New 'Survivor' cast boasts 3 from N.C.

We'll probably never see a "Survivor: North Carolina," but the 21st season of CBS's hit reality TV series will have a healthy dose of Tar Heel flavor.

Three of the 20 members of the cast -- which also includes two-time Super Bowl winning coach Jimmy Johnson -- hail from N.C. They are: Kelly Bruno, 26, a UNC medical student from Durham; Jane Bright, 56, a dog trainer from Jackson Springs; and Chase Rice, 24, who recently worked as a NASCAR jackman for Hendrick Motorsports in Mooresville but now is pursuing a country-music career in Nashville.

Bruno, pictured, lost her right leg to a birth defect when she was 6 months old, but is a competitive athlete: She was the third (and fastest) female amputee to finish the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in 2007.

"Survivor: Nicaragua" premieres Sept. 15 and will pit Rice, Bruno and eight other contestants under the age of 40 against Bright and nine other players who are 40-plus. See a slideshow of the contestants here. This is the second time a season of "Survivor" has featured a young-vs.-old showdown ("Survivor: Panama" was the first).

Previous contestants from the Charlotte area have included Jerry Sims of Rock Hill, S.C. ("Tocantins"), and Leslie Nease of Tega Cay, S.C. ("China").

Other past N.C. "Survivor" contestants include: Candice Woodcock of Fayetteville, who was on both Seasons 13 and 20; Sydney Wheeler of Raleigh ("Tocantins"); Crystal Cox of Durham ("Gabon"); Andria "Dreamz" Herd of Wilmington ("Fiji"); Austin Carty of High Point ("Panama"); Ted Rogers Jr. of Durham ("Thailand"); and Gabriel Cade of Celo ("Marquesas").