Survivor 45: Cast and Stuff

Unfortunately, I've been ill and haven't had a chance to really delve into the cast of Survivor 45. The show premieres next Wednesday evening at 8PM ET/PT. All episodes will be 90-minutes and it will be followed by The Amazing Race, also airing 90-minutes. The Big Brother veto show moves to Tuesday nights but there is no BB veto show scheduled for the 26th, only the Sunday and Thursday shows.

I found an article on Parade.com with in-depth interviews with each castaway that you might want to read. This link to that article is this here linked link.

While there definitely seems to be great diversity of cultures, once again we see a rather young cast. Bruce, the one who was taken out by medical for a head injury in the first episode of Survivor 44 within the first 12 hours of the show, is returning. But he and only one other castaway, a woman named Julie, are in their late 40s. Everyone else is more than a decade, most of them two decades or more, younger. Hmm.

A blog pool will be opening up for the castaways soon. Stay tuned! As usual, the first boot will be reassigned.

Austin Li Coon, age 26

Brandon "Brando" Meyer, age 23

Brandon Donlon, age 25

Bruce Perreault, age 47

Dee Valladares, age 26

Please read on after the jump ...

The Amazing Race: TAR35 Teams Introduction

 Good afternoon! Nope, this is not about Big Brother. Does everything have to be about Big Brother? No, it does not! I'm here to talk about the upcoming season of The Amazing Race and brief you on the teams.

The season starts on September 27. From that Wednesday forward, BB25 will be on Tuesday nights and Wednesdays will be 90-minute episodes of Survivor followed by 90-minute episodes of The Amazing Race. For the first time the show will feature 13 teams. According to CBC, the race will be a "23,800-mile adventure around the world." We will see the return of commercial flights instead of the private Covid-era flights. Plus, there will be no non-elimination legs, there will be a twist on the U-Turn and the Express Pass will be back.

Here's a cast video from Parade.com --

Here are the teams:

Alexandra and Sheridan Lichtor, brother and sister team from Chicago. She's 34, he's 29. Both graduated from Northwestern University with a Chemical Engineering degree and both currently work for the same global management consulting firm. Alex also plays tennis and has won multiple half marathons.

Ashlie and Todd Martin are a married couple living in Chino, California. They are both 38 years old. Ashlie is a hospitality account manager while Todd is a special education teacher. 

I can't seem to find much more on them other than the fact they first met at age 15. So, they should surely know each other's quirks by now!

Elizabeth and Iliana Rivera are a mother - daughter team from Tampa, Florida. Elizabeth is 52 years old and Ilana is 27. Their professions are listed as retired lieutenant and entrepreneur. Hmm. Lieutenant where I haven't a clue, nor entrepreneur in what.

Nothing like a bit of vagueness.

Greg and John Franklin are brothers living in New York City and Mountain View, California. Greg is 25, John is 27. Greg is a software developer while John is a product manager. I dunno. Both sound techy to me!

I've read that they have done quite a bit of traveling to other countries together. That could be a very good thing!

Jocelyn Chao and Victor Limary are both 49 years old and yes, they are married despite different surnames. They live in Albuquerque, New Mexico where they are both grocery store managers.

Like many others, they say reading the clue is very important. Let's see if they can practice what they preach!

BB25: More on the Cast

Above is the ET Canada segment on the new hamsters.

.@CBSBigBrother is returning for its 25th season — which means another summer of big surprises and cut-throat competition all captured on 90 cameras is just about to get underway.

Host @JCMoonves gave @jamieyuccas a tour of the house ahead of Wednesday's #BB25 premiere. pic.twitter.com/p6czTqSf7m

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) August 1, 2023

Some of the speculation about that video clip of Frankie, Danielle and Britney sneaking in and blowing up that time machine has to do with old comps and such returning. I would like to see the return of the food comps! Could there be a twist with some folks knowing each other? The Florida, New York or Survivor connections? Hmm.

If you haven't already, please don't forget to sign up for the blog pool on the sign-up post!

BB25: Our New Hamsters Cast Part Two

 

Jag Bains, age 25, is from Omak, WA and is a truck company owner. He is the first Sikh Punjabi to be cast on the show. He is not only a huge fan of the show, but he's very into games in general. He knows all the terms including jury management. Hopefully, he will understand them all. 

