestants on the CBS TV show "Survivor: Africa" must form a cooperative society, building shelter, gathering and catching food, and participating in Challenges for rewards. Winners of these Challenges will be rewarded with things that make life in Africa more bearable; those who fail must do without. The cast of the third "Survivor" show was introduced this week. The show premieres Thursday, Oct. 11
Samburu Tribe
 CBS |
| Brandon Quinton |
Brandon Quinton, 25, was born in Ada, Okla. While his father served in the Army the family relocated to various places, including Temple, Texas; Savannah, Georgia and Munich, Germany. Currently, Quinton lives in Dallas and works as a bartender. He previously worked as a make-up artist at a major department store.
Quinton attended East Central University in Ada, but dropped out his sophomore year. He describes himself as affectionate, smart and manipulative, and his hobbies are playing tennis, running and smoking. Although gay, Quinton was married to a woman during college, but is now divorced and single. His birth date is Jan. 22.
Interview with Brandon Quinton  CBS |
| Carl Bilancione |
Born in Chelsea, Mass., Carl Bilancione, 46, grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Selden on Long Island, and currently lives in Winter Springs, Fla. Bilancione attended Fairleigh Dickson University, where he earned both a bachelor of science and a dental degree. He currently has his own private dental practice in Winter Park.
Bilancione is an avd sports fan, photographer, SCUBA diver and marathon runner. He has competed in and completed more than six marathons, including the New York Marathon, London Marathon, Disney Marathon and Marine Corps Marathon. He has a passion for sports photography, and enjoys photographing his beloved New York Yankees and Orlando Magic.
Bilancione describes himself as highly competitive, vivacious and personable. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Florida Dental Association, the International Congress of Oral Implantology and the International Society of Freelance Photographers. He is also the official photographer for The Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, which presents the Dick Butkus Award honoring the best linebacker in college football. Bilancione has been married to his wife Deborah for 21 years, and they have two children, Jessica, 17 and Bryan, 14. His birth date is June 20.
Interview with Carl Bilancione CBS |
| Frank Garrison |
Born in Amsterdam, Holland, to a Dutch woman and an American soldier, Frank Garrison, 43, moved to the United States in 1960. He attended Lake Shore Central High School in Angola, N.Y. He now resides in Odessa, N.Y.
Garrison currently works as a technician for a major telephone company. Previously, he served as a mon-commissioned officer with the 24th Infantry Division G-3 training, United States Army. He still follows the 24th Infantry Motto, "First to Fight."
An avid hunter, Garrison is a member of the National Rifle Association and enthusiastically supports the second amendment of the United States Constitution. He is also a member of the American Legion. Garrison declares that his favorite time is spent with his wife Polly Ann and daughters, Jocelyn Rose and Sage Hunter; a third girl is on the way. His birth date is July 22.
Interview with Frank Garrison CBS |
| Kim Powers |
Kim Powers, 29, was born and raised in Bridgewater, N.J., where she lived with her family prior to attending college. She graduated from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., with a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications. She is a free-lance marketing executive for an athletic wear company and is living in Conshohocken, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.
Powers's favorite hobbies include running, biking, boxing, growing herbs and vegetables, cooking and entertaining. She describes herself as extroverted, tenacious and competitive.
Kim Powers was engaged to be married for over a year, but less than three weeks before the big day, she called it off. Still single, she lives in a very socially complicated "tribe" with three other female roommates and her cat, Squirt. Her birth date is Dec. 3.
Interview with Kim Powers CBS |
| Linda Spencer |
Linda Spencer, 44, is currently an assistant director of career services at Harvard University, as well as a married mother of two children. Spencer was born and raised on welfare in Boston's inner city. She received a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, an M.Ed. from Tufts University and an M.S.W. from Boston College. Previous occupations include corporate account executive, director of African Adventures at an overseas adventure travel company and clinical social worker.
In December 1999, Spencer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent a thyroidectomy the following January. She received radioactive iodine treatments in May 2000, and is now completely cancer free. In September 2000, a mere eight months after being diagnosed with cancer, she successfully reached the summit of Mount Rainier.
The three adjectives Spencer uses to describe herself include adventurous, competitive and determined She is a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Sierra Club, American Alpine Club, Career Counselors Consortium, Blackpack and is a former member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Spencer's hobbies include mountain climbing, ice climbing, winter camping, international travel, spinning and yoga. She also enjoys in-line skating, and has completed a race from Athens to Atlanta, Georgia, covering over 85 miles. She describes herself as adventurous, competitive and determined. She has traveled to more than 28 countries on four continents, including two summers spent in rural African villages with no electricity or running water.
Spencer lives in Boston with her husband and two children, Jared, 11 and Jenna, 9. Her birth date is Jan. 1.
Interview with Linda Spencer CBS |
| Lindsey Richter |
Lindsey Richter, 27, was born and raised in Portland, Ore., and graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. degree in journalism. During her senior year at college, she spent a semester studying abroad in Queensland, Australia, where she attended Bond University, a private school located near Surfer's Paradise on Australia's Gold Coast.
