Episode 1 Stats

Each week Inside Survivor contributor Rob Brodeur will be collecting various Survivor-related statistics and information based on the latest episode of Survivor 45.

Season

• This is the 13th consecutive season to film in Fiji.
  • It’s the 14th season to film in Fiji (including Survivor: Fiji).
• This is the first time that five consecutive seasons started with three tribes.
  • Seasons 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 all started with three tribes.
    • The most recent season to only have two pre-merge tribes was Island of the Idols.

Bruce (Returning Player)

• Survivor 45 is the first season to have only one returning player, Bruce from Survivor 44.
  • The previous record for the fewest number of returning players is two, which was seen in the following seasons:
    • Guatemala: Stephenie LaGrossa & Bobby Jon Drinkard previously played in Palau.
    • Redemption Island: Boston Rob Mariano & Russell Hantz previously played in multiple seasons.
    • South Pacific: Coach Wade & Ozzy Lusth previously played in multiple seasons.
      • Stephenie is the only woman to be the sole returnee on a tribe with new players.
• This is the first season since Winners at War to have a returning player.
  • This is the first season since Edge of Extinction to have a returning player in a season with new players.
• Bruce is the third player to return after placing last in a season.
  • Francesca Hogi & Tina Wesson are the previous two players to do this.
    • Bruce is the first man with this distinction.
• Bruce is the first player to never visit tribal council and come back for another season.
• Bruce is the seventh player to return to play another season after getting medically evacuated. The other players are as follows:
  • Mike Skupin was medically evacuated in The Australian Outback and returned in Philippines.
  • James Clement was medically evacuated in Micronesia and returned in Heroes vs. Villains.
  • Jonathan Penner was medically evacuated in Micronesia and returned in Philippines.
  • Russell Swan was medically evacuated in Samoa and returned in Philippines.
  • Colton Cumbie was medically evacuated in One World and returned in Blood vs. Water.
  • Caleb Reynolds was medically evacuated in Kaoh Rong and returned in Game Changers
  • Bruce Perrault was medically evacuated in Survivor 44 and returned in Survivor 45.
    • Bruce is the first player to be medically evacuated and return in the following season.
• Bruce is the eighth player to play in back-to-back seasons.
  • Rupert Boneham played in Pearl Islands & All-Stars.
  • Amanda Kimmel & James Clement played in China & Micronesia.
  • Russell Hantz played in Samoa & Heroes vs. Villains.
  • Malcolm Freberg played in Philippines & Caramoan.
  • Michaela Bradshaw & Zeke Smith played in Millennials vs. Gen X & Game Changers.
  • Bruce Perrault played in Survivor 44 & Survivor 45.
    • Shirin Oskooi & Joe Anglim played in Worlds Apart & Cambodia, which were filmed as the 30th and 32nd seasons (with Kaoh Rong filming in between), but Worlds Apart & Cambodia aired as the 30th & 31st seasons.
• Bruce is the 104th returning player on Survivor.
  • He’s the 74th player returning for a second season.
• Bruce is the seventh player to be the sole representative of a season returning for a subsequent season. The others are as follows:
  • Shii Ann Huang from Thailand returned for All-Stars.
  • Yau-Man Chan from Fiji returned for Micronesia.
  • Brenda Lowe from Nicaragua returned for Caramoan.
  • Ben Driebergen from Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers returned for Winners at War.
  • Wendell Holland from Ghost Island returned for Winners at War.
  • Nick Wilson from David vs. Goliath returned for Winners at War.
• Everyone who filmed back-to-back seasons had the winner of the season come from their original starting tribe.
  • Rupert was on Drake with Sandra in Pearl Islands.
  • Amanda & James were on Fei Long with Todd in China.
  • Russell was on Foa Foa with Natalie in Samoa.
  • Malcolm was on Matsing with Denise in Philippines.
  • Michaela & Zeke were on Vanua with Adam in Millennials vs. Gen X.
  • Bruce was on Tika with Yam Yam in Survivor 44.

Cast/Tribes

• The average age of the cast is 30.44.
• Kaleb is the eighth Canadian to be on US Survivor.
  • Island of the Idols – Tom.
  • Survivor 41 – Erika & Shan.
  • Survivor 42 – Maryanne, Omar, & Drea.
  • Survivor 44 – Kane.
    • Survivor 43 is the only new era season to not have someone from Canada on the cast.
• Kaleb is the first Survivor player from British Columbia.
• Dee is the first Survivor contestant who was born in Cuba.
• Kellie is the first Armenian contestant on Survivor.
• Kellie is the first “Kellie” to play Survivor and the 11th player whose name is a variant of Kelly. The others are as follows:
  • Kelly Wiglesworth – Borneo & Cambodia.
  • Kelly “Kel” Gleason – The Australian Outback.
  • Kelly Goldsmith – Africa.
  • Kelly Czarnecki – Gabon.
  • Kelly Sharbaugh – Samoa.
  • Kelly Bruno & Kelly Shinn – Nicaragua.
  • Kelley Wentworth – San Juan del Sur, Cambodia, & Edge of Extinction.
  • Kelly Remington – Worlds Apart.
  • Kellee Kim – Island of the Idols.
• Julie (49) is the oldest player this season, while Drew (23) is the youngest.
• Julie is the ninth player to be in her 40s and be the oldest player in her season. The others are as follows:
  • Sekou Bunch (45) in Cook Islands.
  • Steve “Chicken” Morris (47) in China.
  • Trish Hegarty (48) in Cagayan.
  • Katrina Radke (46) in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
  • Angela Perkins (42) in Ghost Island.
  • Reem Daly (46) in Edge of Extinction.
  • Denise Stapley (48) in Winners at War.
  • Bruce Perrault (46) in Survivor 44.
    • Five out of 9 of these players were the first person eliminated from their season. (Sekou, Chicken, Katrina, Reem, & Bruce).
• Bruce is the oldest man this season, as well as the oldest man in Survivor 44.
• This season has the highest percentage of Asian castaways with 28% (5/18).
  • The previous record was Fiji with 26% (5/19).
• Survivor 45 is the sixth three-starting tribe season with red, yellow, and blue starting tribes.
  • Philippines, Worlds Apart, Kaoh Rong, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, and Survivor 43 are the others.
• All three of the starting tribes this season have four letters in their names.
  • This previously happened in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, Survivor 43, and Survivor 44.
    • Survivor 44 is the only time it occurred where the starting tribe colors weren’t blue/red/yellow.
• There has been a yellow, red, and blue tribe in every odd-numbered season in the 40s.
  • Survivor 41, 43, and 45 had all 3 tribe colors.
    • Survivor 41 was the only one with red as a merged tribe color instead of a starting tribe color.
• There have been 29 tribes since David vs. Goliath with two-syllable names.
  • David vs. Goliath: Vuku & Tiva
  • Edge of Extinction: Manu, Kama, & Lesu
  • Island of the Idols: Vokai & Lairo
  • Winners at War: Dakal, Sele, & Yara
  • Survivor 41: Luvu, Ua, & Yase
  • Survivor 42: Vuku, Ika, & Vati
  • Survivor 43: Baka, Coco, & Vesi
  • Survivor 44: Ratu, Soka, & Tika
  • Survivor 45: Belo, Lulu, & Reba
    • Not including merged tribes, the most recent tribe name with more than two syllables was “Jabeni” in David vs. Goliath.
• All three tribe names this season are based on Fijian words for different bird species.
• Each tribe has two players from hometowns in the same state.
  • Belo: Jake & Kendra from MA.
  • Lulu: Brandon & Sean from NJ.
  • Reba: Austin & J.Maya from CA.
• Belo
  • Average age: 31.84.
  • Oldest member: Bruce Perrault (46).
    • This is Bruce’s second time being the oldest player on a tribe.
  • Youngest member: Brando Meyer (23).
  • Belo is based on the Fijian word for “reef heron.”
  • Belo is the 29th blue tribe.
    • Blue is the most used tribe color in Survivor.
  • Survivor 44 is the only new era season without a blue tribe.
• Lulu
  • Average age: 29.84.
  • Oldest member: Sean Edwards (35).
  • Youngest member: Brandon Donlon (26).
  • Lulu is based on the Fijian word for “owl.”
  • Lulu is the 25th yellow tribe.
    • Yellow is the second most used tribe color in Survivor
  • Lulu is the second yellow “L” tribe.
    • The first was La Flor in Nicaragua.
• Reba
  • Average age: 29.67.
  • Oldest member: Julie Alley (49).
  • Youngest member: Drew Basile (23).
  • Reba is based on the Fijian word for “goshawk.”
  • Reba is the 23rd red tribe.
    • Red is tied with green for the third most used tribe color in Survivor.
  • Reba is the first red tribe to start with the letter “R.”
  • All of the previous “R” tribes in Survivor were either four letters long that ended with “u” (Rotu, Ravu, Ratu) or ended with “a” (Rattana, Rarotonga).
    • Reba is the first that is four letters long and ends with an “a.”

Reward Challenge/Marooning: “Barge Simpson”

• Reba won the marooning challenge.
  • Both red tribes in the new era won the opening reward/marooning challenge as Vesi won in Survivor 43 and Reba won in Survivor 45
• Bruce’s tribe lost the reward/marooning challenge on both of his seasons.

Sweat vs. Savvy

• This is the first time that tribes lost the Sweat vs. Savvy challenge.

