Hit in the Feels with Survivor 48 Premiere
One Bond to Rule Them All (Maybe)
Survivor is back with the premiere of Survivor 48 – and thank goodness! We’re in need of watching our favorite reality TV show where castaways have to find a way to adapt to their new surroundings, become a team with strangers, and try to make decisions that best help them move forward in the game.
Survivor 48 starts with a bang, and, unfortunately, that means Kevin’s shoulder. During the first challenge where each team is competing for supplies, Kevin seriously injurs his shoulder. Word on “the street” (via Mike Bloom) is that he dislocated it, blacked out from the pain, and had to have it popped back in. Yikes!
Tribes, Supplies, & Not So Many Lies
Each of the three tribes, Civa (orange), Vula (green), and Lagi (purple), received a decent amount of airtime in the two-hour Survivor 48 premiere. Right out of the gate, we see how different life challenges do not stop people from pushing through and becoming an island castaway. Mitch (from Civa) openly talks about his speech impediment during the opening sequence where each tribe is introduced.
On the flip side, Eva (from Lagi) forms a tight bond with Joe early. Not only did she play men’s hockey at Georgia Tech, which highlights her physical capabilities, she reveals to Joe about her autism. It’s clear their bond is genuine from the start. Joe is a Fire Captain, so taking people under his wing might be a natural thing; however, he also talks about his own kids – and it’s clear how important being on Survivor is to him. Yet, his close bond with Eva earns him her trust in sharing her personal life information.
Joe is impacted by this news and lets her know he’s honored to know that. And, you know what? It’s as genuine of a moment as you’ll ever see on the show, so the Survivor 48 premiere starts off with an emotional gut punch. He goes on to say in confessional, “Even if it hurts my game…I'm not gonna let her down.” It’s such an incredibly powerful moment where rooting for these two seems impossible not to do.
“I’m so thankful that Eva was so honest with me. This is bigger than the game now and transcended it in a way that changed everything. What if my daughter was here in that situation? I have made a decision. She’s with me. I got her…She came to the right person, 100%. It was, you know, that was meant to be, so, even if, you know, whatever comes of that or why that happened, I’m not gonna let her down. So, even if it hurts my game or whatever, if I got to go home early, I'm not gonna let her down.” -Joe Hunter, Lagi
Going back to openly discussing things, David (from Civa) starts noticing different animal symbols throughout camp. From the paddles to trees, there are a variety of animals painted everywhere. He’s initially with Mitch when he finds some twine wrapped around a branch near a symbol, so he unties it to find a letter. Instead of keeping it between the two of them, he tells the entire tribe. Rather than building a shelter or trying to make a fire, the group goes out into the jungle in search of more clues.
Back to that opening challenge, Lagi did win, which earned them supplies in the form of a machete, pot, and flint. After losing, Civa and Vula were given a chance to earn those same supplies by sending one person from each team to compete in a one-on-one challenge. They picked Kyle and Kevin.
They had to follow and uncover a rope buried in the sand, leading to a machete and coconut. Open the coconut to find a key to unlock the machete. Next, find a way to remove a handled pot from a tall piece of bamboo. Then, use that pot to fill a water jug that when full floats a key to the surface of said jug.
Kyle started on the water jug station first, but ultimately ended up breaking the glass jar by hitting it too hard with the metal pot. Despite this automatic defeat, he used his pot to help Kevin fill up his. Talk about good sportsmanship! Although he did come home empty handed to his tribe, it does appear they believed his story. Plus, he has a solid ally in the future should they find themselves on the same tribe or merged later in the season.
The Survivor 48 Premiere Immunity Challenge & Vote Out
The team immunity challenge included various stages that focused around a very heavy wooden cart. They had to slide this heavy cart (without wheels) across an elevated track before then having to lift it over a series of beanbag obstacles. Then they had to push this cart up a steep platform, while using a rope to pull from the top. By the end, two people had to put together a big puzzle that looks like the Survivor 48 logo.
You would think it’s too early to not be surprised that a team won a challenge. But, Lagi won the first of two immunity idols, and it didn’t seem surprising at all. They crushed the initial challenge, and they were leading the charge for immunity as well. Now, the battle for second place is another story. Vula was in a good spot ahead of Civa, but the last handful of puzzle pieces were not fitting. Their puzzle pieces were not flush against one another, which made it look like it might topple over at any moment.
Civa used these struggles to slowly work it through and finally place the last piece in, earning them immunity. Now, what seems obvious to the viewers at home: Sai found a “Beware Advantage” earlier in the episode and was able to decipher the clues (with an assist from Cedrek) to unlock a hidden immunity idol. So, when Vula loses, it would seem Sai is safe.
Sai, Cedrek, Kevin, and Justin had previously formed a four-player alliance. Well, actually, Kevin and Justin also formed an alliance with Stephanie and Mary. Uh oh. Which way will the wind blow? After the constant mishaps of players being voted out with an idol in their pockets during Survivor 46, it would seem like players would not want to miss out on playing their idol. She did not.
Despite the chatter of getting Sai out, the majority of the group voted for Stephanie. Mary did vote for Sai, while Stephanie unsuccessfully played her “Shot in the Dark.” It’s safe to say, the Vula tribe is four strong with one player on the outs. If we know anything about Survivor, it’s not always what it seems.
The Survivor 48 premiere is a solid episode. Getting to know the castaways and watching some very personal moments gives us a reason to be clamoring for more. I know I’m ready! Oh, as for a winner pick, let’s go for Joe. He’s willing to put his game on the line for another person, so maybe that means others will do the same.
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