Survivor 51’s cast talks twists: ‘so much thrown our way’! ‘no rules’!

CBS gave me a birthday present: a new Survivor cast! Even in the new era, and my nervousness about the post-new era era, I’m always excited for a new season of Survivor.

There are 21 players yet there are two tribes in the season preview, so likely one of these people is going to get screwed or exiled, or is actually Jimmy Fallon in disguise.

They are quite white and quite young: everyone in their 20s and 30s, except two 40-year-olds and the oldest player, who’s 49, coincidentally the age I turn today, so that is VERY YOUNG. (I’m actually not at all concerned about my age; I’m actually excited to be able to use Sally O’Malley GIFs next year.)

From this edited package of interviews with the Survivor 51 cast (watch it below) it’s clear there are some fun characters, and that’s to say nothing of the many mustache choices. Quite a few started watching Survivor, or re-joined the rest of us, during COVID, so the new era is their template.

Early Survivor 51 stand-outs for me:

• Carter, who called himself “the dumbest kid of all time. I farm. I run a snow cone truck—it’s all about the kids. I’ve got a moving company with one of my best friends. We started locally; now we’re moving the world.”
• Thien An: “I love talking about farts—I think farts are funny.” Agreed. I hope she brings some of third-grade humor for me each week!
• Cristian, his laugh, and his desire to be everyone’s “adorable little brother” while acknowledging “I can definitely be a heartless bitch.” I’ve never had a little brother; I’ve only been an older brother. Are they heartless bitches?
• Linnea, who “own[s] a lingerie and adult toy business with my brother” and told us, “I sell intimate things to uncomfortable and nervous people.” I so hope she has some metaphors ready for Tribal Council, because I want to see Jeff Probst hearing her comparing twists to anal beads.

I’m excited that we have a player with an Irish accent, Lewis, who introduced himself as “an Irish farmer living in Puerto Rico” but neglected to mention his 10 million likes on TikTok videos starring him and his wife—which I guess is a win, that he didn’t drop his handle.

He said, “Everyone loves a cheeky Irish person. We have the best crack.” That’s how the subtitles spelled it, so I assume that means cocaine is now fair game in the Open Era. (P.S. I know he meant “craic,” i.e. “news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation.”)

The most fascinating—and perhaps concerning!—part was how many players talked about this new “Open Era.” Since these interviews were filmed before the game began, so they were primed for what to expect, even though they presumably did not know specifics.

But they’re very very exited about twists and chaos, and making Jeff Probst’s heart swell with the way they sell producer-driven game play:

• Kilby: “Having seen Survivor 50, they have empirical evidence that the fans like twists, so I am expecting Survivor to throw some crazy stuff at us.”
• Jenna: “it’s a whole new era of Survivor — there’s going to be so much thrown our way that we can’t possibly predict or plan for. You should just prepare to be amazed.”
• Carter: “SUrivvor’s always changing” “the most crazy, changing game of all time”
• Rob: “This is like a new era now … I’m here for the chaos, baby.”
• Patt: “Season 50 was amazing! It was so fun to watch, so I want us to match that energy. I am ready for things to get shook up.”
• Lewis: “There’s no rules. There’s no concrete things set in stone. I could bullshit a million things and nobody’s going to know any better”
• Mike: “I know that Jeff is going to throw some weird stuff at us. I know it’s going to be interesting.”
• Ana: “a lot more twists … allowing for the players to make more moves”

I hope the twists allow players to make moves, instead of becoming paralyzed by them, and I hope it’s going to be interesting!

The visual theme of the season is whales, for reasons, and that includes a large whale skeleton at Tribal Council, made from the bones of the new era players who died waiting for someone to hand them pizza during the after show.

Jeff Probst revealed that the voting confessional has been moved far enough away from the players that they cannot hear the player talking to the camera.

He said that’s because people don’t know how they’re going to vote, as “the votes get more and more complex, as players are indecisive.” Perhaps because MrBeast is standing there with a coin and a shotgun?

Survivor 51’s players

Watch the intros and see their CBS bios:

1. Aaliyah Puglia, 24, Providence, R.I. Chef
2. Alexis Levine, 34, Atlanta, Ga. Criminal defense attorney
3. An “Thien An” Nguyen, 24, Fort Worth, Texas. Medical student
4. Ana Sani, 34, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Voice actress
5. Angelica “Jelly” Loblack, 29, Bloomington, Ind. Sociology professor
6. Brady Booker, 27, Knoxville, Tenn. Pro wrestler
7. Carter Krull, 24, Sioux Falls, S.D. Livestock farmer
8. Cristian Chavez, 26, Salt Lake City, Utah. Head of HR
9. Danny “Kilby” Kilby, 30, London, Ontario, Canada. Game designer
10. Devin Way, 33, Los Angeles, Calif. Actor
11. Eric Macksoud, 34, Windsor Locks, Conn. Mental health counselor
12. Jenna Doore, 30, Toledo, Ohio. Wedding photographer
13. Kristin Flickinger, 49, Santa Barbara, Calif. Crisis management
14. Lewis Kelly, 28, Puerto Rico, USA. Farmer
15. Linnea Capobianco, 25, Jersey City, N.J. Entrepreneur
16. Maggie Nestor, 40, Charlestown, W.Va. Farmer
17. Mike Pinsky, 32, New York City, N.Y. Baseball executive
18. Ori Jean-Charles, 27, Spring Valley, N.Y. Personal trainer
19. Patt Cannaday, 33, Washington, D.C. Federal prosecutor
20. Rob Antonson, 40, Cumberland, R.I. Airline gate agent
21. Sharonda Cox, 34, Richmond, Ky. Resident, OBGYN

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