Survivor 42, Episode 1 - Feels Like a Rollercoaster
42 LOGO
CBS
Let’s start here with a few thoughts on the logo. I love logos. Big fan. The Survivor logo is a relic, an artifact of each season because they are all unique to the theme and story of each season. However, 41 and 42 both feature the major similarity of having the XXL number at the top middle. I understand that Survivor wants a new era and putting the number makes keeping track of seasons an easier practice, but subsequently, it takes away from the originality of the logo. I guess I’m kind of in the middle but leaning toward not a fan of the logo in that sense.
One other thought is I love when the logo plays a role within the game to the tune of a riddle or piece of information for the savviest of players can detect and take advantage of. Preseason, I liked the prospects of having a lock and key and mazes, but after one episode, I’m betting it just has to do with the twists of the game at best.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS - Quick Intro Nuggets & My Initial Thought
Lydia - hates sand and it sticking to her body
Why are you on Survivor? You realize it takes place on a beach covered in sand?
Daniel - lifelong dream
Happy go lucky, good energy guy, and people will like him. I’m in on Daniel.
Marya - something for me that I need to find
I love this nugget. Great outlook on starting this journey.
Drea - admits she can be a lot at times
Major question will be - can she be self aware enough and dial it back? If so, she’ll go far, if not, well you know what happens next.
Mike - I got one shot, I got to give it everything I got
Eminem fan?
“WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN SURVIVOR?” - Probst
Mike - most versatile among us will win
Zach - “We’ll find out Jeff” and immediately regrets his answer. Feels stupid, and he should. Only get that one chance to make a first impression and for us the viewer, Zach was great. He dropped a nugget of embarrassment into our lap for us to feast on. For Zach, there is no chance to re-record it. Tough one Z.
FIRST CHALLENGE (Reward - Pot, Machete, Flint)
Race into forest, retrieve paddles, paddle around buoys, construct key retrieval stick, get key, unlock box and win reward.
Daniel (VATI), Jonathan (TAKU), and Tori (IKA) are first out of the gate
FIRST TWIST
Hai (VATI), Lindsay (TAKU), and Drea (IKA) agree to work together to earn an advantage.
The decision that they have to make is an incredible way to start the season. They game is underway for all of 90 seconds and each of these three are sprinting out to “crush it for their tribe” and BOOM!, they have to stop, wait for all 3 to be there, and make a decision to all agree to work together, untie knots to retrieve their advantage, cover up their lie with mud and blood, and again, earn an advantage 93 seconds into the game. WOW! We are at superspeed to start 42!
Let’s think about the decision. On one hand, it’s an opportunity, IMMEDIATELY, to make a unique connection/alliance/secret in the game AND get a leg up on everyone else. The other major win for these lucky 3, nobody is expecting it. NOBODY. Stealing candy from a baby. Now, the downside is they better cover up their lie or it could blow up QUICKLY and put them at a disadvantage. They made the right decision. YOU HAVE TO DO IT 100% OF THE TIME!
FIRST CHALLENGE
Daniel gets his shoulder popped back into place after dislocating it via lack of athleticism. CBS
Rocksroy (IKA) wins the challenge and meager supplies for the tribe (pot, machete, flint)
Marya (TAKU) and Hai (VATI) blew it on retrieving the flint. OOPS!
Last noteworthy piece of the first challenge, Daniel proves his lack of athletic ability and that people are capable of trying to hard in the very first challenge. He busts his ass on the way back from retrieving paddles because he’s moving too fast and he can’t keep up with himself. It happens. You’re 37 seconds into Survivor and you are the starting leg in the first challenge. You want to show some gusto and ability, but instead, shoulder dislocation and embarrassed on national TV. Earns points with tribe and Probst getting his shoulder popped back in, but come on who wants to start this way? NOBODY.
ADVANTAGE AMULETS EXPLAINED
🚨NEW ADVANTAGE ALERT🚨
We learn about our new Advantage Amulet when the tribes get to camp and Drea, Lindsay, and Hai reveal what is in store for them.
How They Are Played
“When you play your amulet, it must be played with all remaining amulets in the game.”
This sucks for a multitude of reasons. First off, currently, the people with amulets are all on different tribes. That means you can’t strategize with them because your options are to do it at a challenge or on a summit journey. Those choices could both raise eyebrows and bring unnecessary heat for a longer term advantage. Next, the fact that they have to all be played at once leaves players one of three choices:
HAIL MARY - Hope to make the merge, reconnect with amulet holders and honor that 93 seconds into the game deal. HIGHLY UNLIKELY
MOST LIKELY - Hope other amulet holders get voted out and go home with it as souvenir leaving you with a more powerful advantage.
