Survivor: Vanuatu Players Revealed

CBS has revealed the 18 players for Survivor: Vanuatu. No, that’s not a typo – there are two more players than usual this time around. Does that mean they are doing the three-tribe method that was used for Survivor: All-Stars? Or just two teams of nine? Well, to be honest, we don’t know. But we do now know a little bit about the new players. Let’s see what CBS has to say about them, along with a few of my own quick thoughts.

Ami Cusack is a 31-year-old barista/model from Lakewood, Colorado. What the heck is a barista? Until about a minute ago, I didn’t know. Neither did my Webster’s New World Dictionary. Apparently, I am not cool enough to know, because I don’t hang out in coffee bars – but Dictionary.com says a barista is “a preparer / server in a coffee bar.” Who says Survivor isn’t educational? Anyway, Ami is apparently one of the first two openly gay women on Survivor (see below for the other). That’s not to say that there haven’t been any before – just that we didn’t know about it until after the show was over. However in this case, her CBS bio specifically notes, “Cusack is currently dating Crissy, whom she’s been with for three years.”

Brady Finta is a 33-year-old FBI agent from Huntington Beach, California (one of four players this time around from that state). In the FBI, Brady has been part of the Asian Organized Crime section and on the FBI SWAT team, and he will soon be working counter-terrorism. Hopefully, he never intended to go under cover, because being on Survivor sort of blows that idea. I predict he will be a quick favorite of RNO writer C. Brian Devinney because he plays rugby.

Brook Geraghty is a 27-year-old project manager from Winthrop, MA. That’s really about all there is to say about him at this point.

Chad Crittenden is a 35-year-old teacher from Oakland, CA. He recently had one leg amputated below the knee due to a rare and especially dangerous form of cancer discovered in his foot. But he completed a triathlon just nine months after the surgery, so he should be up to snuff for Survivor.

Chris Daugherty is a 33-year-old highway construction worker from South Veinna, Ohio. Not much else to say here right now.

Dolly Neely is a 25-year-old sheep farmer from Mercer, PA. Look for her to be the really conservative one, as she is a member of the NRA and described Jesus as her ultimate hero because he is the savior for everybody. Also, she said that while she would give up her sheep to try for a million, she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her place in Heaven. So I guess no lying or backstabbing from her…

Eliza Orlins is a 21-year-old pre-law student (senior) from Syracuse, New York. She has all sorts of academic honors to her name, but we’ll see how much those help on Survivor.

John Kenney is a 22-year-old mechanical bull operator/model living in Los Angeles but originally from Connecticut.

John Palyok is a 31-year-old sales manager living in Los Angeles and originally from Indiana. He was a football star in high school and college, and then moved on to business.

Julie Berry is a 23-year-old youth mentor from Gorham, Maine. Julie was adopted – separately from her biological sibling – at the age of five. If this were Big Brother, we could expect her to be reunited on the show. But it’s Survivor, so we don’t have to worry about that – plus, she was reunited with her sister recently. Julie is a Native American from the Maliseet tribe. It will be interesting to see if she turns out as popular as the last youth mentor on Survivor – one Rupert Boneham.

Lea “Sarge” Masters is a 40-year-old drill sergeant from Columbia, South Carolina. (Yes, Lea is a man’s name – probably why he inserted the “Sarge.”) In addition to his military career, he also has a Master’s degree in chemical engineering, so he has a lot going for him as far as being a serious threat.

Leann Slaby is a 35-year-old research assistant from Wisconsin. Oh, and she’s also a model and actress (of course). Six years ago, she donated a kidney to her father.

Lisa Keiffer is a 44-year-old real estate agent from New Orleans. She considers herself a true Cajun and is also a Born-Again Christian, so she should get along well with Dolly if they’re on the same tribe.

Mia Galeotalanza is a 30-year-old finance manager from New Jersey. Her last name makes me glad we use first names in articles!

Rory Freeman is a 35-year-old Section 8 housing case manager from Des Moines, Iowa. He used to work as a reporter in Nigeria before he came back to the U.S. to work in corrections and detention centers.

Dr. Scout Cloud Lee is a 59-year-old rancher/entrepreneur who has worn many hats – including professor at my alma mater, University of Illinois (Go Illini!). She has written eleven books and over 100 articles and has had her work in helping people identify their personal excellence featured in numerous television documentaries and specials. Her bio says she has “survived cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, car wrecks and horse bucks.” She also recently had a total knee replacement. In addition she is also apparently an openly-gay woman, as her bio says she is in a committed relationship with Annie. So that makes two where there have never been any.

Travis Sampson is a 33-year-old loss prevention worker (looks like that means security) from Tennessee. He used to be in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and both World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He was best known as “Romeo Bliss,” but has since retired from wrestling.

Twila Tanner is a 41-year-old highway repair worker from Marshall, Missouri. She is a single mother of a 23-year-old son.

So there we have them – the next group of Survivor contestants. Be sure to check back here on RealityNewsOnline as we see if we can fill in the blanks and find out more about this group of contestants!

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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