Two New Jersey natives are on the new season of Survivor

The venerable reality show, Survivor, is gearing up for its 45th season (its first season was in 2000). The newest edition will feature two players with New Jersey roots.

The first is 26-year-old Brandon Donlon, a content producer from Sicklerville. He described himself to Entertainment Weekly as being, “….empathetic, inquisitive, relatable.”

As to why he will wind up being the Sole Survivor:

I want it more. Nobody wants this as bad as I do. I feel like Charlie — I got the golden ticket, I'm at the chocolate factory, and I plan on being the last one standing. Game on.

The other New Jersey player is 35-year-old Sean Edwards, who is originally from Lawrence. He told Entertainment Weekly why he wanted to play the game:

I have been watching Survivor ever since the very beginning. I always wanted to play, but for so many years never had the confidence to even put myself out there. For me, Survivor represents my chance to reclaim a lot of lost time and missed opportunities. Now that I have pride and confidence in myself, I am ready to play and win!

Edwards is a school principal in Utah now. He thinks he will win because:

Survivor is largely a social game and my skills in this area will lead me to becoming the next Sole Survivor. I can read people's emotions, empathize with others, connect with anyone, and make people feel comfortable with me.

Three different contestants from New Jersey have won Survivor with one, Tony Viachos, a former Jersey City police officer winning it twice. In “Survivor: Winners at War”, an all-star version of the competition, all three finalists were from the Garden State.

The new season debuts on Sep. 27 on CBS.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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