Watch the episodes here.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/
http://www.watchsurvivorgabon.com/
The 18 contestants competing this fall on Survivor: Gabon—Earth’s Last Eden for the series' 17th cycle include an Olympic gold medalist, a Gilmore Girls actress, and a professional video game champion, EW.com has learned exclusively. Crystal Cox, who won gold at the Athens Games in 2004 as part of the 4x400m track relay team, is the biggest name on the roster this season, which premieres with a two-hour episode on Sept. 25. Also among the fresh faces is Jessica “Sugar” Kiper (Gilmore Girls fans may remember her as the pin-up model who made out with Milo Ventimiglia during her four-episode arc as Shane) and Ken Hoang, the current international champion of Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers Melee video game. There will also be a prominent international presence, with contestants who have lived in South Africa (Gillian Larson), London (Ace Gordon), and Chile (Paloma Soto-Castillo).
As for the format, the biggest twist of Survivor: Gabon involves Exile (formerly Exile Island). “When you go to Exile this time you can either get a clue that will help you find the hidden immunity idol, or you can get ‘instant comfort’ — a nice thing to sleep on, some food, some fruit,” explains host Jeff Probst. “Depending upon the time, we’ll make the temptation bigger and bigger. The idea was to see if anybody would be dumb enough to choose comfort over the only thing that guarantees you to stick in the game, which is immunity.” Okay, did it work? “By the time this season is over, you can make the case that maybe this is the dumbest team when it comes to idol play.”
Also for the first time ever, Survivor: Gabon will be shot entirely in HD. “If you’re a Survivor fan and you have HD, it will be a completely different show,” Probst promises. “When you incorporate the wildlife, it’s kind of like being in a Spielberg movie. I mean, it’s so real-looking that it’s exciting and scary.” And that wildlife Probst speaks of will come into play when elephants visit a tribe camp. “A truly real, raw moment of a wild animal that’s not in a park or some protected area,” Probst says.
The contestants of Survivor: Gabon will be divided up into two tribes at the very outset by a good old fashioned schoolyard pick ’em, which will immediately lead to the contestants’ first challenge. And while there are no hardcore “showmances” this time around, Probst does tease that one player proves particularly popular: “Marcus, the doctor from Georgia — one of the most arrogant guys that we’ve had on the show — he at one point had three people after him. And not only women.”
==================================================================================
Biography
Ken Hoang (22)
Hometown: Westminster, California
Occupation: Professional Gamer
Ken Hoang gives a new meaning to the term "gamer." Known to the gaming community as "the King of Smash," Hoang is a professional at his craft. As the current international champion of Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers Melee video game, Ken has traveled the world from Japan to Australia to prove his dominance.
Hoang uses his tournament winnings to help support his family. He and his siblings still live at home to help pay the mortgage. It has also led to a strong bond among his brothers and sisters. In fact it was his sister that started his addiction to SURVIVOR.
While he may seem like an interesting choice for a game based in the outdoors, this gamer sees it as an amazing opportunity. Ken is very creative, and has a strong passion for art, a skill he is currently going to college to fine tune. When not playing videogames or brushing up on his art, Hoang enjoys playing with his pets, a Maincoon cat named Kinski and a Husky named Monster.
He loves the fact that he will be considered an underdog because everyone will underestimate his prowess at playing mind games. Nobody would look at him and believe he climbed Mt. Fuji at the age of 20. Ready to exploit his slight physical stature, Ken will trick his fellow players into seeing him as a non-threat, only to smash them if they get in his way.
Ken is single (Relax) and currently resides in Westminster, Calif. His birth date is October 10, 1985.
==================================================================================
A/S/L/O
Ace – 27 – Male –Florida – Jewelry Sales and Photographer
Bob – 58 – Portland, Maine – High School Physics Teacher
Charlie – 29 – Male – New York City – Lawyer
Corinne – 29 – Los Angeles – Pharmaceutical Sales
Crystal – 29 – Female – North Carolina – 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in 4 x 400 Relay
Dan – 32 – Male – Boston – Lawyer
“GC” – 26 – Male – Oregon – Maintenance Man
Gillian – 61 – Female – California – Retired Nurse
Jacquie – 25 – Female – California – Medical Sales
Jessica – 29 – Female – New York – Pin-Up Model
Kelly – 22 – Female – Illinois – Retail Sales
Ken – 22 – Male – California – Professional Gamer
Marcus – 28 – Male – Atlanta – Doctor
Matty – 29 – Male – California – Personal Trainer
Michelle – 24 – Female – Los Angeles – Music Producer
Paloma – 24 – Female – California – Student
Randy – 49 – Male – Missouri – Wedding Photographer
Susie – 47 – Female – Iowa – Hairdresser
==================================================================================
Teams
*Note*
Names in Italics are cast who have been voted off.
