CBS announced the 20 castaways who will compete against each other on SURVIVOR when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 39th season with a special 90-minute premiere, Wednesday, Sept. 25 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
This edition features two legendary winners, Boston Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, who return to the game to serve as mentors to a group of 20 new castaways. Combined, Boston Rob and Sandra have played over 200 days of SURVIVOR and plan to share their knowledge with the new castaways, but for the first time, they won’t be competing for the money. During the 39 days, some castaways will have the opportunity to visit the Island of the Idols to learn skills and strategy from these “idols.” Each player, selected to visit the special island in various ways throughout the season, will have to decide if they should put their knowledge to the test for a chance at a possible advantage in the game, or risk losing something very important in the process. Those who can rise up to the challenge will possibly gain an advantage and continue their individual quest for $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.
“For our 39th season, we are bringing back two of our most dominant winners to serve as mentors to a new group of castaways,” said executive producer and host Jeff Probst. “It’s a SURVIVOR boot camp where each week, players will be instructed on a different facet of the game and then have a chance to test what they’ve learned for a shot at an advantage.”
These new castaways will be forced to compete against each other with the same ultimate goal: to outwit, outplay and outlast each other, and in the end only one will remain to claim the title of Sole Survivor. The show films in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, and is hosted by Emmy Award winner Jeff Probst.
The following are the 20 castaways competing this fall.

photo courtesy of CBS
“LAIRO” TRIBE
Ronnie Bardah (35)
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
Current Residence: Henderson, Nev.
Occupation: Pro Poker Player
Elizabeth Beisel (26)
Hometown: Saunderstown, R.I.
Current Residence: Saunderstown, R.I.
Occupation: Olympic Medalist
Missy Byrd (24)
Hometown: Decatur, Ga.
Current Residence: Tacoma, Wash.
Occupation: Air Force Veteran
Dean Kowalski (28)
Hometown: Westfield, N. J.
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Tech Sales
Tom Laidlaw (60)
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Current Residence: Greenwich, Conn.
Occupation: Former NHL Player
Aaron Meredith (36)
Hometown: Uncasville, Conn.
Current Residence: Warwick, R.I.
Occupation: Gym Owner
Vince Moua (27)
Hometown: Merced, Calif.
Current Residence: Palo Alto, Calif.
Occupation: Admissions Counselor
Karishma Patel (37)
Hometown: Philadelphia
Current Residence: Houston
Occupation: Personal Injury Lawyer
Elaine Stott (41)
Hometown: Woodbine, Ky.
Current Residence: Rockholds, Ky.
Occupation: Factory Worker
Chelsea Walker (26)
Hometown: Marlton, N.J.
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Occupation: Digital Content Creator

photo courtesy of CBS
“VOKAI” TRIBE
Lauren Beck (28)
Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif. and Rochester Hills, Mich.
Current Residence: Glendale, Calif.
Occupation: Nanny
Molly Byman (27)
Hometown: Boston
Current Residence: Durham, N.C.
Occupation: Law Student
Janet Carbin (59)
Hometown: Neptune, N.J.
Current Residence: Palm Bay, Fla.
Occupation: Chief Lifeguard
Kellee Kim (29)
Hometown: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Current Residence: Philadelphia
Occupation: MBA Student
Jason Linden (32)
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Personal Injury Lawyer
Jack Nichting (23)
Hometown: Newport News, Va.
Current Residence: Harrisonburg, Va.
Occupation: Graduate Student
Noura Salman (36)
Hometown: London, UK / Bethesda, Md.
Current Residence: North Potomac, Md.
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Tommy Sheehan (26)
Hometown: Bayville, N.Y.
Current Residence: Long Beach, N.Y.
Occupation: 4th Grade Teacher
Jamal Shipman (33)
Hometown: Jersey City, N.J.
Current Residence: Providence, R.I.
Occupation: College Administrator
Dan Spilo (48)
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current Residence: Los Angeles
Occupation: Talent Manager

Movie
Upcoming NTR Junior projects

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., affectionately known as Jr NTR, has consistently enthralled audiences with his dynamic performances and versatile acting prowess. Following the successful release of “Devara: Part 1” on September 27, 2024, fans are eagerly anticipating his forthcoming projects. Here’s an overview of what’s next for this action superstar.

1. Devara: Part 2
After the resounding success of “Devara: Part 1,” which grossed over ₹466 crore globally, the sequel is highly anticipated. Director Koratala Siva has hinted that “Devara: Part 2” will be even more intense, stating that if Part 1 showcased 10% of Jr NTR’s capabilities, Part 2 will unveil the remaining 90%. Filming is slated to commence in the first half of 2026, with a targeted release by the end of that year.

2. War 2
Expanding his horizons, Jr NTR is set to make his Hindi film debut with “War 2,” directed by Ayan Mukerji. This sequel to the 2019 blockbuster “War” will see him sharing screen space with Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani. The film is part of the YRF Spy Universe and is scheduled for release on August 14, 2025, coinciding with the Indian Independence Day weekend.

