By Survivor Guest Correspondent Cho
The 36th season of Survivor is finally here, and it started off with a bang! This season, I’ll be giving you a TLDW (Too long didn’t watch) condensed recap of the episode in addition to my Top 5 Takeaways. If you haven’t read up on the Survivors yet, you NEED to go read my first impressions of the cast. It will help you to follow along! It’s already late due to the 2-hour premiere so let’s get started!
Here’s the Survivor intro for you classic Survivor fans.
First Hour TLDW
So we are introduced to our reward challenge immediately when the tribes have to pick two leaders. Of course they pick the beefiest guys they can: Malolo chooses Brendan the hot teacher dad while Naviti picks Versace model Chris. Here’s the twist though: while the others compete in the puzzle, the leaders of each tribe can choose to forfeit the win if they think the other tribe is going to beat them before time runs out. Chris ends up forfeiting, giving the enemy tribe an even greater reward. On the plus side, he ends up still gaining a smaller reward for his tribe. Questionable decision, but of course our resident big mouth, Domenik, publicly shames Chris for his decision. He says he’s a “can’t help that he’s a truth-teller” which means he’s a total liar. Obviously Naviti goes back to camp and Chris is pissed that Domenik threw him under the bus. A rivalry is instantly born.
We get scenes of Donathan on Mololo meeting different people for the first time of his life. He’s never had African-American friends like Laurel or “exotic” friends like James. He literally needs subtitles. He admits that obviously he can’t find another gay man in Kentucky. That’s the most relatable thing I’ve heard someone say so far in 2018. Speaking of other people who might be socially challenged on Mololo, Jacob decides to double down on his already perceived physical weakness by searching for an idol on day 2. While he gives a confessional about not acting suspicious, EVERYONE sits in a circle criticizing his suspicious behavior.
Back on Naviti, we are amazed by Wendell’s resourcefulness. Not only is he a trendy freelance furniture designer, but he also knows how to create traps for crabs. The tribe praises him. Sebastian with the groovy man bun tells Wendell that Domenik needs to leave first, but Wendell rats him out. Instead of everyone blaming Sebastian, they correctly assume that Chris has put a bug in Sebastian’s ear. The rivalry rages on between Chris and Domenik.
We finally get to our first immunity challenge. The have to untie some bags. Guess what’s in them? Puzzle pieces. Guess what you have to do with them? Place them in a heavy ass cart and drag it several yards away then complete the puzzle. Classic. Naviti ends up winning. This season, immunity winners will get to send someone to Ghost Island to stay overnight, essentially saving them from their tribe’s impending tribal council. They choose Jacob who breathes a sigh of relief.
Ghost Island is SO FUCKING COOL! Multiple idols and relics of Survivor past are littered everywhere at the meager camp site. Jacob ends up receiving the Legacy Advantage that Sierra failed to use correctly from Survivor Game Changers. The theme this season is amazing. I love these flashbacks. Jacob gives the advantage to Morgan from Naviti.
Back at Mololo, Gonzales lies to everyone about how good at puzzles she was. It was actually Donathan’s idea how to go about the challenge, but she told him to shut up in the heat of the moment. Gonzales ends up targeting Donathan while Stephenie with the crazy colored pants seeks this opportunity to gain an ally by trying to save him. Her wild hair in confessionals is distracting. All of the girls minus Gonzales strategize on who to boot. Why is Gonzales not there? Michael says they should keep Gonzales for her strength.
At tribal council, they debate over keeping tribal strength or getting rid of threats. Right before the votes are called on, Gonzales gets out of her seat and starts whispering in everyone’s ears to make sure they are voting for Donathan. The DRAMA! It’s only day 3. Really girl? She ends up being blindsided unanimously.
Second Hour TLDW
Domenik finds an idol simply from searching on the 3rd night. He says: “I can’t believe I found an idol in the dark!” and the viewers at home think the same. Whose job is it to hide idols? Morgan then finds out that she’s received the Legacy Advantage from Jacob. She’s elated. Her enthusiasm for the game is so infectious. She’s so cute! She admits that she’ll need a stapler to keep her big mouth from spilling the beans on her advantage. I want to FedEx her a stapler right now, because I know she obviously won’t keep it a secret.
