When Survivor returns in February for its 22nd season of television, fans have a few surprises in store for them. For one, Redemption Island has a built-in new rule where contestants aren't voted out of the game at Tribal Council; instead, they're sent to the titular Redemption Island, a place where they can compete for an opportunity to return to the game at a later date. Calling that a game-changer is an understatement, to say the least.
But the real surprise is that two former contestants are returning for another shot at the million dollar paycheck. Entertainment Weekly has a rundown of the 18 cast members vying for the title of Sole Survivor this season, with two currently unrevealed veterans tapped to "lead their tribes into battle." The identities of the two contestants will be revealed later in the week, though many Survivor junkies have already known who these two players are for several months now. No spoilers here, but you can find out their identities for yourself by clicking here -- proceed at your own risk!
The other 16 contestants are all new to the game, including former NFL players Steve Wright and Grant Mattos, 2009 Miss USA contestant Ashley Underwood and Auburn University's former head cheerleader Krista Klumpp. Check out the full list of contestants -- sans alumni -- below, courtesy of EW.
Andrea Boehlke
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Current residence: Random Lake, WI
Ashley Underwood
Age: 26
Occupation: Business owner/model
Current residence: Benton, ME
David Murphy
Age: 31
Occupation: Criminal defense attorney
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
Francesca Hogi
Age: 35
Occupation: Lawyer
Current residence: Washington, D.C.
Grant Mattos
Age: 29
Occupation: Personal Trainer/ Former NFL player
Current residence: West Hollywood, CA
Julie Wolfe
Age: 50
Occupation: Fire department engineer
Current residence: Oceanside, CA
Krista Klumpp
Age: 25
Occupation: Pharmaceutical sales rep
Current residence: Fairhope, AL
Kristina Kell
Age: 46
Occupation: Law student
Current residence: Los Angeles, CA
Matthew Elrod
Age: 22
Occupation: Pre-med student
Current residence: Nashville, TN
Mike Chisel
Age: 31
Occupation: Realtor/ex-military
Current residence: Del Mar, CA
Natalie Tenerelli
Age: 19
Occupation: Dancer/student
Current residence: Acton, CA
Phillip Sheppard
Age: 52
Occupation: CEO, Enterprise Software Sales Group
Current residence: Santa Monica, CA
Ralph Kiser
Age: 45
Occupation: Farmer
Current residence: Lebanon, VA
Sarita White
Age: 36
Occupation: Visual effects producer
Current residence: Santa Monica, CA
Stephanie Valencia
Age: 26
Occupation: Server/student
Current residence: Long Beach, CA
Steve Wright
Age: 51
Occupation: Former NFL player
Current residence: Huntington Beach, CA