By Survivor Guest Correspondent Cho
So let’s be honest. I haven’t gone too in-depth on digging up dirt on the castaways this season as evidenced by my initial post, because the theme this season seems so lackluster, but the night is here where we see the premiere, and I am SOFA-KING EXCITED! If you’re new here, this is how it works: I will do a bare bones “Too Long Didn’t Watch” (TLDW) recap of each episode with minor commentary. Afterwards, I will give you all some of my biggest takeaways from the episode that I want to discuss in the comments with you all. Then, it’s your job to flood the comments with all of your thoughts! OK, let’s get into this double episode.
Too Long Didn’t Watch
Jeff let’s us know that the David tribe is all about overcoming obstacles and being the underdog. Christian the robotics guy encapsulates this obviously as well as Elisabeth from down south growing up with nothing. The Goliaths on the other hand have spent their lives “capitalizing on their assets”. Everything Natalie touches turns to gold, and she claims people have said they would take a bullet for her. Let’s see if anyone takes a bullet for her out there on the island. Right off the bat, I feel like Jeff would love to rig this season for a David to win. Wouldn’t that just make great story-telling sense?
On the boat, seeing the tribes stand next to each other really does put into perspective the David vs Goliath theme. Everyone on the Davids tribe seem really short. Nick is already living his dreams out being a lawyer and now being on Survivor. He remarks that David ended up becoming a king in the Bible after his battle with Goliath. John, the pro wrestler leans into his douchebaggery. Allison tries to soften the image that Jeff has already forced upon her Goliath tribe, but he asks Pat to give his sob story about living paycheck to paycheck. Jeff defines the theme at really identifying privilege.
We have our first reward of the game already. Jeff asks the Goliath tribe to pick the two weakest people from David, both female and male: they choose “Big Bang Theory” aka David and the purple-haired latina. Jeff then asks them to pick their strongest male and female: John and Allison. David will get the choice on which tasks they will complete throughout the relay race, giving them the ultimate advantage. As Lyrsa tells the Goliaths what challenges they will compete, Allison says with a cocky voice that they have this in the bag. Both tribes are SCREAMING as both pairs get over the bridge. The Davids blow the challenge out the of the water. Christian says he wrote algorithms for slider puzzles in college so it was easy.
The Goliath Tribe
Mike feels a bit weird being on a tribe with so many beautiful people but takes solace in knowing how successful of an actor and writer he is. Dan tells us his fat kid story and how he became motivated to change his lifestyle and career. I was really feeling him until he told us how in love he is with Cara after 2 minutes of meeting her. They’re officially doing the showmance thing, and I’m already less than impressed with both of them. Dan made it onto the wrong show: this isn’t The Bachelor. My mom hated the last season of that show by the way.
Natalie says she’s having trouble adjusting to working with the younger members of the tribe. By this, she means, it’s hard adjusting to working with people that aren’t her employees. Natalia lets us know that Natalie is barking orders at people and already putting a target on her back.
Mike decides to unwisely go look for an idol.. He thinks no one knows, which means everyone knows. Natalie goes to chastise him, and the entire tribe ponders on which of the two to get rid of first. Natalie is so blunt when she tells Mike he’s putting a target on his back that it makes me laugh. Mike’s impression of Natalie is equally hilarious.
The Goliath tribe is now collectively looking for the idol, which is obviously not great for tribe morale. Angelina brings up this hilarious stat about how women don’t typically find hidden immunity idols, so she’s leading the charge that a woman should find it. We get a montage of everyone looking, but Dan is the one who finds it. He shares it with both Cara and Natalia. He remarks that he found the idol with the most beautiful girls in the game.
The David Tribe
Gabby tells us that their tribe is scrappy, hardworking and will be more cohesive than the other tribe. They are immediately working on shelter. What a contrast to the Goliath tribe who we were shown to be really proud of how beautiful they look and how much money they make. Pat’s humor and off the cuff remarks are potentially rubbing people the wrong way, but Christian says people are dealing with it as long as he’s productive.
Alliances are quickly forming on the David tribe as Carl notices people pair up. Lyrsa tells us she’s connected to cowgirl Elisabeth despite being a punk rocker lesbian. We also see other alliances form: Christian and Gabby bond over being uber nerds; 19-year-old Jessica bonds with Carl who says she’s like a daughter. Nick is busy collecting sheep for his flock and has decided he’s going to name all of his alliances. He’d rather scheme and plot instead of do work at camp, but Carl notices this and lets Pat know he’s his first target.
