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The Marooning and opening challenge
The winds of fate were whipping around the islands of Fiji during Survivor 50's opening moments. Rain poured down as the barge carrying the 24 contestants made landfall, serving as a metaphoric cleansing rain for some who are looking to not make the same mistakes they did last time. Even as the precipitation tapered off, the stiff breezes continued through the entire opening, as you can see from contestants' hair flying everywhere and Jeff Probst looking like he'll fly away. Perhaps it was Mother Nature manifesting that they bring the force akin to a Category 5 hurricane to the game (hopefully not literally, though, we don't need another weather evacuation).Christian Hubicki came into Survivor 50 wanting to weaponize "narrative warfare." And we got first glimpse of this within five minutes. The David vs. Goliath standout interrupted the proceedings at one point, pitching for a change in the vernacular. He took umbrage with the fact that Probst and company were referring to people who played from Seasons 1 to 40 as the "old era." Instead, he pitches three different classifications: The "classic era" (from Seasons 1 to 20), the "attractive era" (humorously referring to the players from the 30s, himself included), and the "new era." Leave it to an out-of-the-box thinker like Christian to come up with a chronological Beauty tribe.Of course, we got to see the beautiful moment of Cirie Fields joyously and tearfully talking about how much Survivor has meant to her. "Survivor is my home," the six-time player said. "And there's no place like home." But she was far from the first person to shed tears on the sand. Angelina Keeley actually kicked off the proceedings, pontificating on how her dream was to be a mom, and the difficulties of leaving a 2- and a 5-year-old back at home to come out and play again.The most emotional person out of the entire cast, however, was Ozzy Lusth. Despite it being his fifth time on the island, the challenge beast was choked up, at a loss for words when Probst went to him. After a pause longer than the single-file line everyone was standing in, he finally uttered, "When I saw your face on the Zoom call, I just knew immediately that I had to be out here. I've failed in front of millions of people more than once. And it's super humbling. But I wouldn't trade it for the world."Never change, Q Burdette. Jeff intro'd the Season 46 star by saying he "played a somewhat chaotic game by design." Q was quick to correct the record, bluntly replying, "That’s the term you give it." The way he sees it, he was merely "bored" at the point his game completely changed. Hopefully his allies will be able to keep his attention rapt this time around!Discussion, of course, turned to the "In the Hands of the Fans" theme. As we saw on the episode, Rick Devens said he voted, wanting to have an influence on the game he was about to play. Q, however, took on the complete opposite approach."I did not vote," he said. "I’m a fan of the show, but I didn't want my one vote potentially to be the tipping edge.”“This is why you’re back, Q," Probst replied. "I don’t even know if that makes sense. But it's so unique. It's so specific to you and how you see the world in this game."While Q did not vote, Angelina's mother certainly did. During one of the rounds of voting, the Season 37 standout received a text from her, reading, "I'm so sorry, honey. I voted no rice. I'm old school. You gotta earn it. No rice. So I'm fully expecting nada." And mother truly knows best, as she joined the 53% of fans who chose not to give the castaways the staple to start the game.Our recent cover story highlighted what is widely considered the "Mount Rushmore" of Survivor: Boston Rob Mariano, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Parvati Shallow and Tony Vlachos. Tiffany Ervin, however, had a different take on things based on the results of Season 50. "Winning this season cements your face on the Survivor Mount Rushmore," she said. "This is a landmark season. This is an iconic season. This is a season like we've never seen before. So if you could go through the fire and things that the fans have set out for us and come out victorious amongst all these Survivor giants, you are a cemented icon among icons."We closed out the first part of the opening with some prompted wise words from Benjamin "Coach" Wade. But the Dragon Slayer actually started off his speech by giving a shoutout to the teeming Survivor crew, hundreds of people behind the wall of cameras who are responsible for every element on the show. Perhaps showcasing his newfound warmth, the legendary character