Survivor UK: Meet the contestants competing in this year's show

Doug is a Flood Risk Consultant from the Isle of Mull. He hopes to make use of his 6ft 4in height on the show "and help my tribe get to those hard to reach places".

Speaking on what it was like on the show, he said: "Being on Survivor was an adventure of a lifetime. Full of twists, turns, highs and lows. During the low points of the game it was my tribemates who gave me the strength I needed to keep fighting. It’s amazing how complete strangers who you’ve never met before can lift your mood even during the dark times living on a desert island. That, and I’ll never eat rice and beans again!

Hannah is a Semi-Professional Football player from London and says that "Survivor really became my go-to TV show to watch during lockdown".

Speaking on what qualities she will bring to the show, Hannah said: "I saw myself as a strong physical player, but I also thought my positive energy, authenticity, and social skills could be real game changers. Survivor is as much about strategy and alliances as it is about physical prowess, so I wanted to bring a well-rounded approach to the game."

On coping with hunger she added, "hunger was probably one of the most challenging aspects of the game. To manage it I often reminded myself of the people in the world who have it much worse. That perspective helped me keep my hunger in check but I won't lie, there were moments when I felt absolutely drained and weak due to the lack of sustenance."

Jess is a Fitting Model from London and will bring "fun, laughter and positivity" to the show.

Jess says she "never really had a game plan" going into the show and "just always said I would be true to myself and follow my heart and my gut instinct."

She adds that, "everything about it [the game] was my literal worst nightmare, I was so out of my comfort zone but I did it."

Laurence from London, born in Vienna, and raised in Costa Rica, is an Entrepreneur, currently studying an MPhil in Artificial Intelligence Ethics at Cambridge. He plans to be a "source of good morale through buffoonery".

On preparing for the show, Laurence went all out purchasing flint and "proceeded to practice setting fire to the kitchen, much to my family's horror." He also asked a friend to join him at "a Thai restaurant famous for serving bugs and forced myself to eat every creepy crawly in sight".

Lee is a Professional Boxer from Belfast and is originally from Limerick and says the show is "a great opportunity to test myself and let the world see me for who I really am".

Speaking on how he dealt with living on a beach with no home comforts, Lee said: "I embraced it and loved it! It’s made me more grateful for the luxuries I have back home."

Leilani is a Barista and cleaner at a yoga studio from Hertford and will bring her "tongue in cheek humour, general immaturity and ignorant bliss mixed with lots of love, cuddles and unity" qualities to the show.

When asked about how she coped with hunger on the show, she said: "I imagined I would cope better with the hunger. However, with absolutely no other distractions it's all-encompassing and every day you last, your hunger becomes more and more compounded. All you do is fantasise about food."

Matthew, from Cumbria, works in Hospitality and describes himself as "very passionate" and as having "a glass half-full perspective on life".

Discussing how he prepared for the show, he said: "I was keeping fit by going running, plus me and my mates go swimming in lakes and rivers quite often and I live an active lifestyle, so I was excited and ready for the physical side!

"To prepare mentally I knew that I would need a game plan that could be easily adapted whenever needed. I expected emotions to run high and for there to be some tough decisions I was going to have to make, so I practiced staying calm and trying not to lose focus."

Nathan is a Fitness Instructor and Operations Manager from Manchester but is originally from London, and is a "9 out of 10" on the competitive scale.

Speaking about what attracted him to the show, Nathan said: "I very much believe in the concept of Kaizen (a Japanese term for continuous improvement) and I try to apply this concept to every part of my life." He added: "When I reflect on when I’ve grown the most, it has always been on the back of significantly challenging times, adversity, or hardship. So, when the opportunity to be a part of one of the most challenging experiences someone can face, I needed no convincing."

Pegleg is a Surf School Owner from St Agnes and will bring "life experience, a Gen X attitude for just getting on with it and not whining and moaning about the hardship of it all" to the show.

He "loved" living on a beach with no home comforts. When asked how he coped with the hunger he said: "Just sucked it up buttercup! It was part of the expectation of living on rice and beans. No amount of moaning was going to change it so what's the point of focusing on it."

Rach is a Personal Trainer from Glasgow and had never heard of Survivor until this year when she watched the Australian series, but says she "immediately knew that this would be something that I would enjoy".

Speaking about the challenges she's most looking forward to, she said: "Physical strength challenges – I love feeling and looking strong, especially as a woman, I find it empowering. I think people were surprised at how strong I was because I'm quite small."

Rachel is an Insurance Claim Handler from Whitstable and describes herself as "an adventurous, strong, outdoorsy, sporty person who loves a challenge".

When asked about her strategy coming into the game, Rachel said she doesn't have one, saying: "I was only ever going to be open, honest and myself."

Ren is a Network Data Scientist from London and prepared for the show by 3D printing "the more popular puzzles to practice, worked on knot untying techniques, and even tried to improve my swimming (this went less well...)".

When asked how they coped with the hunger, Ren said, "Poorly. Turns out I really hate rice and beans, and even though I was literally starving it always took me a full hour to eat a single scoop of food..."

Richard is a Pensions Manager/RAF Reservist from Dalkeith, Scotland, and is always looking for a new challenge.

He's very competitive and says that his strategy was "to try to be in the middle of the pack and look for opportunities that I could use to my advantage. All the while enjoying the game and experience."

Sabrina, an ultramarathon runner, charity founder, author, mum of four and grandmother of three from Stroud, will bring her "nurturing maternal side" and "fearless ability to rough it with the best of them" to the show.

When asked how she prepared for the show, she said: "In the months before, I ran two multi-stage 300K off-road trail ultramarathons. One of them being in the remote Scottish highlands. I camped out. I ate rations. I gladly put myself in a deep dark hole physically and mentally."

Shai is a Finance Risk Manager from London, and is a "super-fan" of the show.

Speaking about his game-plan, Shai said: "My strategy before going into the game was to lay low at the beginning, not drawing any attention to myself and then try and seize control in the mid game. Which it turns out is much easier said than done!"

Tinuke is professional roller skater and adventurer from London, and describes herself as a "disco dynamite London babe".

She has watched every season of Survivor and read FBI interrogation persuasion techniques and body language books to give her the "upper-hand".