'Facts of Life' Star Joining 'Survivor'

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CBS just announced 15 of the 18 castaways who will compete against each other in Survivor season 25, which includes Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel!

"I pursued it," Whelchel, best known for playing Blair Warner on the beloved '80s sitcom, says about being cast on the long-running show. "I had a friend of mine make a little iPhone video and put it on my Twitter account and asked people to re-tweet it, and start a viral campaign to get me on the show."

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Another notable new cast member is baseball MVP Jeff Kent.

"I don't want to embarrass myself -- I've got a reputation in baseball," Kent says in the show's teaser.

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The three remaining castaways to be announced -- former players who were medically evacuated from the game and are returning -- will be revealed later this week.

The latest Survivor is set in the Philippines, and will feature marine-based challenges in which 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.

Survivor: Philippines premieres with a special 90-minute episode Wednesday, September 19, at 8 p.m. on CBS.