Survivor: Cook Islands – A Look at the Contestants

Jonathan Penner: A writer/producer/actor/director in L.A., formerly from New York, Jonathan is 44 years old. He’s acted, he’s directed, etc. What more is there to say about him? I can’t think of much.

J.P. Calderon: 30 years old, from Marina Del Rey, California. J.P. is a professional beach volleyball player, so getting sand in uncomfortable places won’t bother him. He’s also described as a good swimmer, which certainly will come in handy on Survivor. He also works with children, which could help him in dealing with some of his tribemates.

Nathan “Nate” Gonzalez: Another Los Angelino, Nate is 26 years old and works in retail sales. He also plays in various rock bands, so maybe he’ll hook up with Billy and create a hit album after all this is over.

Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth: 25 years old, from Venice, California, but originally born in Mexico. Ozzy is a waiter who enjoys a variety of surfer-dude type sports. But he also goes spear fishing in Panama, so he could be handy to have on the tribe if they win fishing gear. Indeed, he has spent a lot of time surviving alone in the wilderness, so he sounds like a good guy to have on your tribe no matter what!

Parvati Shallow: 23 years old (almost the youngest), recently from L.A. but originally from Atlanta and Florida. She has done a lot, including getting her degree in journalism, but left now is a waitress and a boxer. Though it says she boxes for “Perfect 10 Model Boxing,” so I’m not sure if it’s real boxing or more modeling. If her photo is any indication, she looks more like a model than somebody who has been hit in the face.

Rebecca Borman: 34 years old, from Laurelton, New York. Rebecca has been a make-up artist for about 15 years, and recently received an Emmy for Outstanding Make-Up on a Daytime Talk Show due to her work on The View. Guess who she does make-up for? Former Survivor Elisabeth! I’m sure that’s a coincidence.

Sekou Bunch: At 45, Sekou is the oldest contestant this time around. He hails from L.A., like so many others, but is originally from New York. He is a jazz musician who has played with numerous recording artists and appeared in several movies. Perhaps he’ll join Billy and Nathan – the Survivor: Cook Islands band is growing! Although jazz plus heavy metal should make an interesting mix.

Stephannie Favor: 35 years old, from Columbia, South Carolina. Stephannie has been in the armed forces and has a degree in business management. Now she’s going back to school to become a nurse. Hopefully, she won’t have to face what Cirie did last season and have a guy drop his drawers to show her his problem area.

Sundra Oakley: Oh look, somebody from L.A. That’s practically unheard of this time around. She’s 31 and originally from New York, and she’s an actress. What happened to real people on reality TV? Oh, wait, she’s currently a cocktail waitress, though she has had parts on a variety of shows. Her favorite sports include boxing, so maybe she’ll have a match against Parvati.

Yul Kwon: Last but not least is this 31-year-old management consultant from San Mateo, California (but originally from Flushing, New York). From his bio, Yul looks like a pretty damned smart guy. And he has worked in politics, so he’s certainly used to the idea of lying to people – that will help him on Survivor.

So there we have it – our 20 new contestants. This is just a brief overview of each of them. We’ll have our usual “Roundtable” prediction article as the premiere draws closer.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Cook Islands articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

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

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