Stranded In Paradise

Sixteen Americans are stranded on Nuku Hiva, a distant neighbor of Tahiti in the South Pacific.

To survive in these primitive surroundings, the contestants on the CBS TV show Survivor: Marquesas must form a cooperative society - building shelter, gathering and catching food and competing in challenges for rewards and immunity. To the winners will go a variety of rewards to make island life more bearable. Those who fail must do without. The best at "sirvival" takes home $1 million. The cast of the fourth "Survivor" game was introduced this week. The show premieres Thursday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. EST/PST.

Maraamu Tribe

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Gina Crews

Gina Crews was born and raised in Alachua, Fla. She received a bachelor of science degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with minors in Zoology and Secondary Education from the University of Florida.

Crews was most recently employed as a naturalist at a nature center while also working as a promotions coordinator for a non-profit organization. She previously worked as a high school biology and earth science teacher. In 1996 ,she was crowned the Florida Watermelon Queen and, in 1997, the National Watermelon Queen. In 1998, she won the annual seed-spitting contest with a spitting distance of 37 feet 11 inches.

Crews' favorite hobbies are traveling, backpacking, cooking, rock climbing, canoeing and playing her guitar.

Single, rews lives in Gainesville, Fla., with two cats and a dog. Her birth date is Feb. 7.

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Hunter Ellis

Hunter Ellis was born in Alexandria, Va. and spent many years moving around as part of a U.S. Navy family.

Ellis attended the University of Southern California. After receiving a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and went on to complete Naval Flight Training in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, Texas. He graduated number one in his class. His operational tours include two six-month Western Pacific/Persian Gulf deloyments, flying Hornets off the U.S.S. Carl Vinson and the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. He also achieved qualifications as a landing signals officer and as an F/A-18 tactics instructor. During his career, he amassed over 2,000 flight hours and 433 carrier landings.

Ellis works as a pilot for a major shipping company.

He lives in La Jolla, Calif., where he enjoys all outdoor sports. An avid traveler, he makes annual visits to Tavarua, Fiji, and Whistler, British Columbia, to surf and ski. His birth date is July 5.

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Patricia Jackson

Born in Columbia, S.C., Patricia Jackson attended Claire High School and studied cosmetology at vocational school. In 1968, she met her husband, David. After they were married, her husband joined the United States Army. They served two separate three-year tours of duty in Baumholder and Karlsruhe, Germany.

Jackson currently works as a process technician, building heavy trucks for a major trucking company. She has also worked as a cosmetologist for more than 35 years. In her spare time, she enjoys endurance racing (50 miles), breaking and training horses and four-wheel riding.

Jackson lives in Lugoff, S.C. with her husband of 31 years. They have two children, Davey and Charles (C.J..) An avid equestrian, she owns an Arabian horse, Blaca, and a National Spotted Saddle Horse, Susie. Her birth date is April 8.

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Peter Harkey

Peter Harkey was born and raised in Millis, Mass. He still lives in the house he grew up in, which was built by his late father. He and his brother own a wine shop and a bowling alley. In addition, he is a yoga enthusiast and works in real estate and construction.

Harkey attended Boston College, from which he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in 1979. He enjoys hockey, water sports and travel.

arkey lives with his wife, Erika, and their two children, Samantha and Tommy. His birth date is Jan. 17.

Robert Mariano was born and raised in Boston, Mass.

He is a foreman for a construction company and coach for Boston University's Inline Hockey Team.

Mariano attended Boston Universit,y where he boxed and played rugby. In 1999, he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. He aspires to one day become a doctor.

His hobbies include hockey, fishing and playing cards. In 2000, he woke up the day of the Boston Marathon and decided to run it as an unofficial entry with absolutely no training. He stopped along the way to eat burgers and drink beer. He ended up walking the last 13 miles of the race and finished in 6 hours and 20 minutes. He couldn't walk for three days afterwards.

Robert Mariano currently lives in Canton, Mass. He has one brother, Mike, and one sister, Heather. His birth date is Dec. 25.

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Sarah Jones

Sarah Jones was born in Juneau, Alaska. While growing up, she moved back and forth between there and Virginia. In fact, she drove cross-country six times before she turned 13.

Jones obtained an associate of arts degree in business administration with an emphasis on marketing from Santa Barbara City College. She then earned a bachelor of arts degree in communication from California State University, Fullerton.

Most recently, Jones worked as an account manager for a clothing company while also doing freelance work as a still photographer. In addition, she works part time as a representative for a major beverage company and is a food server/cocktail waitress at a major restaurant chain. She enjoys rock climbing, dancing and traveling in her free time.

Jones has two sisters and one brother and is extremely proud of her parents, especially her mother, who is a breast cancer survivor.

Last August, ones visited Hawaii, completing her ambition to visit every single state in the U.S. She livesin Newport Beach, Calif. Her birth date is Aug. 11.

