Survivor 50 | Ep. 1
WELCOME TO SURVIVOR 50!!!!!!
Before we begin this adventure of Survivor 50, I want to express that the goal of the blog this season is to simply enjoy 50, the experience of watching, as much as possible. That means not getting bogged down in every single scene and reflecting and reacting to every conversation and every twist and turn.
This is Survivor 50! Let’s FUCKING GO!!!!!
HIGHLIGHTS
JEFF SETS THE STAGE
Jeff gave as great an introduction to the season as we could’ve wanted. Nobody else understands the stakes of 50 better than Jeff and his message landed with a double shot of adrenaline. He was basically the football coach at the pregame before the Super Bowl summoning the players to leave it all out on the field, or in this case the sand. I LOVED IT and THE PLAYERS LOVED IT!
The players understand what’s at stake and we can feel the euphoria that the players are feeling. This is going to be amazing!
2. “IN THE HANDS OF THE FANS”
The theme is going to work. The goal is to keep the players off balance and to pay homage to the loyal fan base that has made this season a reality after 25 years going strong on television. During 48, I voted and loved it. I’m sure you voted too. I’m positive that most of the players in 50 voted too - because they too are fans - and that is awesome. It fits so well with the connective tissue that Survivor aims to have player to player and players to the viewers at home.
WHAT WAS VOTED ON BY THE FANS (DURING 48)
JEFF CATCHES UP WITH THE PLAYERS
JENNA - LOVE that season one is represented. LOVE that it’s Jenna. It is CRAZY that she hasn’t played since season 8 All-Stars aka 21 years ago. She has literally not played in RIZGOD’S entire life.
MIKE WHITE - Jeff asked the question we are all thinking, like dude you have money to be anywhere and the fame/notoriety to get entrance into any exclusive party in Hollywood, “what the f*** are you doing here?” AND I loved his answer - FOMO of missing an epic party and having to hear about it from his fellow 37 alums Angelina and Christian.
RICK DEVENS - Hand up, I didn’t watch 38 Edge of Extinction. I am a COVID Survivor fan. I needed to know that Rick was the “idol guy”.
CIRIE - Our first tears come from America’s favorite all-time player. Cirie embodies the spirit of Survivor and it’s sense of “get off the couch” and go make it happen! It’s my favorite theme of the show and no player personifies that more than Cirie. I love that she’s here and so does everyone else watching, (except the other 23 players)
COLBY - I think age 50s Colby is going to be my favorite Colby. He hasn’t played since Heroes v. Villains, but I love how we are starting the journey of 50 with Colby from a reflection. He is the old guy, the father figure, and with age comes wisdom and perspective that I think this season is going to truly benefit from having.
COACH - For the final reconnection, Jeff turns it over to the one, the only, Coach Benjamin Wade aka The Dragon Slayer for a quote and all I could do is smile like the grinch from ear to ear. First off, there’s a reason Coach is here. He is gold. You know it and I know it. Next, he is able to deliver on command a speech about the power of regret that the “worthy adversaries on the beach should go out and SLAY SOME DRAGONS!!!” SOOOOO FUCKING GREAT!!!!!!
RETURNING PLAYERS SEASON EFFECT
Last thing, after nine new player seasons (41-49), the opening of the show requires major exposition so that we can understand who the players are, get acquainted, and learn their names. However, 50 is returning players and as a result, we don’t have to spend time with that exposition, so instead we just smash the gas pedal to the floor and GO!!!!
REWARD/MAROONING CHALLENGE
REWARD - Fire in the form of flint and bonfire back at camp.
WINNER - VATU (Q, Rizo, Colby, Kyle, Genevieve, Stephenie, Aubry, Angelina)
VATU (purple) led the entire challenge. Stephenie’s lead to start was never lost. This tribe is well balanced and I think will be tough to beat. However, let’s put it out there right now, KALO (teal) has the most stacked tribe. They have Jonathan (42) who can single handedly win challenges as well as equal footing when it comes to puzzles with Charlie, Dee, and Chrissy. Oh and they have Mike White or should I say Mike White 2.0 fully equipped with a personal trainer and 6-pack abs.
CBS @cbssurvivor
MIKE WHITE IS JACKED???
