The 18 castaways for season 41 of Survivor on CBS have been announced. The cast includes Danny McCray, former NFL player; Shantel Smith, a pastor in Washington; and Ricard Foyé, a flight attendant from Washington State.
McCray was a defensive back and special teams player for the Cowboys and Bears.
The season begins Sept. 22 and offers some new elements from its Fiji base. Three tribes of six will compete in what CBS calls "a faster, more intense and more dangerous season than ever before. The unpredictable, accelerated pace will test even the strongest superfan, as supplies are minimal, reward challenges are scarce, and players find themselves faced with advantages that could significantly help their game or, just as easily, extinguish their torch."
"I cannot remember a time when I've been this excited to launch a new season of Survivor," said executive producer and host Jeff Probst. "Survivor 41 features a really likable group of savvy Survivor players and they are in for the most intense, most difficult and most dangerous season we've ever done. We know we have the most loyal fans of any show on television, and we are pumped to bring them a new, exciting season of Survivor!"
The sole remaining survivor gets $1 million.
For the first time, Probst "will also take viewers inside the action, addressing the audience directly throughout the season, even letting fans in on some twists before the players are made aware," said CBS. Fans can test their Survivor skills by playing the new Game Within the Game. Each week, viewers will have to spot a hidden rebus puzzle within the episode and solve it.
The remaining cast members are Brad Reese of Shawnee, Wyoming; David Voce of Highland, California; Deshawn Radden of Miami; Eric Abraham of San Antonio; Erika Casupanan of Toronto; Evvie Jagoda of Arlington, Massachusetts; Genie Chen of Portland; Heather Aldret of Charleston; Jairus Robinson of Oklahoma City; Liana Wallace of Washington; Naseer Muttalif of Morgan Hill, California; Sara Wilson of Boston; Sydney Segal of Brooklyn; Tiffany Seely of Plainview, New York; and Xander Hastings of Jacksonville, Florida.
Season 40 premiered early in 2020, with the pandemic delaying season 41.
Survivor is produced by S.E.G. Holdco., LLC. Mark Burnett, Jeff Probst, Matt VanWagenen, Kahaia Pearson and Jesse Jensen are executive producers.