* Yellow team: Kota
* Bob
* Ace
* Sugar
* Marcus
* Charlie
* Paloma
* Kelly
* Jacquie
* Corrine
* Red team: Fang
* Gillian
* Crystal
* Susie
* Matty
* Randy
* Dan
* Danny
* Ken
* Michelle
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/
http://www.watchsurvivorgabon.com/
The 18 contestants competing this fall on Survivor: Gabon—Earth’s Last Eden for the series' 17th cycle include an Olympic gold medalist, a Gilmore Girls actress, and a professional video game champion, EW.com has learned exclusively. Crystal Cox, who won gold at the Athens Games in 2004 as part of the 4x400m track relay team, is the biggest name on the roster this season, which premieres with a two-hour episode on Sept. 25. Also among the fresh faces is Jessica “Sugar” Kiper (Gilmore Girls fans may remember her as the pin-up model who made out with Milo Ventimiglia during her four-episode arc as Shane) and Ken Hoang, the current international champion of Nintendo’s Super Smash Brothers Melee video game. There will also be a prominent international presence, with contestants who have lived in South Africa (Gillian Larson), London (Ace Gordon), and Chile (Paloma Soto-Castillo).
As for the format, the biggest twist of Survivor: Gabon involves Exile (formerly Exile Island). “When you go to Exile this time you can either get a clue that will help you find the hidden immunity idol, or you can get ‘instant comfort’ — a nice thing to sleep on, some food, some fruit,” explains host Jeff Probst. “Depending upon the time, we’ll make the temptation bigger and bigger. The idea was to see if anybody would be dumb enough to choose comfort over the only thing that guarantees you to stick in the game, which is immunity.” Okay, did it work? “By the time this season is over, you can make the case that maybe this is the dumbest team when it comes to idol play.”
Also for the first time ever, Survivor: Gabon will be shot entirely in HD. “If you’re a Survivor fan and you have HD, it will be a completely different show,” Probst promises. “When you incorporate the wildlife, it’s kind of like being in a Spielberg movie. I mean, it’s so real-looking that it’s exciting and scary.” And that wildlife Probst speaks of will come into play when elephants visit a tribe camp. “A truly real, raw moment of a wild animal that’s not in a park or some protected area,” Probst says.
The contestants of Survivor: Gabon will be divided up into two tribes at the very outset by a good old fashioned schoolyard pick ’em, which will immediately lead to the contestants’ first challenge. And while there are no hardcore “showmances” this time around, Probst does tease that one player proves particularly popular: “Marcus, the doctor from Georgia — one of the most arrogant guys that we’ve had on the show — he at one point had three people after him. And not only women.”
==================================================================================
Biography
Ken Hoang (22)
Hometown: Westminster, California
Occupation: Professional Gamer
Ken Hoang gives a new meaning to the term "gamer." Known to the gaming community as "the King of Smash," Hoang is a professional at his craft. As the current international champion of Nintendo's Super Smash Brothers Melee video game, Ken has traveled the world from Japan to Australia to prove his dominance.
Hoang uses his tournament winnings to help support his family. He and his siblings still live at home to help pay the mortgage. It has also led to a strong bond among his brothers and sisters. In fact it was his sister that started his addiction to SURVIVOR.
While he may seem like an interesting choice for a game based in the outdoors, this gamer sees it as an amazing opportunity. Ken is very creative, and has a strong passion for art, a skill he is currently going to college to fine tune. When not playing videogames or brushing up on his art, Hoang enjoys playing with his pets, a Maincoon cat named Kinski and a Husky named Monster.
He loves the fact that he will be considered an underdog because everyone will underestimate his prowess at playing mind games. Nobody would look at him and believe he climbed Mt. Fuji at the age of 20. Ready to exploit his slight physical stature, Ken will trick his fellow players into seeing him as a non-threat, only to smash them if they get in his way.
Ken is single (Relax) and currently resides in Westminster, Calif. His birth date is October 10, 1985.
==================================================================================
A/S/L/O
Ace – 27 – Male –Florida – Jewelry Sales and Photographer
Bob – 58 – Portland, Maine – High School Physics Teacher
Charlie – 29 – Male – New York City – Lawyer
Corinne – 29 – Los Angeles – Pharmaceutical Sales
Crystal – 29 – Female – North Carolina – 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in 4 x 400 Relay
Dan – 32 – Male – Boston – Lawyer
“GC” – 26 – Male – Oregon – Maintenance Man
Gillian – 61 – Female – California – Retired Nurse
Jacquie – 25 – Female – California – Medical Sales
Jessica – 29 – Female – New York – Pin-Up Model
Kelly – 22 – Female – Illinois – Retail Sales
Ken – 22 – Male – California – Professional Gamer
Marcus – 28 – Male – Atlanta – Doctor
Matty – 29 – Male – California – Personal Trainer
Michelle – 24 – Female – Los Angeles – Music Producer
Paloma – 24 – Female – California – Student
Randy – 49 – Male – Missouri – Wedding Photographer
Susie – 47 – Female – Iowa – Hairdresser
==================================================================================
Teams
*Note*
Names in Italics are cast who have been voted off.
* Yellow team: Kota
* Bob
* Ace
* Sugar
* Marcus
* Charlie
* Paloma
* Kelly
* Jacquie
* Corrine
* Red team: Fang
* Gillian
* Crystal
* Susie
* Matty
* Randy
* Dan
* Danny
* Ken
* Michelle
