'Survivor 14: Fiji' - The Castaways, Part 2

Are you ready to learn more about the next five castaways we'll see on Survivor 14: Fiji? And, but of course, my impressions of them? I'd love to read your first take on them in the comments, too!

I'm listing the castaways male/female/alphabetically as I go along and the first five were explored in this entry. I'm looking at the official CBS Survivor 14: Fiji website and gleaning information from their bios and favorite lists. Let's see if I can get a true handle on the upcoming excitement before the season premiere on February 8 at 8 PM ET/PT!

Here's the second group of five, this time leading off with a woman (roar):

Although she lists her home as Los Angeles, Jessica is originally born and raised in New Orleans, LA. She attended Millsaps College in Mississippi, the University of New Orleans, and Tulane University... yet no degree is listed for her.

Currently working as a fashion stylist and make-up artist in California, from her bio page: "deBen describes herself as ambitious, warm and unbreakable. Her hobbies include portrait painting, jogging, hiking, kayaking, biking and eating pancakes at The Griddle Café."

She's currently single and her birth date is April 25, 1979. [I wonder if all these "currently single" folks weren't always single.]

Heading to her Favorites list to get the real skinny on her:

• She lists Pac-Man in her video games, as well as X-Box. Maybe there's a resurgence in Pac-Man that I just don't know about. Another Monopoly player - must be a prerequisite or that's one of the only board games folks can come up with under pressure.
• At least she mentions Survivor as one of her favorite TV shows, as well as A&E True Crime and VH1's Fabulous Life Of...
• Heh, her music choices are foods! Red Hot Chili Peppers and Black Eyed Peas! (Yes, I know they're not really foods.) She also likes Aaron Neville.
• Leaning towards women authors, she lists Ayn Rand, Daphne Moore, and Anne Rice. Hmmm...
• Her favorite snack foods are fairly healthy choices (rice cakes and SmartFood popcorn), but she lists good junk food, too.
• Non-alcoholic beverage is Kool Aid Tropical Punch Sugar Free? I believe that's a first that Kool Aid has made the list.

Okay, my take on her... I can't put my finger on it, but I think Jessica could be a contender. Winner of it all? I don't know. She's familiar with the show, which isn't the same for some of the others this season. And, something is just telling me she's a pretty tough gal. Of course, I could be totally off-base. I guess we'll see!
Now, if I were a young man named Andria, I think I'd want to be called "Dre," too. I try to keep in mind that John Wayne's real first name was Marion.

Dre seems to be the "school of hard knocks" graduate in this season's cast. Growing up homeless in the projects (despite the fact that seems a bit contradictory) of Wilmington, North Carolina, Dre turned to sports and cheerleading. He's also into boxing, basketball, stunting (?), tumbling, and more.

From his bio page: "Herd describes himself as humorous, energetic and intelligent. Describing his perfect day, he says, "When everybody is happy all day... that's a perfect day."

Although he seems to be single, he's the proud father of two boys - aged 2 and one-month old. The younger may have aged by now. His birth date is December 15, 1981.

Onto his favorites to see the "real" Dre:

• Oh, a chess player. A strategical game which involves thinking many moves ahead. That's a good game for a Survivor contestant to enjoy.
• Another clean linen aroma lover.
• He lists Underdogs as his favorite sports team. I'm thinking that means he roots for the underdogs. They aren't an actual team of some sport, right? I'm not always the most knowing when it comes to sports.
• He does not list Survivor as his TV show choice - only Seinfeld.
• Shel Silverstein and Stephen King make his authors list.
• Yet another Fruity Pebbles eater.
• Water is his favorite non-alcoholic drink. He listed no favorite alcoholic drink.

Oh, my. I'm really not sure of his chances. He has some interesting favorites, but he's not a fan of the show itself. Will that hurt his chances? Or, perhaps, maybe it's better to go in fresh? Although he's the "hard knocks" entry, I get the feeling he's on the upbeat side, not bitter. He's a cheerleader, after all. He's athletic, enjoys being happy, and likes chess. I think he could possibly make it far - after all, he survived the mean streets, what's Fiji but a new challenge? Save the cheerleader; save the world. (Yes, I want my Heroes back!)

Liliana grew up in Oxnard, the second eldest of eight siblings. (How much do you want to bet she got stuck babysitting a lot?) When she was 11, she lived a year in Guadalajara, Jalisco, exploring her cultural roots.

