‘Survivor’ Season 43 Cast: Meet the 18 New Castaways (PHOTOS)

Cast from SURVIVOR Season 43
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The Survivor Season 43 cast is officially here! CBS has announced the upcoming lineup of competitors ready to challenge for $1 million prize and this group has more young faces than we’ve seen in a long time on the reality competition series.

Hosted by Jeff Probst, Survivor Season 43 kicks off with a two-hour premiere on Wednesday, September 21 at 8/7c, immediately followed by the season premiere of The Amazing Race at 10/9c. This season, 18 players will fight to win the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million, most recently won by the ever bubbly and deceivingly savvy Maryanne Oketch in Season 42.

The Survivor 43 cast includes a Paralympian, a clinical psychologist, a teacher, a player with cerebral palsy, and more. Fans got their first glimpse of the cast in the Season 43 teaser shared at the end of the Season 42 finale in May. Check out the full video for a taste of what’s to come in the long-running reality competition series, below.

“I went from being in a gang to being in a Ph.D. program at Duke. I just want to show that you can do anything you want,” one of the players says in the video.

“Does Survivor move fast? We are on a jet!” another chimes in.

Survivor is the ultimate game of human chess; there’s not one way to win,” says another. “You have to take in all the data and know when to strike.”

And one player makes it clear that she’s ready for any challenge when she says, “Growing up in a tough environment, there’s some codes they grow up by. But I’m an ethical person. There’s things I wouldn’t cross the line on, right? I don’t think I’d — you know what? No. There’s really nothing I wouldn’t do.”

Get to know the Survivor Season 43 cast, below, to prepare for what’s bound to be a thrilling new season (because even in its slow moments, this reality show is still one of TV’s most captivating).

Survivor, Season 43, 2-Hour Premiere, Wednesday, September 21, 8/7c, CBS

Karla Cruz Godoy from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Karla Cruz Godoy

Age: 28

Occupation: Educational Project Manager

Hometown: San Diego, California

Current Residence: Newark, Delaware

Growing up poor, Karla has “had to survive in real life.”

“Sometimes I had to steal to get by,” she said in her video intro shared by CBS.

Karla feels her difficult childhood makes her a survival expert, given her scrappy ability to learn a lot about other people while keeping her cards close to her chest. Karla’s not afraid to lie or be nosy in the game.

“I want to know everything about you, but I’m not gonna tell you everything about me,” she said.

Sami Layadi from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Sami Layadi

Age: 19

Occupation: Pet Cremator

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Current Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada

The youngest player this season, Sami is convinced he’ll be the youngest winner in Survivor history.

“I truly believe I have what it takes … because I’ve put myself in a lot of positions where I’ve had to interact with a lot of different kind of people at such a young age,” he said. His job makes him interact with people on some of their lowest days, which he said has taught him how to keenly read a room.

“Some would say I’m not ready for this experience; the game is older than I am,” he added. “But to those people, I say, ‘Watch me work.'”

Noelle Lambert from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Noelle Lambert

Age: 25

Occupation: U.S. Paralympian

Hometown: Londonderry, New Hampshire

Current Residence: Manchester, New Hampshire

Noelle was a Division 1 college lacrosse player before a moped accident caused her to lose her left leg above the knee. A year after the accident, she successfully returned to lacrosse, and then got into track and field. She competed in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, setting a new American record for the 100 meter for her classification group.

“I don’t want people to look at me and see that I’m broken,” she said in her intro video. “I want people to look at me and be inspired and motivated … I’m gonna be the first amputee to ever win the game of Survivor.”

Cassidy Clark from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Cassidy Clark

Age: 26

Occupation: Designer

Hometown: Plano, Texas

Current Residence: Austin, Texas

A recent college graduate, Cassidy feels she’s in the perfect time to play Survivor.

“I’m young, I’m fit, I haven’t really started my career fully yet, so this is like where I want the beginning of the rest of my life to happen,” she said. She’s convinced through her spirituality and cleverness, she can “manifest” herself a win.

Dwight Moore from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Dwight Moore

Age: 22

Occupation: Grad Student

Hometown: Palo Alto, California

Current Residence: Collierville, Tennessee

Dwight has a passion for interviewing people, and in that pursuit, he has spoken with three Secretaries of State and a few senators. He doesn’t want players to think that him being a student at Stanford University will stop him from being able to “work with people from various backgrounds.”

He hopes to play a game that people will admire and emulate in the future.

Jesse Lopez from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Jesse Lopez

Age: 30

Occupation: Political Science, PhD

Hometown: Venice, California

Current Residence: Durham, North Carolina

Jesse joined a gang as a teenager, making him learn how to think on his toes and read a room. He got his GED in juvenile hall, and then transformed his life, going on to study at U.C. Berkeley and Duke University, earning himself a PhD in political science.

“Basically, I’ve spent six years studying how people vote, so this show is sort of like everything I’ve studied and researched,” he said. He knows how to handle his self-doubt and is ready to capitalize on any lucky breaks he gets during the game.

Geo Bustamante from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Geo Bustamante

Age: 36

Occupation: Project Manager

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Current Residence: Honolulu, Hawaii

Born in Peru and growing up in Miami, Geo believes his multicultural background will benefit him in the show, saying, “I think people will underestimate me.”

“Being a gay, Latino immigrant, you start creating all these insecurities when you’re young about yourself. But seeing people like me on Survivor that were doing such a good job has given me that strength,” he said. “I wanna play the game until someone tells me, ‘Listen, you’re playing too hard.'” Geo’s determined to go home with “no regrets” this season.

Justine Brennan from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Justine Brennan

Age: 29

Occupation: Cyber Security Sales

Hometown: Sunnyvale, California

Current Residence: Marina Del Rey, California

“There’s more than what meets the eye to me,” Justine said in her intro. She grew up riding dirt bikes with her dad and now works in a male-dominated field, teaching her how to overcome obstacles.