Davie ends up catching an octopus which is so exciting! Have you guys had octopus or squid before? It’s actually really tasty. Davie admits to also being a huge nerd when it comes to cartoons and the zombie genre. It begins to heavily rain after dinner, and both Jessica and Bi share really traumatic stories, one about Jessica’s mom being abused and then Bi about her boyfriend beating her. Nick doesn’t feel comfortable opening up about his personal life, but ends up admitting later that his mom ended up overdosing on drugs. Everyone is crying, and I’m kind of shaken.
Immunity Challenge
Obviously, the first few challenges in each season are not too interesting. This is no different. It involves a relay race through some obstacles and ends with a puzzle. John the Pro Wrestler is an ASSHOLE as he blocks enemy tribemates and ties them up during the initial run. Carl falls behind quickly which gives Goliaths a huge lead. They’re on the puzzle and Dan is screaming at John to move the puzzle pieces. Carl is literally falling through this challenge. Allison is calling for Goliath while Christian calls for David. I don’t understand the puzzle, but the David tribe is working well together while the Goliath tribe is aggressively screaming at each other. Goliath ends up pulling through regardless with the win!
Pre-Tribal Council
After commercial break, we see a boat in the water with waves crashing, tides turning and all types of other DRAMATIC camera angles of the water. It’s pretty hilarious at first, but the screen blacks out and then comes back to Pat in a stretcher! I’m literally panicking as Pat cries about his back. The Aussie paramedics have surrounded him. Jeff comes onto the island and the doctor explains that Pat’s back was injured, possibly fractured, on the boat ride from the challenge. Pat is out of breath repeating that they can’t take him out of the game. Unfortunately, the doctor says they have to pull him from the game. Pat is crying saying this can’t be the way he leaves the game. This is heartbreaking. His tribe breaks down in tears as they surround him and say goodbye. Gabby cries from guild as she admits misjudging him, thinking he would be a bossy jerk. They all come together to honor Pat and what he brought to the game, especially their strong shelter.
Next Time On Survivor: Natalie is gonna drop napalm on her tribe and doesn’t care about being seen as aggressive. Lyrsa is targeted on David, and Christian appears as a leader no one saw coming.
Final Words: Pat says his injury was unfortunate but his health is more important than the game. We that after being admitted to the hospital that Pat makes a full recovery.
Cho’s Top Takeaways
David Versus Goliath As A Theme
So I’m actually a bit conflicted on how I feel about the theme this season. They really came out strong with painting the Goliath tribe in a negative light overall while attempting to set up the David tribe for viewer approval. I don’t buy it. As someone who has seen both sides of life: having privilege and having to fight through obstacles, I know the theme of David vs Goliath is not as black and white as Jeff would have us believe on the surface. That being said, they really used this theme to set up the stories of several characters this season. John the Pro Wrestler, CEO Natalie and Ex-Fattie Dan are the perfect representatives for Goliath while Cowgirl Elisabeth, Christian and Gabby turns out to be the perfect reps for David. What are your thoughts on the theme this season? Is it more complex than what they’re presenting or are you fine with suspension of disbelief and going with the flow of the story?
Who Would Have Went Home?
I was actually pretty excited to see who would have went home on the David tribe. There were a lot of alliances teased, and a few people stuck out as potentially being in trouble. Coincidentally or not, I think Pat would have found himself in a very scary position going into the first tribal council. Some people were turned off by his humor during the camp building which could have made him an easy target. On the other hand, Nick seemed to have ostracized himself due to his laziness around camp. Lastly, it’s undeniable that Carl failed in the first challenge and is the reason for why they lost. Who do you think would have went home and why?
Looking Forward To Story
I have to admit: I’m excited to see how they tell the stories of the cast this season. The theme is something I initially thought was super silly, but I’m actually looking forward to seeing how certain characters lean into their designated tribe status but also which characters are more dynamic and complex. Who are you looking forward to watching progress most so far?
The first post of the season is always a long one, so I’ll end it here! Let me know all of your thoughts in the comment section below. If you’re interested in following me on social media, be sure to check out my Instagram, Twitter and Twitch pages!
Please No Spoilers In Comments
Apologies to Cho for the delay in posting. It’s been a difficult week.
Pat was pretty aggressively bossy, but not in a sh*t way. They got an awesome shelter and worked as a team b/c of him. Poor guy..glad he’s ok. He looked bad and in serious pain. Nick is likely a weasel. Carl absolutely blew it for the challenge. I’m sure he breathed a sigh of relief there was no vote.
Hey Heebee! Is this your first time commenting on a Survivor post? If so, welcome to the forum! I agree with your assessment of Pat. I really wish we could have seen what he could do in the game. I was literally squirming when he was yelping in pain.
