Survivor is back, and we’re doing everything we can not to scream with anticipation as the BBC has released the first glimpse at the 18 contestants.
The series is making a surprising comeback more than 20 years after it first aired – and this time the reality series will air on BBC One.
It sounds like the channel has read the room and realised TV viewers LOVE cut-throat challenge shows like The Traitors. And, Survivor has all the makings of another success story.
Here’s everything you need to know about the contestants taking part in the new series of Survivor UK… And a little bit about the show if you’re unlucky enough never to have watched it before!
What is Survivor UK on BBC One?
Survivor is the British version of the desert island-based reality TV series. It first aired in May 2001, with Mark Austin as host. However, after just two series, it was axed by ITV1 in 2002. But this was a HUGE mistake. The series has continued to be a success worldwide, with Survivor Australia currently still going strong, as well as Survivor US.
Now, more two decades later, the endurance test is set to return to the UK with Joel Dommett as host. And we couldn’t be more excited!
The series maroons 18 members of the public on a remote tropical location and separates them into twoo tribes. Then they must “play a strategic game of social, mental and physical skill”. Only one can win the title of Sole Survivor, and win the life-changing £100,000 cash prize.
BBC One tells us: “People from all walks of life will be stranded, form tribal societies and compete against each other in epic challenges of endurance, strength and mental agility.
“With crucial rewards or game-saving immunity up for grabs, they’ll need to use everything they have to survive. One by one the castaways will be eliminated until only one victor emerges as the Sole Survivor.”
In each episode, the members will vote to remove one person from the island until only one remains, who will claim the grand prize…
Meet the Survivor contestants: Ashleigh, 34
Ashleigh is a Brand Strategist from London, who describes herself as a “very upbeat and positive person”. However, she admits she suffers from “imposter syndrome”.
She says: “I love every opportunity to live life to the fullest and to challenge and push myself. I have always wanted to test my limits. I suffer from imposter syndrome and struggle to believe in myself, so this is why I push myself to try and find my limits. What better test to understand what I’m really capable of than the ultimate challenge – Survivor!”
Ashleigh has also revealed that she suffers from coeliac disease. She says: “I actually had a gluten flare-up three weeks before the show started which massively impacted my training. So I was not at my peak fitness when I started.”
Her strategy approaching the show was to “take my time to get to know the other players a bit better before making any moves”.
Christopher, 36
One of the 18 Survivor contestants is 36-year-old Christopher from Bridgend. He’s a singer/songwriter, who was keen to take himself out of his comfort zone.
He explains: “I wanted to be a contestant on Survivor because I wanted to take myself out of my comfort zone and face my fears. I want to prove to myself that I have got what it takes, that I can achieve anything.
“The idea of having nothing but the clothes on my back seemed a million miles away from what I do in real life. Having all luxuries taken away and food restricted whilst having to undertake the toughest game show on earth just excited me.”
Extremely competitive Christopher described himself as a “team player”, with a “sense of adventure”. As for his strategy for winning the game, he admits: “I have the strategy to keep my eyes and ears open and to do my best.”
Meet the Survivor contestants: Doug, 32
Flood Risk Consultant Doug may have a tony advantage as he’s from an island! The 6ft 4 contestant is from the Isle of Mull in Scotland.
He’s been a fan of the show for 20 years, saying: “When I was younger I vividly remember watching the original UK Survivor back in 2002. As a family we loved the show, even going as far as re-enacting some of the original challenges. When I saw that it was returning to TV in the UK I wasted no time in putting my application.”
Doug believes his ability to make people laugh will prove useful on the show. He admits: “My strategy [to win] coming into the game comprised of two key elements; firstly establish myself as an indispensable member of the tribe during the early phase of the game by performing well at challenges and working hard around the camp. Then secondly was to find myself a ‘Shield’ player, or failing that, to create one.”
The former rugby player admits he’s competitive and has a twin sister back home who is rooting for him.
Hannah, 30
Londoner Hannah is a semi-professional footballer who sees herself as a “strong physical player”.
She explains: “Survivor is as much about strategy and alliances as it is about physical prowess, so I wanted to bring a well-rounded approach to the game. I saw myself as a strong physical player, but I also thought my positive energy, authenticity, and social skills could be real game changers.”
