Online Survivor fans may have as little as a week left in their race to identify this fall?s crop of contestants before CBS does it for them.

The lucky castaways will soon finish filming Survivor: Vanuatu in the Pacific, then await their flicker of fame. The program premieres at 8 p.m. Sept. 16. The spoiler-laden Web site SurvivorNews indicates that this season will feature 18 contestants, most likely in two tribes of nine (can you say gender imbalance?). This tidbit has popped up elsewhere, such as the Web site for gossip channel E!

SurvivorNews Web master Tim Gilman ? who appears to have a source inside the show, given his constant trickle of inside info and near-perfect track record in predicting the ?boot order? each season ? has further piqued online fans? interest with his amusing ?Contestants Confirmator.? Think you know someone who?s currently exchanging playful banter with Jeff Probst somewhere in the South Pacific? Simply plop his or her name into the Confirmator and see if you?re right.

Thus far, 16 contestants? names have been unofficially confirmed. From there, fans at Web communities such as at SurvivorSucks commence intense Google searches to match potential faces to the names. Thus far, contestants appear to include a Syracuse University student, a doctor, a Native American songwriter, and far too many actors/models. Reports indicate that contestants may hail from the Des Moines and Seattle areas (CBS called newspapers in those towns, and apparently others, to request a copy, ostensibly for a reward challenge). A thread at Sucks has compiled the work of countless online fans, featuring known information about the alleged contestants.

Whether this is all right or a wild goosechase won’t be known until CBS releases the names and bios of the cast, likely to occur on the Aug. 16 Early Show. But as of this posting, only two spots on the Confirmator?s list have yet to be filled ? people with the first names of James and Brook (there?s even a photo for Brook). If you think you know something, plug the info into the Confirmator and see what comes out.

Update: A teaser on CBS during Everybody Loves Raymond tonight mentioned there will indeed be 18 contestants on Vanuatu, not the standard 16.

Update 2: The alleged Brook has been named.