Ep. 1: Game Within the Game
A brand new look for Survivor comes in the form of the “Game Within the Game”. If you are ready to start your Survivor training in puzzles, riddles, and strategy, then Game Within the Game is the one stop shop for all your needs!
The first Rebus puzzle that was released was during the Survivor 41 promo video that aired before the season premiere.
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If you blinked during this section of the promo, you missed it. Luckily, Tribal Council Blog has that quick trigger finger necessary to capture this introductory puzzle. Now, the idea of the Rebus puzzle is it uses pictures to represent words and at times you may have to slur sounds to put the clues together.
Got it?
Back to the promo puzzle. Obviously the first part is a picture of two FEET. The next part says -T. Cobmine the two clues, you have FEE. Finally, the third clue says +G. So, when you add FEE + G, you get…
Fiji!
https://survivorgwg.com/#/
One down and many more to go. Remember these puzzles will turn up during each episode. When you see it the idea is you go to the website and complete the puzzle. It’s that simple. Plus, the best part of the entire “Game Within the Game” might be how simple they have made it. No need to sign up for it, enter an email, or subscribe to a newsletter. No obstacles! Well, except for the puzzle.
I can’t say it loud enough how much I love the simplicity and ease of access for the Game With the Game’s process is. Bravo! Survivor was smart enough to figure out that putting even a single barrier to accessing the new feature would only stop people from ever accomplishing the intene of the GWtG. All you do is go to the website, click on the episode you want, figure out the answer, type it in, and click Submit.
E-A-S-Y! EASY!
EPISODE 1 - REBUS PUZZLE
Episode 1 Rebus Puzzle via www.survivorgwg.com
CLUE 1: SUNDAE - SUN = DAE
CLUE 2: WAND - D = WAN
CLUE 3: A + LIONS = ALIONS
DAE + WAN + ALIONS
Episode 1 Rebus Puzzle
via www.survivorgwg.com
DAE + ONE + ALIONS = Day One Alliance
1 for 1! Whether these remain at this difficulty level or not, this was a fun puzzle. It makes you think and if you are competing against someone else, or against 10 others like on Survivor, you can easily see how this puzzle under some pressure could be quite challenging.
Also, I think it’s cool how the creators of the GWtG made this the first puzzle. They are essentially telling young future Survivor players that on Day 1 of the game you better be thinking about making an alliance or understand that other people are surely going to be scheming from the first get go.
EPISODE 1 - WORD SCRMABLE
Moving on from the Rebus puzzle. Next up in the GWtG is the WORD SCRAMBLE.
via www.survivorgwg.com
via www.survivorgwg.com
Again, very cool how they put this together. First off, the graphic design is awesome! Love that it uses the Survivor font, the parchment backgrounds, and the weathered look to the parchment. Really authentically Survivor. Second, I like how interactive it was, and I bet Tiffany and all my fellow teachers felt that way. I’m sure the GWtG will be popping up on Smart Boards in classrooms across the US the next 12 weeks.
via www.survivorgwg.com
VOTE. About as important a word in Survivor as there is. Right out of the gate the GWtG is hitting you over the Day 1 alliances and VOTE. Future Survivors better be taking their mental notes as they develop their puzzle brains. As the season goes on the word scrambles are going to add up to solve a riddle in the end.
Riddle Guess 1: VOTE signals the interactive GWtG plus VOTE would add up to America casting a vote for who should win the title of Sole Survivor.
Riddle Guess 2: VOTE signals the interactive GWtG plus VOTE means America will cast a vote at Final 4 for who will become the last person eliminated before Final Tribal.
Riddle Guess 3: America will be voting for the “Player of the Season” for a cash prize.
I don’t want this riddle to turn Survivor into American Idol and have America decide a winner or who gets eliminated. I hope my guesses are wrong, but VOTE being the first word scramble gets me thinking in that direction. (comment below what you think it means or what the word scrambles will add up to in the end).
EPISODE 1 - STRATEGY TEST
Rebus puzzle. ✅Word Scramble ✅After solving the first word scramble puzzle the website automatically uploads the next video of Probst, with no advertisements by the way, giving you the first strategy test. The strategy test is designed to give the viewers (especially young fans or budding strategists) a situation directly connected to the next episode for you to ponder and then make a theoretical decision on heading into episode 2.
Great idea!
Does it spoil next episode a smidge with some foreshadowing of what is to come? Sure. However, what is most valuable about this feature of GWtG is directly asking you what you would do if __________ situation happened. Even if people have watched the show for 20 years and thought about how they would act in a situation, the strategy test provides a new experience because we have this information before it happens. Now, we know what is coming, we get to see who is put in the situation, and most fun of all, how they respond.
WOULD YOU EVER ALLOW YOUR ALLIANCE TO PUT YOUR NAME OUT AS A DECOY VOTE?
Tough one. I see both sides. Like Probst says in the final Ep. GWtG video, on the one hand allowing your name to be floated out there for votes as a decoy could have DEVASTATING consequences like getting yourself voted out. On the other hand, if you trust in your alliance and believe it will vote as you anticipate, then this “favor” to your fellow alliance members could lead to an upper hand/advantage/proof of trust for you in the eyes of the alliance and the alliance in your eyes.
My gut tells me that I would not be willing to risk it. Seems like a sucker move. This early in the game it would be hard to feel you have the trust of someone else or an alliance enough to be the sucker who allows their name to be floated out there as a decoy. This one doesn’t pass the smell test this early on, and if this was the case, it may be time to find some new allies. I can’t wait to see how this pans out in episode 2!
Until then, be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest all season long. I will be blogging after each episode with my analysis and takes on all things happening in 41. Thanks for reading.
The blog has spoken!