BIG MOVE - Behind door 3 is the choice that would make for the best TV. Choice 3 is an amulet holder going to the next challenge and either before, during or after the challenge, making your plea to the other amulet holders that you are in dire straits and need them in order to save yourself. This Hail Mary would be best executed by the amulet holder from the team who is about to lose an Immunity Challenge and as I type this idea out, it seems even harder to pull off than I originally thought.
The Twist
“The fewer amulets in the game, the more power they have.”
Got to love this nugget. What this twist actually means is you could work together with the amulets, OR more likely, you could work against the other holders to get them out of the game thus increasing the power of your amulet. Doable, sure, but tough, really tough.
“Three amulets have the power of an Extra Vote”
“Two amulets have the power of a Steal-A-Vote”
“One amulet has the power of an idol”
Clearly, anyone with this advantage wants to see the amulets widdle down to one and that one be in their bra/undies/bag of tricks. Getting there will be the challenge. The 3 choices (see above) aren’t great. My hope is that someone is savvy enough to think outside the box and try to force these amulets to come into play before the long term destiny they seem to be headed for calls.
IKA (Blue Tribe)
Swati introduces herself. She is SUPER IMPRESSIVE! Harvard student. Immigrant story. Army National Guard. But, she’s 20. I think it shows immediately.
Tori and Zach connect on Harry Potter, drinking Butterbeer, and connecting with the “young guns” or the “people on the outs” aka the ones not going to immediately make fire.
Romeo, Drea, and Rocks are the fire crew and connecting at the waterwell. Romeo, the pageant coach from South Central LA is all about first impressions and given him saying it, I think he will be loyal to them, for at least a while.
VATI (Green Tribe) and TAKU (Orange Tribe)
SAVVY or SWEAT - Repeat from 41 to open the game.
MAJOR DIFFERENCE,
SAVVY, instead of 1 guess in 41, it’s 2 guesses in 42.
SWEAT, instead of 2 people (Danny and Deshawn), it’s 1
HUGE DIFFERENCE
VATI, led by Mike’s avoidance of being the one to do the SWEAT challenge, leads the tribe to a “team decision” to do the SAVVY puzzle together. Everyone tries it on their own, but Jenny, the designer from Brooklyn and logical thinker, takes charge and schools the rest of her non puzzle tribe members of everything that they see and DON’T SEE in the puzzle.
Similarly, at TAKU, the tribe decides on SAVVY. Different strategy though. Maryanne, Lindsay, and Omar are the only ones attacking the puzzle and Jonathan, Jackson, and Marya leave to handle the shelter.
BOTH TRIBES NAIL IT! They earn the bare necessities. Big win for VATI and TAKU.
Think you can count all 51?
VATI (Green Tribe)
Mike’s backstory as a retired firefighter, in shape, cutting bamboo, breaking rocks trying to chop bamboo is earning smiles from his tribe and winning the hearts and minds of the viewer at home.
IKA (Blue Tribe)
Rocks comes out the gate as “I get things done guy”. He is a stay at home Dad, used to caring for his two young children, and used to being in control of “the home”. However, Rocks is on a tribe with Zach, Tori, and Swati - all young and with a different perspective than his. Very different.
TAKU (Orange Tribe)
Night 1 of TAKU is a fire talk like no other. Jackson opens up about being a transgender man, being honest with the tribe because he lives being honest with himself, and the challenges of connecting with his parents despite his transition. Jackson’s story is very much part of what the new era of Survivor is about on a larger macro scale. It was always about people learning about themselves and pushing through boundaries, but the new era of Survivor is more diverse and has tentacles to connect people to the greater diversity in people today. Hearing Jackson’s story may be one that many viewers and fans haven’t heard before and again shows how people of all diverse backgrounds and baggage can overcome challenges in life and relationships by being true to themselves no matter what that means. Thank you Jackson.
VATI (Green Tribe)
Next up, Daniel’s story. Childhood Leukemia who was propped up by Survivor through his adolescence and battle with Leukemia.
“The number one reason I am here is because there is some kid out there in some hospital bed longing to have some adventure of this sort or just leave the hospital…I’m out here playing for that kid.” - Daniel
Really powerful story. It came through the television and pierced straight through me. Seeing the photos of Daniel growing up and battling Leukemia were staggering. The Daniel then and the Daniel we are getting to know seem like two completely different people. I’m rooting for Daniel to do well and go far.
IKA (Blue Tribe)
Zach and Romeo go for a walk. The “skinny dudes” connect as skinny people and Survivor superfans. Zach also mentions he is 115 lbs or so. Seems impossible that medical would have allowed that level of scrawny on the show. He’s like Beavis and Butt-Head skinny.
