Darnell Hamilton has been through a lot of adversity in his life, but can he handle the intensity of Survivor?

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Darnell is one of 18 new players competing in the upcoming season of Survivor, which is subtitled Kaoh Rong - Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty. He has been placed on the Brawn tribe, which is made up of castaways with high physical strength.

The 27-year-old Chicago native is a postal worker who helped turn his life around in college. Darnell speaks on this in his CBS bio:

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"Graduating from college," he said, of his personal claim to fame. "It has been a long and hard road, but I did it! I was horrible in high school because I didn't give a damn, not because I wasn't smart. Now I have finished college and not only that, I did it with a 3.47 GPA while working jobs all day and night."

Darnell believes that he has the people skills and the experience to really thrive in the game of Survivor.

"I have been through adversities. I know how it feels to fail. But I also know how to win," he says. "Using negative energy to dig deep and win, that's the mind you have to have coming into this game. I am a hard worker and a great team player. I have done a little of everything and I can say I have a well-rounded skill set. I have a lot to prove, in my eyes, and I won't let anyone stop me from winning!"

Do you think Darnell can last all the way to the end on Survivor? Vote in our poll below:

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Survivor: Kaoh Rong - Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty premieres Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Watch Darnell's cast introduction video through CBS here: