Survivor 41, Ep. 1: A New Era
Survivors ready? Go!
497 long days ago, Survivor 40 Winners at War ended. Since then the world has changed and a pandemic has flipped the game upside down, but today is the day. Finally! It’s time to get back to the greatest social experiment/game of social politics to resume. No more delays. It’s time. Let’s GOOOOO!
PROBST ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE
Throwback to season 1 with Probst walking through the jungle and explaining the game to the audience at home. Jeff begins with a little bit of a Blue’s Clues 25th anniversary Steve Burns moment. He missed us. Well, on behalf of Survivor fans everywhere, we missed you too pal. Glad that you acknowledged it because the audience needed it.
Next, Jeff brought out the new “Beware Advantage” and even went as far as to hide it at the Yase camp. Though he didn’t disclose the details of the Beware Advantage, this is the first moment in the game where we have the information before the players. I like it. I like knowing where it is. I like knowing exactly where it is. It actually adds to the suspense as evidenced by the scene later in the episode. with Tiffany. The advantage was right in front of her face and she couldn’t see it. Brutal. It was like the episode of Blue’s Clues when Steve didn’t see the clue and the kids’ voices began shouting at him. The tension in that moment was great and it will only get better as the season progresses.
As far as the Beware Advantage goes, it seems that this season is all about risk and reward. Are you willing to risk ______ to gain ______. If you win, the advantage is yours, but the risk can also penalize you. The Beware Advantage will undoubtedly play into this theme and the best part is, we know that there is one hidden at each camp. I guess that was a risk/reward for the producers to do, and so far, I’d say that the risk paid off. Drama is great!
The last thing Jeff explains that stood out was not having food to start for any tribe. This part seemed to turn back the clocks to “Old School” Survivor in the days of food being truly scarce and the lack of it playing a pivotal role in the challenge of the game. I like it. From what I could tell it seemed like Survivor die hards saw the rewards getting a bit out of hand and it seeming like castaways were gaining weight on Survivor from all the feasts and fixins. Good pivot. Good throwback. Good twists. Good start!
THE BOAT - GAME BEGINS
After the typical dramatic boat ride to the start boat intro and first player introductions a powerful moment ensues. Probst welcomes aboard the last castaway, Naseer, and then acknowledges the elephant on the boat. COVID-19 delayed the show for over a year and Jeff, the players, the crew, the viewers, and Fiji were feigning to get back at it and it was so apparent that it needed to be said. On top of that, the moment was powerful because Jeff acknowledged every stakeholder in Survivor and how euphoric it was to be back making the show. The large wide shot of the boat, cast, crew, and everyone on the island was in the camera frame and rightfully so. 👏👏👏
“COME ON IN GUYS”
I get it. It’s important to acknowledge that in 2021 the catch phrase “Come on in guys” welcoming players to every challenge is insensitive. I get it.
I get it. The catch phrase has been around for 20 years and 40 seasons and Jeff wanted to ask the players how they felt about it in 41. There seemed to be a unanimous agreement among all players that nobody gave a crap about Probst using the phrase “come on in guys” to address all castaways. He looked at the camera and seemed to close the book. I get it.
I’m sure if Bill Maher was watching he would have been smiling at the notion that “guys” was ok because as diverse a group of people as you could ever assemble seemed to all give the thumbs up to Jeff that “come on in guys” is all good. Excellent job Survivor. You handled this well. Moving right along right?
Wrong. Sorry Bill. And again, I get it.
Before the first Immunity Challenge, Ricard rightfully broke his “don’t stand out on Survivor strategy” silence and began the wave necessary for Probst to reopen “come on in guys” and make a change. A change that he himself wanted. In the end, the show has evolved over 20 years and 40 seasons and a staple catch phrase is not immune to the evolution. I get it.
BOAT CHALLENGE
The boat challenge was our first opportunity to understand the stakes of the game. Win, and you get flint and the bare necessities of supplies at camp. Lose, and you get nothing. The new era 41 is beginning is going to make tribes earn everything!
Couple thoughts on the challenge. First, Yase was an embarrassment. Never got off the boat with Jeff because they couldn’t find the 6th oar. Adrenaline is surely pouring through your veins at an unbelievable rate and it could make your brain mush, but to not even get in the water was a bit shocking. At one point I thought if I was on the Yase tribe and knew we had ZERO chance of winning, my strategy would turn to staying on the boat pretending to find the oar but in actuality be looking for an advantage under a barrel or crate.
In the end, the Ua tribe easily won the challenge and the basic supplies because they were the only ones to get off the starting boat with all 6 oars, get in the small boat, unhook it (Oops Luvu Tribe). and complete the challenge. Ua actually earned the reward.