Jared Fields is the son of Survivor's Cirie Fields! He's 25, from Norwalk CT and works as an exterminator. Maybe he will off the ants this season! He's not planning on telling the others about his mother. He says he's a big fan but not to the level of superfan.

Kirsten Elwin is 25 now from Orlando, FL via Dominica? Hmm. Dominican Republic? She currently lives in Houston, TX. Her occupation is listed as a molecular biologist. She loved the Diary Room segments when she was a kid watching the show. Hopefully, her own will entertain us!

Luke Valentine is 30, from Weston, FL currently living in Coral Springs, FL. He's an illustrator. This may or may not be his artwork, hard to tell. He seems to be a very hairy guy. We're so used to the manscaped males on the show! This is the second Weston, FL connection. Hmm.

Matt Klotz is 27, originally from Cameron, CA and now resides in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a DeafOlympics gold medalist. Hmm. I hope he has some kind of hearing assistance as I doubt others know ASL and he can't lipread a bunch of people at once. Have to wish him the best! Big fan. Thinks he will do well on the comps. He calls the show The Big Brother.

Mecole Hayes is 30, from St. Louis, MO currently residing in Upper Marlboro, MD. They list her occupation as a political consultant. She was impressed by Xavier and Taylor and has just recently married. 

Red Utley is 37 and hails from Gatlinburg, TN. He's in sales. Unfortunately, he's reminding me of Frenchie from BB23. I hope if he wins an HOH, he doesn't go all hog wild! Another one calling himself a big fan, but not superfan. I found his Facebook page. I also found his TikTok page.

Reilly Smedley is 24 from Portland, ME. She's now a bartender in Nashville, TN. Okay. She followed the show growing up with her family. She says she will adapt and NOT float.

Check out my previous post for the first eight hamsters!

BB25: Our New Hamsters Cast Part One

 

Looking for all I can find on them. If nothing else, this will give everyone a cheat sheet until we get the names and faces down.

America Lopez, age 27, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Edinburg, TX. She's a medical receptionist. Hmm. That's not quite a job for which you would move from Texas to New York City. Hmm. In a video she says she went to an Ivy League school.

Blue Kim, age 25 ... currently another NYC person, I'm guessing Manhattan as it's just listed as NY, NY. She's originally from Riverside, CA. She's a brand strategist. Makes more sense than a medical receptionist. But, still ... Manhattan is way too expensive! I found her LinkedIn site. If so, first generation American, Korean parents. She does have a good career! May be an alternate as her video interview was not in the Diary Room.

Bowie Jane Ball, age 45. Originally from Australia, she now resides in Los Angeles, CA. She is a barrister(lawyer)/DJ. Okay. At least she's a bit older! I found this article about her. She's also known as Miranda Ball. In her video she says she will lie about age and the lawyer bit.

Cameron Hardin is a 34-year-old stay at home father who is also apparently a stay in town where you were raised kind of guy. He lives in Eastman, GA. I found this local news story on him. He's a huge superfan but plans to downplay that.

Cory Wurtenberger, age 21, is a college student in Weston, FL. He is the brother of Survivor 42's Zach Wurtenberger, first castaway voted out in his season. I'm sure that Cory hopes to do much better as a hamster! He's a superfan.

Stop the presses! Felicia Cannon is 63 years old! Whoa! About time but having one much older in the house doesn't usually work out. She is s real estate agent originally from Tacoma, WA, presently living in Kennesaw, GA. I do predict, unless she wins, they will all shout, "Bye, Felicia!"

Hisam Goueli is another 45 years old hamster! He's from Minneapolis, MN but lives these days in Seattle, WA. He's a geriatric physician according to websites I've seen. However, this news article lists him as a geriatric psychiatrist. (I may need one of those after this 100 day season!)

Izzy Gleicher is 32 and seems to be from and still residing in New York, NY. Once again, I would assume that to be Manhattan rather than another borough. She's a professional flautist. Cool. She has a website at this here link. She's a new fan although watched apparently on the BB site. No live feeds knowledge.

I will continue on with the other eight hamsters after dinner ...

BB25: Cast Reveal has been Tweeted

 

Well, nonTwitter's CBS Big Brother account has does the cast reveal over there. So, here it is here for you. I should note that Cirie Field's (Survivor) son is in the cast of hamsters. I will be posting individual photos of the cast and brief information about age and such.