opines, "They’re the real warriors, and I love everybody here."Soon thereafter, buffs were unwrapped and the 24 players were divided into three tribes of eight. Probst clocked that Colby Donaldson was distractingly looking all the way across the beach. When asked what the four-time player was doing, he replied, "I’m looking to see where Ozzy is." And we got to see the former Top Shot host step into his element, as he hyped up the impending water duel between him and Jonathan Young.Speaking of the "Colbster," he proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the preseason. That's because the Texan came into his fourth season with plenty of vim and vigor, making sure he enjoyed himself in stark opposition to how things went last time on Heroes vs. Villains. And Colby showcased that enthusiasm with a very fun callback."If you’ve got chocolate, I’ll take it this time," he promises. "I won’t pass it up again.""I got the message, brother," Probst replies, quoting back a previous tense back-and-forth between the two. "We’ll go when I’m ready."Probst showed great restraint when it took him over 30 minutes before asking Charlie Davis for a Taylor Swift reference. The Season 46 runner-up replied in kind, "I mean, it's all about Reputation right now. Everyone's thinking about, 'What did people do in their seasons? What are they going to do now? Do I have assumptions that are right, or do I have assumptions that are wrong? That's all Reputation, Jeff."Rick Devens followed that up from another mat, as the former newscaster quipped, "Check in a little while, there might be some Bad Blood!"The opening challenge played out the way you saw on TV. While Christian whipped through the puzzle with his unorthodox technique, and Jonathan and Joe were masters of the unruly seas, the lead Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick earned for Vatu in the very first stage got them an easy win. What is interesting, though, is what happened when the tribes were asked to each send a person to "fight for supplies." Q spoke up, pitching that, since Vatu won the challenge, they should get the right to pick last. And Probst was amenable, allowing them to see who the others picked to hopefully match them. It speaks to the ingenuity that these players are walking into their return appearance with.Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 50
Savannah Louie on 'Survivor 50'Gail Schulman/CBS
Camp visits
As part of the press trip, I was given the opportunity to visit each of the tribe camps for a brief portion of time on Day 2. It's an incredible opportunity to not only see what the early day-to-day life is for these contestants, but also get a glimpse at the ever-moving work of the camera crew, always on the balls of their feet to set up a new shot or follow the players on the go. Here are some notable moments from my experience with each group of returnees:
There's been plenty of talk in the preseason about previous relationships among contestants who have played together. But what about relationships between players who haven't? When we saw that Q and Aubry Bracco were on the same tribe, we collectively held our breath. As a reminder, Q specifically targeted Moriah Gaynor in his season when she said that Aubry was her favorite player of all time. So what would happen when he was playing with the real McCoy?Luckily, I got to bear witness to the conversation, done in the middle of camp shortly after Q's return from Exile. “I know you’re just settling," she said, "but I have to tell you that I'm really excited to meet you. Can I give you a hug?""Please do!" he replied.Following the hug, she said, "Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, Q’s on the tribe with you!’ But I would have done the same move. You’ve got a good sense of humor about it."Q was incredibly humble at the gesture, saying, "Thank you for not holding it against me." Consider that "beef," however lean it may be, squashed.As people went their separate ways, I got to see a conversation between the tribe's oldest and youngest members in Colby and Rizo Velovic. The two discussed their mutual good feelings about Kyle Fraser, and how neither person is threatened by working with winners.Colby admitted to Rizo that he was afraid the Season 49 returnee would be overplaying his hand, looking to get some old school "skin on the wall." But Rizo was able to take advantage of nobody having seen his previous season to paint his own narrative."My word means something to me," he said. "Not only in real life, but in this game. And I know you haven't seen 49. But I was true to my two girls. We made it to the end together. I don't play that backstabbing s—t. So when I give you my