Southern belle Maria-Grace Cook is much tougher than she looks. As the only female firefighter on her shift, she has worked twice as hard to prove herself. Now as an EMT, she thrives under pressure, and she hopes those skills will help her outsmart and outlast others on the island. A small-town girl at heart, Maria still lives in her childhood home, surrounded by her tight-knit family and 20-pound tortoise, Tortilla. She plans to play up her innocence early on, only to later unleash her physical strength and dominate challenges when others least expect it. She’ll draw on her adrenaline-fueled lifestyle of skydiving, hiking and daily gym sessions to bring out her inner beast when it matters most. With a knack for blackjack, she’s betting big on herself and hoping to win enough to save her childhood home before her parents sell it.