26 DAYS, 18 PEOPLE, 1 SURVIVOR CATCH PHRASE CHANGE
Those of you who bet the over on 1.5 catch phrase changes to Survivor, congratulations! The traditional days, people, and 1 survivor intro is no more. It was replaced with “Who will have what it takes to outwit, outplay, and outlast, this is Survivor 41!” (I hope I got that at least 90% correct) Anyway, this change didn’t get any player input, but I noticed as I’m sure many fans did.
I get it.
They are selling a “new era” of Survivor and everything is on the table.
SAVVY or SWEAT
Upon returning back to camp, the two losing tribes (Yase and Luvu) are given a choice between two tasks or as they say in The Amazing Race, a detour. This penalty task was a choice of either:
SAVVY - The entire tribe will look at a triangle puzzle and count the total number of triangles in the picture. If they choose SAVVY they have to work together to come up with an answer, but they only get ONE guess. All mental. Not physical. Could be completed quickly.
SWEAT - The tribe chooses 2 members to fill two large oil drums/barrels with ocean water one pot at a time in 4 hours. If they choose SWEAT the 2 workers are the only ones allowed to do it and the rest of the tribe is free to set up camp. All physical. Not mental (puzzle brain) but mentally taxing. Time limit of 4 hours.
The fun part of this risk/reward decision was Voce (Yase) who wanted to do the triangle puzzle not just cause he’s a brilliant neurosurgeon, but more so because he knew that if he Yase chose SWEAT then he would have to do the labor and miss out on the social politics back at camp for the duration of 4 hours. Love this about Voce. It’s a stand out moment for him. He is clearly playing an aggressive game and thinking about angles and the game at every decision.
RISK YOUR VOTE or PROTECT YOUR VOTE
To kickstart the game, how bout a delivery? Shortly after arriving at camp, all tribes were given a clue which told them they needed to decide who would take the ticket onto the boat with something on the other side. Interestingly, all 3 tribes arrived at that decision in a different and revealing way.
LUVU - Danny volunteered after nobody was willing to make a decision or even give a suggestion of wanting to go or who should go.
UA - In true Survivor fashion, they drew rocks. JD selected the white rock.
YASE - Nominated Xander without much debate.
Who doesn’t want to draw rocks on Survivor? I think anyone would want to. Fair, fun, random, and safe for a day 1 decision. In Survivor terms the concept of “going to rocks” is something that gets tossed often. Even when I was on Expedition Online, an online version of Survivor, “going to rocks” came up several times as if my fellow castaways got a satisfaction out of simply saying it. Well played Ua tribe. Now you can cross it off your Survivor bucket list.
SHOT IN THE DARK DIE
This new twist provides each player a die, and with it, a 1 in 6 (or 16.7% thank you Voce) opportunity to roll their die when casting their vote at Tribal Council to earn safety. This is a bit of a Hail Mary for those players who know they are dead to rights and feel as if there is no hope and their torch is about to get snuffed.
Pros
Gives “slither of power” (Liana) to everyone at any Tribal Council
New twist that is simple to understand for players and viewers
Even if everyone is going to vote for you, you still have a chance
You could need it and use it
You could think you need it and waste it
Cons
For players, harder to “run the numbers” for voting
Twist overload potential
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
To avoid just explaining what the challenge was let’s do a little GOOD, BAD, and UGLY.
GOOD - Any challenge that involves climbing cargo net A frame structures, blasting through saw dust to get under a log, the entire team dragging dead weight on a track or up a wall, and a unique puzzle are all components of a great challenge. These look physically taxing, mentally exhausting, and you know everyone is on the edge of their seat. The best GOOD of Immunity Challenge 1 was the Luvu comeback. Simple mistakes like not putting a sand bag on a platform can be disastrous, but in the end the puzzle makers made everything right and helped Luvu avoid Tribal council.
BAD - I’m not sure this is such a bad thing but tribe Immunity challenges always come down to the puzzle. It’s not that it isn’t interesting or entertaining, they are. But, I can’t help but feel that a blowout is rare on a Survivor challenge. Look, I understand that blowouts might not be as good a TV product as the typical puzzle photo finish, but a tribe getting their asses kicked could also be an entertaining twist. Maybe a penalty could be enforced for a certain level of losing. Just food for thought.
UGLY - The Ua tribe not emptying out all the puzzle pieces from the bags. Seriously how do you let that happen? It’s like not reading the clue right on The Amazing Race. I know what you’re thinking, it happens because of adrenaline and the feeling like your life in the game is on the line and you need to work as fast as possible. But, in Survivor 41 if you aren’t doing the prep work of how to approach pressure situations like this, then you deserve the fear that screwing up the puzzle will get you voted out.
PRE-TRIBAL COUNCIL
LUVU - Chillin
YASE - Evvie cried over her puzzle failure (so much for Harvard PhD people crushing puzzles). Liana too was disappointed at her failure like the athlete who just lost a game and can’t stomach the hugs from family and friends. Then, there is Abraham. Who I thought was going to go by Eric, but whatever. Anyway, Abraham was doing his mini scramble delivering the message and strategy of “let’s keep the tribe strong” and vote out Tiffany, his scapegoat dating back to the challenge off the boat. Dude. This is no longer 2006, nor is that going to fly on a season with such diverse people playing. That type of message doesn’t connect the same way it may once have. In Survivor 41 that message signals Evvie to think Abraham wants strength and to vote out Tiffany, a woman, and say to herself “will I be next?”
