CBS has unveiled the 21 newcomer castaways competing in Survivor Season 51, a Fiji-based edition that host Jeff Probst calls the Open Era.
The reveal comes three months after the reality competition series crowned Aubry Bracco as the winner of its monumental 50th season, which awarded a 2 million dollar prize. Season 51 features a roster made up entirely of first-time competitors striving to outwit, outplay and outlast one another for the title of sole survivor.
Probst introduced the new format at the end of last season, promising to push the new cast members to their limits. In a teaser for the upcoming season, the 64-year-old host announced that the game will incorporate elements from across the show's history.
"A new crop of players is about to birth a new kind of game, and this one has no boundaries," Probst said in the teaser. "For the first time ever, our entire history, every advantage, every idol, every twist we've ever done, 50 seasons of Survivor, is in play, along with dangerous new elements never seen before."
He added that the competition will become a shape-shifting game, changing without warning and creating permanent uncertainty for the players in Fiji.
Jeff Probst Reflects on 25 Years of Hosting
Probst, an Emmy Award winner who has hosted the series for 25 years, discussed his ongoing dedication to the show during an August 6 appearance on The Ankler podcast series Rushfield Lunch.
"I still love it," Probst said. "I hope the enthusiasm is still clear when I'm hosting. I have a great sense of joy for it. I mean, I really love it. I love that I get to be a part of making an adventure for the people who want it."
The host explained that he and the creative team behind Survivor structure the series for three main groups of people.
"There's the players, and we want the show and the game and the experience to be really fun, but we take that responsibility very seriously," Probst said. "Then there's the audience, some of whom want to live vicariously, some of whom want to just sit and judge. Some want to solve the mystery."
He noted that the third group is the production crew working behind the scenes. "We dedicate our lives to this career," Probst said. "Those of us that are involved all year round, it's non-stop. So, we want to be satisfied creatively. And all of those things together bring us all back."
The 21 Castaways Competing in Season 51
Among the new cast members is 27-year-old professional wrestler Brady Booker from Tennessee, who expressed eagerness to body slam his opponents. "Everyone looks at me a probably thinks big dumb jock. I hope so, bro," Booker said in a cast introduction video released on August 26. "I'm gonna push the envelope. The second they let off the gas pedal I'm going to use this brain I got to get after them."
The roster includes two contestants from Canada: voice actress Ana Sani from Toronto, and 30-year-old video game designer Danny "Kilby" Kilby from Ontario, a self-described video game fanatic and dork.
Three castaways work in agriculture. Carter Krull is a 24-year-old Iowa farmer, Maggie Nestor is a 40-year-old farmer from West Virginia, and 28-year-old Lewis Kelly is an Irish farmer who lives on a farm with his wife in Puerto Rico.
Legal professionals on the island include Alexis Levine, a 34-year-old criminal defense attorney originally from Georgia, and Patt Cannaday, a 33-year-old criminal prosecutor.
Diverse Backgrounds and Professions Join the Roster
The medical and healthcare fields are represented by Sharonda Cox, a 34-year-old OBGYN; An "Thien An" Nguyen, a 24-year-old medical student hailing from Texas; and Eric Macksoud, a 34-year-old mental health counselor.
Several castaways hail from the East Coast. Aaliyah Puglia is a 24-year-old chef and baker born in New Jersey, while 25-year-old Linnea Capobianco is an entrepreneur also from New Jersey. Mike Pinsky, 32, is a New Yorker working in sports, and 27-year-old New York native Ori Jean-Charles works as a personal trainer.
Other competitors include Devin Way, a 33-year-old actor living in Los Angeles; Cristian Chavez, a 25-year-old human resources representative from Salt Lake City; and Kristin Flickinger, a 49-year-old crisis management professional.
Rounding out the 21 castaways are Jenna Doore, a 30-year-old wedding photographer; Rob Antonson, a 40-year-old airline gate agent; and Angelica "Jelly" Loblack, a 29-year-old sociology teacher.
