What would Survivor be like if teamwork was optional and it was more about survival? Castaways asks that question in its premiere later tonight.
When people who don’t watch Survivor complain about the show’s existence all these decades later, one of the biggest mitigating factors is the lack of survival emphasis. For some, it’s not about the gameplay, but the idea that regular people must suffer hardships and persevere. Castaways might be the kind of show they’re looking for.
ABC will be airing Castaways at 10 p.m. ET tonight, placing 12 regular Americans throughout Indonesian islands. They will have to find supplies on their own and scattered about, including shelters and tools. Furthermore, the castaways might not find others during their journey, although some have clearly made some friends in the premiere trailer.
What separates this new show from Survivor is the supposed lack of a million-dollar prize and the format of the competition. Nobody knows how many people are out there, and they don’t know when their definitive day of rescue will be. The only way to leave the show is to quit or make it to the end, and we don’t know when that will be.
Here are the 12 castaways who will participate on the show:
- Angel Alvarenga, 20, Chatsworth, CA
- Terry Allen, 62, Agoura, CA
- Eric Brown, 31, Glendale, CA
- Sawyer Brown, 30, Willseyville, NY
- Tim Burke, 50, Plant City, FL
- Robbie Gibbons, 42, Birmingham, AL
- Reshanna Hearvy, 24, New York, NY
- Matt Jaskol, 32, Las Vegas, NV
- Krichelle Kerbow, 25, Haiku, HI
- Richard Rogers, 35, Sequim, WA
- Kenzi Whittington, 24, Nashville, TN
- Tracee Wnetrzak, 41, Quartz Hill, CA
Just like Australian Survivor, this cast has a good blend of older and younger people, even though it looks like the majority of casting took place in California and New York. Perhaps Castaways will cater its portrayal more to those survival and social aspects while providing a more documentative approach to its narrative.