Meet the ‘Survivor: Fiji’ castaways

Survivor: Fiji premieres Thursday, February 8th on CBS. The prize again is a million dollars. The location once again is in the South Pacific– this time in Fiji, where production hardly skipped a beat when a military coup took place last month (Fiji’s made up of lots of small islands. The Survivor crew was far from the action).

Today, CBS introduced the nineteen contestants:
* Alex Angarita, 28, Los Angeles, Calif., attorney: “who knows not everybody trusts a lawyer’s skills of persuasion. “

* Kenward “Boo” Bernis, 34, Lafayette, La., Construction worker: “Look out, ladies: He says romance is part of his strategy…”

* Yau-Man Chan, 54, Martinez, Calif., Computer engineer: “the self described “geek of the group.” He hopes he doesn’t stand out so much that he’s voted off the island.”

* Earl Cole, 35, Santa Monica, Calif., Advertising executive: “The Kansas native says he’s a Midwesterner at heart, with a little California flavor.”

* Jessica deBen, 27, Los Angeles, Calif., Fashion stylist: “is used to exotic locations. She says living in Los Angeles, where people don’t eat, has prepared her for the game. “

* Erica Durousseau, 27, Lake Charles, La., Non-profit fundraiser: “a Louisiana native who was forced to leave New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.”

* Cassandra Franklin, 42, Los Angeles, Calif., Civil engineer manager: “She says her goals for Survivor are pretty simple: to win the million dollars and lose 25 pounds! “

* Liliana Gomez, 25, Oxnard, Calif., Loan officer: “describes herself as ‘the feisty Latina.’ She joined the Marines out of high school, and served in Iraq. “

* Andria “Dre” Herd, 25, Wilmington, N.C., Cheerleading coach: “knows how to survive from growing up homeless in North Carolina… first wowed crowds as a street performer with his brothers. “

* Stacy Kimball, 27, Interactive Internet producer: “The affable wife and mother says she can be devious– if she has to be. “

* Sylvia Kwan, 52, Ross, Calif., Architect: “says she may be high maintenance, but she’ll do whatever it takes to win. “

* Mookie Lee, 25, Wheeling, Ill., Loan manager: “what you see is what you get. Cocky or strong-headed… just likes to have fun. “

* Lisette “Lisi” Linares, 36, Los Angeles, Calif., Customer service representative: “(her) big challenge is going to be keeping her mouth shut. She says with a laugh, ‘I want to stop myself from looking at everyone and being like, Dude, I’m trapped on the island of morons here!’”

* James Reid, 28, Los Angeles, Calif., Bartender: “says he just doesn’t care: ‘I can be a pain in the —, I can be a hypocrite, I can be a bunch of things. The only difference between me and the average cat is that I admit it.’ “

* Edgardo Rivera, 28, Miami Beach, Fla., Advertising executive: “likes to party every weekend, and says he’s good at manipulating people. “

* Anthony Robinson, 32, Compton, Calif., Expert witness locator: “beat the mean streets of Compton, Calif., and graduated from Yale… says he’s the nice guy nobody expects will stab them in the back. “

* Gary Stritesky, 55, Ramsey, Minn., School bus driver: “says his wife wants to know when he’ll finally grow up and get a real job. “

* Rita Verreos, 38, San Antonio, Texas, Single mom: “She’s an image consultant by trade, but says she enjoys a much simpler life, like one an exotic tropical island. “

* Michelle Yi, 23, Cincinnati, Ohio, Student: “says she’s bubbly and energetic, but look out, players: There may be a dark side there.”

Now, based on the above, time to vote: Who will be the first to be voted off?

–Tabloid Baby