Welcome back to Give Me Five! Each week, Brent Sullivan will look at the top five impactful moments from the latest episode that could influence the rest of the season.
Survivor is back again, so that means that I am back too! Welcome to another season of the greatest reality show on TV. After what felt like a relatively short pre-season, we jump right into the action with a whole new twist and even some returning players for an added layer of fun. Those who know me, know that I love returning players on Survivor, so I am ready to see how they do. There were lots of impactful moments to choose from in the season premiere, despite only having 60-minutes, so let’s get right to it:
1. The returning players. This is a no-brainer. Obviously, all four will have an impact on the game, and their presence was felt right out of the gate. Let’s start with Manu. Kelley Wentworth’s name is already being thrown out as a target, and she even got a vote against her at tribal council. However, at the same time, she also seems to be in the majority and has a tight alliance with Lauren. And while Wentworth and David don’t seem to be working directly together, with only one private conversation shown on camera, they did vote together in the majority split-vote. David, on the other hand, may be better off than any of the four. His name has not been mentioned at all as a potential vote out, plus people are coming to him for advice, and he did great in the first immunity challenge. I’m not sure if he and Wardog can be lasting allies, but they seem to be working together for now. So, Wentworth may be in danger and David may be alright for the first part of this game. Over on Kama, not only does it appear that Joe and Aubry are working together, but they’re on a tribe where a lot of their tribemates may not want them around. Joe is probably a little safer because they will want him to help win challenges, but Aubry may be in trouble. In past seasons, returning players also seem to do better against the new players, but occasionally one will get voted out early… what will happen this season?
2. Reasons to vote someone out? During the first vote of every new Survivor season, it doesn’t take much for everyone to pile on one thing and use that as an excuse for someone to be the first sacrifice. This season started off the same, with all of Reem’s tribemates becoming annoyed at her for moving their clothes and doing other “mom” things. Personally, I don’t blame her for being upset, what she was doing wasn’t that bad, but as I said, it doesn’t take much. The other part of this is that both Keith and Wendy are in a similar boat as well. Even though they survived the first vote, they were lumped in with Reem, along with Keith not being able to swim and Wendy refusing to budge against the majority. Keith was able to do some damage control for now, unless a swimming challenge costs them a win. Wendy, however, may be in trouble. (On a side note, I thought it was great that Wendy was upfront about her mild Tourette’s. Kudos to her for not letting that hold her back from playing the game and I hope no one uses that against her in future episodes).
3. Ron has the first advantage. We’re used to seeing advantages hidden on the boat during the marooning each season, so I don’t think that anyone was surprised when one was found. Ron was the lucky one here, and after he dug it up, and strangely rolled around in the dirt in his white pants were anyone could have walked up on him, we found out that he received an Advantage Menu – with the options of an Extra Vote, Reward Steal or Individual Immunity. The catch is that it’s only good for the next three tribal councils. So, since he didn’t use it yet, that means this will definitely make an impact in one of the next two episodes. The only question is, what will he choose? I’d like to think that most people would choose the immunity, but if he feels like his tribe is going to keep winning, he may decide that one of the other options is more valuable.
4. Rick Devens. I had to save the new twist for last, so when I was trying to decide what to make for my last choice, my mind kept going to Rick. It’s not that he did anything mind-blowingly amazing or anything super villainous, but he seems to be a really big presence around camp. Both verbally and physically. He is very much like a class-clown by trying to make people laugh and seems to be in on every strategic conversation. Even during his pre-season stuff, he came off as a larger-than-life character. He is no doubt very comfortable in front of the camera since he does that for a living. I also personally thought that he was fun to watch. So, my thoughts are that he is either an early boot and he is getting his screen time in now or we are getting setup for a long run for him. I can’t decide which one is more likely at this point. He is currently in the majority, but we all know how fast that can change.
5. The new twist. I’m one of the last people that will ever criticize a new Survivor twist until I have the chance to see it in action. So, I’m holding my personal opinions on Extinction Island for a later date. But what we know is that Reem is voted out, but not out of the game. She chose to grab the torch and get on the boat for a chance to get back in. This could have a huge impact down the road. We don’t know exactly at what point someone will get to come off of Extinction Island, and in what way, but depending on who is left in the game when that happens, it could be massive. Let’s just hope it isn’t a Matt Elrod situation all over again. That would put a bit of a damper on the whole thing. Anyway, I am excited to see how the twist will play out, and I am sure we will discuss this more in the upcoming weeks.
There you go. What moments from the premiere week episode do you think made an impact?
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Day 35 or 36. 🙂