This is going to be a thing. Honestly, the world is going to freak out about this and to that I say, LET ‘EM! This is Survivor 50 and Mike White is essentially the first celebrity cameo and he delivered. He’s got abs, he called out Dee’s “chompers”, but the best moment from Mike was an emotional one. Despite his fame and success he’s playing Survivor to prove to himself that he can do it. Survivor has given him a chance to push himself and grow in more ways than he realizes. I love that about Survivor. It doesn’t matter how successful or not you are, everyone who gets off the couch and goes out to play will be better for it. Rooting for Mike to go far.
COMPETE FOR SUPPLIES - OZZY vs. COACH vs. Q
50 is DELIVERING!!! Getting Ozzy v. Coach on Day 1?!?!?!?! Are we dreaming????
I love the moment they shared when being selected (thank you Rick), the reconciliation 27 seasons in the making. I’ve only seen Survivor South Pacific once. What I remember of it, it came down to the final four challenge and Ozzy lost. If he wins Immunity, he goes to Final Tribal and wins. Instead, he lost and took his anger/frustration out on Coach who voted him out.
Neither of them won.
So fast forward to Day 1 on Survivor 50 and we are smack dab in the middle of a renewed rivalry and the Survivor fans are ecstatic. Ozzy looks like the Ozzy we always knew. Easy up the pole and glides through the ocean like a dolphin to get to the final stage to retrieve the key with a healthy lead. Coach is right on his tail and Q delivers his first great confessional of 50 with his realization of how great Ozzy is. Love it.
“The twist is, we are fighting for the same key, so it doesn’t matter who knocks it off, it matters who drags it over the finish line.” - Coach
Isn’t it awesome to watch the players compete 1v1v1 like this? My competitive juices are flowing and I’m only watching from the couch. Also, isn’t it awesome to watch these particular three guys compete? I know that it feels a little like watchin Hulk Hogan wrestle Ric Flair 20 years after their prime physically, but I don’t give a crap because I love Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, just like I love Ozzy and Coach.
An exhausted Ozzy with a failing back finally knocks the key over, but despite this feat and his pleading to Coach to let him have it, Coach’s cutthroat strategy wins the challenge, wins camp supplies, and slays the dragon that is Ozzy on day 1.
Huge win, but the “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” Coach threw out there was a glimpse into Coach’s eternal struggle of wanting to be seen as honorable despite his actions being seen as dishonorable by others. This is going to make or break my winner pick. My hope is that Coach will just OWN IT and play the most cutthroat game ever because I think that might actually be the most honorable way to do it.
EXILE ISLAND IS BACK
Deja vu for Ozzy finding himself on “Exile Island”. All he could do is laugh and I joined in too. I love that the twist is back. It’s going to punish people and possibly give us another moment of Coach being on exile. Also, I want to see some of these new era players feel the pain.
Our first stint at Tribal ends with Q getting supplies by selling his vote to Ozzy. Q looks like a hero getting the supplies and Ozzy earns an EXTRA VOTE advantage in the game. Looks like the fans wanted twists and advantages a plenty.
I’m excited to see Ozzy, or should I say Oscar, armed with weapons in the game. Like Coach, he too has to push himself outside of the game he is accustom to playing or else he will find the same disappointing result. I’m rooting for him to make that change and I like what I hear so far. It’s not about winning challenges and being the provider. Yes Ozzy!!!
CHRISTIAN HUBICKI STEALS THE EPISODE
Truth be told, my wife and I in anticipation of 50 binge watched Season 37: David vs. Goliath because it had three players on 50 - Angelina, Mike White, and Christian. Our calculation was a great one. That season was fantastic. Every advantage and idol hit square on the nose. There was drama, there was high level gameplay and there were memorable moments and players. Angelina and her jacket escapades with Natalie, Mike White being super famous yet making it to the end, and Christian becoming the Comptroller of Slamtown and charming the pants off of America.
As a result, we had high hopes for the DvG 37 alums and right out of the gates, they are not disappointing.
But, to me, Christian stands above the rest.
He has the ability to be super intelligent, yet incredibly charming and hysterically funny. He has the ability to explain how starting a fire with glasses is not such a “fool’s errand” and actually make it comical. Add in having former jungle boy turned jungle man Ozzy and BOOM you’ve got fire on CILA.
But wait, you say you want a player who will share their emotions, Christian has got you covered!
Mr. Spock is plotting his missile’s course on the island and has already found his Captain Kirk in Rick Devens to execute the launch. No surprise that they would be demonstrative with each other. The embrace they share felt like the genuine and heartfelt version of the scene from Step Brothers when Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly say to each other “did we just become best friends?”. But it’s Christian’s social purity that wins the moment. He’s so excited to have Rick on his tribe that he couldn’t hold back from telling him how awesome he is and then going in for a new best friend hug. I love the players who are able to show emotion. It connects with me because I am that way too.