word, that's what I mean." While what Rizo's saying is factually true with his "Tres Leches" alliance, it is interesting to hear him use this information asymmetry to push for himself as a loyal player.As was mentioned on the episode, Rizo is the same age Colby was when he first played Survivor. So, in addition to "strat chat," Colby was eager to give some life advice to the "RizGod": Curse less."Just for one day. Just give it a shot," he said. "And be conscientious, be thoughtful of when you're saying it. You don't need to punch up your story or the points you’re making. And you've got a great way of communicating. If we're sitting next to each other, I'm going to start tapping you every time you cuss. "And you do the same thing with me. Because, look, I drop F-bombs more frequently than I should. You're gonna be my ears. And if I'm dropping unnecessary cuss words, then go, 'Colby, take a little bit of your own medicine.' I want to see what a day without Rizo dropping f-bombs, the menagerie of cuss words that you like to drop. And let’s see how that goes." What makes this all the better: Only a month prior, Rizo never thought he'd get the chance to interact with Colby Donaldson. Let alone get some fatherly wisdom.Cila Tribe
One of the big question marks coming into Survivor 50 is if Savannah Louie was going to be upfront about how she did on Season 49. On the episode, we saw she came clean pretty much instantly about her victory only ten days beforehand. But I got to overhear dropping more 49 factoids to her tribe members, specifically Jake Latimer receiving a bite from a poisonous sea krait, leading to his evacuation from the game."He was super, in shape too," she recalled. "He looks like he could have done so well in the game. It's really sad.""What a trippy way to go out," replied Ozzy, who knows a thing or two about navigating Survivor sea life.Speaking of Ozzy, he surprisingly struggled in the latter part of the "Fight for Supplies," allowing Coach to snake him in the end. That may be due to the fact that, as he revealed to his tribe, he injured his back before the game started while deadlifting. He hasn't been 100% since, which is not the best thing to hear from one of the greatest challenge performers the game has ever seen.I was so grateful to be in-person for a beachside lecture from Dr. Christian Hubicki. The topics on the syllabus in today's class: Learning binary code. Using his robot shirt as a guide, he walked the Cila tribe through the complicated way of counting in computer form. While Jenna Lewis-Dougherty had a remedial understanding (and showcased her tech interests by subsequently diving into a conversation about AI), Cirie's look mirrored that iconic Winona Ryder meme, with code swirling around her head.Of course, one of the hot topics about the Survivor 50 cast is who wasn't on the cast. Jenna opened up about the fact that Jerri Manthey had been in frequent correspondence with her throughout the casting process. Survivor's original villainess had contacted her a number of times, saying she kept seeing her name on speculated cast list. But Jenna kept mum with her former All-Stars tribemate, saying, "If I only I were that cool! You know me. I am not interesting. I'll be excited to watch you play."When Jerri was ultimately not chosen for the season, she again reached out to her, saying, "I didn't get on. But I'm seeing everywhere that you are." But the Season 1 OG continued to deny, saying she had a listing appointment the next day. Which, she reveals, technically was true!Kalo Tribe
Perhaps reflecting the fact that the majority of Kalo was made of up of younger "new era" players, the majority of my time with the tribe involved a number of people relaxing in the shelter, chatting about everything from helicopters to robot dog abuse. The one exception, of course, was Jonathan Young. I was welcomed into came with a percussive fanfare, as the Season 42 goliath was beating a bamboo pole against a tree in an attempt to crack it.I'm so happy everyone got to see the scene of Coach taking off his toe ring and putting it on Charlie, considering I got to be there to witness the grody sign of matrimony. But, of course, Coach had a story to go with the unique piece of jewelry."In 1988, my buddies that I was trying to learn surfing with, they were like, 'Let's go to Leguna and let's get toe rings.' I was like, 'What's a toe ring?' They're like, 'You put it on your toe.' I mean, nobody really heard of this. So I put it on, and this one has been on since 1988.What's more, the toe ring decision was not unprompted. It was actually a push from Dee Valladares, as the Season 45 winner "double dog dared" Coach (and succeeded in her mission, a showcase of her dominance in this game). He handed the metal off to Charlie, perhaps a sign of their mutual connection in metalhead Ben Katzman. Upon flexing the new hardware, Charlie quipped, "So I was just wearing your underwear?" The group then transitioned into an extended discussion on WikiFeet. Mike White on 'Survivor 50'
Robert Voets/CBS
Related: ‘Survivor’s Mount Rushmore: The Legends Who Built a 50-Season Legacy (Exclusive)
The Immunity Challenge
Still basking in the glow from that first win (and subsequent bonfire), Probst noted how it was all smiles on Vatu except for Colby, who showed an intensity that Christian referred to as "resting murder face" in the preseason. Colby tersely responded, "We're having fun. I'm good.""Oh my god, we’re back to 15 years ago," Probst laughed. "I ask Colby a simple question and the response I get is, ‘We’re good. Carry on.'"Leave it to Emmy winner Mike White to pen a beautiful line representing how exhilarating and demented this adventure can be. "I realized Survivor is one hellish thing after the next with sporadic moments of victory and pleasure." Get that cross-stitched on a pillow ASAP!At the time of this challenge, we didn't have much knowledge of how much Coach had snaked Ozzy at the "fight for supplies," nor Ozzy's adverse reaction to it. In retrospect, when he told Probst that, "This is gonna be an amazing CUTTHROAT game of teamwork," it was most likely a not-so-subtle dig at his reignited rival.Of course, when it came to the actual challenge itself, we have to talk about the injury Kyle received during one of the final stages. Interestingly, the edit didn't show that Kyle had actually gotten up the wall successfully the first time. But, after helping lift everyone up, Colby was stuck on the bottom, having difficulty getting enough height. So, in what would turn out to be a fateful move, Kyle went down the wall to help him up. And the rest was tragic history.Colby was not the only big guy struggling, though. After cementing his legacy carrying a ladder through torrential seas, Jonathan served as a human ladder for Kalo. The only issue: He was also stuck on the bottom, and was far too heavy for even the combined efforts of all his tribe members to lift him up. After a few gruesome hits against the wall, Charlie was able to work smarter, not harder. He offered his buff down, which Jonathan grabbed onto on his run up. He got much more traction than the muddy limbs of his tribe and finally got up the wall, albeit with Charlie having an even looser-fitting buff than before.And then, of course, there's Cirie. Talking with challenge producer John Kirhoffer, the challenges this season are meant to test individual accountability, to truly showcase there's nowhere to hide in this game. And Cirie got a firsthand experience with that in the form of her struggles with the monkey's fist. By my clock, she spent a cumulative 15 minutes at that stage (excluding a brief stopdown where medical took a look at Kyle). The biggest issue wasn't necessarily Cirie's form or technique, but actually the obstacle in front of her. Gated off by a series of crisscrossing ropes, her underhanded throws were sabotaged, as the ball of rope would consistently bonk off and lose all momentum. Just like, sadly, Cila.Speaking of the orange tribe, in a moment of seasonwide camaraderie, as Kyle was being looked at, the entire tribe of 8 got down on one knee. It was not too dissimilar to NFL players taking a knee after one of their teammates accrued a serious injury. Perhaps the comparison is too on the nose, considering we eventually found out Kyle had, much like many football players in his prime, ruptured his Achilles tendon.The aftermath
The first Immunity Challenge came with a hefty reward in the form of fishing gear for the two winning tribes. But Angelina did not wait long before she proposed making a deal. As Probst was about to send Vatu off, she spoke up, to which he immediately responded, "Are we negotiating already?""Would you expect anything different?" she replied.Angelina's offer was, rather than the fishing gear, to take home the tarp instead. What it came down to, she outlined, was a matter of location. The Vatu came was located in a notoriously rocky part of the island, making fishing a struggle. Probst immediately called the offer a "non-starter."Angelina then asked if there was anything else he could exchange instead. Probst cheerfully replied, "Hang on, I'll check." Angelina replied with her sincere thanks.The Emmy winner then proceeded to step behind the three-foot podium next to him and mimed through options as if he was shopping at the general store (maybe Rick was having deja vu to the concept of Survivor 41 that never was). He eventually popped back up, saying, "Got nothing for ya. Take your fishing gear, be happy."To quote Angelina's good friend (and fellow two-time player) Adam Klein, it was worth a shot. L to R: Christian Hubicki, Cirie Fields, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Savannah Louie, and Ozzy Lusth on 'Survivor 50'Gail Schulman/CBS