UA - Across the way at Ua camp things got emotional. Sara cried again after early on in the episode sharing her story about losing her grandmother to COVID. Crying twice on Survivor in the first 2 days is definitely a shaky start and foreshadowing a snuffed torch. I have empathy for her feelings and her story was touching for sure, but in the end she is playing a game for $1,000,000. Showing that kind of emotion after the first challenge is a HUGE risk. Especially with players like Ricard so willing to throw names like JD out there after not buying a single word of JD’s story from the boat excursion/risk or protect your vote situation. Ricard is playing hard immediately and stood out as someone trying to seize control of votes at Ua.
There is playing hard and then there is Brad. The cattle rancher from Wyoming. Brad is in the Abraham school of thought to “keep the tribe strong” because it’s probably the best strategizing he can do. Think of Keith from Blood v. Water 2. That’s Brad, except he might not be able to keep his mouth shut like Keith new to, so Brad decided to share with Sara and Shan that he’s thinking them! Survivor 101, never tell two tribe members that you are considering voting for them in order to keep. the tribe strong. SMH Brad.
In the end, the scrambling and strategizing at Ua left Ricard as a strong force as well as Shan. Brad and Genie are waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Sara is emotional and JD is doing his best Woo impression. Messy.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - YASE
The decision at Yase comes down to Abraham’s old school “keep the tribe strong” vs. Tiffany calling him out for calling her out. Then, the conversation at Tribal turns to the Shot in the Dark Die. The 1 in 6 chance for a desperate player to have one last roll of the dice to escape Tribal with safety. Maybe the best line of the entire episode was Liana's. She conveyed that it was a “slither of power” which I loved. Didn’t think about it that way. I thought of it more as desperate and a last resort of hope, but she saw it as power! Says a lot about Liana and may have to rethink her placement in all of this.
VOTES
Abraham - 5
Tiffany - 1
Xander - won an Extra Vote advantage from the Risk/Protect Your Vote excursion with JD & Danny.
Keeping the tribe strong is exactly what happened, except that plan didn’t include Abraham. He wins the title of first out in Survivor 41 AND the first castaway that should have sought took a “Shot in the Dark”, but he was clearly already in the dark with where he stood on the tribe.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - UA
To meet the demands of the new condensed 26 day format you have to get rid of people quicker. Thus, only one winning tribe from the Immunity Challenge (Luvu) which means Yase and Ua must both vote somebody. out.
If Yase’s Tribal Council debut was a controlled environment like your grandparents house where Grandpa gets a little rowdy if someone sits in his chair, then Ua’s first go around was like Spring Break in Cancun! It starts out with everyone acting appropriately. “No one has fought.” “Everyone is chill.” (Ricard) Then there is some talk about the boat excursion with JD (tension building) and Shan calls him out a little and Sara has her “skepticism” about it too. Next, Probst calls out Sara for the puzzle failure at the Immunity Challenge (tension building), Shan says they “can’t afford mistakes” and Genie shrugs saying that there is “only one immunity”.
And then the whispering begins...
With its right hand man, panic. I know the whispering at Tribal is highly debatable as a positive or a negative, but for right now I will say that above all else it brings the element of confusion and tension. Last night’s Ua Tribal left me thinking “What the hell is going to happen??” because I legitimately had zero clue. Also, I feel like the confusion causes the viewer to try and grasp a narrative of what is happening but all you get are subtitles and dramatic facial expressions that reveal everything you need to know about the tension in the room. As a result, you lose some of the clues that may be revealing who should be pulling out their Shot in the Dark die and who is safe.
Lastly, when the whispering takes off like a rocket at Tribal, it’s as if all the scrambling and strategizing leading up to Tribal didn’t matter, and the only thing left is decision time. Tribal truly is the last two minutes of a close game in the fourth quarter. Only so many moves left and the only time is now. Watching it live left me. confused and scrambling for an answer for what was to come. Can you imagine the real thing???
VOTES
Sara - 4
Ricard - 1
Brad - 1
JD - won an Extra Vote advantage from the Risk/Protect Your Vote excursion with Xander & Danny.
I think Sara’s weakness in the Immunity Challenge puzzle combined with her frantic/desperate efforts at Tribal to throw the stink on someone else came up short and she needed to go. She doesn’t win the title of first out in Survivor 41 , BUT she is crowned as the first castaway to regret not taking a “Shot in the Dark”. A new exit interview regret to add to the list of many.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest. Also, look for my next blog to drop Sunday or Monday covering the “Game Within the Game” experience for episode 1!
The blog has spoken!