Nick is DEFINITELY a weasel. I’m shocked they showed him opening up, because as of right now, I could easily see him being painted as a villain if they wanted to.
I think Carl and Pat would have potentially been on the outside if it came down to a vote, but it’s hard to tell right now with little information.
Christian maybe should’ve kept his ‘algorithm slide puzzle’ knowledge to himself gor a bit ,or at least tell his team only.
Yes, I thought that too!
great minds think alike!
Literally what I thought. He should have simply kept volunteering for those types of challenges and killing it. Now everyone knows he’s the puzzle master which could work against him long term.
Thanks Cho for the recap. Haven’t watched yet, but it just doesn’t sound like Survivor. Hmmm, too soon after BB20?
I’m always confused (except for last season) until they thin out the crowd, lol. I forget who is who, so your recaps are super helpful. 🙂
Hey Cheryl! Thanks for your dedication to stopping by to check out my writing. It’s so appreciated!
I’m not sure what you mean. What were you expecting that you didn’t see in the premiere? I mean, the challenges weren’t crazy, and there also wasn’t a tribal council, which is weird. There was A LOT of character development. Usually, we get two people leaving in the premiere, but I like that they focused on introducing the characters and giving people screen time instead of shoehorn-ing (is this a word?) two tribal councils into one episode.
I’ll do my best to give some better pictures with names of everyone!
Thanks for recapping my favorite show, Cho! Great job??
I usually don’t care for all the character development in the first or second episodes but I found this episode (and most of the cast members) to be very compelling.
I think Jeff and the producers have it rigged for a David.
Thank you Naomi! I appreciate the support. I think they’re doing a great job at giving everyone a bit of screen time!
I agree Christian gave away his level of intelligence too soon in the game and I thought they all told to much personal stuff with each other way too soon. I think the lawyer needs to go sooner rather than later on the David tribe and hated the bully tactics used by Goliath in the challenge. I have watched every season and didn’t know they could do that unless it was one of the one on one challenges. I think Natalie will be the first to go on the Goliath tribe and I think Christian is over acting the nerd role, with the faces he makes and stuff like that.
Yeah, I thought it was weird that already on night 2 they are sharing all this personal information. I’m not really one to overshare, but I think you have to take into account the type of experience they’re having. I once did a report on the psychological effects that being on Survivor has on how people deal with stress. I imagine it is the perfect storm (no pun intended) to act as a counseling session.
Omg I was SHOCKED when Joe rampaged through the challenge and tied up the Davids. I also thought there was a strict no contact rule unless specified. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed!
Natalie definitely looks like someone who will leave very soon, but they’re going to milk her character as much as possible, because she’s definitely a CHARACTER so far!
Thank you so much for commenting! <3
Care to post a separate blog about your research on Survivor? We all love the show, we all appreciate your dedication to the show and its history, and I think we’d all read it.
I have to move tomorrow and won’t have internet until weds afternoon (dam u, century link!) but I look forward to reading whatever you post later on ❤️
Yes! I’m thinking about ideas for additional posts in between episodes. Stay tuned!
Cho- Great recap! I think as the season progresses and the tribes merge the produced moral of the season will be that there is a bit of David and Goliath in all of us. When Goliath falls he rises as David. Don’t get me wrong, I love a heart warming back story but where the heck is the male eye candy. I think Dan, the SWAT guy may have potential.
Kerry, I welcome your feedback as always! You’ve quickly become a fixture of the TT Survivor community, so thank you for coming back!
I agree with you. I’m sure Jeff will pour out lots of wisdom throughout the season on how the theme affects each character. I must admit that the first episode, Jeff seemed a bit soap-boxy.
And ugh you’re telling me. Alec didn’t get much screen time whatsoever, but I definitely noticed his ASS. Dan is really attractive, but I don’t like the fact that he wants to marry Cara 2 minutes into being on the island. His mentality and obsession over the females is a turnoff. And I’m not just saying that because I play for the other team!!
Cho- Dan is way to “thirsty” For day one of Survivor. Thank you for the warm welcome.
Great Recap, great premiere! Even though the theme was super cringe still had a lot of stand out moments from the newbies.
OMFG POODY?! I wonder if you and Tamara Tattles know each other from Sucks. You probably do actually. Thank you so much for commenting. I really appreciate it. You’re the best. <3 <3
On to the actual comment, yes I was pretty iffy about the theme, but I think I was left with a better impression than I originally had. I'll give it another few episodes before I really decide my feelings.
I thought it was pretty well-edited and gave us a lot of screentime for a variety of players. I always appreciate that!
