Survivor 45: Meet the Castaways Competing in the Grittiest Season Yet

A super-sized season of “Survivor” is here!

After 23 years — and 652 episodes! — CBS’ reality competition series is back. For the first time, “Survivor” will feature all 90-minute episodes, instead of the usual one-hour episodes, diving deeper into the the 18 players’ stories as they live stranded in Fiji.

Season 45 will feature “treacherous new elements and navigating an ever-shifting social game,” as the contestants are divided into three tribes of six for a “faster” and “grittier” season. Despite the changes and updates over the last 23 years, the ultimate, end goal remains the same: outwit, outplay and outlast. In the end, only one will win the $1 million prize and the title of Sole Survivor.

Hosted by Jeff Probst, “Survivor” is currently nominated for three Emmys, including Outstanding Reality Competition Program. Kicking off Sept. 27 at 8 p.m., the CBS series will also stream on Paramount+, both live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers.

The cast includes 17 new faces and one familiar: Season 44’s Bruce Perreault, who was medically evacuated on the first day of last season after suffering a concussion.

Meet the full group of castaways below:

Kellie Nalbandian
Age: 30
Hometown: Weston, Conn.
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Critical care nurse
Janani “J” Krishnan-Jha
Age: 24
Hometown: San Francisco, Calif.
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Occupation: Singer
Dee Valladares
Age: 26
Hometown: Havana, Cuba
Current Residence: Miami, Fla.
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Austin Li Coon
Age: 26
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Current Residence: Chicago, Ill.
Occupation: Grad student
Katurah Topps
Age: 35
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Current Residence: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Occupation: Civil rights attorney
Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup
Age: 30
Hometown: O’Fallon, Ill.
Current Residence: O’Fallon, Ill.
Occupation: Gym owner
Jake O’Kane
Age: 26
Hometown: Hanson, Mass.
Current Residence: Boston, Mass.
Occupation: Attorney
Kendra McQuarrie
Age: 31
Hometown: Haverhill, Mass.
Current Residence: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Occupation: Bartender
Kaleb Gebrewold
Age: 29
Hometown: Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
Current Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
Occupation: Software sales
Julie Alley
Age: 49
Hometown: Brentwood, Tenn.
Current Residence: Brentwood, Tenn.
Occupation: Estate attorney
Hannah Rose
Age: 33
Hometown: Woodbridge, Conn.
Current Residence: Baltimore City, Md.
Occupation: Therapist
Sean Edwards
Age: 35
Hometown: Lawrence, N.J.
Current Residence: Provo-Orem, Utah
Occupation: School principal
Bruce Perreault
Age: 47
Hometown: West Warwick, R.I.
Current Residence: Warwick, R.I.
Occupation: Insurance agent
Emily Flippen
Age: 28
Hometown: McKinney, Texas
Current Residence: Laurel, Md.
Occupation: Investment analyst
Brandon Donlon
Age: 26
Hometown: Sicklerville, N.J.
Current Residence: Sicklerville, N.J.
Occupation: Content producer
Drew Basile
Age: 23
Hometown: Birmingham, Mich.
Current Residence: Philadelphia, Pa.
Occupation: Grad student
Brandon “Brando” Meyer
Age: 23
Hometown: Oak Park, Calif.
Current Residence: Seattle, Wash.
Occupation: Software developer
Sabiyah Broderick
Age: 28
Hometown: Locust Grove, Ga.
Current Residence: Jacksonville, N.C.
Occupation: Truck driver

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Survivor 45: Meet the Castaways Competing in the Grittiest Season Yet

Kellie Nalbandian

Janani “J” Krishnan-Jha

Dee Valladares

Austin Li Coon

Katurah Topps

Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup

Jake O’Kane

Kendra McQuarrie

Kaleb Gebrewold

Julie Alley

Hannah Rose

Sean Edwards

Bruce Perreault

Emily Flippen

Brandon Donlon

Drew Basile

Brandon “Brando” Meyer

Sabiyah Broderick

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