Survivor
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The best thing I heard all day was the sweet voice of Jeff Probst saying, Come on in!
(Hes dropped the word, guys.
More on that later.)
Suddenly, I know the feeling of serotonin coursing through my body becauseSurvivoris back.
Its been a long 16 months without it.
In true reality-TV fashion,Survivorgot some work done in the off-season.
Theyve also shortened time on the island from the standard 39 days of competition down to26.
This comes as the show is experiencing a renaissance thanks tobinge-viewing in the pandemic.
There are endlessSurvivorpodcasts, and celebrities like actressRachel Brosnahanhave come out as superfans of the show.
All of this to say, a lot is riding on this return.
Thankfully, it mostly delivered.
We start with Probst on a forest path in Fiji.
(Its so good to see him in his standardSurvivor-branded dad cap and cargo shirt again!)
and tells us he just wants to have fun.
His version of fun seems to mean new twists and advantages.
(That is not my version ofSurvivorfun.)
But enough about Probst, though its exciting to see him so excited to be back.
Lets meet the new players.
I had chills seeing the contestants.
Its a delight to meet a fresh group of faces and not one returning player.
There are some initial standouts among our usual cohort of beautiful people, former athletes, and college students.
On the Ua tribe, we meetJD, a college student from Oklahoma.
At Luvu, we haveNaseer, a sales manager in California, who claimsSurvivorhelped him learn English.
We meet the contestants on a barge at their first team challenge.
Ua wins in a blowout because Luvu never unclipped their rowboat, and Yase couldnt find all six paddles.
Look, were all struggling with the basics after a year in the pandemic.
I have a little sympathy for the losing teams.
Meanwhile, the other two tribes quickly tackle their losers challenge for tribe supplies.
Both teams chose to sweat and complete their task within the allotted four hours.
Little of it registers as important.
Suddenly, a boat arrives with a note for the tribes.
Each must send a player on an undisclosed trip.
Ua draws rocks, and JD is the odd man out.
Finally,Danny, an ex-NFL player in Texas, goes for Luvu because no one else wants to.
They all meet up on a new island and must go on a trek together.
Its giving mandatory summer camp bonding time.
After arriving at the top of the mountain, they must individually choose between protecting or risking their vote.
Each decision comes with benefits and drawbacks that are hard to remember.
Lets just head straight there.
Im proud of Ricard for saying something, and so is Probst.
He admits he wanted to remove the word and will now simply say, Come on in.
Probst seems more energized than he has in a few years.
The rest of the episode is largely standard.
The losing two tribes head to tribal council.
So, naturally, Tiffany guns for Abraham.
Tiffany wins the duel, and Abraham is the first of the season to go home.
She feels shes going home for a poor performance in the puzzle.
The target mightve moved to JD … or is it Ricard … and now maybe Brad?
Turns out Saras instinct was right, and shes voted out.
Im a little worried.
Survivorlives or dies by the castaways.
Its them, not the twist and turns, that make the episodes fun and dramatic.
A good season lets the castaways create the drama themselves, not in response to wonky rules.
Still, it felt good to seeSurvivoron the screen again.
The game is on, and I couldnt be happier!
