Category: survivor samoa

Shannon Waters
Age: 45
Hometown: Renton, WA
Occupation: Sales

CBS Bio
Shannon Waters is proud to be the first female Marine Sergeant to play the game of SURVIVOR. Although she has completed her military service and is now in the world of sales, Shannon will always remain true to her roots as a second generation Marine.

After serving her country for five years, Shannon went onto become a chef before changing gears to be a sales representative for a food service company. She credits her success to her industry knowledge and people skills. In her sales role, she feels connected to people soon after meeting them and is able to understand how to deliver what they genuinely need. This ability helped her achieve “Salesman of the Year” in 2008, along with the support of a great sales team.

On the weekends, Shannon splits her time between riding her Harley, which she’s affectionately named “Chunky”, enjoying the companionship of her dogs and hanging out with family. As number 8 out of 9 kids, she has plenty of family in close proximity to keep her busy.

Shannon is committed to preparing for the game. She has lost 4 pant sizes and 70 pounds but admits that she may have trouble staying under the radar. “I’m like this ball of energy just ready to explode, because I’m putting it out there and I think that rocks.”

Shannon is a native of Renton, Wash., where she currently resides with her canine kids Bruce and Kali.

Russell Swan
Age: 42
Hometown: Glenside, PA
Occupation: Attorney

CBS Bio
At 5’11” and 220 “semi-solid” pounds, this attorney spends his working hours suing companies and individuals who violate environmental laws. In addition to practicing law, Russell enjoys spending time with his wife and five-year-old daughter and watching independent films.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Russell’s father fell victim to layoffs at a local steel mill and struggled to support his family. Forced to move into Section 8 housing, his parents eventually divorced but the separation did not weaken any of his relationships, including the one he shared with his parents. Russell’s hero is his dad whom he says, “really loved his family and was a perfect example of what a husband should be to his wife, and what a dad should be to his child.”

Despite tumultuous circumstances (or as a result of), Russell has been attracted to jobs with responsibilities ranging from environmental protection, minority youth education advocacy, and representation for homeless individuals. He is a dedicated father and a loving husband and describes a perfect day as spending time with his daughter and ending the day by “talking” privately with his wife.

A passionate man, Russell cannot stand hearing over-generalizations about specific groupings of people and avoids discussing topics relating to race and sexuality because he feels that others usually have a hard time dealing with his conversation style.

Always prepared to joke and laugh at himself, Russell is willing to go to drastic lengths for a million dollars in order to win including making a vow to cut off his dreadlocks if he wins the title of sole SURVIVOR.

Currently, Russell resides in Glenside, Pa. His birthday is February 17.

Russell Hantz
Age: 36
Hometown: Dayton, TX
Occupation: Oil Company Owner

CBS Bio
Russell Hantz’s personality speaks for itself when he proudly displays a missing tooth that he refuses to fix! This married father of four is visually memorable. Standing tall at only 5’6”, he is built like a brick house with a bald head. At 200 pounds of pure muscle, Russell’s solid figure and sharp tongue has helped him carve out a multi-million dollar business in the oil-tanking industry.

A huge SURVIVOR fan, this self-made man built his business from scratch by working hard, speaking his mind and stepping on anyone who got in his way. Russell won’t apologize for his style of game play either saying, “I’m not going out there to make friends. I’m just not doing it. But everybody is going to think I’m their best friend, because I’m just such a lovable character.”

Russell can’t wait to get in the competition and show “these morons how it’s done” and he “plans to play the game dirtier, smarter and more cunning than anyone can imagine.” It is those skills that have allowed him to achieve his biggest accomplishment in life and that is being able to provide for his family.

Russell is married with four children and currently resides in Dayton, Texas. His birth date is October 10th.

Natalie White
Age: 26
Hometown: Van Buren, AR
Occupation: Pharmaceutical Sales

CBS Bio
Natalie White is your typical Southern Belle, but she is definitely not afraid to get her hands dirty. “Friendly and savvy” are two of her attributes that her fellow castaways will pick-up on right away.

White plans to bring her background in pharmaceutical sales into the game and knows that if you do not make the cut, you are more than likely going to be cut. You either “make the numbers or go home.”

Natalie’s convinced that her ambitious personality will help her during the game. “I’m literally so competitive and scrappy that I don’t care if I have to dive on the ground and get bruised and scraped up, I’ll do it. I’ll do it to win. I love to compete.” Natalie will not waste any time changing her game plan if needed. “I’m observant and flexible, not to mention smart enough to know how to adapt to my surroundings.”

Currently, Natalie is in a relationship and resides in Van Buren, Ark. Her birth date is April 22nd.