“I completely think that people are gonna underestimate me,” she said. “Honestly, that is part of my strategy. I want them to look at me and think ‘she probably doesn’t want to get her hands dirty,’ but I’m a super competitive person. I’ve been an athlete my whole life.”

She’s most excited for the challenges, but is being careful to be withholding about her game play so she can “come out as a dark horse near the end.”

Mike “Gabler” Gabler from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Mike “Gabler” Gabler

Age: 52

Occupation: Heart Valve Specialist

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Current Residence: Meridian, Idaho

Mike said his high-stress job in an operating room “is the perfect way to prepare yourself for Survivor.” He thinks his tattoos and build will make him come off as an “intimidating guy,” but he has “a heart of gold.”

“The longer I’m in there, the more people get to know me, I think the better I will do with people,” he said. “But at the end of the day, outwit, outplay, outlast. You’re gonna have to be a little ruthless. Like I always say, ‘A good friend will stab you in the front.'” Oh, OK.

Cody Assenmacher from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Cody Assenmacher

Age: 35

Occupation: Elevator Sales

Hometown: Preston, Iowa

Current Residence: Honolulu, Hawaii

Cody “lives to get radical” and is a self-described adrenaline junkie. He feels that growing up in a small Iowa town and moving to Hawaii where community is highly valued made him a man of his word, because in those small communities, everyone knows each other.

His strategy is like his hair: “There’s relationship building in the front, and some wily [strategizing] in the back.” He also has “living” tattooed on his butt cheeks. A colorful addition to the cast, this one.

James Jones from SURVIVOR Season 43
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James Jones

Age: 37

Occupation: Event Planner

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

James grew up as a competitive chess player competinacross the United States. He didn’t see many other kids who looked like him throughout these competitions, which he thinks gives him a strategic edge in the game.

“I feel like being a fish out of water in a bunch of different environments … will bode well in this game,” he said in his intro. “With chess, there’s not one way to actually win … The more information I get, the more stuff going on, the more variables, the more chaos, the better for me.”

Jeanine Zheng from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Jeanine Zheng

Age: 24

Occupation: UX Designer

Hometown: South Hampton, Massachusetts

Current Residence: San Francisco, California

Jeanine feels being a first-generation immigrant will help her in the game because she has “the grit that my dad had when he came to the States with $50 in his pocket, not knowing anyone.”

“That’s kind of like what Survivor‘s gonna be,” she said in her video intro. “I’m gonna have to start from the bottom and work my way up.” She warns not to typecast her as “that stereotypical Asian.”

“I’m a UX designer, I’m not a mathematician,” she said, adding she wants to “lean in” to the creative side of her personality on the show.

Lindsay Carmine from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Lindsay Carmine

Age: 42

Occupation: Pediatric Nurse

Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina

Current Residence: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

“What makes me great at being a caregiver overflows into every other aspect of my life,” Lindsay said in her intro. “In order to be a successful nurse, you have to be able to thrive in chaos. I’m hoping I can use those skills to win the game of Survivor, but as one of the oldest players, I think people are gonna underestimate me. I’m excited to come out here and take risks.”

Owen Knight from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Owen Knight

Age: 30

Occupation: College Admissions Director

Hometown: Bethesda, Maryland

Current Residence: New Orleans, Louisiana

Born in Korea and adopted by a family in D.C., Owen grew up loving Survivor. He views himself as an expert of the game, saying some people might compare him to Wu Hwang from Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Cambodia because of their long hair, but he thinks he’s more like Malcolm Freberg from Survivor: Philippines, Survivor: Caramoan, and Survivor: Game Changers.

Ryan Medrano from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Ryan Medrano

Age: 25

Occupation: Warehouse Associate & Personal Training

Hometown: Savannah, Georgia

Current Residence: El Paso, Texas

Being born three months early with mild cerebral palsy, Ryan has overcome hefty obstacles. Doctors said he wouldn’t be able to walk, but four years of therapy helped him defy the odds, learning how to walk and how to converse with people.

“But it made my thinking a bit slow,” he added. “Learning people and their facial expressions really helps me to anticipate what’s gonna happen next, so that I’m not lost in the dust in the conversation.” Ryan believes this skill will help him read people really well and tell when they’re lying.

“I’m gonna leave it all out there,” he declared.

Morriah Young from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Morriah Young

Age: 28

Occupation: Teacher

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Morriah believes her job as a performance arts teacher for middle schoolers will serve her well in the game, because she’s an expert at getting people to open up. This, she said, will strengthen her social game. Clad in rainbow stripes with rainbow braids, Morriah feels her superpower is “kicking people with color and punching people with joy.”

Nneka Ejere from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Nneka Ejere

Age: 43

Occupation: Pharmacist

Hometown: Weatherford, Texas

Current Residence: Weatherford, Texas

Born and raised in Nigeria, Nneka knows Survivor will require her to bring all of her 43 years of wisdom with her.

“Playing Survivor is about leveraging your strengths, because I’m a terrible liar — I can’t cheat. It’s how I raised my kids,” she said. “But my smile is a huge part of who I am. It can be a tool I can use to make them do exactly what I need them to, because they trust me.”

Elie Scott from SURVIVOR Season 43
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Elisabeth "Elie" Scott

Age: 31

Occupation: Clinical Psychologist

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Current Residence: Salt Lake City, Utah

Elie plans to use her psychology training to help her play “a really social game,” comparing her strategy to the popular Survivor: Panama contestant Cirie Fields.

“She was super flashy,” Elie said. “She’s a gangster in an Oprah suit, and I think, in a way, I’m a wolf in a Brené Brown suit.”