Provost needs to dial the David vs Goliath philosophical monologues. But he won’t which is why I hate/Love him. 🙂
Our fam picks during the opening boat ride. I have Nick. 🙁
This was a well put together 1st episode. We thoroughly enjoyed. Love and agree with your recap Cho!
omg Aud you’re telling me. I felt like Jeff was totally preaching throughout the episode. He’s such a drama queen and I also have a love/hate mostly love relationship with him. lol
I’m so sorry you chose Nick. He did get a COMPLEX edit in the first episode. Whether you think he’s a weasel or someone who just needs to open up emotionally to others, I think he has some staying power in him. I’m excited to see jis journey.
I appreciate you commenting Aud. Please do come back again. I love talking about Survivor with you all.
I have been looking forward to this season and this concept SO much! I am rooting for the underdogs, exactly like Jeff obviously wants me to do, and I don’t care that I’m being emotionally manipulated. Gabby is my favorite at this point, but any David winner will do. The character development is just what this show needed!
Lyri thank you for commenting. I don’t recognize you from the previous Survivor post so WELCOME to the club! <3
You and I are one in the same. I'm totally using my suspension of disbelief and just going with the flow and eating the edits up. I find Survivor to be that much more enjoyable when I do that. haha Gabby was super duper cute, and I'm excited to see how she does. I thought the Goliaths looked like bullies (when they first saw the Davids and during the immunity challenge) and really superficial (all the talk of Dan being a former fatty and how obsessed he is with girls now.
I think it helped [unfortunately] that they didn't try to squeeze two rounds into the first episode. That way we really got an indepth look into the characters!
I hope you stick around and comment this season!
It’s been a helluva week around here and I was waiting until I had time to comment on this. First of all, I TOLD YOU SO ABOUT NATALIE. She’s awful.
I loved this episode. I really like Christian but I wish he would not have announced that he is a genius puzzle designer of epic proportions and just said he likes to do puzzles in his spare time and is kind of good at them. He needs to get the Big Bang Theory moniker off his back.
I also liked Mike the screenwriter. I hope they forget about him searching for the idol since they all did it. Dan is an idiot. I hate people who can’t keep their mouth shut about finding an idol. It’s not a group sport.
I was really irritated by the “game talk” from Team Goliath on the boat openly insulting the other team with unnecessary derision. Production’s plan of making hope that half he Goliath team dies in a fire is working for me. No offense, Mike Skupin. OMG! When I went to find out how to spell Skupin, the first guy to ever be medically evacuated after falling hands first into a fire, I found this article! https://people.com/crime/survivors-michael-skupin-sentenced-child-pornography/
The father of five went to prison for 11 counts of child pornography and ripping people off in some sort of a charity scheme. I had no idea! I used to sleuth for Survivor back then and was the first person to discover his burned hands after he returned from the show. Sleuths like us are the reason they started sequestering the evicted players on Ponderosa after they were voted off.
As for who would have gone home? I’m not sure. But I think Angela is a goner on Goliath. Guys can be assholes for the first few evictions and are kept around for physical strength, but Angela is older, annoying and a bossy bitch (not the boss bitch she thinks she is.).
I’d like to see Mike and Christian go far. Sorry, Mike and Christian, my endorsement is the kiss of death on this show. As for who I would “hook up” with? Probably Davie. A girl like to eat and he looks like he’d be a good cuddler on long rainy nights.
MY reply is below! Ooops! haha
Omg Natalie is absolutely awful but I find her to be so funny, because I know she’s not trying to be an asshole, she just naturally is! LOL
I forgot about how much I like Mike. I like that he is self aware of his situation and that he’s quickly learning from his mistakes. I hope he’s able to slither through these first few rounds, because I think he unfortunately made an easy target out of himself.
I do think Christian will have the ability to stick around due to his puzzle strength. That can really carry you in the early rounds due to how critical puzzles are for a lot of the challenges these days.
omg don’t even talk of Skupin. He has totally ruined his Survivor character. I can’t even stomach thinking about how disgusting he is. You never know with people unfortunately. It’s sickening.
This was a good episode! Great, well excellent recap Cho! Okay so here goes my thoughts so far;
John- oh man, really?? I did like when he recited his wrestler names
Christian- he’s something, idk tho, it’s like he’s too confident to be nerdy
Mike- my bf kept saying “I know that guy from something “ turns out he is!
Dan— seriously?? Beautiful girls?. Not even trying to hide the idol?
Nick- okay when he told his sob story then it cut to his TH I really expected him to Johnny Bravo it…. but it was real!!! Ugh, still on the fence w/him
That water scene after the break I rewound it bc it seemed so random! Jeez that sucks for Pat, especially bc for me I thought he’d become the lovable brute.
Hey Liz! Thank you for your comments! I’ll respond in similar fashion!