Jacob decides to double down on his over-playing this season by creating a fake idol. He’s a self-proclaimed expert at deceiving his tribemates and decides he’s going to lie to them as soon as he gets back to camp. He starts off his charade with “You gotta believe me here.” When he tells the tribe, Brendan asks for the accompanying note to his idol to which Jacob says he forgot it at Ghost Island. Baby, Brendan wanted RECEIPTS!!! Jacob thinks everyone believes him while Brendan rallies the tribe to ensure that they will target him at the next tribal because duh.
Speaking of over-playing, Chris and Domenik are having a man-to-man conversation to smooth things over. Chris asks Domenik if he has the idol point blank. Please go watch this scene again, because that question just about breaks Domenik’s entire face. He of course lies. But wait, 5 minutes later Domenik decides to show him a FAKE idol along with his REAL idol’s note. Does this make sense to you? Me neither. Chris doesn’t trust that Domenik’s intentions are pure and continues his vow to get rid of him. I hate that Domenik is making me favor Chris in this rivalry.
I think Survivor has just quit trying to make interesting and unique immunity challenges for the first few episodes. The survivors have to swim a short distance then dive deep into the water to retrieve locked-up buoys which they have to shoot into a basket. Simple enough? Yes, except James ends up costing Mololo a lot of time, because he can’t dive deep enough for the buoys. Donathan doesn’t even attempt trying to dive until his tribe literally has to beg him. Naviti has over half their buoys in at this point. Donanthan finally builds up enough confidence to dive. He succeeds! The emotional triumph is short-live as Naviti wins immediately after and sends Donathan to Ghost Island.
At Ghost Island, Donathan lets us know how much he’s ready to prove to the world and himself by playing this game. Strangely enough, there is no advantage or game for Donathan to play. This is weird. What determines who gets advantages on Ghost Island? Heaven forbid! We don’t need Big Brother levels of production intervention here. Don’t touch my Survivor!
Back at Mololo, the scrambling begins. James is dealing with the loss really hard. He mentions his Korean upbringing and how he doesn’t handle failure easily. It’s really hard to see him beat himself up like this. I know Asian communities can have an extremely high expectation of success from their children. Stephenie sees this vote as yet another opportunity to manipulate an outsider. She meets with Jacob and easily gets him to spill information regarding his true advantage. This is the lady with the crazy hair and the rainbow colored tights is good. Really good.
We see the formation of groups before Tribal Council. We have the pretty clique of Brendan/Michael/Libby. We have floaters (better grab a life vest) in Stephenie/Jenna and then the rest are on the outside. Michael is the target of the bottom feeders, while the majority seeks to split votes between Jacob and James.
We get to Tribal Council, and Brendan’s instincts are telling him that Stephenie and Jenna are double crossing him. James says that he hates himself for losing the challenge. Jacob taunts how strong his relationships are with others, and that he’s been focusing on that despite being a neurotic person. Brendan says that the days of the strong being kept early on are over. He’s not wrong about that, but the vote ends up in his favor, because Jacob receives the majority of votes with James receiving 2 and Michael getting 1.
CHO’S TOP TAKEAWAYS
Ask the right questions!
In this episode, we saw two great instances of Survivors asking the right questions. The first with Brendan asking Jacob where his immunity idol note was to accompany his idol. Of course, Jacob couldn’t provide a note, but gave the excuse that he forgot it on Ghost Island. That was enough information to confirm that Jacob was not to be trusted. Brendan has proven to be very perceptive. Additionally, Chris asked Domenik point blank if he had the idol. Because this is such an aggressive question to ask, it caught Domenik off guard which led him to making a stupid mistake of returning to Chris with a fake idol. In Survivor, you usually see people just nodding and listening, but sometimes it’s important to ask the right question.
