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Survivor is back with a new season, set to premiere on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 8 pm EST/PST on CBS and Paramount+. The upcoming season 46 will introduce viewers to 18 cast members competing for the grand prize of $1 million.
The show will be hosted by Jeff Probst and has been filmed in Fiji. According to a February 5, 2024 CBS press release via Variety:
"The moral dilemmas, extreme situations, and new twists in the game will test even the strongest competitor, and the mental and physical challenges require players to masterfully evolve their strategies to survive another day.”
Meet the 18 contestants joining Survivor Season 46
Jemila Hussain-Adams
32-year-old Survivor 46 contestant Jemila, also known as Jems, is a Chicago resident. According to a February 5, 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she introduced herself as "motivated, resilient, hilarious." In her free time, she likes to binge-watch TV shows and work out.
In the interview, she described herself as a "risk taker," adding "let’s just say if it’s not risky, I’m not interested."
Ben Katzman
Ben is a 31-year-old musician from Miami. He is a passionate individual who likes to play guitar and spend time on the beach. Ben revealed that he has been "hustling for years" to make a name for himself in the music industry but after some time he started focusing on status and money rather than his love for creating art. In his interview with EW, he stated:
"People assume I’m a laid-back rocker/surfer dude, but I think I’m more emotionally intelligent than most people give me credit for."
Jessica Chong
Jessica, aka Jess, grew up in Hong Kong and Toronto, and currently resides in San Francisco. The 37-year-old software engineer is a compassionate, empathetic social butterfly who took the risk to start her own freelance web design business. Jess believes she is the perfect candidate to join the Survivor.
She told EW:
"I’m proud that after I transitioned my career into software engineering I worked to help others make the transition, too! I love mentoring people who are new to software engineering, especially when they’ve transitioned later in life."
Bhanu Gopal
41-year-old Indian contestant Bhanu Gopal is an IT quality analyst who likes to dance and swim. The Acton resident said he is often mistaken as an extrovert due to his body language, but has an introverted personality. According to him, his most admirable qualities are adaptability and independence.
"My friends have often called me adaptable and independent because I’ve lived alone in many different cities. They also tell me I’m emotional both in how I express myself but also because of my great ability to listen and support my friends with what they’re going through. I’m always there for my friends," he said.
Kenzie Petty
The fifth cast member of Survivor 46 is Kenzie. Kenzie is a salon owner who is from Charlotte and grew up in her hometown Gibraltar. According to her friends, she is described as "resilient, resourceful, driven, self-sufficient, adventurous." These qualities will help her stand out in the competition.
Speaking about her experience of starting her salon, Kenzie recalled:
"Opening my salon was a giant risk. I have no business degree."
Charlie Davis
Charlie is a law student from Boston. At just 26 years of age, he is ready to become a part of Survivor 46. Alongside being competitive, Charlie describes himself as loyal, funny, and fun-loving. He told EW:
"You would never be able to tell how hard I fight for the people I love."
Liz Wilcox
As a Marketing Strategist from Orlando, 35-year-old Liz opened up about the major risk she had to take in her life when she decided to leave her marriage. She said:
"There was a moment in my marriage where I knew it wouldn’t work. I decided to leave. No plan or cash. It was really scary. But I just had to go out on my own. It ended up being the best thing ever and I have more now than I ever could have dreamed of."
She is a growth-minded individual who decided to take a risk even when it was out of her comfort zone.
David Jelinsky
David is one of the youngest contestants on Survivor 46. At 22 years old, the Las Vegas salesman used to do theater when he was a kid. David further disclosed bits about his personality such as him being a swiftie and and taking part in sports such as basketball and bowling. He also revealed the major risk he took in his life during his interview with ET, saying:
"Dropping out for one year after high school was a risk that has paid off so far."
Maria Shrime Gonzalez
The determined and resilient cast member of Survivor 46, Maria is a 41-year-old parent coach who decided to move to Costa Rica to volunteer as an English teacher in collaboration with WorldTeach. Speaking about her experience there, she told EW:
"I learned to thrive in an environment that was vastly different from the comfort I knew as home."
Hunter McKnight
Hutner is a 28-year-old science teacher on Survivor who realized later in life that teaching was his passion, despite getting a scholarship for medical school, he took the risk of following his heart. Explaining his attributes, Hunter believes he has a competitive and adamant personality. He told EW:
"I left a full-ride scholarship and direct admission into medical school to come back and teach in my hometown."
Moriah Gaynor
Another 28-year-old Survivor 46 contestant, Moriah is a program coordinator who lives in San Diego. She told EW that she admires her own organizational skills and her ability to plan things timely:
"I’m always the person to organize the trip, plan the party, or really make an event happen."
Q Burdette
Q is a real estate agent from Memphis. He is a risk taker who decided to switch jobs to pursue his dream in real estaste, which he was interested in. He said he thinks his friends view him as "talkative." He likes fishing and building houses.
Soda Thompson
Soda is a special ed teacher from Lake Hopatcong, and likes to sing in her free time. She revealed she married a Brazilian native after just knowing him for 6 months, but the two managed to work things out. Apart from that, the 27-year-old Survivor contestant is proud of her accomplishments and told EW:
"I am so proud of the life I have built. I have a great job and work hard to have honest relationships."
Randen Montalvo
41-year-old Randen thinks of himself as an analytical person who likes to take a deep dive into things and express his opinions. Throughout his life, he has taken different risks to upgrade his lifestyle and choose happiness. Randen revealed he had ",oved to another state, decided to start a family, and joined the military while in an existing career to create a foundation for my children."
Tiffany Nicole Ervin
Tiffany is a 33-year-old artist who was scared of choosing art as a full-time job due to its unexpected nature of work. During COVID, however, she decided to give it a chance and it worked out great for her in the long run. Tiffany mentioned:
"I was laid off [from] my job of six years at the top of 2020 and instead of scrambling to find another job that I likely wouldn’t have been happy with, I had the courage to follow my gut and pursue being a full-time artist instead."
Tevin Davis
Tevin is a Survivor 46 contestant who is optimistic that he will win the grand prize at the end. The 24-year-old actor is proud of his academic achievements and scholarships, due to which he was able to complete his high school education as his parents were struggling financially.
"I’m a country boy at heart and don’t ever think I’m too good to get a little messy!" he told EW.
Venus Vafa
24-year-old Canadian participant Venus is a data analyst who might come off as a mean girl, which is a major misconception about her. According to Venus, she is passionate and is a sweetheart inside, despite her seemingly "tough exterior."
She told EW:
"My biggest accomplishment is also my biggest lesson in never giving up: graduating from university."
Tim Spicer
The last contestant on Survivor 46 is Tim. Tim is a 31-year-old college coach from Atlanta. He is a strategic thinker and is also goal-oriented. He revealed to EW in his interview:
"One of the most paramount risks of my life was applying to graduate school."
Don't forget to stream the upcoming season of Survivor on CBS, from February 28 onwards.
