Upcoming Season 45 of Survivor Has a Contestant from Lawrence, NJ

I love when local people and places make it on TV.

When the next season (season 45) of the reality competition series, Survivor, kicks off on Wednesday, September 27th, one of the contestants may look familiar to you if you live (or lived) in the Lawrence area.

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Entertainment Weekly says there are eighteen people competing. Seventeen players are new and there's one returning contestant. The cast includes a marine who's now a truck driver, a critical care nurse, a school principal, a therapist, an investment analyst, and three lawyer.

The elementary school principal is a Lawrence Township (Mercer County) native. His name is Sean Edwards.

The returning contestant is Bruce Perreault, who had to leave the last season after getting hurt in the first challenge. He hit his head on a beam, remember?

Let's go back to Sean Edwards. He's 35-years-old and now lives in Provo-Oren, Utah.

In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, the three words he used to describe himself were connection-seeker, ambitiously minded, magnetic energy. That's more than three words. Ha ha.

When asked why he wanted to be on the show, he said he's been watching it from the beginning and has always wanted to play. He lacked the confidence for years but finally decided to give it a try saying, "Now that I have pride and confidence in myself, I am ready to play and win!"

Edwards says he's had to overcome social stigma and religious expectations because he's gay, but it's helped him to develop "mental grit, tenacity and resilience." You definitely need those traits when playing Survivor.

I don't know how they do it. I would never "survive."

When asked why he would be the winner, Edwards said, "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."

Edwards continued, "These skills will help me build alliances naturally and easily, I'm ready to claim the $1 million now."

I'll be rooting for you, Sean. I can't wait to watch.

Season 45 of Survivor kicks off Wednesday, September 27th at 8pm on CBS.