Stephanie’s Eagerness To Play
Stephanie is definitely playing an opportunistic game. In both Tribal Councils, she flirted with the idea of aggressively saving a player that was disenfranchised. In the first case, she saved Donathan from Gonzales’ sights. In the second instance, she aligned herself with Jacob just enough to gain all the information she could before dispatching of him. What a scammer. She’s definitely a power player that I enjoy watching as of right now.
Revisiting The Past
I can’t be the only one that is instantly in love with all the flashbacks that we’re getting to past season contestants and the horrible mistakes they made! The way they have designed ghost Island is pretty stellar. I tend to love when they isolate players on islands. Think of Exile and Redemption Islands of past. So far how does this one compare? What are your thoughts on the theme this season and how they’re incorporating them?
Donathan From The Great State of Kentucky
I am loving Donathan’s character so far. I don’t think it’s an understatement to say he’s a fish out of water, but I’m definitely rooting for him to have as many personal victories as possible while he’s on the show. From meeting people of different walks to trying things he never thought he would, I think he has the potential to dramatically change his level of confidence. That being said, if the premiere is any indicator of what’s to come, he won’t have an easy time.
Jeff’s Dermatologist Is Amazing
Can someone refer me to Jeff Probst’ dermatologist? He’s look great this season. He looks great every season. It’s been 18 years. I forget how old he is, but he gets good work done obviously, and I’m watching the show in HD!
There’s so much more we can talk about, but that’s it for me y’all! Do check out my twitter for my LIVE-reactions every Wednesday in addition to my recaps here on the site. What did you think about the premiere? Were you happy with Gonzales and Jacob being voted off? Did I leave out any particular moments that you want to highlight? If so, do comment below so that we can discuss it all!
I was happy with both votes. Donothan deserves at least a few more episodes to ‘grow’, plus he’s fun to watch. Like rooting for the under dog. I REALLY want to know what Gonzales said though to make everyone blindside her!
Thanks for the comment Angela. I was very happy with the outcomes as well. Editing did a poor job of explaining Gonzales’ boot. What they showed us was her snapping at Donathan at the challenge, but that was really it. I think it’s simple though: she didn’t bond with the girls, and some (Stephanie), felt threatened by that enough to spear head her vote.
gotta admit though, her whispering in everyone’s ear EXCEPT for Donathan’s came across as a bitchy thing to do especially when it’s juxtaposed with Donathan meekly sitting alone not talking to anyone…
Lol, it’s almost 4:00p.m. and the cable just updated On Demand.
So I guess tomorrow I’ll read the recap.
Sorry, I’m looking forward to watching and reading. ?
My cable had to update for like a minute during a commercial. I was LIVID! hahah
Gonzales was a bitch. Plain and simple. I kind of hated to see Jacob go. I like the awkward superfans crapping their pants and they need to stay a few episodes before I decide whether I’m ready for them to go.
I love Donathan’s growth on the show already. However, if it comes down to some of favorites or Donathan, he can go right back to Kentucky.
Is Michael, Mike the 18 year old? I don’t want him in the pretty alliance. That puts a target on his back. He needs a few males on his side that have some skills but are not threats.
I like Stephanie a lot, and I also like James who is too hard on himself. That is the Asainy guy right? Because DAMN HE IS HOT. I was worried we were going to lose him in the second tribal.
I probably have more to say, it’s just things are busy here.
Gonzales was definitely bitchy. I was looking forward to her lasting longer though. Michael is the 18 year old real estate trying to jump start his career in Hollywood. He’s cute. Luckily his pretty squad will be broken up in the switch. He’ll have to depend on other relationships.
omg yes James is sooooo hot. He’s from South Korea. I’m glad you’re liking Stephanie with the crazy hair and colors!
No need to liquor up the contestants in order for them to spill their guts. Talk about no interior monologue. Thanks for the recap. My neighbor and I have a wager each episode to see who gets the boot.
People who go on reality tv show have no problem talking about themselves. How did you and your neighbor do this first episodes?!
