'Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X': Meet the Cast (2024)

Who Will Win?

Who will outwit, outplay, and outlast the rest to be the next sole Survivor? Presenting the two tribes that will be competing in Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X. The 33rd season kicks off with a 90-minute special on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

Michelle Schubert

Age: 28

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Yakima, Wash.

Occupation: Missionary Recruiter

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Being a millennial means I can think outside the box. It means I won't settle for mediocrity but rather strive for the best outcome. It also means I know what a hashtag is and how to fix just about anything using YouTube or Google.

Personal Claim to Fame: I’m multinational! My father is from Switzerland and mother is from Jamaica. I’m a Swiss citizen!

Hobbies: I love learning and reading and dancing. I seek beauty, adventure and adrenaline. I like nature, exploring, rock climbing, slacklining, and CATAN expansions. I also study dragons and the stars.

Pet Peeves: Windshield wipers on a dry window!

Three Words to Describe You: Hungry, hungry hippo.

Chris Hammons

Age: 38

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Moore, Okla.

Occupation: Trial Lawyer

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: It means to me that you work hard. It means you get up with a purpose and a goal each day. It means that you can do anything in America as long as you work hard and never give up.

Personal Claim to Fame: I came from nothing. I came from a trailer with no running water, left behind by a drug trafficking father at 15. I overcame tremendous odds. I put myself through college on a football scholarship. I put myself through law school. I did this on my own and have earned the respect of an entire community. For years, my home town of Sulphur, Oklahoma had a sign that said, “The Home of Chris Hammons.” The sign is actually in my garage now.

Hobbies: Working out to relive stress, strategizing to be successful, and challenging myself to be the best.

Pet Peeves: Smacking gum. I hate it. I would do away with all gum on earth if I could.

Three Words to Describe You: Super competitive! I don’t lose. Tenacious; I never give up. Fighter; I don’t lose fights.

Paul Wachter

Age: 52

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Sugarloaf Key, Fla. via Long Island

Occupation: Boat Mechanic

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: Someone who never received a participation award.

Personal Claim to Fame: Being a father to 3 beautiful children.

Hobbies: Singing in a rock band, treasure hunting and spear fishing.

Pet Peeves: Whiners and slackers.

Three Words to Describe You: Intimidating, methodical, confident.

Taylor Lee Stocker

Age: 24

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Postfalls, Idaho via Spokane, Wash.

Occupation: Ski Instructor

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Come on man!! We are open-minded, liberal, self-expressive, upbeat, connected, tech savvy, and we invented the words "sicky sicky gnar gnar, rachet, clutch, BAE, and lol." I love my generation. We are all around epic.

Personal Claim to Fame: Learning to play guitar. Not many people keep their passions.

Hobbies: Playing music, brewing beer, and snowboarding.

Pet Peeves: Wobbly tables, people not cleaning up their dog’s poop, loud chewing, slow walkers, selfies, forms without enough space for answers.

Three Words to Describe You: Spontaneous, inventive, and thinker.

Michaela Bradshaw

Age: 25

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Fort Worth, Texas

Occupation: Vacation Club Sales

What It Means to Be a Millennial: To be a Millennial is to resonate with the idea that I can design my own life. It is the notion that I should have the desires of my heart, not because I am "entitled" to them, but because God granted me the ability to attain them. Being a Millennial means that I am bold enough to state a want and stubborn enough to work for it despite obstacles and the opinions of others. It means that my journey is only a failure if I stop moving forward.

Personal Claim to Fame: Paying off my student loan debt is the crowning achievement of my 20s thus far. As a low income student at a pricey suburban university, I worked 2-3 jobs the majority of my college career, had very little fun, and made every decision based on money. When I graduated and began working as an admission counselor, I kept my expenses low by eating PB&J for lunch, denying myself cable and internet, sticking to my flip phone, and driving my 1992 Honda Accord. After years of being teased for my frugal ways, I got the last laugh when I paid off $31,000 in loans at the age of 23.

Hobbies: Traveling, eating, and cuddling.

Pet Peeves: : When incompetent people try to instruct me. When people do things inefficiently or wrong. When I lose. When other people make me lose.

