Season 1, Episode 3 - "Quest For Food"

“14 are left, tonight one more will go” - Jeff Probst

When he says this line to open the episode it sounds so terminal, so final, confirmation that someone will be meeting their destiny within the game. And every time he says it, the viewer can’t help but run through their mind the question of who it will be…

TAGI GOES FISHING
Kelly, Stacy, and Sue put the bamboo raft in the water and set out to check the fish traps in hopes of finding a sustainable food source. After pulling up their failures, the girls can’t help but deflect their loss on the water to their frustration with Rudy. Kelly mocks Rudy to express her displeasure for Rudy’s tell-it-like-it-is manner by imitating his morning ritual of saying “your wasting your time out there”. Kelly is clearly frustrated by Rudy’s demeanor because he doesn’t venture out to fish.

All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

Sue sees things differently from the other women. She wants the weakest link cut off. Sue is a matter of fact person too. The tattoo on her right shoulder blade isn’t a rainbow or unicorn, but rather a rough around the edges black cat or panther symbol of her personality. At the end of the day Sue is a truck driver and seems to me not one of the “girls”. Sue may not be as abrupt as Rudy, but she is more like him than Stacy wants to believe. Stacy knows this, and she feels vulnerable because of it. Guess that overtime challenge win boost didn’t get Stacy very far.

PAGONG POST BB
They also find themselves searching for food and are considering tapioca. However, Greg, Colleen, and Gretchen instead find a volcanic type bubbling mud pit. They grabbed the rest of the tribe and headed back for some fun and a mental vacation from the game.

All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

“It’s also just to get away from the daily grind, I mean we’re gonna be here 39 days, you got to keep yourself happy.” - Jenna

Unfortunately not everyone is going to be there 39 days, but looking at Jenna’s comment through a 2020 lens where strategy, backstabbing, and blindsiding reign supreme in the game of Survivor isn't fair. Back in Borneo, in 2000, it’s important to keep in perspective that these 16 Americans had no reference points or strategy to copycat. They were the pioneers of this social experiment and it shows. When you think of it through that lens, the mud pit escape feels appropriate.

CONNECTING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE - INTRO TO DIRK
Through 2 episodes we haven’t been introduced to Dirk, but we quickly get an education on Dirk’s faith and how important it is to him. No sooner had we learned about Dirk’s faith then we are learning he is a 23 year old virgin. Both Kelly and Richard comment on learning this and express their interest in meeting someone like this. However, Dirk on the other hand, may not be as comfortable to meet someone like Richard.

Survivor is designed to bring people together from different walks of life. That’s a large part of what makes this social experiment so successful and entertaining. The viewers too are from diverse backgrounds and cultures, but when they watch Survivor they can’t help but project themselves into the game. How would I respond? Who would I get along with? Who would I clash with? That’s part of the beauty of Season 1 so far.

REWARD CHALLENGE - Fishing Equipment
Tree mail comes with a message from Probst about Day 7’s challenge. The tribes are even at 7 to 7 AND will be competing for a fishing spear. Big time reward.

Tribes are tasked with swimming out to a raft. Once all tribe members are present, they may dive down and begin pulling a treasure chest back to the sandbar. Great camera work brings this challenge off the screen making you hold your breath at home alongside the survivors. The struggle was worth it. The reward is quite the treasure for the winning tribe, essential fishing gear. WINNER - TAGI

Tagi wins the spear, mask, and snorkel. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

Post challenge win, Richard dives right down into the coral reef with his spear, googles, and fins, ready to provide for the tribe. Again, some great camera work takes you right into the reef filled with little Nemo’s and soon to be digested rays. Despite Sean’s judgement, Richard comes up with 3 rays, aka a meal, and Sean is left holding his not so “super” fishing pole.

Richard’s success spear fishing isn’t just feeding the tribe but more importantly feeding his own place in the game. “My position with the tribe it’s probably going to increase as a result of this. When I talk about the things I’m capable of doing, and this might give them that “oh, maybe some of what he’s saying is true”.” - Richard

Quest for food at Tagi, sustainable for now.

PAGONG’S FOOD
With the loss in the reward challenge, Pagong is still left to find food. But, not having the spear has them using rat traps to keep the tribe fed. The viewer is led to believe the rats will be used to catch some fish. Wrong.

Rats it is! The next montage of Greg catching rats in a trap and Joel preparing them for cooking really make you question what you would do. It’s tough to even think about it. After a week of food deprivation, it makes sense to consider eating a rat, but I would be like Ramona and Gervase, skeptical as hell! But, they end up having a rat BBQ and enjoying some fine Borneo rat. I get the desperation as much as a viewer can but a rat is a rat and they are the worst.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Building a Stretcher
After getting tree mail, Tagi immediately formulates their plan and begins building their bamboo and chicken wire stretcher. Pagong on the other hand doesn’t have quite the same confidence in their design but rather in carrying all 83 pounds of Colleen in their stretcher.

