And just like that, we’re back for a new Survivor season! And…it starts off cold. As soon as the 18 new castaways hit the beach, Jeff starts talking about Survivor. But talking about it in the sense of explaining how the game works, broad strokes type things. Sure, we have a two hour premiere, but we definitely have better things to spend time on. But what’s a Survivor premiere without some complaints? We’ll move past that and get right into the first reward challenge.
Marooning
Before getting into the challenge, here is how the tribes break down.
Ratu (Orange)
Brandon, 29, Security Specialist
Jaime, 35, Yogi
Kane, 25, Law Student
Lauren, 31, Elementary School Teacher
Maddy, 28, Charity Projects Manager
Matthew, 43, Barbershop Owner
Soka (Green)
Claire, 25, Tech Investor
Danny, 31, Firefighter
Frannie, 23, Research Coordinator
Heidi, 42, Engineering Manager
Josh, 34, Surgical Podiatrist
Matt, 27, Security Software Engineer
Tika (Purple)
Bruce, 45, Insurance Agent
Carolyn, 35, Drug Counselor
Carson, 20, NASA Engineering Student
Helen, 28, Product Manager
Sarah, 26, Management Consultant
Yam Yam, 35, Salon Owner
For the first challenge, one pair from each tribe races down the beach and through a series of obstacles, to retrieve a puzzle piece. New pairs go until each player has retrieved a puzzle piece. Once all the pieces are collected, two players solve the puzzle. After the puzzle is solved, one player has to release rings from a pole.
The winning tribe earns their starting supplies of a pot, machete, and flint. The second tribe to finish gets to choose whether they want to do the Sweat or Savvy task. I hate that. The interesting part of the Sweat vs Savvy is seeing the tribe dynamics at play right away. We lose that opportunity with one tribe.
The challenge gets going and the season wastes no time with the first medical intervention. Bruce gets a solid knock on the head, blood streaming down his face. Jeff lets him play on for a bit, but eventually he collapses and Jeff has to call in the medical team. Thankfully the injury proves not to be serious and the doctors have him back in the game in no time.
Soka finishes first, and Ratu stages a comeback to take second. Tika loses in embarrassing fashion as Carolyn can’t even get one ring off. And even when you are allowed to sub in players, they never thought to let someone else try.
Soka
While exploring their new beach, Josh, Frannie, and Claire discover a locked birdcage with a bag hanging inside. The bring the rest of the tribe over to take a look.
Ratu
Ratu arrives at their camp and has the choice between the Sweat and Savvy challenges. For the Sweat, two tribe members collect coconuts and place them in a net. They can only pick up one at a time and must alternate between piles. They have four hours to complete the task.
The Savvy is a brain teaser, where also only two players can participate. They only have 15 minutes and only get one guess.
They choose the Sweat and Matthew and Brandon get to hauling.
The other four Ratu members also find their cage, but leave it alone, choosing to wait for Matthew and Brandon, while also trying to gather some food so they have something to show for it after Matthew and Brandon spent so much time with the coconuts. Matthew and Brandon take almost the full four hours, but they complete their task.
We almost have another medical emergency, as Matthew slips while climbing a rock. He falls and he dislocates his shoulder, but it’s all good because it pops back in on its own. Except then while he’s walking, he feels a little burning in his foot, and sees a good amount blood spilling from one of his toes. He’s given a sling by the doctors, but they quickly clear him to remain in the game.
Tika
Left with the Savvy, Carson and Jaime are chosen to try the brain teaser. They have a spinning ball with a smaller ball inside, and several intersecting pieces. They must determine how many rings there are. The two make their guess, and they’re right, lifting a big weight off their shoulders with an important win after losing the first challenge. While they’re doing the puzzle, the rest of the tribe goes wandering and finds their cage.
Well perhaps I spoke too soon about Bruce being okay. He takes a turn for the worse and the doctors have to come take another look. They decide they have to pull him from the game to undergo further observation. Wild, 12 hours into the game and already a medevac.
Journey
The first journey of the season comes (yay…). Sarah goes from Tika, Matt from Soka, and Lauren from Ratu. After everyone leaves for the journey, Ratu starts looking for the key to the cage. Brandon finds something in a package, but tries to keep it a secret from Maddie, but she notices him acting weird. He realizes she probably saw him, so he tells her he found hit. Maddie wants to consider keeping it a secret, which makes Brandon think he can’t trust Maddie. He tells the rest of the tribe and he opens the cage. It’s an idol. It also has a fake idol.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about this yet. I don’t think I like it. The *hidden* immunity idol is supposed to be just that: hidden. Then leave it up to the player to decide whether or not to tell anyone they have it. While this particular setup doesn’t necessarily guarantee a public idol, it certainly greatly increases the odds. It feels like it can most likely lead to one of two scenarios. Whoever finds it plays it right away, regardless of whether or not they’re at risk. Boring. Or that player skates through with implicit immunity. With such small tribes, it’s way more difficult, maybe impossible to do a split vote. Boring.