Tori heads out looking for “Taro”, but Drea uses it as the “she is looking for an idol” angle. In other words, my preseason pick to WIN just f***ed up on day 2 because she got a little too aggressive. Tori feels ready to 🤢 and she should. Here I am thinking that she has the advantage of being a therapist because a therapist will consider what others are thinking and feeling, and build bonds and trust immediately right? WRONG! Apparently they stick their freshly dirty from the island foot in their mouth on day 2. Come on Tori!!! 🤬
Lesson Learned: NO. MATTER. WHAT. During the first few days of playing Survivor DO NOT LOOK FOR THE IDOL and stay with the majority of people as much as possible. Especially in a 3 tribes of 6 set up. There are soooo few of you on the tribe and literally anything and everything can and will be used against you. Not worth it. You don’t win Survivor in the first 48 hours, but you can lose it.
DAY 2 - BOAT RIDE TO EXILE ISLAND
TAKU - Maryanne kind of volunteers, but kind of doesn’t
VATI - Jenny draws the short straw
IKA - Drea wins the rock, paper, scissor
Three tribes each send one member onto the boat and do it in very different ways. Upon arriving, Jenny, Maryanne, and Drea are hiking up to the summit, getting to know each other and knowing that something awaits for them.
For those keeping score, Drea now has a 2nd opportunity to win an advantage. She already holds 1/3 of the Amulet Advantage (with Hai and L:indsay)
After getting to know Maryanne’s backstory it’s time for the PRISONER’S DILEMMA as seen in 41.
RISK YOUR VOTE
Drea - no hesitation
Maryanne - cites her religion and that most players like her wouldn’t take the risk, BUT SHE DOES! Loved her pushing through that fear and playing the game the way she should.
PROTECT YOUR VOTE
Jenny - considers the options including Drea and Maryanne getting an extra vote, but in the end PROTECTS because she doesn’t want to risk losing her vote.
The first “journey” in 42 finds Jenny playing it safe, not losing her vote, but also not having a secret to cover up. It’s more of a “non-move” or a zero outcome than a negative one, but I still think Jenny should have chosen Risk. She read the other two well enough to know they would likely choose Risk, so why not choose it yourself and either get the Extra Vote or know that they likely don’t have one either.
Jenny’s safe play is Drea and Maryanne’s reward. Drea and Maryanne will keep their vote AND in Xander style, claim an EXTRA VOTE on Day 2 of the game. HUGE ADVANTAGE, however, they have to come up with their story to share with the tribe about what happened.
Easier said than done, but here is what my strategy would be. RISK YOUR VOTE every single time and twice on Sunday. Got to make moves to win the game and here is an opportunity early in the game to do so. So, you cash in. Then, it’s storytime. The story I would tell is simple, convince myself on the boat ride back that I chose to PROTECT and be honest about what the “journey” was all about. In other words, don’t do what stupid JD did in 41 and tie your own noose.
*One other note on this, after they left the summit, there was ZERO about that journey and what happened back at camp. Much different than 41 in that respect.
DAY 3 - PROBST VISITS TAKU (Orange Tribe)
Jackson is taking Lithium. He was taking it due to the stress of taking care of his mother in order to sleep. The concern for Jackson is that the show’s cumulative effect will wear on him because of his health and medication situation.
Medication for sleep and anxiety combined with the Survival aspects of the game could spell a problem for Jackson, and soooooo HE’S OUT!
WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED??
To recap, Probst comes to TAKU with no warning sign or reason to think he is coming. Then, he pulls Jackson to a side conversation about his health/medical situation, which is a gigantic part of being on the show (they have to keep you safe no matter what), totally understand it. Probst is vague in his maneuvering of the concern from the show’s standpoint out of respect to Jackson because he disclosed something right before starting that was a major concern and red flag for the the show. Now, my first thought was COVID. Remembering that 42 was filmed during a different part of the pandemic. This could have easily derailed the whole thing, but this had nothing to do with COVID. Bottomline, Jackson’s Lithium medication to help with anxiety and sleep was too big a concern and BOOM, Jackson is out.
The other question is one from a superfan and “I want to be on Survivor so f***ing bad” standpoint. If the show knows that this medical situation changed for Jackson, even that close to the start, then why did they ever let him go out there? Easy to say for me, sure. But remember at the end of the day, Jackson was 1 of 18 people to have THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME to play Survivor and vie for the $1M prize. Now, he’s gone and with it goes his spot that could have went to another player.
I wonder if they had a 19th player, a fill-in or 1st substitute on standby should something insane like this happen and a replacement is needed. My guess, COVID made everything more regimented and once Jackson crossed a certain point of no return, that was it, he was in no matter what happened, even if it meant pulling him from the game on Day 3 like they just did.
Tough exit for Jackson as it would be for anyone that gets medical evacuated from the game. The brightside, Jackson was able to share his story and connect with the viewer. I’m sure Jackson won’t see his Survivor experience as a total “What if…” or loss.
