As another season of 90-minute episodes kicks off, Survivor begins another hopefully solid season. And right off the bat, we have some shakeups to the norm. Instead of Jeff Probst giving us an opening narration, it’s Tevin, keen on being the season’s main narrator.
But Jeff won’t be left out because instead of the usual mat chat, he instills a sense of dread in the cast by reminding them that someone is never going to win this game because their personality isn’t good enough. Harsh but honest. And a nice step up from Jeff’s overly polite sunshine and rainbows routine he’s been on since the pandemic hiatus ended.
Jumping into an opening reward challenge, it’s a battle for supplies. First place gets their flint, second gets a choice between Savvy and Sweat, and last place gets saddled with whatever isn’t chosen. The orange Nami Tribe destroys the competition, with the green Siga Tribe not far behind, leaving the purple Yanu Tribe at the mercy of fate. Siga opts for Savvy, hoping to tire out Yanu’s toughest guys right away, and it’s off to camp for the game to officially begin.
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With no challenge to complete, Nami takes the first day sorting out early vibes and getting to know each other. Fish out of water Liz immediately puts herself in the firing line by casually mentioning her four businesses, two of which she sold, a fact that Tevin doesn’t vibe with given he’s here for a good payday and she clearly isn’t.
Quick to act, Tevin links up with fellow old soul Hunter as the bromance of the tribe. Hunter himself is more reserved than the other Namis and doesn’t care to sing songs (the worst part of summer camp, apparently), but he’s willing to learn if he helps him fit in. And so the Andy Griffith Alliance is born, complete with a cheesy Movie Maker effect that feels more like Big Brother than Survivor.
But not everything on Nami is The Sound of Music. Venus has been labeled the tribe princess, and with it comes all the stereotypes: she’s prissy, high maintenance, stuck up… all things that wouldn’t make you a good fit for Survivor. But Venus rebukes that label, admitting that while she might not have given the best first impression, she’s got game and can kick ass like the goddess she’s named after.
Socially, though, Venus is struggling. Randen tags along for an idol hunt with her, only to leave and spill the beans to Soda about Venus’ actions. But laying it on too thick, he labels Venus as “Parvati-lite” and turns Soda off completely, putting himself in the firing line instead. A massive misread on Randen’s part, but when your own family expects you to flame out and plans a first boot party in your honor… Yeah, no surprises here.
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On Siga, career musician Ben and Taylor Swift stan Charlie team up for the Savvy task, only to fail miserably. But their games aren’t over, as Ben’s charisma and Charlie’s positioning allow them to recover without taking any heat. Early alliances include Maria and Tim, operating as the parents of the tribe, as well as Jem, Moriah, and Maria as a women’s alliance with Charlie as a fourth wheel. Moriah herself is awkward and struggles to make friends back home, but she sees this as a great opportunity to prove herself and achieve some personal growth.
But as the women link up, Tim isn’t blind to what’s going on. Fearing a potential steamroll by the women, he links up with Ben and Charlie for a counter-alliance, putting Charlie in the middle as his “get in good with everyone” strategy could quickly land him in potentially hot water if he misplays his dangerous position.
On Yanu, it’s a bit of a mess. Q and Jelinsky volunteer for the Sweat task, which ends up being absolutely evil as they have to carry two urns worth of water across the beach using buckets… which just so happen to be filled with holes. Q isn’t one to call it quits being a former athlete and top-tier real estate agent, but Jelinsky has other ideas. His talks of being a legend and the monster Jeff warned us about many moons ago fall flat as he quits less than an hour and a half into the challenge, figuring they’ll never finish in time and should save their energy.
Just for good measure, Jelisnky launches the giant hourglass down the beach and shatters it to show just how much he hated the terrible immunity-stealing hourglass twist from 41 and 42! Now that’s a legendary move I can approve of. But thinking he’s made an ally in Q, he’s sorely wrong as Q despises quitters and swears Jelinsky will pay for his actions down the road.
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As for the other Yanus, Bhanu is thrilled to be on the show, having applied the day he became a US citizen. Kenzie quickly becomes the tribe’s social center, using her salon owner skills to forge bonds with Tiffany, Q, and Jelinsky as a core four. But left out of the tribe is Jess, who’s struggled to open up socially and strategically. If she’s not giving anything, she won’t get anything in return, even if she’s super sweet and means well.