Immunity Challenge: “Mud Crutch”

• Bruce’s tribe won the first immunity challenge in both of his seasons.
  • However, he only competed in the challenge this season as he was medevaced before the challenge in Survivor 44.
• This was the first immunity challenge Bruce competed in.
  • He’s the first returning player to play in his first immunity challenge in his second season.
• The yellow tribe lost first immunity in every new era season so far.
  • The yellow tribe has lost the first immunity challenge 11 times in Survivor.
    • Boran in Africa, Maraamu in Marquesas, Saboga in All-Stars, Nakhum in Guatemala, Manihiki in Cook Islands, Zhan Hu in China, Foa Foa in Samoa, Masaya in Worlds Apart, Yase in Survivor 41, Baka in Survivor 43, and Lulu in Survivor 45.
• The yellow tribe in all three new era seasons had the lowest placing member of the season.
  • Yase in Survivor 41: Abraham
  • Baka in Survivor 43: Morriah
  • Lulu in Survivor 45: Hannah
• Lulu is the first tribe in the new era that hadn’t earned any basic supplies by the end of the premiere episode.
• Every new era blue tribe, with the exception of Ika in Survivor 42, has won the first immunity challenge of the season.
• Every yellow tribe on a season with three or more starting tribes has lost the first immunity challenge with the exception of Tandang in Philippines, Gondol in Kaoh Rong, and Soko in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
  • Saboga in All-Stars, Manihiki in Cook Islands, Yase in Survivor 41, Baka in Survivor 43, and Lulu in Survivor 45.
• Every winner in the new era, with the exception of Gabler, was on a tribe that won the first immunity challenge of the season.

Tribal Council

• Hannah quit at tribal council.
  • This marks the earliest quit in Survivor history.
  • This was also the fifth time someone quit at tribal council, resulting in the formal vote being canceled.
    • Osten in Pearl Islands.
    • Janu in Palau.
    • NaOnka & Kelly in Nicaragua.
  • NaOnka & Kelly hold the record for the latest quit (Day 28), and Hannah holds the record for the earliest quit (Day 3).
    • The previous record for earliest quit was held by Colton in Blood vs. Water, who quit on day 7.
      • Coincidentally, NaOnka, Kelly, Colton, and Hannah all started on the yellow tribe in their seasons.
• Hannah’s quit was the first quit for non-medical reasons since Julie in San Juan del Sur.
• Three out of five of the new era seasons had someone leave the game without being voted out in the premiere episode.
  • Jackson was medevaced in episode 1 of Survivor 42.
  • Bruce was medevaced in episode 1 of Survivor 44.
  • Hannah quit in episode 1 of Survivor 45.
• Both Hannahs who have played Survivor were never formally voted out.
  • Hannah Shapiro was in the final three in Millennials vs. Gen X.
  • Hannah Rose quit/was verbally voted out in this episode.
• If you count Hannah as being “voted out” by her tribe, she’s the fifth player to be voted out during an informal/verbal vote. The others are as follows:
  • Ian in Palau was verbally voted out by Tom after the final immunity challenge.
  • Brandon was verbally voted out by his tribe before an immunity challenge in Caramoan.
  • Varner was verbally voted out during tribal council after outing Zeke in Game Changers.
  • Tori was verbally voted out during tribal council in Survivor 42.
• Both of Bruce’s seasons resulted in a record being broken in episode 1.
  • Survivor 44: Earliest medical evacuation when Bruce was evacuated on day 1.
  • Survivor 45: Earliest quit when Hannah quit on day 3.
• A woman has been eliminated/voted out in every premiere episode in the 40s seasons except for Survivor 42.
  • Winners at War: Natalie & Amber both were voted out and sent to Edge of Extinction.
  • Survivor 41: Sara was voted out.
  • Survivor 43: Morriah was voted out.
  • Survivor 44: Maddy was voted out.
  • Survivor 45: Hannah quit.
• There was a twist that wasn’t shown where Kendra (from Belo) was able to visit Lulu’s tribal council and cast a vote.
  • She voted for Brandon.
    • With Hannah quitting, this vote didn’t count, and the twist wasn’t shown.

Confessionals

• Drew had the first confessional of the season.
• Sabiyah had the most confessionals this episode with 7.
• J. Maya and Julie had the least amount of confessionals this episode with 1.

Ratings

• The first episode received 5.239 million viewers and 0.84 in the Adults 18-49 demo.

Episode Title

• The episode title “We Can Do Hard Things” was said by Hannah as a mantra when she was feeling overwhelmed at camp.
  • “We can do hard things” is a mantra from author Glennon Doyle from her book Untamed. It’s also the name of a podcast she hosts.

Survivor Birthdays

• This episode aired on Shamar Thomas’ (Caramoan) birthday.

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