The 49th season of the hit reality tv show Survivor premiered on Sept. 24 and from jump, one thing CLEARLY stood out about this season: Diversity. The Season 49 cast may be the most diverse cast in the near 25-year history of the reality show that sees 18 strangers be abandoned in the islands of Fuji forced to work together, blindside each other and fight for $1 million.
To the action we go, and the Marooning Challenge of the season was about as physical of a Marooning Challenge that I have witnessed in my short time watching the show (since Season 45). Two Tribe members had to go into the jungle and retrieve cubes. Two more Tribe members swam to retrieve the others. The remaining two members build a cubed puzzle, allowing one member to climb up the cube, untie a machete and ring a bell to earn their supplies. Hina, the yellow Tribe, secured their supplies, forcing the red Tribe (Uli) and the blue Tribe (Kele) to send one member from each team to try to earn their supplies another way. Uli sends Rizo while Kele sends Alex.
At the challenge, Rizo and Alex must retrieve coconuts with their Tribe logo on it. Those coconuts have puzzle pieces. They must put together the puzzle, which has a map of where they need to dig for a pirate ship wheel. Once they have their wheel, they race over to the flag and spin the wheel to raise their flag.
Alex solves the puzzle quickly and has a huge lead on Rizo, who told his Tribe before the challenge that if it’s a puzzle “they’re screwed”. However, Alex can’t find his ship wheel in the sand, so Rizo “cheats” off of Alex’s puzzle, realizing he’s missing pieces. After forever, Rizo finally solves his puzzle, digs up the wheel and earns supplies for his Tribe, with Alex dejected he blew such a huge lead.
At camp, Hina is mostly getting along. Jason, who at the mat of the Marooning Challenge revealed that he is an alternative on the season, bonds with Stephen over video games. Matt and Stephen also bond, as Matt, by his own admission, is the old guy on the Tribe and doesn’t understand all these gaming references, but he is good at fire, and everybody on Hina knows it. This Tribe seems tight for now.
On Uli, everybody is excited for Rizo. In a confessional, Savannah reveals herself as a cut throat player with a journalism background. She bonds with Shannon, as Shannon believes in spiritually, even leading the Tribe through a breathing session. The girls are looking for two more players to be a majority. Sage seems like a wild child, saying on the mat at the Marooning Challenge that she thrives on chaos. The girls end up bringing in Nate, a film director, and they believe their fourth will be Rizo. Savannah originally was thinking of bringing in Jawan, but he freaks out over not being able to make fire, worrying her.
At Kele, Jake is the big masculine guy of the season and bonds with everyone right away. Jeremiah wants to get in with Jake because he thinks no one will be suspecting Jake will be working with someone who is from the LGBTQ Community. Jake also immediately bonds with Alex and Sophi, forming an alliance.
At the Immunity Challenge, two tribe members at a time go through a wheel with rope and mud. Then, they have to bring back 200 pound serpents before three members have to maneuver a ball through a snake maze.
Hina finishes first again, followed by Uli and Kele in last, sending one person from Kele home as the first vote out. Back at camp, the discussion is between Nicole and Anni. The main four wants Nicole, but then Anni pulls Sophi aside and pitches blindsiding Nicole and then going after the boys. Sophi becomes suspicious of Anni, who is already walking alone, and tells her alliance she wants Anni out.
At Tribal, everybody is cordial with one another. There’s no real shots taken, as the main Kele four stick to the original plan and take out Nicole with a 5-1 vote, making Nicole the first person voted out this season.
The premiere saw a lot of interesting dynamics with this group of castaways. Interestingly enough, nothing was shown on camera of somebody looking for an idol. These castaways talk about being very cutthroat this season, as opposed to dominating with an alliance the way Lagi did in Season 48.
There’s potential here for a good season. Survivor 49 though has a lot of work to do to make sure it is not known as “The Season Before 50.”
Grade: B+
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