Three Words to Describe You: Intelligent, fun, and competitive.

David Wright

Age: 42

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Sherman Oaks, Calif. via Philadelphia, Penn.

Occupation: Television Writer

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: Gen-Xers believe in hard work, earning their rewards and eating breakfast. Why does no one eat breakfast anymore?!

Personal Claim to Fame: Playing chess against Magnus Carlsen, the No. 1 ranked player in the world.

Hobbies: 3D printing puzzles.

Pet Peeves: Sudden, loud noises; people who don’t use a turn signal; people who believe in ghosts and psychics; people who are late for dinner; people who incorrectly use the word “nonplussed;” people.

Three Words to Describe You: OCD, nervous, and paranoid.

Zeke Smith

Age: 28

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Brooklyn

Occupation: Asset Manager

What It Means to Be a Millennial: To be perfectly honest, I've never thought of myself as a Millennial. Ask one of the other children.

Personal Claim to Fame: Being ranked one of the top 16 high school debaters in the country my senior year of high school. I got a plaque. It's been downhill ever since.

Hobbies: Writing, improv, gym, and cooking.

Pet Peeves: Sniffling. Chewing with one's mouth open. Black shoes with brown belts. Children who don't listen to their mothers.

Three Words to Describe You: Sharp, devilish, and unstoppable.

Bret LaBelle

Age: 42

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Dedham, Mass.

Occupation: Police Sergeant

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: A Gen-Xer is someone who had to work very hard for everything that they have in life. They actually had to go to school (not online), ride the bus, and study hard to get good grades. Gen-Xers take responsibility for their own actions and do not blame others for their mistakes. Gen-Xers remember a time when Saturday morning brought the best cartoons, they know the difference between VHS and Betamax, and they certainly know what it means to drop a dime.

Personal Claim to Fame: Receiving the Human Award for Bravery from the Governor of Massachusetts for disarming a gunman in 2014.

Hobbies: Going to the gym, golf, improv and bicycling.

Pet Peeves: Couples who sit on the same side of the booth, people who talk politics and religion at Thanksgiving dinner, and bullies.

Three Words to Describe You: Gregarious, funny/hilarious, and caring.

Jessica Lewis

Age: 37

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Voorheesville, N.Y.

Occupation: Assistant District Attorney

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: My parents were farmers and they worked harder than anyone I have ever known. There were no vacations, days off, or breaks. No matter the weather, their health, or lack of money, they never gave up. They never stopped. That lesson has never left me. No one will live my life for me. No one is going to give me a break. If I want something I have to get up and do it; regardless of how I may feel, or how hard it may be. My life was decided by no one but myself. I saw the struggle my parents endured and I made a promise to myself to never stop trying to achieve any goal I set out to achieve. Nothing I have was handed to me. I had to earn it. And I continue to do so every day.

Personal Claim to Fame: My accomplishment was long term: getting into law school, making it through, passing the bar, and excelling as a prosecutor. I did all of this while also getting married and starting a family. Within a six-year time span, I was married, graduated undergrad, started law school, had my first child, passed the bar, was hired as a prosecutor, and had my second child. I recently had a trial in which the jury gave me a round of applause when it was completed. The presiding Judge later told me that he had never seen a prosecutor get a round of applause — and he has been on the bench for over 20 years. That moment was confirmation that the lack of sleep, long hours, hard work, and mental strain were all truly worth enduring.

Hobbies: Painting, baking and photography.

Pet Peeves: People who blame others for their own misery.

Three Words to Describe You: Unique, unconventional, and intriguing.

Hannah Shapiro

Age: 24

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: West Hollywood, Calif. via Brookline, Mass.

Occupation: Barista

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Being a millennial means being hip and cool and nifty and totally rad. Go young people! I’m not secretly an 80-year-old neurotic Jewish lady. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Personal Claim to Fame: I was Ben Franklin in my 8th grade production of 1776. I sang out of tune and people clapped and it was an electric moment of fame.

Hobbies: Skiing, scuba diving, eating. I can hula-hoop and walk at the same time.

Pet Peeves: A pet peeve of mine is someone who likes to kill people. Not sure why, that’s just such a pet peeve of mine! Also people who stick their gum on public benches or fart in small elevators.