Hannah admits she wanted to join the contestants on Survivor after becoming hooked on the show during lockdown. She reveals: “Survivor really became my go-to TV show to watch during lockdown. I got totally hooked, binge-watching season after season and the more I watched, the more I thought I’d absolutely love to be on that show!”
She describes herself as incredibly competitive, adding: “Football has been a huge part of fuelling that fire. Competing at a semi-pro level has given me a taste for competition and the drive to succeed. I brought that same spirit to Survivor, ready to battle it out in every challenge.”
Meet the Survivor contestants: Jess, 38
Fitting Model Jess from London sees Survivor as “the ultimate challenge of a lifetime” and “fancied doing something wild” as she approached her 4oth birthday.
She describes herself as someone who “trusts her gut” and “never gives up”. Approaching the challenge, Jess was looking forward to the challenges, saying: “Anything to do with jumping in the sea and swimming, so much fun!”
Laurence, 29
Survivor contestant Laurence was born in Vienna, raised in Costa Rica, and now lives in London. He describes himself as an entrepreneur, and is currently doing an MPhil in Artificial Intelligence Ethics at Cambridge.
In fact, Laurence runs a health-tech start-up selling anti-hangover capsules with the same name as the show!
Explaining why he wanted to take part, he says: “The show hit the spot as I felt I’d become too comfortable in life, and I’ve come to depend on all sorts of unnecessary creature comforts. It was time to shake things up a bit and prove to myself that I could live on bare necessities, in order to appreciate the luxuries of life.”
He adds: “I wanted to see whether my character would remain the same when put to the test, or whether I would crack under pressure like most other fellow soft millennials.”
Crucially, the hidden ace up his sleeve was having the home field advantage, having grown up just around the corner in Costa Rica… However, when he applied for the opportunity and subsequently got offered a place, he hadn’t watched one episode of Survivor!
His aim before the show? “To play the role of harmless buffoon or village idiot.”
Meet the Survivor contestants: Lee, 28
Lee is originally from Limerick, but now lives in Belfast. The professional boxer wanted to be a contestant on Survivor to “let the world see me for who I really am.
“Survivor shows people at their most vulnerable selves and I was excited for the Irish and British public to see me as my true authentic self.”
His strategy for winning was “to perform well in challenges”. However, he admits he “came in blind” as he’d never seen the show before!
Leilani, 45
Forty-five year old Leilani from Hertford is a barista and cleaner at a yoga studio. She admits she was “at a crossroads in her life and looking for a new direction” when the opportunity to take part in Survivor came up.
She believes she brings “tongue in cheek humour, general immaturity and ignorant bliss mixed with lots of love, cuddles and unity”.
The mum of one struggled to leave her son for the duration of filming, and admits she had no game plan as she’d never watched the show!
She says: “My mental strength is super strong to be able to bear the pain of leaving my child at home during filming.”
Meet the Survivor contestants: Matthew, 21
Matthew, 21, from Cumbria works in hospitality. After turning 21, he decided he wanted to become a contestant on Survivor and take part in the “ultimate challenge”.
He describes himself as “very passionate and have a glass half-full perspective on life”. As well as being physically fit, Matthew’s strategy “was to play the social game”.
He says: “As the youngest player, I knew people would underestimate me but I used that to my advantage. I needed my strategy to be adaptable because I never knew what was going to be thrown at me next. I was there to play and wanted to play with no regrets by being true to myself.”
Nathan, 35
Survivor contestant Nathan, 35, is originally from London, but now lives in Manchester. He’s a fitness instructor and Operations Manager who believes in the concept of Kaizen (a Japanese term for continuous improvement).
Talking about the qualities he thought he’d bring to the game, he said: “I feel I brought my mental attributes of determination, resilience, positivity, optimism and humility and physical attributes of strength and power. Used effectively these were perhaps inspiring for the rest of the camp to observe.”
He prepared himself with “daily positive affirmations”, as well as “cardio and calisthenic exercises”.
Meet the Survivor contestants: Pegleg, 54
Pegleg – real name not provided – is from St Agnes in Cornwall, where he owns a surf school. At 54, he’s the World Champion in my surf division.