Introducing the #BB25 houseguests… there are endless possibilities awaiting them 👀 pic.twitter.com/rMjGMnCly8

— Big Brother (@CBSBigBrother) July 31, 2023

Survivor 44: Meet the Ratu Tribe

  

I've read and watched interviews with the castaways. Here I will be mentioning some pros and cons for each of them and my own opinion on how well they might do. Mind you, I could be completely wrong with said opinion!

Jaime Ruiz

Pros: Lifelong fan who, through the magic of the VCR in a Survivor-loving family, has seen every episode. Bonus points for not calling herself a superfan. Seems strong, has a solid game plan to work with an alliance of four.

Cons: Has a solid game plan to work with an alliance of four. You know how plans work out on these shows!

How will she do? I don't know. I think she'll last well past the merge but might make a target out of herself in her wanting to make fellow castaways her new best friends. If she succeeds at that, no one will want to sit next to her at the end.

Kane Fritzler

Pros: "Goofy Sasquatch" might do well for him. Claims he's there to play hard, not inspired by the prize -- more inspired by the win and being the Sole Survivor.

Cons: Another one declaring himself as "loud." That is SO not a good thing in my book! Seems to be pretty full of himself in the interviews.

How will he do? I feel he just might rub people the wrong way. Unless he's solid in challenges, he won't make it much beyond the merge. I could be wrong.

Lauren Harpe

Pros: Very determined to win this for her sons. Intelligent. Wants to be a quiet strategist. Quiet is good!

Cons: In her video spot she said she's "a educator." Um. That kind of let me down right there. She's AN educator. I hope she doesn't make me cringe with her grammatical errors throughout the show!

How will she do? I think she will be a strong player and, if she can have a relatively uneventful pre-merge, then kick it in gear to win challenges later on, she just might make final four.

Maddy Pomilla

Pros: Into having adventures. She does have good ideas about gameplay strategy after the merge and might be a strong contender. Yet she also says you can't really plan much ahead in the game. Very athletic. Hmm.

Cons: Way too bouncy for Brooklyn. She walks like a big galoot, albeit she is a rather small galoot. Quit her job to go on the show. Hmm. Most arrange some sort of time off. It's quite impulsive or foolish to just walk out of a job on a whim.

How will she do? She's another one I just can't tell. I do think she will either do really well or really poorly -- with no in-between.

Matthew Grinstead-Mayle

Pros: Another self-proclaimed "superfan." Eager about the challenges and has a lifelong love for swimming and the outdoors.

Cons: He's promising giggles. Giggles don't dictate a win!

How will he do? He thinks he will be the social butterfly who flutters through all the physical competitions. Hmm. I hope he realizes that not all challenges involve swimming! Oh, wait. He's a superfan -- he should know that. He'll probably make merge but out before final four.

Brandon Cottom

Pros: Athletic. Feels he will be a positive effect on the others as he tends to be a positive person. He seems very likable in his interviews.

Cons: For some reason other castaways tend to not like former NFL players in the game, thinking they don't need the money and such. He also has never been camping.

How will he do? If his physical threat aspect doesn't oust him early, it does look like he will have a great social game. He could be a contender.

To check out the other two tribes, head to these links - Meet the Soka Tribe and Meet the Tika Tribe

Survivor 44: Meet the Soka Tribe

 

   

I've read and watched interviews with the castaways. Here I will be mentioning some pros and cons for each of them and my own opinion on how well they might do. Mind you, I could be completely wrong with said opinion!

                 

Claire Rafson

Pros: She's been watching the show since the age of four -- peeping though the keyhole to watch it. She seems very resilient and determined.

Cons: I'm really not seeing any glaring cons. 

How will she do? Unless she's thought of as a threat either physically or socially, she should go far. To the end? Well, maybe.

Danny Massa

Pros: NYC firefighter in the Bronx, so should be in great shape. Lists himself as kind, passionate and determined.

Cons: Not sure if his plan of action going in without a plan is the best idea.

How will he do? He should do well. He seems very likable and should do well in challenges. I predict definitely will make it through the merge and a possible final four.

Frannie Marin

Pros: Meditates and does yoga. Hopefully that will help her.

Cons: Um ... thinks working in a nail salon has prepared her for being on the show. Enough said?

How will she do? I just don't know about this gal. She doesn't list any athletic endeavors. Easy early out.

Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt

Pros: Energetic, looks athletic enough, wants to do well on challenges. 

Cons: She says she's loud. Why must people be loud? Loud is not a great thing to be!

How will she do? She's pretty determined. She also has 40 patents, so I'm thinking she has to have inventive skills that could help out at camp. Unless her loudness comes off as being abrasive, she should go far. I'm not thinking sole Survivor for her, though. 

Josh Wilder

Pros: Ambitious, athletic, intelligent, cites Jeremy Collins and Avi as previous players he wants to be like. I think Avi was the first winner of Survivor New Zealand, so he must be a big fan although not saying superfan.

Cons: Another one who want to hide his real profession. 

How will he do? I think he could do well. He probably has one of the best backstories of all and it could garner him admiration from the others. He had a kidney transplant at nine and says the donor is responsible for his being alive, he had stomach cancer at 25 and had his stomach removed. He is cancer-free now. With that story, if they know it, if he makes it to the end, he will win.

Matt Blankinship

Pros: Apparently a big fan, has run a marathon, has previously applied to be on the show (so not a recruit!).

Cons: Says his failures give him an edge because he always gets on his feet and tries again. Um, dude ... that would mean you're destined to fail at this the first time! 

How will he do? I don't know. I'm pulling a blank on Mr. Blankinship! For some reason, I think he might not have the social game he needs.

To check out another tribe, click this link for Meet the Tika Tribe

Survivor 44: Meet the Tika Tribe

 

I've read and watched interviews with the castaways. Here I will be mentioning some pros and cons for each of them and my own opinion on how well they might do. Mind you, I could be completely wrong with said opinion!

Bruce Perreault

Pros: Older, watched the show since Season 1, raised in the foster system so should be chill compared to some, looks very fit, does not have the Warwick accent which can be distracting.

Cons: Thinks some may assume he's arrogant (there's often a reason when people assume that), claims he doesn't care about challenges and food rewards but is more interested in analyzing the other players and their social games (hmm), not into searching for advantages.

How will he do? Here's a guy who has a good possibility of doing well but might be his own worst enemy. I think he just might be a touch arrogant. If he rubs people the wrong way and doesn't fare well in the challenges, he could be gone pre-merge. 

Carolyn Wiger

Pros: Another one watching the show since its beginning. She's not going to lie or hide what she does in life. Wants to look for advantages (which can actually be a double-edged sword. Thinks she'll come across as goofy and no threat to others.

Cons: She seems to sentimentalize the backstories from other seasons. I can only hope she plans to compete and work hard in the challenges.

How will she do? Unless she has a physical side I'm not seeing, I can see her getting her torch snuffed early in the game.

Carson Garrett

Pros: Um. Um. Superfan, I guess. So, he says. Young. Healthy. Friendly.

Cons: Claiming superfan after watching for six years. In one interview he claimed to be a rocket scientist ... after two years of college. Seemingly quite delusional about his own self.

How will he do? I'd be surprised if he made it past the merge unless he's a big help around the camp. He isn't planning on telling the others how smart he is. I don't see why they would even care. He's a college kid, not a billionaire that others might think doesn't need the money.

Helen Li

Pros: Been watching the show for ten years which isn't bad at her age, seems to adapt to fitting in well with various cultures, thinks others will see her as friendly, bubbly and maybe an airhead.

Cons: I don't see her being strong in challenges. She says she has a horrible sense of direction. She thinks she's bubbly. 

How will she do? She could either be among the first bunch out or be the one people bring to the end thinking she has no chance of winning. One or the other -- I don't think she will be an in-between. I don't care for bubbly. 

Sarah Wade

Pros: Another fan since the show started (although she would have been very young for sure). She seems quite determined, plans to look for advantages and learn from others. Likes the outdoors and outdoors sports.

Cons: Not seeing too many. 

How will she do? Of this group so far, I think she might be the strongest socially and probably decent physically. She is determined and part of her inspiration comes about as her best friend died a few years ago and she wants to give life its all. 

Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocha

Pros: Has been watching from the 1st season when he was 13. Probably will have a good social game. He's confident of both his physical and mental strength. He has extreme weather experience.

Cons: He says he's loud. That can annoy people. I'm not as confident regarding his physical strength as he is. Well, he might be physically strong, but can he win challenges?

How will he do? I think he'll probably make it past the merge and maybe near the end ... but not to the end.