So far I’m a Donothan and James fan for sure. Also liked the furniture maker guy. Forgot his name but liked his personality.
You’re talking about Wendell. I wonder how many crabs he’s caught in his trap! Yes, he seems really cool so far. In fact, when he said he liked Domenick, it made me hate Domenick a bit less.
Brendan teaches at the middle school that my son attended. Apparently he’s a really good guy.
I am thinking Stephanie will go far. She is playing the game hard. Donathan is a sweetie. Sorry Domenik and Jacob, no one is falling for the fake idol trick anymore.
I too felt like I missed something about the Gonzales storyline, although you could tell she was annoying.
Omg what a small world. From what I’ve read about him, he is simply a super dad and literally the best human being in the world. It will be interesting seeing him challenged. Will he always be a good guy and perfect example for others this season?
Yeah, Domenick and Jacob’s fake idols were trash. It’s season 36. We are better than that.
I think Gonzales simply wasn’t socializing enough with the girls and got way too comfortable in her self-perceived strength.
wow it does not pay to stand out in this game. Poor Jacob played way too hard from the gate, but they were targeting him from the beginning. It is like middle school. I love Donathan and James, great recap!
Well, they were targeting him from the beginning because right off the bat he started searching for an idol instead of bonding with his tribe. It seems like he forced himself into playing too hard too soon. He should have taken Donathan’s approach which was to attempt to socialize and make himself useful to others (like Stephanie for example).
I love love LOVE James so far!
Thanks Cho. ?
I wish Jacob wouldn’t have thought he could will things to happen, lol. I wish he stayed.
Donathan, yay, I love him.
Physical education teacher, don’t care for.
I’m sure it will be okay watching, because superfans actually help explaining, along with Jeff, along with Cho, along with commenters. I really enjoyed it.
Jacob was definitely entertaining. I wish he didn’t burn out so quick. He forced himself to overplay by making some critical mistakes on day 1.
Thank you for your first impressions! What did you dislike about hot P.E. teacher?! lol
I’m so happy to have you along for the ride, Cheryl!
I’m old enough that hot has to be waayy younger, lol.
He was making too many facial expressions as if he expected all others to know what he meant. Just a pet peeve, too cool for school attitude. ??
Omg you noticed too. So yes, his facial expressions are very… EXPRESSIVE for lack of a better word. Seeing him at both tribal councils was pretty hilarious. He definitely knows how to put a stank face on.
So I guess Sebastien is more your type? I love his shorts. I need to know where to purchase them.
Eeewwwwww. Not Sebastian or the model. The Asian who forgot how to swim, lol.
omg I’m OBSESSED with Sebastien. He has such a weirdly cute face and body. James is also pretty delicious and as Donathan so affectionately described: “exotic”. LOL
I did feel so bad for James for his poor challenge performance. I hope he ends up recovering socially from that. I’m rooting for him.
I think this season is going to be super fun. I already am having a blast, thanks Cho.
Well that was an interesting first 2 hours. I, as usual, have a little different take on a couple of the contestants. I have a friend who is into Survivor and has seen all the prior season’s ( she knows Bobby as well) we often text each other during the episode. We both instantly disliked Gonzalez, she came off bitchy and assigned herself way more importance within the tribe than she deserved. That stunt at tribal where she went around verifying who everyone was voting for smacked of someone who’s self importance had got the better of her. It is way too early in the season to be whispering in people’s ears.
So far, I really like Donathan, I hope he can bond with someone (Laurel?) who will guide him through the social part of the game. It worked for Lydia in Guatemala, she made it to 4th place and even though she was not a very sympathetic character. Wasn’t she a “fish monger?
I do not dislike Dominick as much as others, I agree he played way too hard, but he has a good heart. Chris on the other hand is way too “(un)sure” of himself. For him to automatically assume Dominick was gunning for him smacks of insecurity. His vibe seemed kind of sanctimonious to me, a couple of times he referred to himself as “the leader” after that first challenge.He was picked for a one off for the first challenge. He is a legend in his own mind. IMHO he needs to go ASAP! I don’t think the fake idol with the real note is all that bad, it could easily lead to a blindside of say, Chris?
