Survivor: Philippines Contestants Include 80's TV Star, Baseball Player And 3 Former Contestants

Next month, CBS has Survivor set to return for its 25th Season. The network announced the cast this week, and in addition to bringing in the star of a beloved 80's TV series, there will be three former Survivor contestants returning this season for another chance to play the game. Find out who they area ahead!

CBS announced the contestants for Survivor: Philippines yesterday, and on the list is Lisa Whelchel, whom Facts of Life fans will remember for playing the privileged Blair Warner in the comedy series. Whelchel's acting credits since the series wrapped up back in the 80's have been minimal, so she's been out of the public spotlight for quite a while (excluding a Facts of Life reunion TV movie back in 2001). But she isn't the only recognizable name joining this season of Survivor. Baseball MVP Jeff Kent will also be competing. And today, EW shared the information on the three previous contestants joining the Philippines.

Michael Skupin, who's likely remembered by Survivor fans for falling into the fire back during Survivor: The Australian Outback more than a decade ago, will be among this season's contestants. Also returning are Jonathan Penner and Russell Swan. Penner played during Survivor: Cook Islands and then returned for Micronesia, but had to leave that season due to an infected knee. And Russell Swan left Survivor: Samoa due to dehydration. So it seems these three guys will have a chance to finish what they started. And hopefully they'll have better fortune (and health) this time around!

Here's the full list of contestants…

Kalabaw tribe?Jonathan Penner?Writer?Los Angeles, CA?Age: 50?Previous Seasons: Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor: Micronesia?Previous Finishes: Survivor: Cook Islands – 14th out, 6th jury member. Survivor: Micronesia – medical evacuation due to knee infection.Sarah Dawson?Insurance Sales?Silver Spring, Md.?Age: 28Katie Hanson?Former Miss Delaware?Newark, Del.?Age: 22Jeff Kent?Former baseball MVP?Austin, Tex.?Age: 44Dana Lambert?Cosmetologist?Winston-Salem, N.C.?Age: 32Carter Williams?Track Coach?Shawnee, Kan.?Age: 24Tandang tribe?Michael Skupin?Professional speaker, author and coach?White Lake, Mich.?Age: 50?Previous Season: Survivor: The Australian Outback?Previous Finish: Medical Evacuation due to severe burns received after passing out into a fire from smoke inhalationAbi-Maria Gomes?Business Student?Los Angeles, Calif.?Age: 32Roberta “R.C.” Saint-Armour?Investment Banker?New York, N.Y.?Age: 27Artis Silvester?Computer Engineer?Terry Town, La.?Age: 53Lisa Whelchel?Former “Facts of Life” Actress?Dallas, Tex.?Age: 49Pete Yurkowski?Engineering Graduate?Holmdel, N.J.?Age: 24Matsing tribe?Russell Swan?Environmental Attorney?Glenside, Penn.?Age: 45?Previous Season: Survivor: Samoa?Previous Finish: Medical evacuation due to DehydrationMalcolm Freberg?Bartender?Hermosa Beach, Calif.?Age: 25Zane Knight?Tire Repair?Danville, Va.?Age: 28Angie Layton?Student?Provo, Utah?Age: 20Roxanne “Roxy” Morris?Seminary Student?Brooklyn, N.Y.?Age: 28Denise Stapley?Sex Therapist?Cedar Rapids, Iowa?Age: 41

Survivor: Philippines returns with a special 90-minute edition,Wednesday, Sept. 19 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on CBS.

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.