But Christian wasn’t done.
He won me over with the motivation he is playing with, his son. He married his season 37 loved one visit then girlfriend and has left her and his newborn son behind to play Survivor 50. Christian is self aware to know that his son will one day watch this season and as a result, Christian’s gameplay will be supercharged.
I love this moment because I too will be watching this season with my son. He hasn’t been born yet, 25 days and counting, but after this emotional moment with Christian, I turned to my wife and said that our son was going to “watch” season 50 with us. That was a powerful moment and I have Christian to thank for helping me have the realization.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - DAY 3
REWARD - Large Fishing Kit, Small Fishing Kit
KALO (teal) and VATU (pink) run away with it, winning reward and sending CILA to Tribal Council. For KALO, Jonathan Goliath’s the tribe up the wall and Kamilla and Chrissy seal the deal with the puzzle. This tribe is going to be tough to beat in this phase. Jonathan is a huge advantage and with every tribe having good puzzle people, he may prove to be the difference like he was in 42. I think the most interesting fall out of this will be how this actually protects dangerous players like Dee. Jonathan mentions to most of his tribe that he wants to get Dee out but will he actually not make that possible because of his challenge beastness? It’s totally possible and likely it will keep people on KALO around.
For VATU, a 2nd place finish and small fishing kit reward is great, but the challenge got the best of Kyle. He hurt himself getting up the wall and it’s not great. He collapses to the ground, can’t put any weight on his ankle, and this is definitely not going to end well for the 48 champ. I HATE that this happened to him. Nobody wins from this…well except maybe Kamilla.
Last and certainly not least is the loss by CILA which is 100% because of Cirie. She took forever with her part to swing the monkey fist to drop the wall. She failed. Miserably. I hate to see Cirie fail like this. I have to believe most Survivor fans feel the same way.
Now, CILA is headed to Tribal and Cirie’s challenge liability plays a huge factor in the decision making of the tribe. I think Joe, Savannah, Christian, Rick, Emily, and Jenna would have no issue voting Cirie out. So to me, the emphasis turns to Ozzy. I know Cirie can plot and scheme as well as anyone, but Ozzy is the one to keep an eye on. He has some firepower with his Extra Vote but if the votes are going toward Cirie, will he be able to bail on his alliance with her and vote her out, or will he try to save her. Time will tell, but I hope Ozzy abandons most of his previous season’s gameplay and goes for broke, even if it means cutting Cirie early. Hey, she would do it to him.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - NIGHT 3
The first Tribal Council of Survivor 50 is bittersweet. The set is RIDICULOUS and Jenna’s commentary says it all. The contrast to Tribal Council on season 1 in Borneo feels like the difference between what athletes like Babe Ruth looked like versus what Aaron Judge looks like now. It couldn’t be more different. I feel like Jeff (and the edit) gave Jenna the respect position that only she could hold being from season 1. To add to the significance of this Tribal you have Savannah from the most recent season, 49.
Not everything is a beautiful homage to these players. The harsh reality remains the same after 49 seasons and that is that someone has to get voted out at Tribal Council. The choices seem like Cirie or Jenna. Cirie blew the challenge horrendously and their is no getting around it, and Jenna was portrayed as “playing too hard” which to be honest, I thought was nearly impossible in the new era of Survivor. The loss of Cirie in episode 1 feels like it carries more weight.
When Jeff throws it over to Joe, we are reminded that he, and the rest of the players, are playing with a clean slate. Joe and Savannah still feel like they were just on the show and you forget that this is NOT their original season. This is a new season for everybody with new meaning and a new perspective.
I’m clocking Cirie mentioning that she had previously voted out Ozzy. We were shown earlier that they are tight and working together but Cirie is putting a seed out there of not being fused to Ozzy. This isn’t Cirie’s first rodeo, that’s why she is here, and that’s why she has to survive.
Savannah comes into this game as one of the unknown 49ers. She immediately tells her tribe that she won 49 as an olive branch to building trust with her tribe. From my P.O.V., she is the only player at this Tribal that there is zero history with and the players are listening hard to every word she says.
I love Christian. Who doesn’t love Christian? To me, it feels like he is leaning into his charm and intelligence once again but this time his secret weapon is his awareness of the power of story. I wonder how soon the rest of CILA will take to catch onto the story being told and whether they are willing to grab the keyboard and start typing the chapter they want.