For the challenge, each tribe has to take their stretcher into the jungle to retrieve their lightest tribe member who “survived a plane wreck” and is stuck in a tree. Kelly (Tagi) and Colleen (Pagong) are screaming bloody murder from up in the tree at an equal distance from the finish line. Very anti-climactic finish but Pagong did get to retrieve the immunity idol from a tree after crossing the line first.

All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

CHOPPING BLOCK - Rudy and Stacy
“I’m gonna vote out Stacy at the council tonight cuz I don’t like her, and I never will” - Rudy

“I’ve kind of prioritized people based on who’s contributing I think, and who can contribute to the competitions.” - Richard

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Trying the conch shell. Didn’t work. This isn’t quite “Lord of the Flies”.
To Sean, “Do you feel, even though you’re putting forth the effort, do you feel a bit threatened by the fact when it comes to accessing people’s worth, Richard did deliver and you haven’t been able to catch fish” - Probst
Though Sean deflects Probst’s point and reassures his place in the game via his entertainment value, Stacy on the other hand makes a desperate plea to the tribe citing her help in winning the challenge.
As the rain pours down, Probst expedites the voting process as he should have. Probst is in control from the very beginning. No wonder he's been around 40 seasons.

VOTES
Stacy - 5, Rudy - 2,

All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

PROBST’S CLOSING THOUGHT
“As for you guys, I don’t want to send you back out in that, you’re welcome to stay here tonight or until it stops raining, as dry as you can. And, uh, I’ll see ya at some point tomorrow.”
Not the best Probst closing message but he shows his good grace by offering the tribe a dryer alternative to going back to camp in a downpour. What a gentleman Jeff Probst is.

STACY EXIT INTERVIEW
“They kicked off their bug eating hero instead of their food stealing, stumbling, ornery, old navy seal.” - Stacy

Stacy leaves bitter. She feels like she was more productive than most of the tribe but in the end she was out numbered by the guys and the votes. The viewer won’t miss Stacy or her forgettable personality. She made the mistake of allowing her game to be dictated by her ill feelings toward Rudy. On top of that, Stacy provides the first Survivor lesson on challenge success NOT buying you anything when it comes to immunity in the game.

CATEGORIES AND AWARDS
1 - Biggest Move
Has to be Richard’s success in spear fishing. After Sean and the Superpole 2000’s fishing failures, Richard leads Tagi to the promise land in their quest for food. Richard not only delivers for the tribe but also proves his value to the tribe.

2 - Biggest Mistake
Stacy’s inability to connect with the boys. Through 3 episodes we have seen Stacy win an immunity challenge for Tagi, complain about Rudy, help build the stretcher, complain about Rudy, only talk with the girls, and complain about Rudy. From the viewer standpoint, she never made enough of an effort to anyone but Kelly and Sue. And unfortunately for Stacy, it cost her.

3 - Challenge Corner
In this episode we had both a reward challenge and an immunity challenge. The reward challenge takes the corner today. Watching the survivors' struggle under the water to drag the treasure back to the beach, kicking up sand, and winning the all important fishing equipment is better than a fake jungle rescue scramble. All in all though, both challenges were average at best.

All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.

4 - Trending Up
Pagong’s team morale. With BB gone, the vibe at camp changed and it shows with their tribal excursion to the mud pit and conga line to the reward challenge. But, after missing out on the fishing equipment and crossing the line to eating rats, things at Pagong may not be so hunky dory.

Rudy - he’s had his name called by Probst in both tribal councils, but he survived. Also, the thorn in his side is no longer there with Stacy being voted out.

5 - Trending Down
Sean - He was called out by Probst at tribal council for his fishing/providing for the tribe failures. He may provide some comic relief but even he knows that can only get him so far in the game.

6 - Strategy Award
Richard’s fishing success was crucial, but the fact that he knew the value of it in the bigger picture of the game gives him the nod easily.

7 - Best Screenshot
When a Survivor brings a ray of hope in the quest for food. (see post photo)

8 - Best Quote
“I’m gonna vote out Stacy at the council tonight cuz I don’t like her, and I never will” - Rudy

You got to love Rudy.

9 - Who won the episode?
I’d say Richard. Even though the whole Tagi tribe won the reward challenge and the prize of fishing equipment, it was Richard who cashed in the value of it in terms of the overall game.

Thanks again for reading. Don’t forget to outlike, outcomment, and outshare this post and previous ones. I appreciate it.

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