Sites Cite Names of New Survivors

ByABC News
December 28, 2000, 7:56 PM

December 28 -- Just one month before the debut of CBS's Survivor sequel, three prominent Web sites following the popular game show are claiming they have the names of all 16 cast members on Survivor: The Australian Outback.

In mid-December, Survivorsucks.com which many believe to be secretly helmed by Survivor's mastermind producer, Mark Burnett announced it had the names of two castaways: former college cheerleader Jeff Varner and high-school shop teacher Rodger Bingham. It then added 10 more names to its list, which are all included in the recent spillage from two other Survivor fan pages, Survivornews.net and Thestingray.net (the home page of author Peter Lance, who wrote The Sting Ray: Lethal Tactics of the Sole Survivor).

The latter two sites believe they've filled in the gaps. They claim their information comes from a friend who's worked behind the scenes on both Survivor shows.

Just a caveat: The following competitors' names are absolutely unconfirmed by CBS, which refuses to comment on any Survivor leakage.

Varner and Bingham are on the three Internet moguls' updated cast lists, along with 14 other contestants from varying backgrounds. Another former member of a pep squad, 22-year-old Amber Brkich, is said to be on deck, as are fitness trainer Alicia Calaway; Nick Brown of Washington; 40-year-old runner Tina Wesson; softball player Elisabeth Filarski, 25; and 20-something Texan Colby Donaldson.

Other Aussie survivors are said to be four-star chef Keith Famie; actress-bartender Jerri Manthey, 30; musician Mitchell Olson, 23; ex-911 communications chief Maralyn Hershey, 51; TV production freelancer Kimmi Kappenberg; and 30-something triathlete Michael Skupin. Little is known about the last two alleged gamers, Debb Eaton and Kel Gleason.

Survivor: The Australian Outback debuts after the Super Bowl on Jan. 28, before moving to its regular Thursday 8 p.m. slot later that week. The series will go head-to-head with NBC's hit sitcom Friends.