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Sean Rector

Sean Rector was born and raised in Harlem, N.Y. He attended boarding school at Milton S. Hershey School in Hershey, Pa., before moving to Albany to obtain his bachelor of arts degree in theater and psychology from the State University of New York.

Rector is a junior high teacher in South Central Los Angeles. He is also the school's head basketball coach and works with the school's drama club. Previously, he has worked as a specialist for a homeless shelter, a clerk on the stock exchange and a school counselor. His favorite hobbies are basketball and reading.

Rector resides in Los Angeles. His birth date is Aug. 20.

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Vecepia Towery

Born in Portland, Ore., Vecepia "Vee" Towery attended Portland Community College before receiving a bachelor of science degree in Human Services with minors in Sociology and Psychology from Troy State University in Alabama.

Towery is office manager for a software development company. A former member of the U.S. Air Force, Towery spent several years in Soesterberg, The Netherlands, while on active duty. She was assigned to the 32nd Security Police Squadron and was the base D.A.R.E. and Crime Prevention Officer. She was awarded the base Airman of the Year honors and inducted into the United States Air Forces Europe Sports Hall of Fame. She finished her Air Force career in the Reserves stationed in Portland, Oregon; Montgomery, Alabama; and Marietta, Georgia. After leaving the military, Towery worked as an administrative assistant, information specialist and events coordinator/executive secretary.

Towery enjoys dancing, basketball, volleyball, and tennis, working with young girls and writing poetry.

Towery lives in Hayward, Calif. with her fiancé. Her birth date is Dec. 9.

Rotu Tribe

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Gabriel Cade

Gabriel Cade was born and raised in the tiny alternative community of Celo, N.C. His family runs a small farm with goats, chickens, rabbits and fields of blueberry bushes. Cade has one brother and a twin sister.

Cade attended the University of North Carolina where he intended to pursue a double major in biology and drama with a double minor in English and French. After his freshman year, he went to Europe to lead adventure trips. He returned to the States and enrolled in a Sarasota, Fla., school named New College which had no grades and no core requirements. If a course didn't exist, he was able to create it and call it an independent reading project. For a brief time, his major was French Science Fiction. While there, he was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing soccer with a semi-professional team while also coaching at a local middle school. In addition, he performed and taught ballroom dancing.

In the summer of 1998, Cade spent four months hiking the Appalachian Trail from Mount Katahdin, Maine, to Springer Mountain, Ga. (approximately 2,000 miles). He then returned to college, this time at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, until he decided to move to Los Angeles. He obtained a job writing for a national college newspaper where he ran the entertainment section. When he decided to leave the paper, he then began teaching an S.A.T. math prep course while bartending and serving as a chauffeur for an elderly gentleman.

Cade's favorite hobbies are reading, writing, soccer, camping and learning new languages. He is fluent in French and moderately versed in three additional languages. He lives in Hollywood, Calif. His birth date is July 1.

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John Carroll

John F. Carroll was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Omaha, Neb. He attended Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Neb. on a track and cross-country scholarship, and lettered in tennis as a walk-on during his sophomore year. While attending Midland, he was elected class president, appointed entertainment director for campus activities, joined the Kappa Phi fraternity, ministered as a liturgical clown and appeared in campus theatre productions. He holds an associate of science degree in nursing from Excelsior College and is a registered nurse in Nebraska. In 2000, he delivered the senior commencement speech at Bellevue University after graduating summa cum laude with a bacheor of science degree in criminal justice.

After leaving Midland, Carroll spent nearly three years in the United States Air Force where he worked as a medic. In 1990, he moved to Los Angeles, where he spent almost eight years working with people afflicted with AIDS.

In 1997, Carroll returned to Omaha and began working with US West/Qwest, a telecommunication and broadband company. He soon became a sales consultant and trainer. In his spare time, he became a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America, the world's largest industry-related volunteer organization, and raised money for various relief and community events.

Carroll briefly attended Creighton University School of Law in August, 2001, but withdrew when he was informed that he had been selected to participate in "Survivor: Marquesas." He will return to Creighton in August, 2002, to resume his law studies.

arroll is an avid fan of the University of Nebraska Cornhusker's football team. His other hobbies include digital photography, playing volleyball, lifting weights, running, swimming, landscaping and adding to his hot-sauce collection. He also donates his time and services to the Van Ness Recovery House, Nebraska AIDS Project, LA Goal/Inside Out Productions and The Elephant Sanctuary.

Single, Carroll lives in Omaha. His birth date is June 14.

