Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 49 as they list their top moments in various important categories. This includes the most essential information, the stand-out castaways, and the key moments from the week.
Here, Christine and Gia break down all the action from the latest episode.
Top 3 Moments
Kristina Adjusts to Nature
Christine: Kristina was one of the standout players in the pre-season for me. She was frequently mentioned positively by other players when asked for their first impressions of their castmates, and she had one of the only actual Survivor hot takes when she said that Lill should have won Pearl Islands. She also compared herself to Cirie in Panama, and this premiere certainly backed up that comparison with a montage of Kristina struggling to adapt to the elements. It’s easy cruising for Hina so far, so time will tell if Kristina can continue to emulate Cirie when push comes to shove and it’s time to strategize.
Rizo Cheats to Victory
Gia: Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat… unless it’s a Survivor puzzle challenge, then cheating is fine. Rizo was behind by a huge margin against Alex, and due in no small part to Rizo’s weakness with puzzles. Like any good Survivor player, he took advantage of Alex’s inability to find the ship wheel buried in the sand by sneaking a peek at his completed puzzle. The plan worked, and Rizo came out on top, winning supplies for Uli.
Kele Favors Strength
Gia: To say that premiere night was rough for Kele would be an understatement. They lost the marooning challenge, the immunity challenge, and Alex blew a massive lead in the supplies challenge against Rizo. The blue tribe decided they needed to vote out one of their presumably weaker players in hopes of turning their luck around, which meant trouble for Annie and Nicole. They told both potential targets they were voting for the other; the majority alliance remained unscathed, and Nicole was blindsided in the first vote of the season.
Tribe Breakdown
Kele
Gia: Kele had a rough start to the season, currently at a 0-3 loss in challenges. Naturally, this means that they were the tribe we saw the most of in the premiere. Sophi and Jake are by far the dominating forces on the tribe, and they’re currently in an alliance together with Alex. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this trio is not meant to last. Based on the edit we have so far, it’s clear that both Sophi and Jake are natural leaders, and neither is entirely secure in their positions. While their decision to vote out Nicole may have allowed them to build trust with each other temporarily, it’s only a matter of time before they turn on one another.
Uli
Gia: On the surface, Uli has been labeled as the easygoing team that is treating this experience like an island getaway. Through closer inspection, we can see that they are playing the game like everyone else, rushing to establish a majority alliance in their tribe of six. And at the center of all the strategy talk is Savannah. She hit the ground running on establishing a majority alliance on her tribe, and Shannon, Jawan, and Nate have all interviewed for the role. It appears like Shannon will be a duo with Savannah, but the jury’s still out on where Nate and Jawan stand.
Hina
Christine: Hina had a strong start to the season, winning both challenges so far. Matt seems the most at risk here, solely based on the age difference between him and the rest of his tribemates. He’s got a good relationship with Steven going, though, who in turn is close with MC and Jason. Steven will be at the heart of whatever happens on Hina, because despite all of his insecurities that people are lying to him, he’s truly at the top of this tribe.
Top 3 Players
Sophi
Christine: If Steven is at the heart of Hina, Sophi is absolutely at the heart of Kele. She said in the pre-season she would employ a meat shield strategy, and she got to work on that immediately by linking up with Jake, who, in turn, pulled in Alex to complete the trio. Sophi then turned this trio into a majority of four with Jeremiah, leaving Nicole and Annie firmly on the outs. When Annie tried to launch a plan to turn the tide against Alex and Jake if they went back to another tribal after Nicole was gone, it was Sophi to whom Annie brought her scheme, putting Sophi in a position of power to either team up with Annie or rat her out. Sophi chose to rat her out, setting Annie up as the likely next boot on the tribe. Sophi is the safest person out of anyone on her tribe, and it’s thanks to her quick social maneuvering in these first few days.
Savannah
Gia: Savannah may be on the “love tribe” of season 49, but that’s not going to stop her from strategizing or building alliances. She let us know right away that she’s willing to play along with her tribemates’ zen attitude, but she’s here for the million only. While Uli didn’t attend tribal council this episode, I have a feeling that Savannah’s head start on strategizing will serve her well. This attitude is a refreshing change from what we’ve seen in past variations of Uli, but time will tell if her determined mindset pays off for her.
Jake
Christine: Jake’s physical strength is obvious from the second you look at him, but it’s his social positioning that really puts him at the forefront of this episode. He was always going to be safe at this vote, given how much Kele struggled in both challenges, but his quickly formed close bonds with Sophi, Jeremiah, and Alex meant he was well-protected no matter what happened in the lead-up to tribal. His Rupert shoe-stealing moment was an unexpected bit of chaos from him, but it seems like he’s overall going to be a pretty straight-shooter and loyal to his allies, and this approach is working very well for him so far.
Fallen Comrades
Nicole
Christine: While Nicole certainly did not have a stellar challenge performance (and throwing up after the fact definitely didn’t help her case), what really sank her game was not moving quickly enough to get the numbers on her side. Had Kele won the first challenge, those extra couple of days would have very likely bought Nicole enough time to gain the social standing she needed on the tribe to stay over Annie. There was nothing wrong with how Nicole approached this season or her tribe, but she was perhaps a bit too laid-back when it came to establishing her position on the tribe and too trusting of her tribemates after they lost the immunity challenge.
Gia: We did not get to see enough of Nicole in the premiere, which is such a shame considering this is the only episode we will get of her. It’s clear why she was cast – even those who voted her out seemed to like her on a personal level – but the age-old “keep the tribe strong” mentality sealed her fate. Her greatest mistake was trusting her tribe too much to the point that she didn’t play her Shot in the Dark, but that’s what makes Kele such a compelling tribe. They’re playing hard right off the bat, and after one episode, they already have a blindside under their belt.
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