Three Words to Describe You: Nerdy, competitive, and weird.

Jessica 'Figgy' Figueroa

Age: 23

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Nashville, Tenn. via Indianapolis, Ind.

Occupation: Bartender

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Being a millennial means being blessed with an innovative and creative mind and the world at my fingertips. It's all there, I just have to make it happen. I work hard for where I want to be and for everything I have. Millennials get stuff done and work hard while throwing a good snap in our stories every now and again.

Personal Claim to Fame: Moving to Nashville and standing on my own two feet at a vulnerable moment in my life. Leaving all that you know for a city of unfamiliarity? SCARY. That’s why I’m ready for a bigger challenge. Survivor is the ultimate challenge.

Hobbies: Kayaking, videography, and watching football.

Pet Peeves: When people are lazy and expect things to just happen. That's not what life is about. Get up and fight.

Three Words to Describe You: Adventurous, free-spirit, and crowd-pleaser.

Ken McNickle

Age: 33

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Denver via Hana, Maui

Occupation: Model

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: It’s a generation of hard workers who were on the cusp of some incredible social, political, and technological shifts. We are competent and capable in the 'new world' yet are happy outside, disconnected from our devices.

Personal Claim to Fame: The development of my non profit, HumaneKind.

Hobbies: Anything outdoors (hiking, camping, and fishing), music (playing and watching), and dancing.

Pet Peeves: Superficial connections and communication.

Three Words to Describe You: Driven, mindful, and perceptive

Lucy Huang

Age: 42

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Diamond Bar, Calif.

Occupation: Dietician

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: I grew up a latchkey kid with very little parental supervision. My parents both worked so my siblings and I had a lot more responsibilities and were expected to fend for ourselves. We were extremely obedient because we knew our parents worked very hard and we did not want to disappoint them. Trophies were also earned, not given just for participating in sports. This is the case for most Gen-Xers which is why we are more independent and results-oriented. We hate being micromanaged and expect people to have "common sense." We don't compliment every little thing, we only give it when well deserved. We also adapt well to changes as we no longer had cultural segregation, we adjusted to more divorces and have seen the definition of traditional family change.

Personal Claim to Fame: Creating a business that provides over 200 jobs for over 10 years.

Hobbies: Lifting weights, cooking with my kids, and watching food shows to find new restaurants.

Pet Peeves: Lazy people, people with no common sense, and whiners.

Three Words to Describe You: Stubborn, hardworking, and controlling.

Mari Takahashi

Age: 31

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Los Angeles via San Francisco

Occupation: Professional Gamer

Personal Claim to Fame: Summiting Kilimanjaro. More than just the accomplishment of climbing a 19,000 foot mountain, it marked my transition from the world I knew everything about (the ballet world I dedicated 25 years to) and walking into the unknown, which led me to playing video games for a living.

Hobbies: Video games, rock climbing, and traveling.

Pet Peeves: Stagnation and laziness

Three Words to Describe You: Courageous, adaptable, and calculating

Rachel Ako

Age: 37

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Los Angeles. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Occupation: Recruiting Director

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: We used to be viewed as the slackers until Millennials came along. Kidding. Gen-Xers are hard workers, however, I value what every generation brings to the table.

Personal Claim to Fame: Sharing my raw story of the tragedies I’ve been through in a book in order to help others, although I was “scared” to because I was so vulnerable.

Hobbies: Dancing, traveling, and high ropes/high adventure activities.

Pet Peeves: I guess I would say bad manners.

Three Words to Describe You: Energetic, authentic, and fun!

Ciandre "CeCe" Taylor

Age: 39

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Granada Hills, Calif. via Buffalo, N.Y.

Occupation: Insurance Adjuster

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: Wow, just thinking about my history, childhood, and past brings me to tears but also makes me smile. I came from a generation of fighters. The foundation of my family was built on strong women. Yes my great grandparents and grandparents and parents were married but unfortunately they didn't stay married. During that time, raising children as a single parent can be extremely hard, but the strength that the women of my family showed, their will to never give up, their triumph over sweat and tears shaped me into the woman I am today. We are strong and most of the women that I grew up with also demonstrate that same strength and will power. Nothing was handed to us. We worked hard and if we failed, we tried again. That's the overall mindset of a Gen-Xer. Never let your failures keep you down. You only stay a failure if you don't get back up and try again.

