Teen actor and Flower Mound resident Lisa Whelchel to be on Survivor

National League MVP Jeff Kent of the San Francisco Giants is also part of the cast.

Author and former Facts of Life actress Lisa Whelchel

The Emmy Award-winning series Survivor will return for its 25th season with a special 90-minute edition from 7-8:30 p.m. September 19 on CBS. Three of the 18 castaways to be revealed later this week are former players who were medically evacuated from the game and are returning to finish what they started.

The 15 new castaways vying to outwit, outplay, and outlast one another include former National League MVP Jeff Kent (San Francisco Giants) and '80s television star Lisa Whelchel, from The Facts of Life. Whelchel is a Flower Mound resident.

For the first time in eight years, the show will be composed of three tribes named after animals in the region: Kalabaw (“water buffalo”), Tandang (“rooster”), and Matsing (“monkey”). The tribes feature individuals from different backgrounds competing for the same ultimate goal: to be sole survivor.

Surrounded by water, Survivor: Philippines will prominently feature marine-based challenges where the three tribes will battle for first and second place in order to be granted immunity, while the third-place tribe will head to Tribal Council and face elimination.