Survivor 48 premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The two-hour season premiere will introduce us to 18 brand-new cast members divided into three tribes. Although there are numerous different personalities featured this season, we all know there can be only one Survivor.
Using Mike Bloom's cast interviews and the official player bios, here are the six players you need to watch out for in the Survivor 48 premiere. For fairness, we picked at least one player from each of the three tribes: Lagi, Civa, and Vula tribe to start the game!
Mitch Guerra
Mitch Guerra is a P.E. Teacher from Waco, Texas. Mitch immediately stood out to me because he graduated from Texas A&M where I went to school. Whoop! Mitch has been a Survivor fan for two decades now and has been applying for the show since 2014.
Based on his pre-season interview, Mitch is a massive people person who is worried about how people may see him. He's in excellent shape and can make long-lasting connections in this game. If Mitch can avoid people seeing him as a massive target, he could go far in this game. Be sure to keep an eye on Mitch on the Civa tribe this season.
Charity Nelms
Charity Nelms is a 34-year-old Flight Attendant currently living in St. Petersburg, Florida. Charity offers a super unique story where she refers to Survivor as "making up for lost time," according to her interview with Parade.
Nelms compares herself as a mixture between former Survivor players Tony and Jane which may be one of the most random combinations that anyone could come up with. Charity is a strong woman who has been through some rough spots and has found the motivation to chase her dreams. Charity is a perfect example of how Survivor can help players chase their dreams. Be sure to keep an eye on Charity on the Civa tribe this season.
Star Toomey
Star Toomey is a 28-year-old Sales Expert originally from Monrovia, Liberia. Star has a ton of charm in her interview and appears to have the ability to make a ton of allies in the game. Star is incredibly proud of her son and wants him to follow in her footsteps one day and play Survivor.
In her interview, Star compares herself to Sandra Diaz-Twine and Maryanne, which is a remarkable combo of two previous winners. Toomey continued to make me laugh while I read her interview including a bit where she stated that the cast was "the finest-looking face card does not decline Survivor cast ever."
She also states that her biggest fear is being the first boot like Francesca. Star is going to be one of the most entertaining players in Survivor 48. You will have to be sure to keep an eye on Star on the Lagi tribe this season.
Shauhin Davari
Shauhin Davari is a 38-year-old Debate Professor who currently lives in Costa Mesa, California. Shauhin was an alternate for Survivor 46 (the past two winners were a part of the Survivor 46 cast as well) and finally has a chance to play the game he loves. Davari comes into the game as a visible threat being a former lawyer.
We learned in his pre-season interview that the California native is part of a 40-player Survivor fantasy league where the winner is awarded a trophy called the "Probstie." He identifies his game with Yam Yam which could lead him to a super entertaining post-merge game. Be sure to keep an eye out for Shauhin on the Lagi tribe this season.
Eva Erickson
Eva Erickson is a 24-year old PhD Candidate who currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island. One of my favorite moments in her interview with Parade is how open and honest she is about having Autism.
She is proud of who she is and looks to take the game by storm. Eva is not only super smart but also athletic. She is currently the captain of a men's hockey team at Brown. Erikson recognizes that she may be naive at some points when it comes to fellow players lying. Still, Eva's excitement for the game and overall toughness could lead her straight to the Survivor 48 crown. Eva starts the game on the Lagi tribe with Shauhin.
Mary Zheng
Mary Zheng is a 31-year-old Substance Abuse Councilor currently living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I personally believe that she has the most spunk and entertainment value of the entire cast.
In her Parade interview, she refers to herself as a "bundle of contradictions" in her interview with Bloom. Zheng has experience working with the Peace Corp and Habitat for Humanity which could help the tribe at camp. What excites me most about Mary is that she fully describes herself as chaotic and that she thinks Applebees isn't a big deal. Do I think Mary could win the whole thing? Maybe? Regardless of how long Mary will last on this season, I'm 1000 percent sure she will bring the entertainment factor.
So far, Mary is the only player to watch on the Vula tribe in the season premiere.
Watch the Survivor 48 premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 26, on CBS and Paramount+. It will be really interesting to see how our first impressions change when we get to see these players in action.
Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 48 at Surviving Tribal!