Survivor 46 has officially begun! I thought this was a great premiere and I’m excited to blog about the season! Let’s dive into the episode.
Wild Extroverts and Awkward Introverts Shine
Heading into the season, I had a worry that there would be a backstory heavy focus on this cast given the trailers and the type of stories all these castaways seemed to have. While the episode did focus on people’s stories, I thought it was done in a refreshing way… after the opening crawl there was basically no reliance on these backstory photo montages that the show has favored in past seasons. Instead, Survivor let the castaways speak for themselves and it resulted in a very dynamic premiere.
A big reason for that must be how much of an open book this cast has been right from the jump. There are certainly some wacky extroverts among the castaways this season. I have to start with the two hyper dudes Bhanu and Ben. Whatever the positive version of insanity is (I guess crackhead energy), this man Bhanu has it. Ben brings it in a different way as a man who plays exactly the rock and roll zen stereotype you’d assume he would be. Both these men seemed borderline insane on their respective beaches but because they give off more “ray of sunshine” than black hole of destruction, they haven’t turned everyone off to them. Another ray of sunshine was Soda, whose positive enthusiasm and camp counselor energy got her a lot of screen time and I think we were better off for it, as her brand of happy energy feels more organic than a carefully crafted mantra.
Amongst the crazy personalities, Survivor made sure to give the quiet introverts some time to shine. Hunter’s anti-camp song agenda and general country boy awkwardness did not stop him from getting the spotlight. Moriah got to beat the nerd allegations by connecting early with the non-nerd ladies in her tribe and sit firmly in the center of a strong alliance. The only person whose introverted nature really got the best of was Jess. She got in her head too much on day one, and then lack of sleep turned her even ditsier and loopier than she normally is. It was the good kind of funny to watch play out (not the embarrassing kind like a certain tribemate of hers) and I really hope she can find her footing in the game after this first tribal council.
Hey, all in all I found myself enjoying this cast a lot after one episode. I hope the momentum carries forward.
The Strategies are Cooking Right Out the Gate
The kumbaya arrival dynamics ended quickly in Survivor 46. Just after one episode we have a pretty good idea of the early hierarchies in each tribe.
Siga, aka the green tribe, has the most straightforward alliance breakdown: it’s basically girls vs boys, with the girls holding more power. The trio of Moriah, Maria, and Jem all connected early and agreed to ride out the tribal portion of the game together. They recruited Charlie, the Swiftie of Survivor 46, to be their tiebreaker and with Maria’s extra vote there is little resistance that can be put up by boys-on-the-outs Tim and Ben.
The dynamics in Nami, aka the orange tribe, are a bit more complex… Tevin has come out the gates as a strong player as he aligned himself with Hunter and Soda in a threesome that looks to be the safest among the tribe. Venus looks like a true wildcard who has already been gripped by Survivor paranoia. She has made it very clear that she is not here for the friends and only for the victory by blatantly searching for an idol and then conducting a full scale attack against Randen the second she hears that he is saying her name as a threat to send home. At the pace we are going, signs point to Venus getting even more chaotic and desperate.
An early frontrunner emerged from Yanu, aka the purple tribe, in Kenzie the salon owner. Within a day she had brokered an alliance with everybody in her tribe except Jess, and by day three was only referring to Tiffany as a true ally and everyone else as her “numbers”. Kenzie probably deserves to act this confident for now because it is impressive how quickly she amassed her majority alliance. But the pace at which she has started cannot be maintained unless she decides to take things easy in the future. Tiffany and Q both look to be threatening players and the vibes of this Vanu tribe teeter on the edge of messy from observing their pre-tribal council scramble.
Jelinsky’s Painful Comedy of Errors
You’d think we’d get a break from embarrassing first boots from the treasure trove of awful first impressions the Lulu tribe gave us last season. But Jelinsky said hold my beer: it’s time for me to become a Survivor legend, though not in the way he intended. From start to finish Jelinsky, in his efforts to look like a dope Survivor character, punched his ticket for first boot. He first opts to do the sweat task with Q, but after an hour of hard manual labor with little to show for it, Jelinsky tells Q that he’s going to quit the task and that he should do the same. Jelinsky stops the clock, channeling his inner Erika and smashing the hourglass with gusto so he could look cool on camera. The sacrifice of “looking cool” is losing the initial respect Q had for him, probably something he should value more.
Then a boat shows up to camp, and everyone knows it’s going to be a journey for a chance at an advantage. Jelinsky pounces on the chance so loudly that no one else can really get a word in, and he leaves to play a game of chance with Tevin and Maria. The game requires him to lie to get an advantage… and his play is to tell Maria he’s not lying for about 2 minutes, and then when pressed he immediately crumbles and gives away his vote. How I wrote it here is not as embarrassing as it was in the episode… Jelinsky looked utterly incompetent here. But it’s all good, he was able to get off his “hold em, fold em, walk away” line he’s been cooking up for weeks and he was confident enough to tell the truth to the tribe despite it making him look like a dweeb. Maybe he should have given lying a second try here.