VOTES
JENNA - 7
CIRIE - 1
“First in, first out”. With the old school Survivor music playing for a torch snuff and walk off, we say goodbye to the original Survivor and first person voted out of 50, Jenna. I love that she is “hoping they lose every challenge”. DAMN RIGHT JENNA!!! Well said. It's refreshing to hear a pissed off perspective after a torch snuff.
BILLIE EILISH BOOMERANG IDOL
Welcome to Survivor Billie Eilish!
And with that we are underway with the wave of celebrity influence on 50. We learn that 80% of fans voted for idols and Genevieve earns the first idol - the Boomerang Idol. The one question that my wife and I have with Billie Eilish is “What is the point or relevance to involving Billie Eilish?” She isn’t there. She’s not playing. I guess she is a fan and that’s why she’s the one “reporting” to Genevieve the fan results on idols? I’m glad it wasn’t total overkill and overshadow, but it feels like a random sponsored product placement idol at best which doesn’t do a whole lot for us.
Having said that, I love this idol! The actual idol. Have to send it to someone and it could either be sent to someone who could be easily targeted and “blindsided with an idol in their pocket” or someone that you want to build trust with. The good news for Genevieve is that either way she wins. Plus, because she has to give it away, it’s an easy form of trust building. Involve the tribe with giving them the info and soliciting who they think to send it to. Again, the key is that Genevieve would get it boomeranged back, only if, the person she gives it to gets voted out while holding it.
Genevieve, and Kyle/Stephenie, choose Ozzy. It’s a logical choice and therefore the right one. because he isn’t the most strategic player and has previously been voted out with an idol.
Ozzy now has an Extra Vote AND an Immunity Idol. Dude has never had firepower like this in any of his previous seasons. If he was ever going to put it together, this is the start that he needed. Come on Ozzy, don’t screw this up.
No sooner than I type this, do I see Rick Devens outing Ozzy’s “old school” game as the provider. It’s a humble reminder to viewers that Ozzy is not a strategist and the other players do not care about being provided for.
JOURNEY - DAY 4 (MIKE WHITE, SAVANNAH, AND COLBY)
3 came and only 2 can play??!?!?!?!
THAT SUCKS!
Like, why are we turning away Mike White from being on camera and being entertaining??? Come on producers, make that happen. What are we doing here?? I love Savannah and Colby and the new bookends of the series - Colby season 2 and Savannah 49.
The stakes are great - WIN and keep your vote, LOSE and lose your vote.
Colby loses his vote but wins the moral victory. Who isn’t loving 50 something year old humble, ready for fun, and grateful to be here Colby. He wants to compete but is a gracious loser with a silver lining of seeing Savannah as “someone he could play with” and that is the most interesting nugget from Colby as we see him escorted back to VATU.
SAVANNAH KEEPS HER VOTE AND…..
For the record, I did not vote for DYNAMIC level of advantages, but the fans have spoken and dynamic it is, Savannah earns a BLOCK A VOTE advantage and keeps her vote. Remember folks, two weeks prior to the moment of her talking to CILA about this, she won $1,000,000 on season 49.
She tells her tribe that she won and kept her vote, but nothing more. I love that she did that and is playing her game and keeping secrets like a true player would in this game, but to no surprise, the tribe isn’t buying it. I don’t know if I’m savvy enough to understand whether Savannah’s anonymity to the rest of the players is helping her or hurting her to this point and this journey is the next data point in people having their impression of her. Hiding the BLOCK A VOTE from CILA feels like the right move though because as we know - knowledge is power.
KYLE’S MEDEVAC - DAY 4
This one hurts.
I love Kyle. Guy has unlimited strengths in the game socially, physically, and the confidence of being a former winner. I was most excited to see how he would follow his 48 win and he got off and running. He built alliances quickly with Genevieve, Colby, and Stephenie.
Perhaps most of all, I was interested to see how he and Kamilla would choose to see each other in the game this time around. First thought is that it actually helps free up Kamilla’s game. She doesn’t have to answer to all the questions and skepticism. However, she also loses the person she trusts most in the game.
In the end, Kyle was one of 3 former winners in the game and just like that he’s gone. The season loses a great player for the wrong reason. For those keeping score on the stories of Survivor 50, this is the inciting incident for the VATU tribe that one of them will use to rise above the rest and turn their gameplay up another level.
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