Prior to her departure for Africa, Richter worked as an account executive with an advertising firm in Portland. Before that, she spent a year in Australia working for the Gold Coast Cougars, an Australian professional baseball team. Richter's duties were wide-ranging and included everything from advertising, promotions, sales and public relations to game day activities.
Richter enjoys spending her free time riding horses, boxing and snowboarding, and is an avid mountain biker who regularly competes on the racing circuit. She describes herself as competitive, spirited and compassionate. Her birth date is Aug. 31.
Interview with Lindsey Richter| Silas Gaither |
Silas Gaither, 23, originally from Germantown, Tenn., recently moved to Los Angeles. Gaither graduated with a B.A. in finance from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2000, and is currently bartending in West Los Angeles while pursuing a career in acting.
During Gaither's senior year at Houston High School (1996), his soccer team won the state championship. In addition, he played high school football, wrestled and was voted "Mr. Houston" by his peers. In college, he was the boxing champion in his weight class three years straight.
Gaither's three favorite hobbies are kayaking, fly-fishing and backpacking. He describes himself as happy, spontaneous and exciting. Gaither is single and lives with two roommates and his dog Max. His birth date is Jan. 28.
Interview with Silas Gaither CBS |
| Teresa Cooper |
Teresa Cooper, 42, was born a fraternal twin (to her brother, Don) and raised in Atlanta, Ga. She graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.S. degree in psychology.
Cooper is a 20-year veteran flight attendant for a major airline, for whom she flies as a German qualified speaker and also as an international flight coordinator. She is a certified real estate agent, and works full time as a recruiting and sales representative for a cosmetic company. A former aerobics instructor, Cooper is a competitive runner. She has participated in marathons, half marathons and 10Ks, including one while she was nine months pregnant.
For the past 13 years, Cooper has lived in Jackson, Ga., on a 161-acre farm with her husband, Brian, and two children, Tyler, 9, and Ellie, 5. Besides running, Cooper's other hobbies include investing in real estate, biking with her children and studying German. She describes herself as energetic, loyal and driven. Her birth date is Ma 5.
Interview with Teresa CooperBoran Tribe
 CBS |
| Clarence Black |
Born and raised in Detroit by his mother Mae, Clarence Black, 24, is a high school basketball coach. He attended Bridgton Academy in North Bridgton, Maine. Black earned a college basketball scholarship and graduated with a B.A. in classical studies at Hillsdale College in Michigan.
While at Hillsdale, Black played basketball and founded the Tod Phister Memorial Basketball Tournament, which raises money to support cancer research, in honor of a fellow teammate who passed away. After graduating, he worked as a stockbroker and financial planner, but decided the profession wasn't for him.
Black is a member of the Detroit County Alumni Council and a member of the Board of Directors for Wise Steward Ministries Youth Education Program. He describes himself as competitive, loyal and silly. His birth date is Dec. 21.
Interview with Clarence Black CBS |
| Diane Ogden |
Born in Worchester, Mass. Diane Ogden, 42, was raised in Lincoln, Neb., where she attended Lincoln High School. She has also taken college courses at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) and Southeast Community College. She works as a mail carrier for the United States Post Office. Previous employment includes work as a nurse's aide and as a carhop waitress at a fast-food restaurant.
Ogden's favorite hobbies include jewelry makig, home improvement and entertaining guests at her pool, where she loves to swim. She describes herself as tenacious, resourceful and fun-loving. She is passionate about children's education and works closely with her son's Boy Scout troop.
Twiced divorced, gden has one daughter, Jessica and one son, Alex. She also has one dog, Cleo. Ogden's birth date is April 27.
Interview with Diane Ogden CBS |
| Ethan Zohn |
Originally from Lexington, Mass., Ethan Zohn, 27, lives in New York City. He is a professional soccer player, having been employed as a goalie for the Highlanders Football Club (Zimbabwe), Cape Cod Crusaders (Cape Cod, Mass.) and the Hawaii Tsunami (Oahu, Hawaii). Zohn also played for the 1997 and 2001 U.S. National Maccabiah Team (Israel). Off the field, he has been the assistant coach for the Fairleigh Dickinson University Men's and Women's Soccer Team in Teaneck, N.J. since 1998. Additionally, since 1999 Zohn has worked free-lance as a brand name strategist/developer, responsible for creating names for newly invented products.
Zohn attended Vassar College, where he graduated in 1996 with a B.A. degree in biology. Following graduation, he traveled for six months in Australia and New Zealand, where he bungee jumped from one of the highest jumps in the world (400 feet).
Interview with Ethan Zohn CBS |
| Jessie Camacho |
Jessie Camacho, 27, is employed as a deputy aheriff for Orange County in Orlano, Fla., while attending the University of Central Florida, where she is a junior.
