Survivor: Panama" Cast Unveiled

Survivor: Panama" Cast Unveiled By Gina Serpe
Tue Jan 10, 12:34 AM ET



A modern day caveman, a Mr. Miyagi wannabe and a hot mama.

If their self-proclamations are any indication, this season's batch of
Survivor hopefuls may be the most colorful yet.


CBS on Monday unveiled the latest batch of 16 castaways ready to battle
it out for a million bucks in the granddaddy of reality TV's 12th
edition, Survivor: Panama--Exile Island, set to premiere Feb. 2.


Along with the identities of the Gilligans, the network also announced
some tweaks with the show's formula.


Newly reupped host Jeff Probst will kick off the 39-day contest by
dividing the competitors into tribes of four, separated into the
politically incorrect groupings of Older Men vs. Older Women vs.
Younger Men vs. Younger Women. The four tribes will become two in a
"schoolyard pick" during the second episode.


A hint to the season's most insidious new gimmick, though, has can be
found in the show's Exile Island subtitle. Each episode, one castaway
from the losing tribe will be banished to a separate island, several
miles away from their group's encampment. While there, contestants will
be forced to fend for themselves until being reunited with their tribe;
however, there's a hidden immunity idol on the island. Should the
banished castaway find it, that person can use the idol to save
themselves at a future tribal council.


Among the latest castaways to be vying for immunity this season are
some pretty heavy hitters, including 52-year-old retired astronaut Dan
Barry from South Hadley, Massachusetts.


"I've had the opportunity to fly on three space shuttle missions, two
to the International Space Station and, along the way, do four
space walks," Barry said on CBS' Early Show Monday.


In the first episode, he'll be grouped with fellow "mature" tribe
member Bruce Kanegai, a karate instructor from Simi Valley, California,
who at age 58 is the show's oldest player.


"I want to be Mr. Miyagi," Kanegai said. "A survivor."


As for the young'uns, 32-year-old Bobby Mason, an attorney from Los
Angeles, is coming at the game from a slightly less enlightened angle.


"I'm not like some pretty boy--soft, mushy, sensitive, caring,
considerate dude," Mason said. "I'm basically a modern day caveman."


As for the women, South Carolina spawns two contestants this season,
35-year-old registered nurse Cirie Fields and 48-year-old shopping
developer Ruth Marie Milliman.


Fields, for one, has her game plan in order.


"I want to be like the hot mama," she said. "I want to be the hot
nurse. I want to be the hot cook. I just want to be hot, really."


On the opposite end of the women's spectrum is Tina Scheer, 45, a
lumberjack who calls herself a "lumberjill."


"I'm a female in a male-dominated business," Scheer said. "And I have
had to struggle a lot."


Here's a complete look at the contenders:

Dan Barry, 52, retired astronaut from South Hadley, Massachusetts
Aras Baskausas, 24, yoga instructor from Santa Monica
Austin Carty, 24, author from High Point, North Carolina
Terry Deitz, 46, retired Navy fighter pilot from Simsbury, Connecticut
Danielle DiLorenzo, 24, medical sales representative from Pompano
Beach, Florida
Cirie Fields, 35, registered nurse from Waterboro, South Carolina
Misty Giles, 24, engineer from Dallas
Melinda Hyder, 32, singer from Sevierville, Texas
Bruce Kanegai, 58, karate instructor from Simi Valley, California
Courtney Marit, 31, performance artist from Los Angeles
Bobby Mason, 32, attorney from Los Angeles
Ruth Marie Milliman, 48, director of retail leasing from Greenville,
South Carolina
Shane Powers, 35, entertainment marketing company owner from Los
Angeles
Tina Scheer, 45, logging sports promoter/performer from Hayward,
Wisconsin
Sally Schumann, 27, social worker from Chicago
Nick Stanbury, 25, financial sales rep from Tempe, Arizona

.

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