The 25th season of Survivor will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 19 on CBS at 8/7c.

This season takes place in the Phillipines and the show's original host Jeff Probst continued his hosting duties for the group of 18 contestants.

"Survivor" is considered one of television's first reality shows. It focuses on a group of strangers left on an isolated locale who must survive to live off the land. The contestants take part in competitions and must make alliances to keep from being eliminated or voted off the show.

Episode 1, titled "Survivor Smacked Me in the Chops," will begin with 18 castaways stranded on the Caramoan Islands in the Philippines. The season begins with three tribes consisted of six members each.

This season includes three cast members who were former players from previous seasons. Michael Skupin, Jonathan Penner and Russell Swan all left the show previously for medical reasons sustained from playing the game.

The "Survivor: Phillipines" cast members include a celebrity, former actress Lisa Whelchel. The contestant is widely known for her role as rich girl Blair on the 1980's teen sitcom "Facts of Life." Whelchel is now a married mother of three and a Christian pop singer.

Whelchel opened up to TV Guide about her reasons for wanting to join the show, the challenges and her strategies.

"'Survivor' was a way for me to live vicariously through the people who did things that I would never allow myself to do in real life," Whelchel said.

She confessed to being star struck when she met Probst and the show's creator for the first time, despite her celebrity status

"When I walked into the room with Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett, there was just this added dimension," Whelchel said. "[I thought,] 'Not only are you the producers and I really want to be on your show, but, oh mygosh! I'm your biggest fan! Can I have your autograph?' "

As a Christian, Whelchel admitted playing the game conflicted with her morals at times.

"I knew that to play the game and to play it well you needed to lie, break trust, talk about people and all those things that I've spent my life trying not to do," she said. "And yet, I really wanted to win this game. So my strategy going in was to be me, yet play the game the best I could and hopefully find a course that had not been charted before."

Whelchel rounded out the interview by sharing some of the strategies that helped her succeed at times.

"I've watched this show long enough to know that you want to have a strong team to win the challenges, so you're going to get rid of your weaker players earliest. And if you don't have time to find out the players' strengths, than you're going to take the easy way out and send home the oldest first."

Whelch was added to the growing list of celebrities who have joined the cast of "Survivor." Former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson competed in Season 21, and MLB pitcher Jeff Kent will also appear in season 25.

View a sneak preview below featuring clips viewers can expect to see this season.

Tags
Survivor, CBS