Survivor 49 Premiere Recap: Let The Torch Snuffing Begin!
When TV's greatest reality competition series returns for its Season 49 premiere, the vibes, as they say, are vibing. These new Survivor castaways are jazzed beyond belief, and who wouldn't be? Eighteen new players are watching their dreams come true as they stand in front of Mr. Jeff Probst to begin what could very well become the most epic journey of their lifetimes.
Unfortunately for one of these newbies, that journey comes to an end long before she can really get cooking. Full tilt boogie? More like no tilt boogie.
But before we get to that devastating torch snuffing, the enthusiasm of this bunch really cannot be understated. The joy and excitement bleeds off the screen, which makes sense, seeing as the players aren't allowed to talk for about a week before the start of production. So when these three tribes finally hit the sand, they are all smiling like Cheshire cats, even despite knowing that all but one of them will soon become the big fat losers of Survivor 49. But they're more ready than ever to have a helluva lot of fun along the way, and for that, we thank them.
NOT FOR THE BIRDS | This mix of players comes from both the 'burbs and big cities, and it's those city dwellers who often bring the most premiere entertainment, right? Look no further than Kristina for the first player to hoot and holler about... snakes? Nope. The bugs? Not even close. Call her a regular Tippi Hedren because it's the birds that get her shaking and squawking. If I was out there stranded in the middle of nowhere, birds probably wouldn't be high on my enemy list, but hey, a phobia's a phobia. Believe science, kids!
But for every Kristina and Jeremiah, we have a Matt, who not only knows seemingly all things about living in the outdoors, but also knows how to not rub people the wrong way. (We love a self-aware king... of the jungle.) He lets his tribe attempt to make fire on its own, knowing he can whip one up in a few seconds, but mostly, he doesn't want to seem too bossy or forceful. He does eventually light one up for Team Hina, but I appreciate his soft approach, as frustrating as it must've been for him.
Over at the Kele camp, Jake is quite a presence. While he's not quite Jonathan Young, he's sort of a Jonathan Young-type. He's large, in charge, but also seems friendly enough. What his tribe doesn't know: he's a shoe bandit! But not in a villainous Russell Hantz sort of way. He says he's doing it 99% for entertainment and 1% for chaos. (ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?) This guy's wife is also due to give birth while he's on the show and wow, kudos to her for urging him to compete. Though, I'm sure $1 million would be quite the nest egg for their little one, should Jake emerge victorious.
A GOD EMERGES | After Hina wins the supplies challenge thanks to Kristina and Jason's superb puzzling, Uli's Rizo and Kele's Alex head off for their own mano-a-mano challenge to try and win their tribe's starter kit. Rizo did warn his tribe that his puzzle skills were lacking — and man, was he not fooling around! After collecting coconuts and retrieving the puzzle pieces hidden inside, Rizo can't seem to get even a single piece in place before Alex is already digging in the sand for his ship wheel, puzzle already completed. Any fans of The Challenge will know what Alex should have done — destroy his work. Or at least dismantle some of it. Whether the rules would've allowed that, I'm not sure.
But once Alex is elbow-deep in the sand, Rizo does what any scrappy wannabe legend would do: He takes his own puzzle pieces over to Alex's stand and does some good old fashioned cheating. I use the word loosely. As with all Survivor ploys, if the rules don't explicitly forbid it — heck, get in there and work it to your advantage! Need I remind you that it's, "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast?" And "outplay" is exactly what Rizo did here, as he quickly constructs his puzzle by using the example provided (thanks, Alex!), finds his ship wheel to raise his flag, and wins the Uli tribe its goods. The guy even cries a bit after winning, hoping to make his family at home proud. Looks like the self-proclaimed "Riz God" isn't just a cocky Gen Z-er, after all.
STRATEGY SESH | The immunity challenge includes a rope tunnel, mud crawl and the carrying of three giant snakes, but it all comes down to a snake-shaped, ball trap game at the very end. Kele can't get it done and is the first tribe to get cozy with Jeff this season. So let's talk about the tribe dynamics of Team Blue here. Alex and Jake have already taken up residence in Bro-town USA. Just three days in and these XL-sized shields are thick as thieves, which doesn't seem threatening to anyone whose name isn't Annie. Maybe people would've felt a certain kind of way had they been able to hear Jake explain his lovely new friendship with Alex in his own words. (It was a lot. And I love them. A lot.)
Annie makes a grave mistake. She mistakenly mentions to Sophi that they should split the bros up. Sophi of course squeals, which puts the pink-haired frontwoman on the outs with mostly everyone. There are also reports of Annie isolating herself, which if true, isn't a great look for the first three days of a social game like Survivor. Throwing around Alex's name also destroys her barely-there trust with the political comms director from Washington, D.C., which, again, not great. Isn't this all Survivor 101?
THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN | Annie's only lifeline is the fact that Nicole's name is also in the mix, as she's perceived to be a "weak" player on the team, in terms of her athleticism and (lack of?) puzzle skills. (Jake's words, not mine!) Kele's first sit-down with Jeff is full of laughter, compliments and lighthearted banter, but the host is quick to point out that the tribe is 0-3. A total shipwreck. (Talk about a buzzkill.) Shots in the Dark are still very much a part of the game, but Annie and Nicole both opt to vote rather than pick an adorably teeny scroll. When Jeff reads the votes, the pigtailed frontwoman lives to rock another day, while Nicole's torch falls victim to the season's first snuffing. (Read our exit interview with Nicole here!)
What did you think of Survivor's season premiere? Did the Kele tribe kick the right person to the curb? Go full tilt boogie in the comments section and let us know!