Day 2 rolls around, and it’s time for some trips to Advantage Island. Maria and Tevin are sent by random luck, but Jelinsky steps up and refuses to be denied a spot on the journey. The game to be played this time is a game of bluffing. The three players will draw one of three cards: a torch, a skull, and a vote. The player who draws the torch must read the other two players and decide who drew the vote based on their pitches and body language. Guess right, and both of them get extra votes. Guess wrong, and the player with the skull wins the extra vote as a reward for their bluffing skills. And because it’s the New Era where players can’t be allowed to truly play for even one round sometimes, the loser(s) of the game lose their votes at the next Tribal they attend.
Maria draws the torch, and Tevin and Jelinsky swear they have the vote card. Jelinsky’s a bad liar, and Tevin’s overselling the truth, so Maria can’t decide. So she forces an ultimatum on Jelinsky: you’re the person acting the most shady, so either tell the truth or have your name dragged through the mud back on Siga and Nami for lying this early. Jelinsky immediately folds and reveals his skull card, giving Maria and Tevin their extra votes at the expense of his own with the hopes that his sacrifice will win favor with them in the future.
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Back at Yanu, Jelinsky comes clean and admits he gave up again as the tribe tears into him once more. His moves make no sense to anyone. Either keep lying to the bitter end, and maybe you don’t give the other tribes free extra votes, or just lie to your own tribe about what happened so you don’t come across like someone who can’t commit despite putting your hand up for everything.
But as Jelinsky’s grave is dug a bit deeper, so is Jess’. The elements are taking a toll on her; she’s struggling with the social game because of her ADHD and lack of medication, and she’s too scared to go looking for idols. But nobody else is scared, and it’s not long before Tiffany and Kenzie stumble upon the Yanu Beware Advantage, directing them to dig up a small chest containing an idol. The problem? The next step in the process will only be available once Yanu loses immunity.
It won’t take long because Yanu is a mess in yet another challenge; this one featuring oversized stuffed gecko production could afford to build (but not an Auction, apparently). Like before, Nami sweeps, Siga isn’t far behind, and Yanu is dead last with no hope to be found.
As expected, the vote is between the two trainwrecks. Jelinsky, who quits everything he attempts, couldn’t do the puzzle to save his life and thought “several hours” meant specifically seven hours for some reason. And Jess, who has no alliances and is falling apart, but at least never gave up despite being the clear weak link. Just to add one more point against him, Jelinsky gives up on campaigning too, opting to stay in the shelter as his allies do all the work. He doesn’t have a vote, but if he can get Jess out anyway without lifting a finger, he’ll be proud of himself.
Speaking of his so-called allies, Tiffany snags her idol and gets her vote back, so it’s five votes up for grabs tonight. Kenzie pushes for Jess to go, figuring Jelinsky’s physical strength is more valuable than anything right now. But Q hasn’t forgotten nor forgiven Jelinsky’s pitiful quit at the Sweat task, and he’s making good points. Jelinsky might have the physicality, but he’s not giving a hundred percent and actively hurting the tribe with his multiple faux pas. But then again, Jess isn’t holding up in the elements and has no solid relationships, while Jelinsky at least has some allies willing to work with him for the time being.
But at Tribal (decked out with a gorgeous design, by the way), Jelinsky continues to do himself zero favors by putting his foot in his mouth again. He says he never quit anything… other than the Sweat task, the bluffing game, and the campaigning. So, pretty much everything? Cool. Got it. 5-0 vote for Jelinsky then, misspellings galore, and in a blindside somehow as he believed the obvious trash talk sent his way was played up as a smokescreen against Jess.
Is it too early to call him an ironic legend? This man was a top-tier first boot that dreams are made of. We got a two-hour showcase of someone flaming out and making the blatantly wrong choice at every turn, be it socially, strategically, or physically. He embarrassed himself in front of all three tribes, and no amount of self-deprecating humor could spin it into something salvageable. On top of it all, he was bragging the entire time about becoming a legendary player, the monster Jeff warned us about, and a true master of the game. Just to make the blindside even sweeter. It’s so good you’d swear it was scripted.
But that’s all she wrote for the Survivor 46 premiere! A bit all over the place, with perhaps a bit too much energy to take in, but it was fun! 90-minute episodes made last season a modern standout, and with a cast this wacky and active, we should be in for another solid installment in the franchise. You know… as long as production doesn’t get in their own way as they tend to do. This is a fun group. Just let them play, use that extra time wisely, and watch the magic happen.
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Despite the same copy-paste 3 tribe structure, and predictable location, it was a fun premiere. I really enjoyed it. The editing always makes US survivor soo superior. Very well done! Australia has better looking casts (by a mile) but can’t compete in the editing or storytelling departments. Their strategy talks and pause music can be so cringe.