On the journey, the three walk through the jungle, “taking the opportunity to get to know each other.” Cool, the same setup as before.
The three separate, and have a decision to make. They’re presented with a bag, with three peices of paper inside. Two are “Lose a Vote” pieces with the third being a secret advantage. If you draw the advantage, you’re done. If you draw a lost vote, you have the choice to stop or draw again.
Sarah draws a Lose, but then draws again and picks the advantage. It’s a new one, called the Inheritance Advantage. When played, you inherit all advantages and idols played at one Tribal Council. This feels like something that sounds much better than it likely will be. How often are multiple advantages or idols played at one Tribal Council? Plus, it sure sounds like this is played publicly. Everyone will know what you just gained. Yeah, it gives you some power in the game, but it’s also guaranteed to massively raise your threat level, increasing the target on your back.
Matt draws both no votes.
Lauren draws the Bank Your Vote Advantage. Allows her to not vote at one Tribal Council, banking that vote as an extra vote at a future Tribal Council.
Soka
Back at the beach, Matt tells the tribe most of the truth, but doesn’t tell them about his second lost vote.
Ratu
Lauren does the same as Matt, telling her tribemates she lost her vote, but does not tell them she earned the advantage.
Tika
Sarah goes a different route, saying it has not yet been revealed her received what.
Immunity Challenge
Before starting the challenge, Jeff confirms Bruce is doing just fine, and he’s out of the woods.
For this first immunity challenge, the tribe pushes a boat into the water, paddling out and around a buoy. They get out of the boat and move a heavy chest to shore where they get it into place on a track. They pull the chest with a rope to the end of the track, unlocking the chest to release a giant slide puzzle.
During the challenge, with Bruce out of the game, the Soka and Ratu need to sit a player out. Claire and Matthew are the lucky chosen ones, and Claire asks Matthew about the journey. Claire tells Matthew that Matt showed them the piece of paper saying he lost his vote. In turn, Matthew tells her Lauren said she lost her vote, but didn’t show them anything. I love this move from Claire. It’s a bit risky, because she has no idea how Matthew is going to react to this reach across the aisle so early in the game. But it has the potential to pay huge dividends down the road.
Brandon comes close to collapsing during the challenge, and medical pulls him to recover, with the challenge then continuing without him.
Soka finishes first. And to absolutely no surprise with Brandon on the sidelines, Tika takes second.
Pre-Tribal
Matthew tells Brandon what he learned from Claire at the challenge, putting Lauren immediately on the hot seat. But Maddy is worried about Brandon. With the way the cage went down, she knows she can’t trust Brandon. And she thinks this might be the only chance to blindside Brandon with his idol.
Meanwhile, Jaime is losing it, thinking about playing her Shot in the Dark, even though there’s nothing indicating she’s under any threat. The rest of tribe sees that, which is never good. Maddy keeps pushing for Brandon, and both Matthew and Kane appear to be giving it serious consideration. There are legitimate arguments being made to vote for Maddy, Lauren, and Brandon.
Tribal Council
Jaime announces, prior to the vote, that she’s going to play her Shot in the Dark. She says if everyone is doing what they told her they were doing, her vote won’t matter. But. If everyone is doing what they said they would do, then she should be safe and she can save her Shot in the Dark. What is happening?
Lauren chooses to not vote, banking it for a future Tribal Council. Matthew also plays his Shot in the Dark, ending up Not Safe. Jaime’s Shot in the Dark works. After that, Brandon uses plays his idol. Two of the three votes are for Brandon, leaving his vote as the sole decider. And with it, he sends Maddy out of the game.
WHAT?! I am so confused by what just happened. Jaime, no, absolutely not. Matthew, I can kind of see, I think? I don’t think he played it because he thought he was in danger, but it gives him an out if Brandon were to be the target and he plays his idol – so exactly what happened. No blood on his hands in any direction. If that’s the thinking, it worked out. I don’t really see Lauren’s thinking. You already know you’re down one vote. Maybe she’s assuming Brandon plays his idol, so voting for him wouldn’t matter? But now you’re just back to even at the next Tribal Council, with Maddy gone. I don’t know. We’ll try to suss it all out on Talking Llama.
At least Tribal Council kind of made up for what was a pretty lackluster premiere.
Winner Pick
I have no idea here. Honestly, nobody really stuck out. I suppose Claire did, with her shrewd move to talk to Matthew during the challenge. Brandon showed a good read by playing his idol (or maybe he just knew to play his idol because everyone knew he had one). Sarah showed a bit of promise. I guess I’ll go Claire? But not very confidently.