Camacho was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and remained there until she was 14 years old. Moving to Florida in 1989, she attended Winter Park High School. In January 1991, at age 16, she was crowned "Miss Puerto Rico, Orlando." After graduating high school in 1992, she worked as a model before deciding to enroll in college. In 1996, she received an Associate of Arts Degree from Valencia Community College, where she was on the dean's list. She then immediately enrolled in the school's police academy, where she completed a grueling six months of physical training and intensive classroom work. In 1998, she was named one of the top three up-and-coming leaders in Central Florida by the Mayaquezanos organization. In March 2001, she was given the Juan Ponce de Leon Award for Future Leader by the Puerto Rican Parade of Central Florida.
Citing her grandfather, a former police officer in Puerto Rico, as her hero, Camacho previously worked as a police officer for the Altamonte Springs Police Department and a security officer for a major theme park. Her hobbies include rollerblading, mountain biking, personal fitness, dancing and kickboxing. She also collects cartoon movies.
Jessie Camacho has a dog, Babsy, and a fish, Blue. Her birth date is Sept. 24.
Interview with Jessie Camacho CBS |
| Kelly Goldsmith |
Born in San Diego, Calif., Kelly Goldsmith, 22, attended high school at La Jolla Country Day School in California. During those four years, Goldsmith served as class vice president, class president and student body vice president. She was also a varsity cheerleader, class homecoming queen and a National Merit Finalisthaving scored 1520 on her SAT exam.
Graduating in 1997, Goldsmith then attended Duke University, where she became a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, serving as social chair and rush chair while working towards her degree in sociology.
Graduating from Duke in 2001, Goldsmith recently started a new job as a behavioral research analyst while she decides where to apply to graduate school. She has previously worked as a research intern for a cosmetic company and chief researcher for a Web site company. Her hobbies include lifting weights, crocheting and, in her words, "manipulating men." She also enjoys singing and performing, having won the role of Abigail Williams in the 2000 Duke Drama Play, "The Crucible." An avid traveler, she has visited over 35 countries.
Kelly Goldsmith has one brother, Bryan. Her parents, Lyda and Marshall, have two dogs, Mandy and Beau. Her birth date is April 27.
Interview with Kelly Goldsmith CBS |
| Kim Johnson |
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Kim Johnson, 57, grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and has lived in New York for the past 20 years, currently on Long Island's Oyster Bay. She attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., and Monmouth University in Long Branch, N.J., where she received a B.S. degree in elementary education.
Though now retired as an elementary school teacher, Johnson has since worked as the league/tournament coordinator for an indoor tennis club and was the owner of a sportswear clothing boutique.
In her free time, Johnson enjoys exercising (running, tennis and free weights), camping, hiking, fishing, sailing, golfing, horseback riding, thoroughbred horse racing and playing games of any kind. She describes herself as nutty, logical and determined. A grandmother of two, with another one on the way, she is extremely proud of her family. She is fluent in sign language, and has volunteered her services over the years for the blind and deaf.
Johnson is a lifetime member of Pi Beta Pi Sorority, the U.S. Tennis Association and the U.S. Platform Tennis Association. She has been married to Ted for 37 years and has three children, Wendy, Kerry and Ted, Jr. Her birth date is Sept. 18.
Interview with Kim Johnson |
| Lex van den Berghe |
Born in Palo Alto, Calif., Lex van den Berghe, 38, resides in Santa Cruz, Calif. With an extensive background in marketing, he was most recently employed as a marketing director of an Internet company. Having worked as a disc jockey at his college radio station, he graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.A. degree in English in 1985.
An avid traveler and fluent in French, van den Berghe has spent time in Kenya, Japan, Israel and all over Europe. His hobbies include time with his wife and children, surfing, music and fishing. He plays the drums and sings in the band Luckydog. Owning up to his deep appreciation for tattoos, he proudly displays the various works of art that cover his arms, legs and torso.
Lex van den Berghe has been married to Kelly for 10 years. They have two boys, Corbin and River. They also have two dogs, Lucky and Daisy, and two cats, Max and Lucy. His birth date is June 18.
Interview with Lex van den Berghe CBS |
| Tom Buchanan |
Born and raised in Rich Valley, Va., Tom Buchanan, 46, is a self-employed goat and cattle farmer on the ranch that has been in his family for three generations.
Buchanan attended Rich Valley High School, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He also served as student body president. He then attended East Tennessee State University as a football walk-on and later earned a full football scholarship, serving as team captain his senior year. After college, he returned home to work on the family farm. Known to his friends as "Big Tom," he enjoys softball, fishing, bird hunting and riding his motorcycle. He is a member of the Virginia Cattleman's Association, Rich Valley Farmer's Club and Rich Valley Presbyterian Church.
Tom Buchanan has been married to Sandy for 23 years. They have one son, Bucky Bo, who is attending Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Ky. Hs birth date is Oct. 30.
Interview with Tom Buchanan©MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved