First off, my apologies on the delay on all of my recaps this past week. I’ve been battling a cold and it doesn’t seem to want to leave! I explain it in my Delayed Much? post.
Anyhoo… It’s finally time for the most anticipated season of Survivor—since Survivor 40: Winners At War! Happy Survivor Day to those who celebrate!
The premiere episode is three hours long so this is going to be a very long post. But I figured it’d be easier just to cover the highlights and my thoughts on the things that happen—instead of writing two parts and writing in more detail. Besides, by the time this is posted, the second episode is going to be coming out right away so instead of watching their recap in the first five minutes of the episode, you should read this instead. 😉🤭
Survivor 50 has begun and it brings back so many familiar faces and memories from the past twenty-five years and forty-nine seasons in Survivor history! It’s going to be one Epic Party!
If you haven’t already watched the episode yet, this will contain spoilers! If you don’t want to know—don’t scroll!
A long time ago, starting on May 31, 2000, a group of Americans left an island in Malaysia to head out for an adventure of a lifetime…our little show began it’s enduring run that is still top of the ratings today! It has adapted with the times, as well as kept iconic traditions alive!
The episode begins with a long flashback at the past seasons over the years, which will give you chills, make you laugh and most of all, make you feel old.
Jeff announces that this season the fans decide the game. In fact, they’re calling it, “Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans”! Say that three times fast. I think this is just their way of saying “it’s not our fault if you don’t like our twists”. Call me a skeptic, but I don’t trust in fans polls especially if you can’t see the votes right away.
The cast arrives on the beach…both old school and new. We have Stephenie (Palau), who hasn’t played in thirty seasons. Mike White (David vs Goliath, The White Lotus), who compares it to “a high school reunion meets like a massacre”.
Survivor 50 has the most players they’ve ever had…with twenty-four of them competing. They wanted a full tapestry of personalities that best represented the past forty-nine seasons.
Jeff tells the players to give this season everything. Blood, sweat and tears. We catch up with some of the players like; Jenna (Borneo), who has never lost her sense of adventure. Mike White (again), who says he’s has major FOMO issues and doesn’t want to miss out on this epic party. Plus he didn’t want to hear how much he missed out on from Angelina and Christian (both David vs Goliath).
I began to cry when Cirie (icon, legend, played five seasons) said what the game has meant to her over the years.
Jeff talked to other players too, but you’ll just have to watch the episode to see.
They receive their buffs. I was under the impression they got their buffs randomly, but it looks like production picked the tribes out ahead of time. I guess it does make it more fair because each tribe will have their share of both strategic and physical players. Has this always been a thing and I just never knew? I guess I just assumed or it didn’t occur to me until now. Or, I’m still really sick in the head and can’t think straight. 🤷🏼♀️
Jeff announces the results from the first two fan polls. According to Jeff, the first poll was 53% to 47%, the players will have to earn rice, instead of being given rice. He then shared the results of the next poll…whether or not they are given supplies or have to earn them? The result for that poll was 60%-40%. The winner is having to earn supplies.
I know many fans who voted for both to be given. I need to see a recount! This is why I think production is heavily involved, but they’ll blame the fans instead of taking accountability if things happen we don’t like.
They have their first challenge where they’ll win flint and will have a bonfire waiting for them. The challenge incorporates physical portions as well as a puzzles. So I’m happy it had something every player could excel at.
Vatu wins the challenge! I posted a picture to remember who is on the tribe. I can never remember and I usually go by colour. I can’t tell if that’s hot pink or red though.
Jeff says each tribe has to pick one player to fight in a head to head to head battle for the supplies. Vatu picks Q, Kalo picks Coach, and Cila picks Ozzy. It’s a heavyweight matchup, or as Rick Devens says, “giving the fans what they want.” The three leave, while the rest of their tribes head to their respective camps.
At Vatu camp, Angelina reveals she’s now a mom since she last played seven years ago. She’s different than when she stole jackets or whatever she did (she can’t remember). Colby and Stephenie are reunited after fifteen years. They want to work with Kyle and Genevieve. Colby finds RizGod annoying and lazy.
Meanwhile, at Kalo Jonathan is a ladder, a coconut crusher and all over giant of a player. There’s Mike White (creater and writer of The White Lotus), who surprised everyone with his eight pack abs. He plans to be the grandpa who’s led around camp like an invalid.
Over at Cila, Joe is fangirling over Cirie and Jenna because…duh. Savannah says they’re filming this two weeks after Survivor 49 ended. So nobody knows who she is. She tells them she won. And I’m like why would you tell them that? 🤦🏼♀️ Jenna comes flying out of the gate already wanting to target Cirie and I’m like noooo…
Coach, Ozzy and Q arrive at the fight for supplies with a lot of history between Coach and Ozzy. Ozzy apologizes to Coach, who accepts. During the fight for supplies, Ozzy still has it…he impresses Q even. Ozzy is able to knock the key off the peg, but Coach quickly snags it in the sand and pulls it back first. Coach wins the supplies for his tribe! Q and Ozzy have to spend the night alone together on Exile Island.
Coach arrives back at Kalo with the supplies and everyone is happy. Chrissy is starting to play the game by targeting Dee because she won her season. I don’t think Coach is on board for it though.
Rick and Christian are searching for idols. They want to work together. Christian compares them to Captain Kirk (Rick) and Spock (Christian). Emily is feeling like people want to work with her more than they did on her first season.
Back at Vatu, Kyle wants to work with Genevieve because she reminds him of Kamilla, who he played with when he won and is on Kalo. (Both are Canadian too, I might add.) Aubry and Genevieve have some kind of nerd girl standoff happening where they’re obviously not going to work together. It’s reminiscent of Genevieve’s thing with Rachel, who ended up winning her season.
The next day Q and Ozzy over at Exile Island, are told one has to give up their vote and give to the other person, then they can bring the supplies back to their tribe. Basically buying the supplies with their vote. Which is stupid! 🗣️ STOP TAKING AWAY THEIR VOTES, PRODUCTION! 🗣️
Ozzy says Oscar is playing this game now and I’m like WHO? Q ends up giving up his vote and receiving the supplies. Both think they made the better deal.
After Ozzy returns to Cila, Christian starts a fire with a couple pairs of glasses. Christian can’t wait for his son to see this. Rick tells Cirie, Jenna is throwing her name around. Cirie says they haven’t even played the first immunity challenge yet! Cirie says just because Jenna played on the first season, it doesn’t mean she’s a queen. Cirie tells Ozzy about Jenna, “I’d clutch my pearls if I had some on, is already shopping my name around.” The two of them agree to work together. He tells her about his extra vote. She’s the only one he’s going to tell that to.
Vatu has a fashion show. Colby likes RizGod now. He reminds him of himself when he was young. He’s the same age he was when he was on Survivor Australia. Rizo wants to be remembered as one of the greatest players who has played this game.
Jonathan has decided he wants to play more strategic. He tells Mike he wants to vote Dee out because she’s won before. Meanwhile, Dee, Tiffany and Kamilla form an alliance. They want to have some fun in between slaughtering someone. I have to stan!
Time for the immunity challenge! They’re not only playing for immunity, but for fishing gear. The immunity idols look like chickens, or phoenixes or something. The challenge is an obstacle course, navigating through mud, nets, throwing coconuts, balls, ramps and puzzles.
Kyle went back down the ramp to help someone get up the ramp, but he hurts his ankle. Spoiler alert: he tore his Achilles tendon. Kyle can’t walk or run on his foot. Q helps him up the ramp, so they can finish the challenge.
Kalo wins immunity! Vatu also wins immunity! Unfortunately, Cila is going to tribal.
Savannah thinks Cirie lost it for them, so she should go home. Cirie feels bad for letting everyone down during the immunity challenge. Joe agrees with Savannah. They won’t get voted off the island if they win challenges because they won’t go to tribal. (Points made but I don’t like it.) Cirie can’t help them out with physical comps.
Ozzy, Rick and Christian want to keep Cirie. They feel like they connect with her more. Rick talks to Emily about the vote. They feel the way Ozzy is fighting for Cirie to stay makes them nervous. Emily comes up with a chaotic idea…”should we vote Ozzy?”
“Dun dun duh dun duh duh! This just in to the Survivor newsroom. Cila, see ya later tonight at the tribal council. Jenna, Cirie or Ozzy…it could be any one of the three, but at least it’s not me! ~ Rick
The tribal council set is something to behold! Jenna talks about the very first tribal council in season one, where they didn’t know what to expect, the set was smaller and they didn’t take it very seriously.
Everyone votes, after the votes are read, Jenna is voted off the island and her torch is snuffed out. She makes a comment, “first in…first out.” She was voted out unanimously. Jenna’s parting words are, “I’m hoping they lose every challenge now.”
Kyle says he’s doing more than he did before. His ankle is bandaged up. He feels like he can do more with one leg than others can with two. He’s not giving up.
Genevieve and Stephenie find the Billie Eilish boomerang idol. But Genevieve reads it to Kyle first. Billie writes a letter about this idol. In this letter, she says over 80% of fans voted yes for having idols in the game. *cough* Bullshit! *cough* This idol is one where you give it to someone on another tribe. If that person gets voted out, while still holding it, the idol boomerangs back to Genevieve. Do you give it to someone you want to work with further down the line or give it to someone you want to sabotage and hope it circles back to you? I’d vote sabotage myself.
Genevieve gives it to Ozzy, in hopes it’ll boomerang back to her. Meanwhile, Ozzy is back to being the tribe provider. He found the boomerang idol in his bag. He can’t use the idol on anybody but himself and he has until there are five players left in the game to use it.
Oh, this could backfire on Genevieve big time. 🤭 The above gif still applies. 😈 Now Ozzy has an extra vote and an idol that he has until F5 to use. It’s the most power he’s ever had in Survivor.
A boat pulls up. It’s another journey. Ozzy, Coach and Q aren’t allowed to go. Kalo sends Mike. Vatu sends Colby. Cila sends Savannah. They draw rocks because only two players can complete. (That’s dumb.) Savannah and Colby get to compete. They each place an interlocking piece on a puzzle until it falls. If it falls during their turn, they lose. If they lose, they lose their vote. If they win, they keep their vote at the next tribal council. (Which is even dumber!) STOP TAKING AWAY VOTES! 🗣️ Colby ends up losing his vote.
But wait! Savannah receives a note telling her the fans voted for how powerful advantages should be. Minimal, strategic or dynamic and 36% chose dynamic! (I honestly don’t remember voting for this.) She ends up winning a secret block a vote—thanks to the fans.
Mike tells Coach about what Colby said about how Ozzy made a deal with Coach and Coach broke it. This pisses Coach off.
Colby tells Vatu about losing his vote. Savannah tells Cila about keeping her vote, but not about her advantage. They don’t believe she didn’t get an advantage though.
Jeff and the medic show up to talk to Kyle. They check his Achilles tendon with an ultrasound machine. The medic thinks he snapped his tendon. He will need surgery and recovery will take a minimum of three months. Jeff puts his foot down and says he’s being pulled out of the game. 😭😭😭
He says goodbye to his tribe and tells them he hopes one of them win. I’m not crying, I just have something in my eye. 😭😭😭 I hope someone tells Kamilla what happened too. I am devastated to see Kyle go. I was rooting for him.
At least we don’t have to very long until the next episode. We’ll find out what happens next tonight!
Again, my apologies for the delay. Please feel free to comment below!
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