I am – Hercules!!


“Pirate Master” features 16 Americans out of their element, 33 days in a tropical setting, weekly eliminations and a million-dollar prize purse.

Just as “Starter Wife” doubtlessly seeks to fill the Thursday-night viewership vacuum left by the absence of fresh “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Ugly Betty,” so does the 13-episode “Pirate Master” - the latest from reality maven Mark Burnett - seek to mollify that demographic pining after Burnett’s “Survivor.”

Instead of a deserted beach, the contestants live aboard a 179-foot pirate ship as they use clues to find real gold worth real money. The “pirate master,” or last contestant standing, gets the grand booty of $500,000.

* Nine of the 16 prospective pirate masters are in their twenties;
* Five are in their thirties;
* The remaining two are in their forties.
* Two are bartenders.
* One is a male stripper/scientist.
* Eight are from California.

The cast:

Laurel Schmidt, 21, glass blower, Los Angeles;
Joy McElveen, 21, receptionist, West Columbia, S.C.;
Alexis Shubin, 26, publicist, Fountain Valley, Calif.;
Christa DeAngelo, 29, movie extra, Tamaqua, Pa.;
Nessa Nemir, 29, make-up artist, Berkeley, Calif.;
Jupiter Mendoza, 30, bartender, Los Angeles;
Cheryl Kosewicz, 35, deputy D.A., Reno, Nev.;
Kendra Guffey, 38, dive master, Los Angeles;

Ben Fagan, 23, musician, Charleston, S.C.;
John Lakness, 25, scientist/stripper, Carlisle, Mass.;
Azmyth Kaminski, 26, music producer, Los Angeles;
Sean Twomey, 27, bartender, Venice, Calif.;
J.D. Morton, 36, smokejumper, Fairbanks, Alaska;
Jay Hatkow, 37, auto parts salesman, Detroit;
Louie Frase, 43, marina owner, Fishing Creek, Md.; and
Christian Okoye, 45, ex-NFL player, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Learn what they look like here.

8 p.m. Thursday. CBS.

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