Personal Claim to Fame: Overcoming adversity and striving to be the best mother I can be to my children by supporting and pushing them to achieve their goals and dreams while at the same time still pushing to achieve my own goals and dreams.

Hobbies: Writing, hiking/working out, and watching reality shows.

Pet Peeves: People who can’t drive in traffic and people who cough and sneeze without covering their mouths.

Three Words to Describe You: Outgoing, strong-minded, and goal-setter.

Sunday Burquest

Age: 45

Tribe Designation: Takali (Gen-X)

Current Residence: Otsego, Minn.

Occupation: Youth Pastor

What It Means to Be a Gen-Xer: For myself, being a Gen-Xer is being driven and hard working. We don't expect things to be handed to them, we set goals and work hard for what we want in life. We also don't think we deserve to win in every situation and actually look at failure as an opportunity to learn. On the other hand, Gen-Xers can be stuck in our ways and leery of new ideas - it would help a lot if we would learn to listen to the younger generation and run with some of their new ideas.

Personal Claim to Fame: Besides my 4 amazing kids, I’m most proud of being a breast cancer survivor. After 5 surgeries, 8 rounds of chemotherapy, and 28 days of radiation (not to mention the horrible meds they put you on), I’m still here! It was important to me that my kids saw me as a “warrior” rather than as a whiner. Of course it was hard, but I wouldn’t let cancer take over my life. Because of my faith, I was able to kick cancer’s butt!

Hobbies: Repurposing and painting furniture. Interior design and thrift shopping (love the thrill of the hunt for a good deal).

Pet Peeves: Arrogant people: those who think they are God’s gift to the human race. Catty women: the ones that make the snide comments, back-handed compliments and make other girls in the room feel like they don’t measure up. People that are late drive me nuts.

Three Words to Describe You: Bossy, compassionate, and tenacious.

Justin "Jay" Starrett

Age: 27

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Occupation: Real Estate Agent

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Millennial means Freedom to me. I say this because we are born in a time when anything is truly possible and social media and all these different outlets help you to not only learn information quickly but give you the capability to become or create anything. Being a Millennial you can chase your dreams, you can do things that are out of the box, as long as you are working towards your dream and not just sitting there thinking about it, you can become successful.

Personal Claim to Fame: Purchasing my house at the age of 25.

Hobbies: Skimboarding, fishing, and pretty much any sport.

Pet Peeves: I don’t like when people make plans or say they are going to do something and they don’t deliver.

Three Words to Describe You: Determined, intelligent, and funny.

Adam Klein

Age: 25

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: San Francisco

Occupation: Homeless Shelter Manager

What It Means to Be a Millennial: Millennials believe that in this moment, anything is possible. If you have dreams, go after them. If you want to change the world, change it. I don't believe you have to "pay your dues" making copies and fetching coffee before you can be successful, or before you can make a difference. Work not just harder, but smarter, and make your goals a reality! My dream is to win Survivor and I'm going to make it happen!

Personal Claim to Fame: As a volunteer, I chaired a Relay for Life event that raised over $135,000 for cancer research and grew in size from about 10 youth participants to over 500. If any of that money helps save my mom’s life, then it is by far my most important accomplishment.

Hobbies: Board games, poker, browsing the Survivor subreddit and travel.

Pet Peeves: Bullies, long lines, and smokers.

Will Wahl

Age: 18

Tribe Designation: Vanua (Millennials)

Current Residence: Long Valley, N.J.

Occupation: High School Student

What It Means to Be a Millennial: A millennial is creative, resourceful, intelligent and, above all else, adaptable.

Personal Claim to Fame: Being the youngest person to ever compete on Survivor... a dream that has finally become a reality.

Hobbies: Watching TV (mostly Survivor), camping/fishing, and reading news articles.

Pet Peeves: People who are fake and/or stuck-up.

Three Words to Describe You: Cunning, adaptable, and dynamic.