Related: Jeff Probst Reveals What Shocked Him Most About ‘Survivor 50’ (Exclusive)
Tribal Council
A month ago, I had been in Fiji for Survivor 49. And I was greeted by one of my favorite sets in the show's history, a gargantuan 75-foot shipwreck. Now what greeted me in the night was a resplendent white temple. The Survivor 50 Tribal Council set is almost Greek in nature, a series of stone structures with a giant obelisk in the center that served as the voting booth. Notably, there are 50 phoenix symbols found throughout the set, a representation of finding rebirth through fire, and hoping yours doesn't get snuffed out.Indeed, Jenna was asked to look back upon the first Tribal Council she ever attended in Borneo. What failed to make the edit (both then and now) was her mentioning that the Pagong tribe, ever the youthful group, tried to stage a coup immediately. "I do recall that we tried to vote you out," she mused. "That didn’t work."Despite the solemnity of the proceedings, Christian had quite a number of witty retorts throughout the evening. After a couple of attempts at an analogy, Probst said, "I’ve missed you." Christian replied, "I’m not sure if that’s the case, but it’s good to see you."Eventually conversation turned to the prevalent pre-existing relationships across the cast. Christian tried to dispel his connections with his David vs. Goliath cast members, saying, "People asked me what Angelina is like. And I said, 'Have you watched the show? I think you know' #tarpnegotiation."In true Emily Flippen style, she pushed back on that. "He’s showing that what he said about Angelina, he’s backing up with her actions. But another side he's massively downplaying is how close they are. Has Christian said he doesn’t want to work with Angelina? I didn’t hear him say that."Christian then immediately leaned over to Emily in an almost cartoonish fashion, saying, "I don’t want to work with Angelina."Talk then, of course, turned to the challenge. And, believe it or not, Cirie revealed she volunteered for the monkey's fist! It was actually something she had practiced prior to coming out, so she was happy to step up. "I’m not going to volunteer for anything I’m not confident to do," she said, crestfallen. "I learned today I need to practice a little more."At one point, Jenna spoke about the pre-Tribal scramble, saying, "It felt like every time I sat and chatted with somebody else, that first person would come back with a new plan.""I’m getting the impression that’s too fast," commented Probst."Not too fast," she countered. "But people were accusing others of having very fast gameplay. And I was thinking, 'That’s you!'" It would prove to be a prophetic statement mere minutes later, as we would go on to discover that Jenna's immediate gaming had come back to bite her, earning untrustworthiness from the rest of the tribe.Since the episode showed very little of the voting confessionals, here's a transcript of what the castaways had to say as they voted! Jenna: "I am just so seriously hoping I’m on the right side of the vote and the people I’m trusting are absolutely trustworthy. But Cirie, you are absolutely wonderful. I’m so sorry." Joe: "I'm so, so sorry." Christian: "What a confusing first Tribal Council. I am hoping I am making the right decision with this choice. Hopefully I’ll live to see another day." Ozzy: "I am so sorry. I was stuck in Exile. By the time I got back from Exile, it seems like things were too hot and heavy, and I couldn’t swing things back from you." Cirie: "Jenna, you decided to come for me when I had zero intention of coming for you. And I respectfully hope it comes back to bite you by way of your torch being snuffed." Rick: [Rubs the oil lamp on the table, hoping some sort of genie will come out, then votes.] "I learned so much from you, Jungle Woman. Unfortunately, you brought me in real late. And I just don’t think I’m a legit part of your plans." Savannah: "I’m so sorry. I genuinely wanted to rock with you on Day 1. But you were just a little too intense and fast for these people. And I’m just going with the majority to save my own ass." Emily: "You’re a lovely person. I really wish I got the votes to save you tonight."Related: Meet the Full Cast of 'Survivor 50': Photos, Bios and What to Know
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