Survivor Season 44: Meet the 18 Contestants Competing to Be Sole Survivor

Meet the cast of Survivor 44 before Jeff Probst and the show return to the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, March 1 on CBS.

By JD Knapp Jan 31, 2023 7:00 PMTags
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Believe it or not, Survivor is just about ready to air its 44th season—and CBS officially revealed its latest cast of 18 castaways on Jan. 31.

Ahead of the two-hour season premiere on March 1, host Jeff Probst and his crew will be returning to the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji for the 12th consecutive season to see who has what it takes to outwit, outplay and outlast their competition in order to win the $1 million prize.

The new cast of hopefuls will be split across three tribes of six for 26 days' worth of gameplay, with contestants ranging in age from 20 to 46. Most notably, former Seattle Seahawks fullback Brandon Cottom will be amongst the players.

Probst previously detailed his future on the show following the most recent season finale, which saw Mike Gabler beat out Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight for the title of Sole Survivor and the cash prize, which he donated to military veterans.

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Survivor Season 43: Meet the Cast

"It's impossible to describe what Survivor represents to me. Impossible," the showrunner told Entertainment Weekly in December. "It goes beyond creative expression or professional recognition. It's much deeper. It's right in line with the ideas I try to impress on our players. It's about pushing myself further than I think I can go, about trying to stay in the moment and adapt to my surroundings, about being a good 'tribe member,' about being open to new ideas and new people."

Probst added, "The same opportunities Survivor offers the players, it offers me. I love Survivor and I still need Survivor."

And if you also need Survivor, make sure to tune in for season 44, March 1 on CBS.

But until then, meet the cast below...

Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho, 36

Occupation: Salon owner

Hometown: Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Current Residence: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Matt Blankinship, 27

Occupation: Security software engineer

Hometown: Albany, California
Current Residence: San Francisco, California

Brandon Cottom, 30

Occupation: Security specialist

Hometown: Newtown, Pennsylvania
Current Residence: Newtown, Pennsylvania

Kane Fritzler, 25

Occupation: Law student

Hometown: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Current Residence: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Carson Garrett, 20

Occupation: NASA engineering student

Hometown: Rome, Georgia
Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia

Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, 43

Occupation: Barbershop owner

Hometown: Pickerington, Ohio
Current Residence: Columbus, Ohio

Lauren Harpe, 31

Occupation: Elementary school teacher

Hometown: Port Arthur, Texas
Current Residence: Mont Belvieu, Texas

Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, 43

Occupation: Engineering manager

Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Current Residence: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Helen Li, 29

Occupation: Product manager

Hometown: Wayland, Massachusetts
Current Residence: San Francisco, California

Frannie Marin, 23

Occupation: Research coordinator

Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Current Residence: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Danny Massa, 32

Occupation: N.Y.C. firefighter

Hometown: Bronx, New York
Current Residence: Bronx, New York

Bruce Perreault, 46

Occupation: Insurance agent

Hometown: West Warwick, Rhode Island
Current Residence: Warwick, Rhode Island

Maddy Pomilla, 28

Occupation: Charity projects manager

Hometown: Huntingtown, Maryland
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Claire Rafson, 25

Occupation: Tech investor

Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York

Jaime Lynn Ruiz, 35

Occupation: Yogi

Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Current Residence: Mesa, Arizona

Sarah Wade, 27

Occupation: Management consultant

Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota
Current Residence: Chicago, Illinois

Carolyn Wiger, 35

Occupation: Drug counselor

Hometown: North St. Paul, Minnesota
Current Residence: Hugo, Minnesota

Josh Wilder, 34

Occupation: Surgical podiatrist 

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Current Residence: Atlanta, Georgia

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