CBS today announced the 16 new castaways who will compete in “Survivor: China” when the 15th installment of the Emmy Award-winning series premieres Thursday, Sept. 20 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
“Survivor: China” will feature a cast of 16 Americans who will begin the series amid the bustle of downtown Shanghai before moving to HuangPu Mountain’s Mi Tuo Temple for a Buddhist ceremony where they will be instructed to leave all of their worldly possessions behind. The castaways will then be marooned with the clothes on their back at two separate islands on Zhelin Lake (translation: the Land of 1,000 Lakes) located in the Jiangxi Province. They will split into two tribes, Fei Long (translation: Flying Dragon) and Zhan Hu (translation: Fighting Tiger), and will each be given a copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for tribe motivation and assistance throughout the game.
“Survivor: China” will once again afford each tribe the opportunity to obtain a Hidden Immunity Idol which may save someone from elimination at a future Tribal Council. This time, two Hidden Immunity Idols will be in plain sight (one at each camp), although the castaways will not realize this at the start of the game. Each week, the winning tribe of the Reward Challenge will be allowed to kidnap someone from the losing tribe. The person who is kidnapped will receive a note from host Jeff Probst before departing for the enemy camp and will be instructed to give it to one member of the enemy tribe (the kidnapped victim will decide who receives it) in private. The clue will inform this person of the Hidden Immunity Idol located somewhere at their camp. This person must then decide if they wish to share the information with their tribe or keep it to themselves. The kidnapped victim will return to their original tribe at the following Immunity Challenge.
Castaways competing in “Survivor: China” (in alphabetical order) are:
JEAN-ROBERT BELLANDE
36
Las Vegas (originally from Long Island, N.Y.)
Professional Poker Player
JAMES CLEMENT
30
Lafayette, La.
Grave Digger
DAVE CRUSER
37
Simi Valley, Calif.
Former Model
JAIME DUGAN
22
Columbia, S.C. (originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
Student
TODD HERZOG
22
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Flight Attendant
ERIK HUFFMAN
26
Nashville, Tenn. (originally from Greenville, S.C.)
Musician
AMANDA KIMMEL
23
Los Angeles (originally from Kalispell, Mont.)
Hiking Guide
PEIH-GEE LAW
29
Marina Del Rey, Calif. (born in Hong Kong)
Jeweler
SHEREA LLOYD
26
Atlanta (originally from Pontiac, Mich.)
Elementary Teacher
DENISE MARTIN
40
Douglas, Mass. (originally from Revere, Mass.)
School Lunch Lady
ASHLEY MASSARO
28
East Northport, N.Y.
Professional WWE Wrestler
CHICKEN MORRIS
47
Marion, Va.
Chicken Farmer
LESLIE NEASE
38
Tega Cay, S.C.
Christian Radio Talk Show Host
AARON REISBERGER
32
Venice, Calif. (originally from Belmont County, Ohio)
Surfing Instructor
COURTNEY YATES
26
New York City (originally from Boston)
Waitress
FROSTI ZERNOW
20
Chicago (originally from Traverse City, Mich.)
Parkour Athlete/Student
“Survivor: China” is hosted by Jeff Probst and produced by SEG, Inc. Mark Burnett is the executive producer. Doug McCallie, Kevin Greene and Teri Kennedy are co-executive producers.
For more detailed information on “Survivor: China” and the 16 new castaways, log on to CBS.com/Survivor.
