Survivor 42 is coming back to CBS in March for its new season and the network released the new group of players competing on the reality series.
The official cast list arrived on February 9, one month before the actual release date of the season premiere. Since the release, more information has been revealed about the contestants for the new season.
One of the newcomers is a 31-year-old veterinarian from Whitby, Ontario, Canada, named Omar Zaheer. Here is what you need to know about the latest Survivor 42 cast member.
Who is Omar Zaheer on Survivor 42?
Omar Zaheer is a 31-year-old veterinarian from Ontario who loves training animals and watching TV.
He said he had set his mind on becoming an exotic animal specialist when he was an undergrad, which ended up as his proudest accomplishment.
“In my life, I will go forth and do my dreams. I went to vet school, which is harder to get into medical school in Canada. I wanted to be an exotic animal specialist,” Omar said in an interview.
“I was one of the few lucky ones I was able to go off into a specialty for that purpose, which has a very low admission rate.”
He also said that he is a man who was able to maintain his Muslim values while living in the western world — and he said he did it no matter how hard it was.
He said he hopes to bring that same determination into Survivor 42.
How can you follow Omar Zaheer on Instagram?
Survivor 42 fans can follow Omar Zaheer on Instagram at @ozaheer24.
Omar has almost 1,150 followers and 294 posts. In his bio, he has represented a charity at change.org to save the OVC Avian and Exotics Department at the Ontario Veterinary College’s Health Sciences Centre.
In his post about joining Survivor 42, Omar wrote, “Very excited to announce that I lived my lifelong dream to be a castaway on @survivorcbs.”
Survivor fans who follow Omar will also get lots of pictures of him with some great animals.
What are Omar Zaheer’s skills for Survivor 42?
Omar said that his work as a veterinarian will help him on Survivor 42, because it is all about dealing with different people.
He mentioned that he sees people of all sorts at work, from those happy when they bring in their pets to those who are devastated and have to put their pet down.
“You have to take your opinion and your advocacy for the animal, but then meet whoever you’re seeing on an everyday basis where they are,” he said.
This is what he expects on Survivor 42.
“Everybody has different likes, dislikes, interests, things that make them tick, things that make them calmer. And you have to identify where they are and meet them rather than have them meet you where you are. So it’s being adaptable, being moldable.”
Survivor 42 debuts March 9 at 8/7c on CBS.