Survivor: Edge of Extinction will feature 14 new castaways and four returning veterans competing to win $1 million when the series' 38th season -- which will also include a special twist -- premieres on CBS in February.

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CBS has announced the identities of the 14 newbie castaways who will compete against each other and the four previously-revealed veteran castaways when Survivor: Edge of Extinction premieres with a one-hour episode on Wednesday, February 20 at 8PM ET/PT.

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The 18 castaways will be divided into two equal tribes, the Manu Tribe and the Kama Tribe.

As previously announced, the four returning Survivor castaways will be fan-favorites Joe Anglim, Aubry Bracco, Kelley Wentworth, and David Wright, some of whom have appeared on two or three editions of the long-running reality competition series.

This season presents a new layer to the game with the introduction of the island known as "Edge of Extinction," which "severely tests the will of the castaways to be the 'Sole Survivor' and what they are willing to endure to make that happen," according to the network.

The players who can withstand the emotionally and physically difficult challenge will be afforded a shot for one of them to get back in the game and continue their quest for the $1 million grand prize.

"Survivor continues to reinvent itself with new energy, and this season we've added a new secret game-changing twist," executive producer and host Jeff Probst said in a statement.

"After being voted out, players will be faced with a decision to either go home or go to the 'Edge of Extinction,' where they will be pushed further than ever before for a chance to get back in the game."

CBS's announcement confirms prior online spoilers that claimed Survivor: Edge of Extinction would feature what some viewers will consider a controversial twist -- a new Redemption Island-like format change in which castaways are not permanently eliminated from the game when they are voted out of their tribe at Tribal Council.

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Instead, the ousted castaways will have the option to go to "Extinction Island" -- a more brutal environment than the former Redemption Island -- where they will have to survive with no shelter and limited supplies as they wait for the opportunity to earn a chance to rejoin the main game.

"When a player is eliminated they can choose to quit or go to Extinction Island. Players can leave at any time. There will be two chances for a player to win their way back into the game -- at the merge and then around Day 35/36," Inside Survivor blogger Martin Holmes reported in July 2018.
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"Extinction Island does not reset at the merge; the extinct castaways who don't win their way back into the game can continue to live on Extinction Island until Day 35/36 when the second opportunity to reenter arises."

According to Holmes, "every eliminated player who chooses to stay on Extinction Island past the merge will be part of the jury (if a player on [Extinction Island] quits post-merge, they will still be on the jury)."

Online spoilers had also claimed Joe, Aubry, Kelley and David will serve as "captains" on Survivor: Edge of Extinction, although CBS did not confirm that detail in its announcement.

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Below is the complete list of castaways who will be competing on Survivor: Edge of Extinction this spring:

"Manu" Tribe

- Dan "The Wardog" DaSilva, a 38-year-old law student and former military man from Ossining, NY, who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA

- Reem Daly, a 46-year-old in sales from Fairfax, VA, who currently resides in Ashburn, VA

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- Rick Devens, a 33-year-old morning news anchor from Blacksburg, VA, who currently resides in Macon, GA

- Wendy Diaz, a 25-year-old small business owner from Los Angeles, CA, who currently resides in Bell, CA

- Lauren O'Connell, a 21-year-old student at Baylor University from Bakersfield, CA, who currently resides in Waco, TX

- Keith Sowell, a 19-year-old pre-med student from Fayetteville, NC, who currently resides in Durham, NC

- Chris Underwood, a 25-year-old district sales manager from Myrtle Beach, SC, who currently resides in Greenville, SC

- Kelley Wentworth, a 31-year-old marketing manager from Ephrata, WA, who currently resides in Seattle, WA (Previous seasons: Survivor: San Juan Del Sur and Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance)

- David Wright, a 44-year-old television writer from Philadelphia, PA, who currently resides in Sherman Oaks, CA (Previous season: Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X)

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"Kama" Tribe

- Victoria Baamonde, a 23-year-old waitress from Bronx, NY

- Ron Clark, a 46-year-old teacher at Ron Clark Academy from Chocowinity, NC, who currently resides in Atlanta, GA

- Julia Carter, a 24-year-old medical assistant from Hazleton, PA, who currently resides in Bethesda, MD

- Eric Hafemann, a 34-year-old firefighter from Chicago, IL, who currently resides in Livermore, CA

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- Aurora McCreary, a 32-year-old divorce lawyer from Pensacola, FL, who currently resides in Orlando, FL

- Julie Rosenberg, a 46-year-old toy maker from Baltimore, MD, who currently resides in New York, NY

- Gavin Whitson, a 23-year-old YMCA program director from Erwin, TN

- Joe Anglim, a 29-year-old multimedia artist from Chandler, AZ, who currently resides in Ogden, UT (Previous seasons: Survivor: Worlds Apart and Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance)

- Aubry Bracco, a 32-year-old marketing director from Hampton Falls, NH, who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA (Previous seasons: Survivor: Kaoh Rong and Survivor: Game Changers)
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.