He says: “I bring life experience as a 54-year-old; a Gen X attitude for just getting on with it and not whining and moaning about the hardship of it all.”
Pegleg believes he had what it takes after a “lifetime of overcoming preconceived ideas of disability” due to his prosthetic leg. He says: “As an older one-legged guy I had to prove I could hold my own.”
He’s the eldest taking part in the show.
Rachel, 40
Survivor contestant Rachel is an Insurance Claims Handler from Whitstable. She describes herself as an “adventurous, strong, outdoorsy, sporty person who loves a challenge”.
A single mum, her motivation for applying was that she wanted her “children to know that not having a dad around does not mean that one parent isn’t enough”.
Her experiences have taught her that her “gut instinct is always right”.
Survivor contestants: Rach, 23
Twenty-three-year-old Rach is a personal trainer from Glasgow, who loves the Australian version of Survivor.
She says: “I had actually never heard of Survivor until the start of this year when I watched the Australian series and immediately knew that this would be something that I would enjoy. My boyfriend and I binge-watched every single series and I fell in love with the show. I love challenges and adrenaline rushes so taking part in Survivor was a perfect match for me.”
Rach believes her physical strength would be my strongest attribute. She admits she practiced throwing and catching, saying: “My mum ordered bean bags to my house and I would spend some evenings with my friend Lewis, throwing and catching them.”
The personal trainer also revealed she’s competing for the first time in bodybuilding next year.
Meet the Survivor contestants: Ren, 28
Ren, 28, is a Network Data Scientist from London. She admits that “Survivor has been my all-time favourite show since I found it when I was 14”.
She believes she’ll bring plenty of qualities to the game, explaining: “I love the outdoors, so wanted to help people feel at ease while living with next-to-nothing so they’d keep me around.
“I enjoy getting to know new people and forming real connections, so I hoped tribe mates would see I developed genuine relationships that weren’t centred around game-play. But most importantly, if it came down to it, I was willing to separate those relationships from the game – I’d blindside anyone in a heartbeat!”
Ren admits her goal was to “lie-low until the merge, and then show off my game in the later stages”.
Richard, 36
Survivor contestant Richard, 36, is a Pensions Manager / RAF Reservist from Dalkeith in Scotland. He believes he brings “great communication” to the tribe, as well as being a “good team player” with “empathy”.
He describes himself as “very competitive” who “always plays to win”.
Survivor contestants: Sabrina, 45
Sabrina, 45, is an ultramarathon runner from Stroud. She’s also a founder of a charity, an author, a mum of four and a grandmother of three. We’re exhausted just from typing that, let alone living it!
She believes her “social skills” would help her immensely in the game. She also also thinks her “nurturing maternal side and my fearless ability to rough it with the best of them” will come in handy.
In the months before taking part, Sabrina ran two multi-stage 300K off-road trail ultramarathons. One of them being in the remote Scottish highlands. Rather her than us!
Shai, 33
Shai, 33, is a Finance Risk Manager from London. He describes himself as a Survivor super fan.
He say: “I remember watching the show as an 11-year-old in Sri Lanka where I grew up until the age of 17 and have watched most previous seasons across the 23 year period.
“When the opportunity arose, I jumped at it! Who wouldn’t want to be stranded on a random island with nothing but basic rations against a bunch of random strangers, competing in the best game ever!”
Errrr, us?
Survivor contestants: Tinuke
Tinuka, 30, is a professional roller skater and self-confessed adventurer from London. She admits she’s always loved the show.
Speaking ahead of the show’s launch, she said: “I have always loved the show alongside all other survival shows since I was a kid. I was so excited when I saw it was coming to the UK. I want to go on the show for my late parents and to prove to myself that I am so much stronger than I thought I was.
“This is a complete game-changer for me. I am ready to change my life and fill it with adventure and challenge and this is the first stepping stone to get me there.”
Hinting at past troubles, she added: “I am ready to leave behind the troubles and grief of my past and prove that anyone can turn around any dark experience. You always have more in the tank than you think you do, and I am ready to show that! I want to be a massive inspiration for anyone who has also experienced deep loss and sadness.”
Read more: Joel Dommettt and Hannah Cooper welcome first baby and share his adorable name
Survivor starts on BBC One in the coming weeks.
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