She served the country in the Marines for eight years and also worked with handicapped children. Although currently a loan officer, she would like a future in entertainment.

From her bio page: "She describes herself as strong, stubborn, confident, goofy and a witty gal. She is most proud of her sense of family and her burning fire for life." She's single and her birth date is April 5, 1981.

Peeking into the inner psyche of her Favorites list:

• No favorite games listed at all. Hmmm... maybe a Marines thing?
• She enjoys hiking and playing soccer, softball, and football.
• Yet another castaway who doesn't list Survivor at all in her TV shows. She enjoys Heroes, Oprah, and MTV3.
• I think she may have the record for saying "no favorite" in so many categories.
• Chocolate chip cookies and Gatorade make her list, as do Mojitos, wine, and tequila.
• V for Vendetta is her favorite movie while she lists no authors or books.

Well, I just don't know. She's definitely a tough woman. You can't be in the Marines for that long worried about breaking a fingernail. She likes Heroes (which, to me, is a plus). But how well does she know the people-manipulation aspect of Survivor? I think that's what will make or break her on the show. I'm sure she could handle any challenge thrown her way, but the interaction may do her in.

Although his name is Earl, he's nothing like the character in that television show. He's also not a native of California even though it's listed as his home. Earl was raised in Kansas City, Kansas. He went onto the University of Washington in Seattle and received a National Scholastic Achievement Award, then relocated to California.

From his bio page: "He also enjoys playing chess, hiking, watching movies, billiards and playing basketball. He considers himself to be very intelligent, creative, athletic and confident, with a witty sense of humor. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)." Yet another April birth date (so far, the majority have been born in that month, but it could be the luck of the draw in how I'm listing them) - April 9, 1971. He seems to be single with no children.

Hitting his Favorites for more insight:

• Ah, good... a multiple choices lister. None of this "no favorite" or one-word answers to everything.
• He lists many games, both video and board. Gamers tend to think ahead to make their moves.
• Once again, no Survivor listed in his TV choices, though he lists Grey's Anatomy, The Wire, Family Guy, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Hmmm... all good choices, but no Survivor?
• The Bible is one of his favorite books.
• Yet another Fruity Pebbles eater. [I don't think I've ever eaten Fruity Pebbles in my lifetime. Is it that good? Where are the Coco Puffs fans?]
• Pom juice? Whazzat? Pomegranate, maybe?

What do I think of Earl? He seems a very intelligent guy, but he's yet another who may not be all that familiar with the politics of the show. Although he's a successful businessman, he might find out he's not in Kansas anymore. He's one I'll have to hold off my guessing on until I see him in action on the show. Something is telling me he might play the people a bit wrong and that could lead to an early boot. Prove me wrong, Earl.

I'm getting tired of typing "Los Angeles." All I can think is that they must have done some heavy recruiting in California. But, knowing that I used to live in the Los Angeles area and I was never really "from" L.A., keeps my faith alive.

Sure enough, Lisi is originally from Miami and spent time living in New York City, too. She has a rather interesting job - a customer service rep for a psychic service company. Huh. I wonder if there's really a need or do the psychics predict customer service issues and pro-actively solve them?

From her bio page: "In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her dog. Her favorite sport is tennis. She describes herself as creative, intelligent, smart, observant and fun. She believes her resourcefulness and humor will help her do well on SURVIVOR." She's single, living with her Scottish terrier, George. Her birth date is June 9, 1970.

Checking her Favorites:

• She likes Pac-Man. [It must be a new fad of retro-games, I guess. I've been playing Millipede and Pong lately. I should stop fussing.] Her board game choice is retro-back-to-childhood, CandyLand.
• Her favorite outdoor activity is "hiking with dogs." That sounds like some sort of nature movie on Animal Planet.
• Again, Survivor is not listed as a favorite TV show! She only mentions Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty. [Feh.]
• No favorite books, but likes magazines listing Wired, Newsweek, and The Economist.
• Kashi cereal and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups both make her list.
• She gave a lot of one-choice answers.

For some reason, I'm finding her a bit perplexing just looking at the available information. She's probably not all that familiar with the show and I'm just not getting great vibes on her. I could be wrong, but I predict an early boot. No, I'm not psychic.

Stay tuned for the next five castaways! And, of course, please feel free to share your first takes on these folks, too!