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The 18th season of Survivor marks a few changes. This is the first season which allowed those under 21 years old to apply for a slot on the show. All of them will have to stay for 39 days in Tocantins, a state located in central Brazil marked by tropical temperatures, terrible downpours and the Rio Novo river. So who exactly are they?

Benjamin Wade, 37, is a soccer coach and part-time orchestra conductor from Bolivar, Montana. He’s no stranger to the wilderness, having kayaked all 6,132 miles from Baja, California to Colombia by himself. “I’m in this game because I want to change it,” he said. “It’s become survival of the weakest. I want the strongest to survive.”

Brendan Synnott, 30, is an entrepreneur from New York City. He sees his experience with Bear Naked Granola—which he sold to Kellogg’s for $122 million—as a good character-building experience. “I think it’s healthy to have everything taken from you and then have to rebuild,” he said.

Candace Smith, 31, is a former lawyer—and current actress and events planner—from Los Angeles, California. She says she’d be willing to eat anything to win the show. “Having to eat something [weird] for a chance to win a million dollars is nothing to me,” she said. “I grew up eating chitlins.”

Carolina Eastwood, 26, is a bartender from Los Angeles, California. The half-Panamanian prepared for the show in the most offbeat of ways: have her body hair removed. “I got lasered from head to toe because I’m ethnic in the hairiest sense of the word,” she said. “And I did not want to scare people with my overgrown armpits.”

Debra Beebe, 46, is a middle school principal from Auburn, Alabama. The self-described adventure seeker still cringes at what the competition could offer. “Digging a hole and going Big Bathroom in the middle of nowhere … having to wipe with your hands … Is my body going to shut down because I can’t do it?” she said.

Erinn Lobdell, 26, is a hairstylist from Waukesha, Wisconsin. She believes that her gift to get a stranger to trust her in five minutes will help her a lot on the show. “I work at a nice salon, so if this works out for me, I’ll be the new owner when I get home,” she quipped.

James Thomas Jr., 24, is a cattle rancher from Samson, Alabama. The self-described country boy believes his experience in the field will help him and his tribe throughout. “Deer, turkey, wild hog, coyote—everything you’re allowed to hunt in Alabama, I’ve hunted,” he said.

Jerry Sims, 49, is a US Army sergeant from Rock Hill, South Carolina. He plans to take and do things differently on Survivor, as opposed to the way he leads his company of a hundred Army reserves. “I don’t want to be the boss,” he said. “The leader gets axed too early.”

Joe Dowdle, 26, is a commercial real estate broker from Austin, Texas. His strategy is simple: to persuade people to side with him, or get away when things get tough. “If it works, I will have pulled off something miraculous,” he said. “If not, I’ll get pretty far anyway.”

Sandy Burgin, 53, is a bus driver from Louisville, Kentucky. The tattooed grandmother was one of the first to audition, and thinks she can endure all the conditions that Tocantins has to offer. “My willpower is phenomenal,” she claimed. “On a scale of one to 10, it’s a 12.”

Sierra Reed, 23, is a model from Los Angeles, California. She didn’t have to try out for Survivor, claiming that producers approached her with an offer. She also claims to not need the million-dollar prize. “Money comes and goes,” she said. “If I’d saved when I was just starting out, I’d be a multimillionaire by now.”

Spencer Duhm, 19, is a college sophomore from Lakeland, Florida. He’s been closely studying the game since he was 11, and is now the youngest Survivor contestant in history. His tip to win: “You have to assume they’re going to screw you before you screw them over.”

Stephen Fishbach, 29, is a corporate consultant from New York City. He goes by many names, but isn’t willing to be called by his nickname at home—“Fish”—while in the Brazilian rainforests. “I can’t [use it] here because when I can’t fish, I’m going to look like an idiot,” he said.

Sydney Wheeler, 24, is a model and interior designer from San Diego, California. She’s not afraid to use her looks and appeal to get the upper hand in the competition. “I plan to make alliances with the athletic guys,” she said. “If I’ve gotta flirt, I’m gonna flirt. Work with what you’ve got. Right?”

Taj Johnson-George, 37, was formerly part of Grammy-nominated singing group SWV, and is now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite being married to NFL star Eddie George, she is out to prove she isn’t pampered. “I’m a 5′9”, 190-pound tomboy,” she said. “I’m gon’ tear ‘em up when I get out there.”

Tyson Apostol, 29, is a bike shop manager from Lindon, Utah. The former professional cyclist thinks he’d win Survivor because he’d be good at it. “May as well go and win,” the 31-mph biker said. “And $1 million in two months isn’t a bad paycheck.” His strategy: push other people’s buttons.

Survivor: Tocantins premieres on February 12, from 8pm ET, on CBS.

Source: Buddy TV