‘Survivor: Palau’ Players Revealed

Late last week, CBS revealed the twenty (yes, twenty) contestants who will appear on Survivor: Palau. Let’s take a look and see who we’ll be getting to know, starting next month:

Angie Jakusz is a 24-year-old bartender and artist living in New Orleans. She could be a female version of Lex from Africa and All-Stars, with her 11 tattoos. One of her favorite hobbies is heckling – though who she heckles is not clear. If she tries this with her tribemates, she might quickly find herself back at the bar.

Ashlee Ashby (who the hell would punish their kid with a name like that?) is a 22-year-old student living in South Carolina. I’m a little confused about her student status, since her bio says she graduated with a BA in Communication. I suppose she could be in grad school, but it’s not really clear. All we know for sure is that she is proud to be a practicing Mormon.

Bobby Jon Drinkard is a 27-year-old waiter/pretty boy model who was born and raised in Alabama but after being voted the state’s most eligible bachelor by Cosmopolitan Magazine, quickly moved to (where else?) L.A. Guess he wasn’t so eligible for those Alabama women after all. In addition to physical activities, Bobby Jon’s bio says he enjoys reading the Bible and describes himself as “righteous.” Wonder if he’ll get along with Ashlee.

Caryn Groedel is a 46-year-old civil rights lawyer in Ohio. She is married and has three kids. Not much else to say about her at this point, really.

Coby Archa is a 32-year-old hairstylist in Athens, Texas. In an attempt to beat The Smoking Gun to the punch, his bio reveals that when he was 17, he was sentenced to seven months in jail plus five years probation for larceny. But he turned his life around and co-owns a hair salon. We’ll see if he remembers how to lie once the game gets started.

Gregg Carey is a 28-year-old business consultant in Chicago. In high school, Gregg was something of an all-around guy, excelling both at academics and sports. This continued into college, where he got a degree in chemical engineering. Gregg appears to be something of an overachiever, having competed in adventure racing (I wonder if one of them was Mark Burnett’s Eco-Challenge) and having climbed Mt. Fuji apparently just before Survivor was filmed. I’m betting he’ll be seen as too big a threat and will be lucky to make it to the jury.

Ian Rosenberger is a 23-year-old dolphin trainer (yes, you read that right) from Pennsylvania (are there that many dolphins in Pennsylvania?). Oh, wait – he currently lives in Florida. OK, that makes more sense. I’d have to say, this profession is among the oddest on Survivor. In any case, Ian looks to have good stamina, as he once participated in a 48-hour dance marathon where he did not sit or sleep! If he makes it to an endurance challenge, his opponents are going to have a hell of a time against him! Also, his experience in the water will likely prove useful, as many challenges are likely to involve swimming.

Ibrehem Rahman is a 27-year-old waiter/model from Alabama. No, I didn’t accidentally retype Bobby Jo’s information, though both share an occupation and home state. Ibrehem actually has a degree in mechanical engineering and was back in grad school for a degree in business, so it’s unclear exactly where waiting tables fits in.

James Miller is originally from Tennessee, but moved to Northlake, Illinois, when he was 13. The 33-year-old was in the Navy for two years, studied computers at one college, and biology at another. Now he’s a steelworker and lives in Mobile, Alabama (yes, Alabama seems to be the state of choice this season) with his wife and four kids.

Janu Tornell is a 39-year-old Vegas showgirl/model. Considering that she had to perform two shows per night, six days per week, her endurance ought to be pretty high. Also, she scuba dives and swims for fun, so she should do well in those sorts of challenges.

Jeff Wilson is a 21-year-old personal trainer in California. He looks to be a physical threat, if people let him get that far.