MARYANNE’S REACTION
Did you catch it? Better yet, did you hear it? It’s un-missable. In the words of Dickie V “she was HYSTERICAL BABY with a CAPITAL H!!!” Now, two things are learned from seeing this reaction from Maryanne.
Maryanne is a wonderful human being who is clearly crushed by the unfortunate turn of events for Jackson. She is empathetic at a level that most aren’t and I’m sure Jackson appreciated that support in the moment and again on his couch watching the premiere.
However, there is the other side to Maryanne’s reaction and outlier personality/big heart display. She is playing Survivor and that “level” of energy and emotion can get old, quickly. Survivor isn’t harmonious and true human moments where bubbly is acceptable, adorable, or able to strike an acceptable chord. The harsh reality is it can also be annoying, over the top, and worst of all for Survivor players, a reason for a torch to get snuffed. Maryanne is a beaming personality, but that could come back to bite her just like the tribal Immunity Idol.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Start by diving in water, get in boat, paddle to collect 3 chests of puzzle pieces, drag chests and boat onto beach through a net tunnel, and assemble the dragon circle puzzle
Shot in the Dark die is BACK! and an obvious voiceover is dubbed in with Probst explaining it. I guess he doesn’t nail every single moment on the show. This is his Drago gets cut by Rock in Rocky IV moment, “he’s not a machine, he’s a man!”
Jonathan is separating himself as the BEAST of everyone. He is the stronges person out there by far and that is coming in handy with getting these chests and the boat up the beach and onto the track. However, VATI is working best together. and take a lead anchored by 57 year old Mike and Jenny/Hai pushing the dead weight.
As usual, it all comes down to the puzzle. Omar leads TAKU to a 1st place and Jenny takes VATI over the finish line 2nd. No Tribal for TAKU who already lost one person or VATI. That means it’s Tribal Council for IKA and it falls on the shoulders of the puzzle people, Zach and Swati.
PRE- TRIBAL COUNCIL SCRAMBLE - IKA (Blue Tribe)
Zach said he was a superfan in his IG preseason video and I believed him. I shouldn’t have. With a trip to Tribal Council lurking, Zach makes as careless a calculation that a player can make, he apologizes. Zach, never apologize for blowing the puzzle. How can that help you? AND How can that help you in this stage of the game when any reason to vote someone off is on the table?
Not to be outdone in the stupidity department, Tori attempts to put the “I have an idol” rumor to bed and Romeo wants to “clear the air” and know who told Tori. Enter Zach again. I think this sequence made Tori look really bad, but Zach worse. Following the breadcrumbs of 41, 42 carries the torch on every single piece of information that is shared between tribe members is shared with EVERYONE. I don’t understand it. Maybe I’m “old school” or missing something, or maybe it’s early in the game and anything is used against you but I got to believe I wouldn’t be spilling the beans of everything every single time.
As the scramble continues, Tori and Drea have their private chat and come to agree that Rocks deserves a “thank you for building the shelter” and then be voted out. His bossy nature is just not going to fly longterm or for that matter, short term either.
Rocks isn’t going down without a fight though. The 43 year old “elder statesman” of the tribe turns to the youngest member, Swati, and is targeting Zach. Drea comes to Romeo pushing Rocks, but Romeo wants Tori and Drea does a 180 from leading the charge on Rocks to deferring to Romeo’s desire.
A lot going on at IKA.
Romeo has a connection with Drea but also the skinny guy connection with Zach. Problem is, Rocks and Swati want to keep strength and get rid of Zach because that’s what Rocks wants and Swati is happy to let Zach be the fall guy on the puzzle despite her being part of that losing effort too.
Tha vote will be either Tori or Zach…but there is always a Shot in the Dark.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - IKA, Night 3
CBS
Tribal Council is all about THE GAME IS REAL. Cliche? Of course, but I think that reminder has its place on episode 1 because we need that reminder that life on Survivor kind of sucks and especially sucks when you are literally given nothing to start, not even rice. The impending vote gets real when Zach says he doesn’t trust Tori anymore and Tori knows she is on the chopping block because she looked for food, and quietly, for an idol and it was used against her.
Zach and Tori are left with their hearts pounding out of their chests and Zach takes his shot.
VOTES
ZACH - 5 (unanimous vote because Zach lost his vote from the Shot in the Dark)
Great first episode that was PACKED with starting the game, new twists, pressure decisions, medical brought in, a medical pull from the game, a diners worth of scrambling going on, and our first person getting voted out being one of my final 5 picks. Excited for next week’s episode. 42 is off and running!
Thanks for reading. Until the next time, be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest all season long. If you like the blog be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
The blog has spoken!