John – lol YES REALLY! We have a built-in character with him being a Pro Wrestler. I used to watch WWF when I was younger. I should do some research for you guys and watch some of his scenes and report back! haha
Christian – I think there’s this misconception about nerds that say they have to lack in confidence. Sure, that is one way to think of “a nerd”, but really at its core, a nerd is just someone that is REALLY into the weird things that most people aren’t into. At least that’s the way I think about it. They’re actually super confident about the things they are into. In this case, puzzles apparently! LOL
Mike – he’s like some actor, director writer guy! I don’t watch a lot of movies or TV, but he was also on Amazing Race.
Dan- he’s an idiot. He will be blindsided in glorious fashion.
Nick – I actually thought the same. They gave him a really complex first episode. Is he a weasel or should we be rooting for his growth in the game? Maybe a mixture of both?
Wait! Mike was on TAR? I knew he looked familiar but it is very odd to go from TAR to Survivor although people do occasionally go from Survivor to TAR.
I was trying to catch up with site work during the part of the show where everyone was oversharing and crying. WTF was going on there? It’s the first dayum day! They were all acting like me when idiots force me to drink shots of tequila or let me drink spiced rum and coke! (I don’t drink much liquor for this reason).
In other news, It is the end of week three on the no alcohol liver vacation. HOW LONG WILL I GO? I feel like Thanksgiving will be a hard stop. That’s sort of the official beginning of champagne season!
Yes he was! It makes me actually want to go back and watch whatever season he was on. I wonder who his partner was and how they feel about him being on Survivor now.
First of all TT, the OFFICIAL season for champagne is from January 1st through December 31st. It’s a year-long occasion. But you’re right, people do start drinking it more around Thanksgiving. You should give it up then. I have Heather Dubrow levels of obsession with the bubbly. Prosecco is my top choice! Italians know how to make the bubbly. How are you feeling though? Do you feel like the vacation for your liver is helping?
Well to be honest. I was having some issues near my liver area. So I decided to stop drinking to see if it went away. Because if it is not my liver, it is a complication from a surgery and I’d much rather it be my liver screaming in pain from all the drinking. After three weeks, the jury is still out.
I haven’t lost weight, as I expected to, but my anxiety/panic attacks are much better.
TT- hope you and your liver are feeling better. Key an eye on your liver functions. The symptoms can sneak up on you quick. I was born with a liver disease and had a transplant about 10 years ago and I am still having major problems to this day. I’ve been in the hospital twice this month because of it.
oh wow I didn’t know you were going through such a situation. Well let’s hope it is indeed the alcohol. I’m glad some of the anxiety has decreased. Alcohol can be a trigger.
Off to Google Skupin…Ewwwwww! Altho’ I think I knew this and forgot.
I know right. Sickening. Thanks TT for the awful reminder!! haha
I somehow missed all of that news when it happened. Or like Aud, I may have just forgotten. Because, I literally can’t remember much of anything.
Mike White was on Amazing Race twice with his dad and is also good friends with Probst. He takes credit for convincing Probst to retire the Redemption Island twist. He wrote the movie and acted in School of Rock and wrote several other movies and TV shows. I find him smart and entertaining.
I actually love Mike so far. He’s familiar with how these shows work and makes it really entertaining. If he takes credit for Probst retiring Redemption Island, then we have a lot to thank him for already.
I know I’m late to the game but I have to brag on Mike White. He started his career at Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks, 2 shows known for edgy and sharp writing. He wrote and directed Chuck and Buck, the creepiest indie film I’ve ever seen. I refuse to rewatch it (ever ever) but I won’t deny Mike’s genius. His big commercial break came when the films he wrote for Jack Black exploded. He continues to work steadily but could probably live the rest of his life on School of Rock alone.
I was super excited when Mike was on Amazing Race but interestingly enough, his father, Mel, was the breakout star. Mel used to be a writer for the religious right until he came out in 1994. Now he’s everyone’s favorite gay dad. I’m sure he’ll pop up if Mike makes it to family visits.
Mike White will always be my #1 (regardless of CBS show) but he makes it difficult. He’s smart as a whip and knows how to play the game. But, if memory serves from Amazing Race, he fans out and makes stupid moves just for the experience. Like searching for immunity idols on the first day. Hopefully Mike can pull his game back, grab some great allies, and kick butt. I love that a former David in life has rightly earned a spot on the Goliath team.
Wow thank you so much for the background history on Mike. He’s definitely someone I have already grown affectionate towards, and now I have a bit better understanding of why! haha
That’s so poetic of you to say about him: a former David reaching Goliath status. I think that’s very true of him.