3. NTR 31 (Tentative Title: Dragon)
In collaboration with acclaimed director Prashanth Neel, Jr NTR will star in a period drama tentatively titled “Dragon.” The film is set to delve into themes of immigration and is expected to be one of the most expensive projects for both the actor and the director. The movie is slated for a grand release on January 9, 2026.

Why Jr NTR is the Action Hero Everyone Wants to See
Jr NTR’s appeal as an action hero stems from his ability to seamlessly blend intense physicality with deep emotional resonance. His performances are characterized by a compelling screen presence, dynamic energy, and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences across diverse roles. This unique combination of skills has solidified his status as a leading figure in Indian cinema, making him the action hero everyone wants to see.
With a lineup of diverse and high-profile projects, Jr NTR continues to push cinematic boundaries and captivate audiences worldwide. His dedication to his craft and ability to reinvent himself with each role ensure that fans have much to look forward to in the coming years.
Movie
“Death of a Unicorn: A24’s Twisted Fairytale You Won’t Forget”

Headed to a wilderness retreat of a wealthy pharmaceutical CEO to hopefully land a lucrative job, widower Elliot and his reluctant daughter Ridley manage to have a car accident with a heretofore-thought creature out of legend, and hijinks ensue!
Oh this is an absolute gem of a movie y’all, brought to you by the genius minds of film production company A24, a delightful blend of horror and campy, almost idiotic, comedy. Make sure your seatbelt is buckled and let’s dive into this!
So Ridley (Jenna Ortega) is you typical teenager, angsty and missing her passed-on mother, full of acne troubles and secretly vaping while her dad Elliot (Paul Rudd) ignores her for much more than appearance purposes, while he schmoozes his way into the good graces of the family they’re going to stay with. Elliot ignores everything but his continued greed, for both money and continuous stability for him and Ridley, really, he swears, so when the misty mountains cause their electronics to go haywire and Elliot’s busy with that crisis, he doesn’t notice until it’s too late and BAM. You’ve hit an actual unicorn with your car.
Like most girls, Ridley can’t help but be fascinated by the poor mythical horse-like creature, and of course she reaches out to grasp the glowing horn, filling her head full of magic and her eyes full of stars and the cosmos, while Elliot has a much more, let’s say visceral, reaction. But rather than calling, I dunno, some sort of wildlife preserve or the cops or even considering burying the unfortunate horned horse, no, the baby is loaded like a downed stag into the back of Elliott’s car and they hurry on to the CEO’s wilderness retreat.
It makes sense that the changes to Ridley’s appearance are the first thing that allows O’Dell (Richard E. Grant) and his greedy, grasping family to understand that the body of the unicorn has healing properties. Wife Belinda (Tea Leoni) is your typical utterly vapid socialite who helps the poor downtrodden of whatever’s currently popular third world country, not for the do-gooder part of it, but for the optics. And their son Shepard (Will Poulter) is a walking poster boy for the arrogant frat boy type who could never settle on just one thing to be or do, and so he tries them all – archery, photography, mixology, music and various forms of pharmaceuticals, all while sporting these terrible fashion choices in shorts and rambling proudly about his nonexistent accomplishments. Griff (Anthony Carrigan) is the family butler and general verbal punching bag, and let us not forget the unfortunate pair of doctoral research scientists who get called in to examine the unicorn, Dr. Song (Steve Park) and Dr. Bhatia (Sunita Mani).
So we have a family of covetous types who all want to divy the unicorn up and sell its various parts for as much wealth and power as they can get, plus the pair of scientists who are flabbergasted to find themselves dissecting an actual unicorn that, hey, guess what, isn’t actually dead for really-real yet. Elliott’s trying to procure his and Ridley’s slice of the action, though honestly, his lawyerly powers of persuasion seem to be rather lacking in this regard, while Ridley is off doing some actual research on medieval unicorns and what the ancient legends in tapestries had to say about them. You know how the modern genie, with his Arabian lamp and his three wishes with their horrifically ironic consequences, actually stems from the ancient legend of that old monster, the creature born from fire that wants nothing more than to destroy all human life on Earth, the Djinn? Our modern legends and beliefs about unicorns is kinda like that.
So everyone, even our scientists with their experiments and O’Dell supposedly being an experienced animal hunter, seems to have forgotten that a horse is a mammal and therefore, has parents. And while everyone is concerning themselves with what to use the babies’ various parts for, only Ridley seems to have realized, that the babies’ sire and dam are coming for it!
We all know horses are smart, and that humans and horses can form an almost mythical bond, but when a stallion or even a dam’s ire is raised, they can attack and defend just as well as any rampaging beast, and do present a very real and dire threat. And these particular horses, with their shaggy midnight-black coats and hooves the size of monster-truck hubcaps, their fangs and absolute righteous rage at their baby being stolen, not to mention both mom and dad’s inherently magical nature, and those utterly badass war-unicorn horns, are here to wreak utter destruction and death upon the humans that would dare to eat, drink and snort, their baby!
Full of utterly ridiculous fun with human greed and the scarcely-remembered wonder of those magical creatures you heard about as a child, cheer along with the Jurassic Park-like screech of our rampaging parents to save their baby, in Death of a Unicorn, in theaters now!