Survivor Fiji Contestants

Posted by Deanna Couras Goodson Jan 17, 2007

Survivor’s fourteenth installment premieres on February 8th (I can’t wait, can you?). This season promises to have some twists and turns. There’s going to be not one, but two secret, hidden immunity idols on Exile Island and the winners of the first immunity challenge will get a big reward – the chance to live in a space that has all the survival goodies they need. The losers will get a machete, one water source, a pot and nothing else.

This is the first Survivor that will feature an odd number of contestants, 19. Do we smell another Final Three?

Here’s a brief intro to the contestants. Let’s meet them, shall we?

Alex Angarita is a 28 year old attorney. He was born in Colombia, attended Harvard Law School and was a member of the school’s boxing club. He’s an avid Family Guy watcher and lover of the works of Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho.

Anthony Robinson is 32 years old. He grew up in Compton where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He attended Yale and received a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies. He currently works as an expert witness locator for attorneys.

Kenward “Boo” Bernis is from Lafayette, LA. He is a construction worker and bar owner. He is an Olympic-style weightlifter and practices mixed martial arts. He loves football, snow skiing and Fruity Pebbles.

Cassandra Franklin is a 42 year old civil engineer who has worked for the University of California for 23 years. She is active in many charities and has been married for two years. She loves cookies, smoothies and her family.

Andria “Dre” Herd grew up homeless on the streets of Wilmington, NC. He has two children and is training hard to become a boxer at a gym owned by one of his brothers. He loves to play chess, watch Seinfeld and drink water.

Earl Cole is a composer and Senior Advertising Executive. He plays the saxophone, piano and guitar. He has a variety of interests and is as cerebral as he is athletic. He lists The Bible as one of his favorite books.

Edgardo Rivera was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico 28 years ago. He played on Puerto Rico’s Davis Cup tennis team. He loves to listen to hip-hop and read Maxim magazine. Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite.

Erica Durousseau earned a track scholarship to Grambling College in her home state of Louisiana. She was displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. She is a youth market director and manages fundraisers. She refers to herself as ‘confrontational.’ Erica loves the color yellow, Flavor of Love and Iyanla Van Sant books.

Gary Stritesky is 55. He lives in Ramsey, MN with his wife of 34 years. This father of four has competed in inline skate marathons. He also loves to bike and canoe. He loves to nosh on Cool Ranch Doritos and drinks root beer.

James Reid is a Boston native and former member of the US Navy. He’s also a bartender and loves sports such as football and wrestling. He describes himself as a ‘man’s man.’

Jessica deBen hails from New Orleans. She’s a fashion stylist/makeup artist. She was also a body painter for Disney’s Lion King show in Orlando. She loves badminton, Monopoly and hiking.

Liliana Gomez is the second oldest of eight children in a Mexican-American family living in Oxnard, CA. She’s a loan officer and former assistance for handicapped children. The 25 year old loves the outdoors, lilies, Latin music and Mojitos. She’s also a former Marine who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lisette “Lisi” Linares works as a customer service representative for a psychic services company. She hopes to be the Mayor of Miami, her hometown, someday. She’s of Cuban descent and enjoys eating tortilla chips and salsa.

Michelle Yi is a senior at the University of Cincinnati where she studies fashion design. She’s 23 and loves 80s pop music, The Amazing Race and John Steinbeck books.

Mookie Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and is a program manager for an internet loan company. His family is very important to him. He also loves basketball, skiing, golfing, and Cocoa Puffs.

Rita Verreos is the sister of Project Runway 2’s Nick Verreos. She’s 38, a single mother of two and a former finalist in the Miss Venezuela pageant. She’s a former fashion model who appeared in the film, Marked for Death. She loves her home basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs, and loves to play Barbie Fashion Designer with her kids.

Stacy Kimball was born in South Korea and was adopted at the age of six months. She was brought up in Montpelier, VT. Kimball received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Ai Miami International University of Art and Design. She’s 27 and works to create innovative web content for national clients. She loves to knit and make jewelry.

Sylvia Kwan hails from Hong Kong. She moved to the Los Angeles at the age of 8. She has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the founder and Chairman of an award-winning architectural firm in San Francisco. Kwan and her hubby of 26 years have two children. She loves tennis, golf and skiing. She watches The Apprentice and enjoys books by authors such as Joyce Carol Oates and Jane Austen.

Yau-Man Chan is 54. He was born in Malaysian Borneo and received his Bachelor’s degree from MIT. He also has a Masters of Science degree and works as a Director of Information Systems for The University of California, Berkeley. He loves to play table tennis and read. He likes to snack on shrimp chips and M&Ms.