Olympian Elizabeth Beisel has officially been announced as part of the cast for the 39th season of the CBS reality television show Survivor.
Beisel was leaked as a member of the cast back in May, according to Inside Survivor, which covers the show. The season filmed last spring, and will air this fall. Beisel is one of 20 Americans on the cast.
A three-time U.S. Olympian, Beisel made the American Olympic team in 2008 at the age of 15. In 2012, she made the Olympic team again and won two medals: silver in the 400 IM and bronze in the 200 back. She returned to make the 2016 Olympic team in the 400 IM and placed 6th at the Olympics.
CBS announced the cast today, including full bios on the show’s website. A few entertainment media have also profiled some of the players. Here’s our quick roundup of Beisel’s coverage so far:
Official CBS bio
Asked about her inspiration in life, Beisel mentions her friend “Allison.” Though her last name isn’t mentioned, it’s pretty clearly a reference to fellow Olympian Allison Schmitt:
Who or what is your inspiration in life?
My best friend Allison. She and I have been to three Olympics together. After the 2012 Olympics where she won five medals, she went through a serious post-Olympic depression. She is now a mental health advocate for athletes and speaks around the country. She is a true hero.
Hollywood Reporter: Host Jeff Probst’s Analysis
Survivor host Jeff Probst talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the cast. He had this to say about Beisel:
“Elizabeth is probably the number one or number two most energetic person out there. I love her. When she walks in the room, I get happy. I think there’s something about her, at least for me, that’s just so likable and positive. And then you look at her background, the discipline that it takes, like I would know, to be an Olympic athlete just blows my mind of how many mornings she had to get up or how many laps she had to swim. And then to be a captain on the Olympic team, to have other people trust you. Next to Michael Phelps, I mean, this isn’t a woman who’s going to tire easily or let the rain get her down or losing a couple of challenges. She knows how to deal with that. She probably lacks a little Survivor experience. She’s a newer fan, but if she can get around that hump I think the audience is going to love her.”
Parade: Beisel Excited To Compete With the Men
Beisel talked to Parade.com about the season, mentioning that she’s excited to compete with the men on the cast.
“I’m most looking forward to going toe-to-toe with the men,” she says. “One of my favorite things in swimming was keeping the men honest. I’m confident I have more endurance than they do.”
Survivor‘s 39th season will be titled “Island of the Idols,” and features two iconic former winners (Sandra Diaz-Twineand ‘Boston Rob’ Mariano) returning to act as advisers for the all-new cast. The season will premiere on Wednesday, September 25 at 8:00 Eastern Time.
Wow!
Survivor is still on tv?!
Also—people still watch tv on cable!?
I think I’ll watch just to see her in another setting besides the world of swimming.
I can’t see her as one of the villains or scapegoats that always crop up on Survivor. Just the opposite probably. One of the players that makes the camp somewhat bearable through the long ordeal.
Not a chance she could be seen as a villain or scapegoat! Smart, fun, gregarious, and entertaining! I
Haven’t watched it in a while but will watch it now!
As long as she isn’t seen as a threat (highly unlikely considering the Olympic Rings) I can see her going far
I bet she does well. She posted on Twitter about the time taping would’ve wrapped up, and she looked extremely skinny (and has since looked to be back to her normal look), meaning I think she lasts quite a long time (maybe the entirety of the show?).
Even if they are voted off at the beginning they have to stay the rest of the time (30ish days if i remember correctly) on a boat thats anchored nearby. That way their families and friends don’t know how they did until the show airs.
Ponderosa isn’t on a boat. They go to a private resort for the remainder of the 39 days.
To be exact, the non jury people are initially sent to the resort, but then are sent on a trip right before the first jury member gets voted off. Then the jury gets sent to the resort after the non jury members are sent away.
Gotta get all the facts straight people!
This guy knows what he’s talking about
Who still watches this show?
7.2 million people as of last spring. In fact, Survivor has had remarkably consistent viewership throughout it’s run on air – that’s why it’s made it 39 seasons. It’s stranglehold on TV viewership on Wednesday nights was a big reason why American Idol had its schedule changed and was ultimately canceled by Fox.
Folks,, that’s what I call a fun fact
Jared tried out for the show. We’re desperately trying to get him to post his audition tape.
So he’s a fanboy….
Considering the show had 70 million consecutive viewers at its peak, I’d say it’s been a consistent decline since the 2000’s.
I feel that swimmers are at a disadvantage for shows like this (ie Lochte on Big Brother). You have to stay under the radar and not come on as a threat, but our swimmers are just super competitive that I don’t know if they are capable of throwing comps or losing on purpose. We’ll see. Go Beisel!
They often have current/former professional athletes on the show; I believe none have won and few have done well. A retired NFL player placed a distant second a few years ago, but it was on his second shot. Also, the only Olympic medalist I can remember on the show was a track and field athlete who was surprisingly terrible at the challenges
The very first winner of survivor was a retired soccer player
I doubt Richard Hatch played much soccer.
*third winner
Tyson Apostol won a season – he was a former Division I swimmer at BYU. But to be fair, he wasn’t ever marketed that way and had been a pro cyclist more recently.
If I’m correct that would be Crystal Cox who is no longer an olympic medalist because she was doping.
Jeff is correct.
Not sure if she can outwit or outlast the others, but she’ll definitely outswim them all!
She better hide the Olympic Rings tattoo
Curious to see which leg of the 400 Mixed Medley Relay her tribe forces her to swim. Probably the fly. Sure, her secret will be “out” to the model-slash-actors competing against her, but it’ll be worth it for the tarp, bag of rice, and box of matches.