I am going to miss Jacob, I tend to not like pile-ups on one person that early in the game, unless they are asses, like Allen last season. I mean everyone saw Ben win due to idols, I’d look for them also, we know everyone else wants to, they just haven’t snuck off yet. I thought Jacob could have been entertaining. Brendan is a sharp one, not much will get past him.
So far I love what I’ve seen of the Ghost Island twist. I think that little wall where they walk in and smash the urns was set up prior to the start of the game, some urns have an advantage some don’t, at least that is my take on it.
After last season, I have idol fatigue it is way too easy to locate an idol. It looks fake….
Thank you for your reply. I can definitely agree with your assessment of Gonzales. It’s actually spot-on. It was way too early for her to be as extra as she was at Tribal Council.
It definitely worked for Lydia in Guatemala. That’s an underrated season btw! One of my favorites. I see Donathan eventually getting into a tight alliance with one person and sticking to it. I definitely can imagine Laurel or even James teaming up with him.
Your take on Domenick is interesting. You may be right that he has a good heart, but I’m going to wait and see with him. For me, it helps that Wendell likes him so far, but that’s his only saving grace! lol Chris thinks he’s a legend already. Justice will serve him eventually. In terms of the fake idol, I’m unsure. I think it gave Chris more influence than Domenick. Now, Chris can rat Domenick out to the others (if he hasn’t already told his allies) which would shed some distrust. We’ll see how it works out in a switch situation.
Who are you looking forward to most right now?
BTW I forgot to thank you for you’re recap, I love this show, with TT having so many other shows to cover, its nice to have a dedicated Survivor guru.
After I posted the above, I went to EW and scanned their recap (it was 7 pgs. long), Dalton Ross (one of their writers) is a huge Survivor fan. They have been out to the set more than once and have a deal with Jeff to give an interview after each episode. He asked Jeff who impressed him and who surprised him in those 1st six days, this is what he said:
“First six days… okay. Michael really stood out to me as a very confident young man. He’s 18 years old, pretending to be 23, and he is showing early that he has a great head on his shoulders. Really impressed. I think Stephanie, the single mom, is also showing she is there to play and play hard as evidenced by the great job she did on Jacob. And early on, Domenick is as good as we hoped he would be. But let me say… we are just getting started. There are some great people that we haven’t even heard from yet. The showdowns start early in Survivor: Ghost Island.”
To answer you’re question, I love me some showdowns!!!!
BTW the first live finale I went to was when Natalie (the twin) won. That was one of the best seasons of Survivor in recent years, she played the last 10 days of that game flawlessly!
I want to see more of that type of play.
Yes, TT is very busy, but don’t forget, she is kind of a Survivor Superfan as well. She’s just in the closet about it. Ooops, I didn’t mean to EXPOSE you, TT! **cowers**
I love Dalton Ross. He’s been a Survivor contributor for EW for some time now. He’s a big force in the industry and gets lots of access to the Survivors. I was also impressed by Michael being involved in the important discussions, but him being targeted early on never bodes well.
Omg I’m so happy you mentioned Natalie. Her season is so underrated and so is her win. There were some great characters from that season. Jaclyn, Kelly Wentworth, Missy, Keith, Natalie, Jeremy and a host of others were introduced here. I do think Jaclyn gets overlooked a bit despite being a great character.
Heh. I may know a thing or three about Survivor. I hung up my fanatical spoiling cap many years ago and now I just like to watch it like the normals.
I’m thrilled to have Cho here doing these posts. He’s the best!
I felt bad for Jacob wearing his shirt and all the entire time. He must have been so hot. I’ll miss him.
Omg that’s true. That and the hair; I’m sure he was very hot! Well, he didn’t stay on long enough to lose some weight. It’s amazing how much you can lose while starving yourself on a reality TV show.
He was definitely quirky and would have been fun to watch. Despite his poor playing, he was definitely a treat.