An Albany County prosecutor is putting her "Survivor" skills to the test — literally.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Blain-Lewis, a 10-year member of District Attorney David Soares' office, is in the South Pacific competing to win $1 million on the CBS-TV reality show "Survivor," people with knowledge of the situation told Law Beat.

Blain-Lewis, 37, who has prosecuted cases involving fraud, drugs and crimes against seniors, among others, has taken a leave of absence from the office. She is believed to be in Fiji for the filming of Season 33 of "Survivor," one of the original reality television shows. It first aired in 2000 when it was shot in Borneo. It has since been filmed in locations in Australia, Central America, South America and other spots.

The show strands "castaways" in a tropical location with little available to them and breaks them down into tribes. The 18 or so contestants compete in weekly challenges. Each week, a contestant is voted out by members of their tribe.

The contestants must "outwit, outplay and outlast each other," according to the show's website.

"Ultimately, one will be crowned the Sole Survivor and win the $1 million prize," the website said.

Blain-Lewis, a 2005 graduate of Albany Law School and a married mother of two, is undoubtedly familiar with the probative value of evidence in court. Now she will have to show her "Probst"-ative value — and by "Probst," of course, we mean Jeff Probst, host of the show.

Much like in court, the last thing anyone in "Survivor" wants is to be blindsided. But in "Survivor" parlance, a "blindside" is when one is voted off the show unexpectedly.

At the end of each episode, Probst regularly proclaims, "The tribe has spoken."

It will up to Blain-Lewis to make sure she survives the challenges, which can range from eating mealworms to gasping for air under water.

But what will be harder — securing a conviction or securing a hidden immunity idol?

Don't ask anyone in the district attorney's office for an official comment on Blain-Lewis journey. It is being treated as secretly as a grand jury investigation.

Eventually, it will be impossible to the keep hush-hush as "Survivor" is on national television.

Blain-Lewis has her own website, www.jessicablainlewis.com, which includes her background, resume and a short bio.

"Jessica had known from the start of her law career that she wanted to work at a district attorney's office, and so that was all that she applied for after passing the bar," the website said. It noted: "Jessica has always been passionate about fighting for the rights of the people who cannot otherwise defend themselves."

Now Blain-Lewis has to defend herself against the elements, fellow castmates and maybe some deadly snakes to survive "Survivor."

Changes in Schenectady

Familiar names. New roles.

That what's happening in Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney's office following the retirement of second-in-command Philip Mueller, who worked in the office for 26 years and was the county's chief homicide prosecutor, staff writer Paul Nelson reports.

Veteran prosecutor Edward Moynihan will succeed Mueller, but in a more traditional role as chief assistant district attorney.

Moynihan will handle more policy matters and administrative and staff duties than Mueller did and handle fewer trials than his predecessor.

In turn, Assistant District Attorney William Sanderson, chief of the grand jury bureau, will take over as deputy chief assistant district attorney, Moynihan's old job.

Carney also created a new homicide bureau for Assistant District Attorney Peter Willis, who has handled appeals and some high-profile criminal cases, including the successful murder prosecution of John Wakefield, who killed Brent Wentworth, 41, in 2010.

"I wanted to have some help for major crimes and be able to funnel homicides through somebody experienced that I have confidence in," Carney said. "He's not necessarily going to do all of them (homicides), but he will participate in all of them."

With Willis focusing on homicides, Assistant District Attorney Tracey Brunecz, of the office's special victims unit, will take over the appeals unit. Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante Pelham will take on more special victims cases. Both Brunecz and Tremante were involved in the successful prosecution of Herman Robinson, now of serving 100 years to life in state prison for the repeated rape of a young woman and murder of their newborn baby.

"I think there will be much more fluidity in terms of assignments," Carney said.

Additionally, Eamonn Neary, a prosecutor from the Sullivan County district attorney's office, will be joining the roster in two weeks to handle white collar and financial crimes. And in September, a recent law school graduate will come on board, Carney said.

rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU