It's a long way from Layton to the South Pacific island of Nuku Hiva, but 21-year-old Neleh Dennis made the trip hoping to win a million dollars in the fourth edition of the hit CBS reality series "Survivor."
Dennis and 15 others were unveiled as the contestants for "Survivor: Marquesas" on Wednesday morning. They were chosen from more than 60,000 applicants. (Originally from Heber City, Dennis is a graduate of Layton High School, where she was a member of the drill team.)
"Early Show" co-host Jane Clayson (herself a former Utahn who graduated from BYU and worked for KSL) had a little trouble with Dennis' unusual first name. As a clip of Dennis carrying rocks was shown, Clayson introduced her as "a student, Melia Dennis."
Dennis was named (in a roundabout way) for a grandmother — her first name is "Helen" spelled backwards.
There should be no such confusion once "Survivor: Marquesas" premieres on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. (locally on Ch. 2). According to a CBS spokesperson, Dennis is one of those contestants who "pops" — who makes a big impression on the small screen. (By contract, contestants cannot do interviews until after they are voted off the island — or until after they win the million dollars, if they're that lucky. If they talk, they not only lose whatever money they win but stand liable for millions of dollars in punitive damages.)
The fourth edition of "Survivor" takes place on one of the remote Marquesas Islands, a distant neighbor to Tahiti in the South Pacific.
On the other side, the Maraamu tribe is Gina Crews, 28, a nature guide from Gainesville, Fla.; Hunter Ellis, 33, a Federal Express pilot from La Jolla, Calif.; Peter Harkey, 45, a bowling alley/wine shop owner from Millis, Mass.; Patricia Jackson, 49, a truck assembler from Lugoff, S.C.; Sarah Jones, 24, an accounts manager from Newport Beach, Calif.; Rob Mariano, 26, a construction worker from Canton, Mass.; Sean Rector, 30, a teacher from Harlem, N.Y.; and Vecepia "Vee" Towery, 36, an officer manager from Portland, Ore.
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