Survivor is entering a new era after its milestone 50th season, with 21 new castaways ready to compete for the $1 million prize.
Season 51 brings together players ages 24 to 49, with a cast that includes a Grey’s Anatomy actor, a wrestler, a chef and a federal prosecutor.
They’ll be the first to navigate Survivor’s “Open Era,” where the rules of the past are back in play. As host Jeff Probst explained during the Season 50 finale, “Anything that’s ever happened on Survivor can happen again — at any time, in any order, without warning.”
Survivor 51 premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The new season will once again consist of 90-minute episodes and stream on Paramount+.
Here’s who is heading to the island — and what the 21 castaways have said about why they wanted to play.
Aaliyah Puglia
Aaliyah Puglia.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Gloucester City, N.J.
Current residence: Providence, R.I.
For Puglia, part of Survivor’s appeal is its unpredictability. She called it “a show where the impossible happens” and a “twisted, chaotic and thrilling game of strategy.” Her ultimate ambition is straightforward: “It’s a huge accomplishment to win, and I want the title.”
Alexis Levine
Alexis Levine.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Atlanta
Occupation: Criminal defense attorney
For Levine, Survivor tests much more than physical ability. “Survivor represents the best of the human spirit,” she said, adding that it requires “endurance, mental toughness and social awareness.”
Ana Sani
Ana Sani.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Current residence: Toronto
Sani is ready to embrace both the competition and deception that come with the show. “Survivor is the perfect opportunity to lock into my competitive side,” she said. “I love games, and who doesn’t want to lie and deceive in a setting where it’s totally acceptable to do so?”
An “Thien An” Nguyen
An “Thien An” Nguyen.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Current residence: Fort Worth, Texas
Occupation: Medical student
Nguyen sees the show as a rare opportunity to experience something different from everyday life. “Very few opportunities in life let you connect to life in such a raw and authentic way,” she said. “It’s everything I love! New friends and the outdoors.”
Angelica “Jelly” Loblack
Angelica “Jelly” Loblack.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Garland, Texas, and Midwest City, Okla.
Current residence: Bloomington, Ind.
Occupation: Sociology professor
Loblack said Survivor has been part of her life “for as long as I can remember.” She added, “I want to play and win Survivor and experience it with the loved ones who introduced it to me while they’re still here.”
Brady Booker
Brady Booker.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Knoxville, Tenn.
Booker grew up watching the show with his family and is looking forward to testing himself in a different kind of competition. “I love adventure in the outdoors. I love competition,” he said. “I love being pushed to my limit to show what I am truly capable of doing.”
Carter Krull
Carter Krull.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Rock Rapids, Iowa
Current residence: Sioux Falls, S.D.
Occupation: Livestock farmer
Playing Survivor has long been on Krull’s bucket list. “You never know when your last day will be,” he said, “so better get rollin’ on the list!”
Cristian Chavez
Cristian Chavez.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Salt Lake City
Competition is the big draw for Chavez. “I love competition!” he said. “I also want to test my limits in this game and be pushed past my breaking point just to experience it.”
Danny “Kilby” Kilby
Danny “Kilby” Kilby
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Mount Forest, Ontario, Canada
Current residence: London, Ontario, Canada
Occupation: Game designer
Kilby said appearing on the show is the “biggest dream of my whole life.” “Survivor has given me so much already,” Kilby said, explaining that he met his girlfriend while playing a fan-made Survivor game.
Devin Way
Devin Way.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Los Angeles
“There is nothing else like this in the world,” said Way, who has acted in shows including Grey’s Anatomy and Queer As Folk. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play one of the best games in existence!”
Eric Macksoud
Eric Macksoud.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Windsor Locks, Conn.
Occupation: Mental health counselor
Macksoud’s interest in people is part of what attracts him to Survivor. “As someone who loves people and learning about what makes people tick, Survivor is the ultimate celebration of the human experience,” he said.
Jenna Doore
Jenna Doore.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Perrysburg, Ohio
Current residence: Toledo, Ohio
Occupation: Wedding photographer
Doore has watched the show with her family since she was 7 and remembers begging her parents to let her stay up for the finale. “Survivor is all about putting yourself outside your comfort zone and seeing who you become when you do,” she said. “That is why I want to play this game.”
Kristin Flickinger
Kristin Flickinger.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Occupation: Crisis management
Flickinger has been trying to get on Survivor almost since the beginning. “I have been applying for Survivor since the middle of Season 1,” she said. Over the years, the show “has become the lens through which I view and navigate the world — however, dysfunctional that may be.”
Lewis Kelly
Lewis Kelly.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Puerto Rico
Kelly said becoming a U.S. citizen helped turn his ambition to play into a reality. He described the opportunity as a chance “to really live and be an example of my American dream.” His philosophy going in? “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Linnea Capobianco
Linnea Capobianco.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Jersey City, N.J.
“This life, this limited time on earth, is all I am certain of,” Capobianco said. “Survivor provides all those things and more. It’s the ultimate challenge and opportunity of a lifetime that I am so ready for.”
Maggie Nestor
Maggie Nestor.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Middleway, W.Va.
Current residence: Charlestown, W.Va.
Nestor said she has “loved” Survivor since she was 15. “I’ve been watching for 25 years and waiting for this opportunity of a lifetime,” she added.
Mike Pinsky
Mike Pinsky.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: New York City
Occupation: Baseball executive
Pinsky said, “Getting to actually live this dream for real is a one-of-one life experience, and the thrill of this type of adventure sets my heart on fire!”
Ori Jean-Charles
Ori-Jean Charles.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Spring Valley, N.Y.
Current residence: Spring Valley, N.Y.
Occupation: Personal trainer
Jean-Charles’s motivation centers on his family. “They sacrificed everything for me to be here today,” he said, calling Survivor an opportunity “to pay that back for all they have done.”
Patt Cannaday
Patt Cannaday.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Federal prosecutor
Cannaday’s reason for wanting to compete is simple. “I love challenge and new adventures,” he said. “This show is the challenge/adventure of a lifetime.”
Rob Antonson
Rob Antonson.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Current residence: Cumberland, R.I.
Occupation: Airline gate agent
Antonson admits island life will be a departure from what he’s used to. “I’m a total city boy, I have never been an outdoors type,” he said. He wants to prove to his children “that you can get out of your comfort zone, take chances and still succeed.”
Sharonda Cox
Sharonda Cox.
(Robert Voets/CBS)
Hometown: Pompano Beach, Fla.
Current residence: Richmond, Ky.
Occupation: Ob-gyn resident
Cox hopes competing can also inspire “those little Black boys and girls” and people from low-income communities by showing “what we can do despite our disadvantaged beginnings.” She also has a personal goal: “I also want to stop going through the motions of life and meet the new, unapologetic Sharonda.”