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Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien

Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien was born in Lancaster, Pa. She has lived in Boston, Mass.; Charlotte, S. C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Washington, D.C.; and San Diego, Calif. She spent four years of college at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Vavrick-O'Brien is a real estate agent. Prior to this, she was self-employed for 10 years, running her two small businesses - a paper, gifts, and art products store and an event-planning business. She also worked in newspaper advertising. Her favorite hobbies are hiking, skiing, sailing, road biking and fly-fishing. In 1998, she biked across the United States for the American Lung Association as a dedication to her father. The trip was 48 days from Seattle to Washington, D.C., and raised over $1.5 million.

Vavrick-O'Brien resides in Burlington, Vt. She has one son, Patrick. Her birth date is Jan. 6.

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Neleh Dennis

Neleh Dennis was born in Heber City, Utah, and has five brothers and two sisters. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Helen. Same name, only spelled backwards. Dennis has lived in California, Idaho, and most recently, Layton, Utah. She graduated from Layton High School in 1998.

Dennis attended Weber State University and earned an associate degree. She is working on a bachelor of science in psychology with an emphasis on child and family studies. In addition, she took SCUBA diving lessons while in school. She also worked part-time as a psych tech on an adult psychiatric ward at an area hospital.

Dennis works full-time as a make-up artist for a major cosmetic company. In addition, she has acquired 900 hours toward a degree in cosmetology.

Dennis enjoys country dancing, camping, boating, snowboarding, working out and waterskiing. She also enjoys exploring new places, going for long drives in the country, picnicking and four-wheeling. Ever the adventurer, she is a member of the Mountaineering Club. She lives with her parents and three of her brothers.
She admits to a major sweet tooth and says she loves to eat. Her birth date is Feb. 19.

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Paschal English

Paschal English was born in Birmingham, Ala. He received a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Georgia in Athens.

English currently serves as a Superior Court judge in the Griffin Judicial Circuit in Georgia. He was a member of the United States Air Force from 1969-73, serving in Southeast Asia from 1971-72. After leaving the Air Force as a captain, he joined the Georgia Air National Guard, from which he retired in 1998 as a Colonel. Prior to his appointment in 1987 as a Superior Court judge, English served as chief assistant district attorney for 12 years.

English enjoys jogging, traveling and watching athletic events. He is a member of the Thomaston Bar Association, Griffin Circuit Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association and First United Methodist Church of Thomaston.

English lives in Thomaston, Georgia, with his wife of 35 years, Beverly, and their dog, Dudley. They have two grown daughters and one granddaughter.

Born and raised in Flushing, N.Y., Robert DeCanio has one older brother and one older sister. He attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, N.Y. After graduation, he went on to study for two semesters at St. John's University in Jamaica, N.Y.

DeCanio currently works as a limousine operator in New York City. He has previously worked as a customs service manager for the United States Postal Service (18½ years) and as a general contractor.

DeCanio enjoys mountain biking, weight lifting, jogging and anything involving the New York Rangers. Single, DeCanio lives in College Point, N.Y. His birth date is June 19.

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Tammy Leitner

Born in San Diego, Calif., Tammy Leitner currently works as a crime writer in Mesa, Ariz. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University in Massachusetts.

Leitner has earned multiple Arizona and New York state awards for crime reporting, including one for a first-person account of the time she spent behind bars "doing time." She received an Arizona Press Club Award for coverage of legendary mob informant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano's arrest in Arizona.

Proving she'll do anything to get a story, Leitner once burst into a burning building and, in another instance, worked as a member of a NASCAR pit crew. In 1999, Leitner was honored by the City of Scottsdale, Ariz., for saving a drowning man. She is writing a true crime book about a serial rapist who evaded police for 16 years during a multi-state spree.

Leitner's hobbies include running, biking, lifting weights, kickboxing, camping, photography and traveling. She is engaged to Mike, her boyfriend of four years, and likes to spend time with her beloved 140-pound Newfoundland, Bacchus. Her birth date is July 3.

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Zoe Zanidakis

Zoe Zanidakis is a native and resident of Monhegan Island, Maine, and a descendent of nine generations who have lived and fished there since the late 1700s. Up until high school, she attended the one-room school on the island. Once high school began, she moved to the mainland to attend Maine Central Institute and Toms River High School. She returned to the island each summer to help run the family business.

Nicknamed "Lobster Lady," Zanidakis is a commercial fisherman and a charter boat captain. She owns and operates her own 40-foot vessel, the "Equinox." She spends the winter months fishing for lobster off Monhegan Island and the summer months fishing and running charters. In addition, she holds a 100gt U.S. Coast Guard Captains License, is an open-water certified SCUBA diver and is logging hours for her private helicopter license. She has previously owned and managed a hotel and restaurant that had been in her family for four generations. In addition, she ran a seasonal gift shop on the island. In her spare time, Zanidakis enjoys horseback riding, motorcycles, ice hockey, dancing, traveling and fishing.

Zoe Zanidakis has one son, Ron. Her birthdate is March 17.

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