We're heading back to Fiji folks: yes, Survivor season 47 is returning to the South Pacific for another edition of contestants trying to outwit, outplay and outlast one another to claim the title of Sole Survivor and a hefty $1 million prize. The new episodes are now underway.
While our trusty host Jeff Probst is back as host and showrunner, the latest installment of the long-running reality competition also features a batch of 18 fresh faces — well, not entirely fresh faces. If you're a podcast diehard, you might recognize one of the competitors: Pod Save America co-host and former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett. He will be joined by a flight school owner, an ER doctor and an AI research assistant, among others.
Keep up with which Survivor season 47 cast members are still in the game and who has been voted off the island.
Meet the Survivor season 47 cast
Teeny Chirichillo
Age: 24
From: Manahawkin, N.J.
Occupation: Freelance writer
"I've been developing my social game in life since I was about this big," Teeny said in a CBS teaser clip. "I grew up dressing like a boy and wanted no attention for it so had to distract them from having questions about me. That's really taught me how to just befriend any type of personality."
Tiyana Hallums
Age: 27
From: Aiea, Hawai'i
Occupation: Flight attendant
The native Hawaiian joked to CBS: "When you hear Hawai'i, you think, vibe, go with the flow. But in reality, I'm gonna be cutting throats. So I'm hoping they think I'm just here for a fun little ride, but they have no idea what's lurking under the surface!"
Rachel Lamont
Age: 34
From: Southfield, Mich.
Occupation: Graphic designer
For Rachel, joining the cast of Survivor season 47 seemed like a no-brainer: "I love people, I love games, I love challenging myself and I love money, so what is there not to love about Survivor?"
Genevieve Mushaluk
Age: 33
Current Residence: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Occupation: Corporate lawyer
"I will absolutely not be telling people that I am a lawyer. Post-45? Hell no. Three out of the final six were lawyers," Genevieve told CBS. "There's no way I can tell people that I'm a lawyer or they'll be like, 'Nice to meet you, bye!' I gotta be really careful. "
Gabe Ortis
Age: 26
Current Residence: Baltimore, Md.
Occupation: Radio show host
"Being a talk-show host is one of the perfect jobs to have coming into Survivor, knowing when it's your time to be the guy and take up all the air in the room and when it's time to recoil and let someone else take up that spotlight," Gabe revealed. "It's all about working people."
Kyle "Kyle Rhen" Otswald
Age: 31
From: Cheboygan, Mich.
Occupation: Construction worker
"I do this thing called the Bump and Run Derby... the main goal of the game is to cross the finish line, and if that means putting somebody into the wall along the way, so be it," said Kyle. "It's been preparing me for Survivor... only one of us is gonna cross that line."
Sam Phalen
Age: 24
From: Nashville, Tenn.
Occupation: Sports reporter
Sam knows one thing he'll be avoiding on that island: idols. "Everybody wants to find an idol, but idols are like curses now," he told CBS. "Individual immunity works just fine for me. That one I don't have to overthink!"
Andy Rueda
Age: 31
From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: AI research assistant
"People are looking at me and thinking that I am another [season 45 contestant Austin Li Coon]: solid, dependable but ultimately beatable," Andy told the network. "If people see that in me, I can capitalize on that and play like a snake!"
Sue Smey
Age: 59
From: Putnam Valley, N.Y.
Occupation: Flight school owner
Sue isn't letting her age stop her: "These people look at the old person, they think they're the weak person here. Between my work ethic and my level of competition, they're gonna soon realize that they're gonna want me here."
Caroline Vidmar
Age: 27
Current Residence: Chicago
Occupation: Strategy consultant
Caroline is a water polo enthusiast, which she calls "a game of viciousness." "What you're not seeing under water, that's what the real war is... People don't think I can fight. I can fight. That is the mentality that you have to have in Survivor. People are attacking you, but you have to keep swimming," she said.
Sierra Wright
Age: 27
From: Phoenixville, Pa.
Occupation: Nurse
Nurse Sierra revealed she often ends up being "the therapist" for people in her life. That won't change in Fiji: "really want to be somebody that my tribemates can turn to and be like, 'Hey, I'm feeling down.' I feel like I can bring that to them."
Solomon "Sol" Yi
Age: 43
From: Norwalk, Conn.
Occupation: Medical device sales
"I've won over $200,000 playing poker tournaments," Sol confessed. "When I make a move, I'm not lying to you, I'm bluffing you. I can take that emotion out because in the end, this is a game. The best game ever."
Eliminated
Jon Lovett (Gata)
The Pod Save America host and former Obama speech writer was undoubtedly the biggest name of the Survivor cast going into season 47, but that apparently did him no favors as he was the first person voted out on the season. This despite fellow tribe member Andy being described as "a ticking time bomb" and getting looked at by the medical team during the immunity challenge. Fame doesn't matter on the island as it seems.
Terran "TK" Foster (Tuku)
TK tried to set himself up for success by creating an early alliance with Kyle and Tiyana, but when he reacted strongly to their loss in the immunity challenge and criticized Tiyana, things began to turn. When TK refused to apologize to Tiyana and insisted that he knew what the tribe needed to do to win moving forward, his alliances, aside from Kyle, were gone, and he was voted out 4-2.
Aysha Welch (Lavo)
Aysha and Sol appeared to be the odd two out from the larger Lavo alliance, and while there was some debate on who would be the target, ultimately the vote went for Aysha, despite Kishan and Teeny attempting to bring her in to their side before tribal council.
Kishan Patel (Lavo)
Despite Rome and Sol being at each other's throats all episode and doubts about them ever effectively working together, it was Kishan that was voted out in 3-0 vote (Kishan and Teeny both were unable to vote in the tribal council). Teeny was surprised at the result, but her ally Genevieve promised to tell her later why it happened.
Survivor season 47 airs Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT on CBS. You can also stream on-demand on Paramount Plus the next day.
Anika Dhar (Gata)
After losing the immunity challenge, it seemed that Gata was going to be eyeing Sam for elimination based on his poor performance, but instead it was Anika, who sat out Gata's second immunity challenge loss. And with her not having a vote she could only stand and watch as she was voted out. She didn't say goodbye to any of her tribemates after her unexpected departure.
Rome Cooney (Lavo)
Rome was the odd man out before the tribes officially merged into one, and it wasn't particularly close. Once everyone got to talking with each other Rome was quickly ID'd as the target and sent packing.
