The full cast of Survivor: Philippines has been announced, and speculation about the 18 castaways has already begun.

Survivor: Philippines is set in one of Survivor's most dangerous locations yet, and promises to be one of the most physically exhausting seasons in Survivor history. Rumours have already surfaced about one castaway being medevaced at some point during the game.

Say goodbye to the girl power from last season - early rumours suggest that this season's last men and women standing are a male/female alliance that no one could have expected.

Who is entering this season with a target on their back? Who looks like their be the next Survivor villain? We've taken a closer look at the Survivor: Philippines cast and have some ideas about what to expect from this season.

Strongest Returning Castaway 

Russell Swan

As a returning castaway, Russell Swan is entering Survivor: Philippines perfectly positioned for a successful season. His less than remarkable leadership in Survivor: Samoa (see: choosing a pillow over a weatherproofing tarp) could make it so Russell side-steps the target that comes with being a returning castaway and former tribe leader. Russell is known in the Survivor world as a trustworthy guy, and it's likely his tribe members will want Russell on their side. Russell Swan has come closer to dying on Survivor than any other castaway in history, and this may cause other players subconsciously approach him delicately. If Russell Swan plays his cards right, he can play the perfect under-the-radar season.

Biggest Target  

Lisa Whenchel 

Former TV teenage star Lisa Whenchel owes her spot on the cast of Survivor: Philippines to a Twitter campaign she started to be on the show. Not only does Whenchel's pseudo-celebrity status make her an instant target, but it's almost impossible to imagine Whenchel can step far enough from the spotlight to play a good social game. In her bio, Lisa compares herself to Survivor: The Australian Outback sucker Colby Donaldson - comparing yourself to a castaway known for making one of the dumbest moves in Survivor history can't be a good sign.

For a first look at Lisa Whenchel, GlobalTV has full episodes of her classic TV series Facts of Life available online.  

The Dark Horse  

Sarah Dawson

In her profile, Sarah Dawson compares herself to Survivor Hall of Fame castaway Sandra Diaz-Twine. As a general rule it's a good sign when a castaway has enough sense to compare themselves to a former player who was actually good at Survivor. Sarah Dawson has the potential to play a good middle-of-the-road game, however, if she aligns herself with a deceptive alliance, it could be her downfall. She claims that her biggest advantage in the game is that people readily trust her. If in turn Sarah Dawson chooses the right people to trust, she has the potential to, like Sandra, surprise everyone by being a strong contender.

The Hero 

Artis Silvester

Artis Silverster enters this season perfectly set up to become a Survivor hero. A real-life survivor of cancer, Artis will support and inspire his castaways until they ultimately stab him in the back. But with a splash of Troy Robertson's (Survivor: One World) unwavering determination (Artis, like Troy before him, has been auditioning for Survivor since the show's inception), Artis may be able to dodge certain elimination with some well timed immunity idols and a few key castaways on his side. Let's hope he doesn't start the "this is my island!" stuff like Troy and shoot himself in the foot.

The Villains 

Malcolm Freberg and Pete Yurkowski

Spotting a Survivor villain is pretty simple: they're the castaways who believe a good way to play the game is like Russell Hantz. They, like Malcolm Freberg (L), describe themselves as "brilliant" and "cocky". They, like Peter Yurkowski (R), declare themselves an alpha male who can strategize like Napoleon. The best advantage a Survivor villain can have is remaining unseen, and these two cartoon villains may be hard to spot if they aren't working as a pair. With the castaways divided into three tribes this season, Freberg and Yurkowski may be able to cause some serious damage before their exasperated tribemates finally give them the boot.

Dream Alliance: The Bible Belt 

Zane Knight, Lisa Whenchel, and Roxy Morris

Bonded though their shared piety, tire repairman Zane Knight (L), former TV star Lisa Whenchel (C), and seminary student Roxy Morris (R) band together to form Survivor's most indestructible, yet superficially incongruous alliance of all time. No matter what moves the other castaways try to make, these three just can't seem to stop winning challenges and picking off their other castaways one by one. Ultimately, Jeff Probst decides to enter the game in an attempt to slow down their fury, only to find himself being the alleged medevaced castaway who is taken out of the game after taking a bad fall while trying to steal Zane's immunity idol.

Dream Alliance: The All-American All-Stars 

Katie Hanson, Jeff Kent, and Angie Layton

Alternate alliance name: two pageant girls and a baseball star. Former Miss Delaware Katie Hanson (L), retired Major League baseball player Jeff Kent (C), and Miss Utah Teen USA Angie Layton (R) band together in the ultimate American heroes alliance. After they decide to share their Survivor victory the three land their own reality spinoff show, which is sort of like the reality TV version of Parenthood. The spinoff show is quickly canceled, and Jeff Kent refocuses his attention on making it into the baseball Hall of Fame.

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Survivor: Philippines premieres Wednesday, September 19 at 8.00 et/pt