Monica Padilla
Age: 25
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Occupation: Law Student

CBS Bio
Monica Padilla is the first in her family to not only complete her undergraduate degree but also obtain a Juris Doctor. Recently, she graduated from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where she perfected, what she describes as, her power of persuasion. She fully intends to use her beauty and the fact that she “can sell ice cubes to an Eskimo” to her advantage in the game.

Exotic looks, in addition to intellect, have landed her a wide range of jobs, such as a clerk position at a well-known investment firm, as well as a position playing a theme park Pocahontas. With the keen ability to change from bookworm to party girl in a matter of moments, she is sure she will be able to adapt to anything she comes across on the island. She says that while in the Samoan wilderness, she will miss partying, clubbing and lunch with friends the most, which was exactly what she did in her free time even as she was in the home-stretch of obtaining her degree.

Much like Parvati and Amanda (from SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA), she plans to be as “sweet as pie,” while subtly using the “flirt card,” in order to come off as endearing rather than overbearing. In addition to killing her fellow castaways with kindness, she has every intention of pulling her own weight around camp while studying their words and actions meticulously to “learn about her enemies before she chooses her weapon.” Confident that she can win the title of Sole Survivor, Monica plans to buy a designer purse as her first selfish purchase.

Monica resides in San Diego, Calif. and her birthday is July 14th.

Mike Borassi
Age: 62
Hometown: Marina del Ray, CA
Occupation: Personal Chef

CBS Bio
This California transplant, originally from New York, will do or say anything to become the next SURVIVOR. After a career as a college football coach at Boston University in the 1970’s and over 30 years in the food industry, he currently works as a personal chef.

Married without children, he enjoys gardening, reading, working out and spending time with friends. He is funny, dependable and quiet, yet, he is never afraid to tell it like it is. He can’t stand bad drivers, republicans or bigots and admits that the easiest way to make him angry is to move around his kitchen equipment.

At 62 years old, he has been preparing for his experience on SURVIVOR by working out with a personal trainer on a daily basis and has lost over 30 pounds in preparation for his chance at the million dollar prize. A true SURVIVOR fan, he has watched every single episode from the very beginning and came close to being part of the cast last season. His strategy includes remaining cooperative and low-key so the “stupid, cocky ones self-destruct.” Rather than making aggressive moves, he plans to allow his leadership qualities to emerge naturally which may mask the fact that he can, at times, be competitive and almost predatory.

Mike resides in Marina del Rey, Calif. and his birthday is March 13.

Mick Trimming
Age: 33
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Doctor

CBS Bio
Smart, funny, charming and a doctor, Mick is every single woman’s dream and every single man’s nightmare. At 33 years old, this Idaho import is a resident anesthesiologist at UCLA who takes great pride in his intense occupation. He is highly motivated to do whatever it takes to win the million dollar prize in order to pay off the hundreds of thousands that he owes in student loans.

Involved in an all consuming residency life, Mick’s pet peeve is when patients, who have neglected their health throughout their whole lives, come to him with extraordinary demands. With all of the stress in his life, he candidly describes his perfect day being one where he is able to sleep in until 7:30 (or maybe 8:00) a.m. In addition to reading trade magazines, he enjoys the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine and the ones hidden underneath his mattress.

A man of humor, another one of Mick’s pet peeves is when people cannot admit they are wrong. He also admits that the quickest way to get him angry is to throw dirt clods at him. Definitely a conversationalist, topics that are off limits to Mick are ridiculous situations that people find themselves in, and he absolutely refuses to talk about the sexual escapades of people’s grandparents.

In addition to his desire to pay off student loans, he hopes to buy a vacuum cleaner with the winnings. Oddly enough, the wildest thing he would do to win would be to “give a homeless person a tongue bath” but he would never go as far as disabling someone … well at least not permanently.

Currently, Mick resides in Los Angeles, Calif. His birthday is May 10th.

Marisa Calihan
Age: 26
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Occupation: Student

CBS Bio
Marisa Calihan is no stranger to surviving off the land. This 1st generation Appalachian was born on a farm in Ohio and learned many of her survival skills from her father. Growing up with eight siblings, in a blended family with many adopted children, Marisa learned from an early age how to take care of herself. “I am paying my own way through school and have been on my own since I was 17.”

Aside from her early roots in farming, Marisa also has experience working in third world conditions. While abroad, she worked with street children in poor countries with no plumbing or running water and it changed her life. Although after eight years of being a free spirit and living abroad in such places as El Salvador and Spain, Marisa returned home to go back to school and help take care of her family.

For Marisa, the money would go a long way in making her family’s lives better and helping her achieve a few long term goals. “There are so many things I can do if I just had a nest egg to start with. I won’t have to fight tooth and nail for everything, if I just had a little bit of money.”

Resourceful and creative, Marisa believes she has what it takes to persevere and become the sole SURVIVOR.

Marisa is single and currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her birth date is July 26th.