The vote discussion ended up being a decision between Jelinsky and Jess. Jelinsky had pretty much done everything poorly, but because Jess had rubbed Queen Kenzie the wrong way on day one by not immediately agreeing to do whatever she said, Kenzie was vouching for Jelinsky around camp. In the end, Kenzie was talked off by Q and Tiffany, which results in the legend story being cut off before it started , and Jelinsky is sent home first in what was a very embarrassing single episode stint.
If Season 45 did not happen, then Jelinsky would have had the worst first boot performance in a very long time. He sits in the tier below those Survivor 45 goofs, and I kinda got Philippines Zane vibes from the performance where in your efforts to look strategic you just dig an enormous grave for yourself. I think Jelinsky should just be thankful that he didn’t have a rope ladder level event like Brandon did, and that he didn’t quit to go eat a cheeseburger and use a nicotine patch.
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The “She’s a Parvati” Award: Venus
One of the oldest tricks in the book was pulled by Randen in this episode. If you want to convince people to vote out the young, conventionally attractive lady on tribe… just say she’s a Parvati. What other castaway has had their name used hyperbolically so often to describe other castaways as a threat? Almost no one who gets called a Parvati actually lives up to the title.
Ironically, I would actually say that Kenzie is way more of a Parvati than Venus. Kenzie carried the flirty composure fitting of the Parvati moniker than Venus, who just seemed way too paranoid and gave off hard-nosed strategist vibes. I guess saying “She’s an Amanda” or “She’s an Abi-Maria” doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The Mafia Boss Award: Maria
Yeah, let’s make sure we give Maria her props for thinking of the perfect way to guarantee her summit journey would end in success. She thought to use intimidation and blackmail on a person she had correctly perceived would crumble if you put a little pressure on him and it worked perfectly.
Most Wishy-Washy: Bhanu
I can’t think of a castaway in the recent seasons that came into his first tribal council so morally conflicted and emotionally beaten up to the point where it was very noticeable on the screen. Buddy, this is tribal council number one… are you gonna get used to it or is your unshakable empathy going to make this a pain every time you have to vote?
Best Trend: Bringing Alliance Names Back
I’m all for the Big Brother-esque corny alliance names seeping into Survivor. We got a ton in this episode with the Tevin-Hunter “Archie Griffith Alliance” and the Siga ladies joking about their “Charlie’s Angels Alliance” with the Swiftie. I’m pretty sure Kenzie had multiple alliance names cooked up for each of her tribemates, and even Tim was trying to make the “Parenthood Alliance” happen with Maria. I am ALL for abolishing this utilitarian, insert tribe name and number of alliance members trend of nomenclature. Tika Three and Reba Four logically work… but it is certainly not as fun!
MVP of the Episode: Tevin
He was one of the castaways who came out of episode one looking like a strong player. But he was the only castaway to get to monologue the season’s opening crawl.
Goat of the Episode: Jelinsky
Yes, he made a lot of errors and was voted out first. But the icing on cake has to be how hard he was trying to be this iconic character or “Survivor Legend” as he called himself… multiple times… like, way too much. The spectacularity of the faceplant he took was made so much richer by that.
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PLAYER TIER LIST:
OUT OF THE GAME
18. Jelinsky
BOTTOM OF THE TOTEM POLE
17. Tim
I’m all for women empowerment, but a men’s alliance isn’t the answer here Tim. He found himself on the back foot very early on his tribe and unless Maria vouches for him, he’s an easy first vote for Siga.
16. Jess
She’s the logical next vote in Vanu… but I hold out hope. Her tribe looks to have a high amount of #bigmovez energy and I would not be shocked if in their next tribal council the power players start putting their targets on each other.
15. Liz
Tevin’s snarky comment about Liz bragging about her multiple businesses puts her on the “easy early vote” track in her tribe.
IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION
14. Randen
13. Venus
If Liz doesn’t go home first in Nami, then one of these two will because Venus seems hellbent on forcing the issue. Either Venus gets her way and Randen is sent home, or Venus does too much and seals her own fate. Venus probably makes friends easier in this tribe than the quieter Randen which gives her the slight advantage.
12. Ben
Just keep rockin out brother.
IN A GOOD SPOT FOR NOW
11. Bhanu
Safe in the majority right now, but has the least power and is probably the worst strategist of the four in Kenzie’s group.
10. Charlie (Swiftie)
9. Jem
8. Maria
7. Moriah
A bit too soon to say who benefits the most from this alliance right now… we need a tribal council to see who is the head of Charlie’s Angels in Siga. While Charlie is the swing vote, it looks like he is more set on the girls alliance which places him squarely in the fourth spot. Moriah is at the top for me based solely on her edit.
6. Q
I think it’s vital for Q to stay on Tiffany and Kenzie’s good side. He fits in the least in the four person Vanu alliance personality-wise, so he needs to emphasize his physical strength as something vital for the tribe moving forward.
IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
5. Soda
4. Hunter
3. Tevin
The power three in Nami. I would be shocked if one of them didn’t make the merge, and this isn’t even considering Nami’s challenge dominance that might allow them to cruise through the first half of the game.
2. Tiffany
1. Kenzie
Kenzie is socially central to her tribe, and her island BFF Tiffany has an idol. As long as they don’t abuse their influence, they call the shots in Vanu.
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Who goes home next in a season Jeff has called “the most vicious of the New Era”? And will I post in a more timely manner? Find out next week!