Survivor 47 Premiere Recap: A Post-Challenge Breakdown Jump-Starts the Season
It didn’t take long for the meltdowns to begin, but this time, it had nothing to do with Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken and Shrimp.
Survivor 47 premiered Wednesday, serving us both retreads and fresh spins on new era gameplay, along with one monster-sized runtime. But the episode’s crème de la crème came in the form of a post-challenge catastrophe that had the Gata tribe’s Andy spilling his guts like an erupting volcano.
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After collapsing in the sand from exhaustion and mostly recovering, Andy’s socially difficult childhood and the mental fatigue of the game (mind you, it was Day 3) caused his insecurities to get the best of him. He told not only Jeff, but everyone in the game that he knew his tribe didn’t like him (which was heartbreaking given the guy’s backstory, and probably not even true) and that he was already thinking about throwing his BFF Jon under the bus in order to stay. Whoa!
I’m going to go out on a limb and say he’s probably not the strategist he thinks he is. It’s hard not to feel for the guy, but no “strategist” or fan of this game would say or do something that bonkers unless he was trying to get himself voted out. Was it self-sabotage or just a moment of weakness? Either way, that performance was truly a head-scratcher.
Did Andy survive the first vote and what the heck else happened out there during those first three days? Let’s break down the premiere’s other major moments.
Meet the Cast of Survivor 47
SAYONARA, SWEAT AND SAVVY! | Gata wasn’t a disaster from the jump. The tribe actually won the very first challenge, earning them their meager camp supplies, and sending Lavo’s Aysha and Tuku’s TK on a journey to try to win their items. The catch? Only one of them could be successful. They trekked around an island to find four keys, and the first one to unlock the goods won them. It was refreshing to see the Sweat and Savvy tasks put to rest after six seasons. However, for Aysha and TK, they missed out on crucial early bonding moments with their tribes. TK at least delivered a pot, machete and flint to his tribe, but Aysha unfortunately went back empty-handed. Not a great first impression.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX? | TK’s arrival back to Tuku immediately spawned a bromance, but when Gabe found the beware advantage, he kept it to himself. (As he should’ve!) After following some directions, he found a locked box, but when he tracked down the key, TK quickly entered the chat, sneaking right on up to him as he was shaking the key off some vines. Whoops! Gabe sold a story that he just happened to find the key and had no idea where the beware advantage was. Later, when he circled back to unlock the box, he found… a box within the box!? (Pretty cheeky, Survivor gods.) He then had a choice: Take an idol that was good for one Tribal only or risk it for the biscuit and complete more tasks for a chance to earn a three-Tribal idol. He swung big and went for the gold.
I loved what came next: There was a third box inside the second box! A nesting doll nightmare! That idol would be good for a whopping five Tribal Councils. However, dude was exhausted, so he hedged his bets and kept the middle-tiered advantage. With an immunity challenge right around the corner, ya can’t blame the guy, especially considering how hard it must be to move around undetected.
Speaking of moving around undetected, Lavo’s Rome was also hard at work doing exactly that. He found the advantage and a scroll, and the next morning, continued his search. Aysha caught him in the act and while he went to stick half his body inside the water well (kinda gross) looking for a key, she ratted him out to the entire tribe. He got the key and likely an idol, but his tribemates are now suspicious of his shady behavior. WAS IT WORTH IT, ROME!?
AYSHA HAS A PODCAST, TOO! | Teeny pulled Aysha aside to tell her that she recognized her as one of the “Rob Has a Podcast” co-hosts. However, Teeny claimed she didn’t want to blow up her game; rather, she wanted to work with Aysha! Smart move on Teeny’s part? Or is she keeping this secret in her back pocket for later?
THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN | Back at camp, the three Gata women told Jon that they were going to float his name to Andy. Jon decided that he wanted to work with Andy after all, so they decided to pitch an Anika vote. But when they approached Sam about it, it only made Sam feel some kind of way about Jon’s smarts, which he then circled back and discussed with Anika, Sierra and Rachel.
At Tribal Council, Jeff clearly wanted to zero in on Andy’s theatrics. Andy talked about growing up “on the outside,” and how he thought he had changed but seemed to have reverted back to his old self once he found himself in an unsettling social situation. His tribe empathized with his struggles, but seemed unsure if he could recover. (We’ve seen it happen before. Remember Emily Flippen from Season 45?) Regardless, they decided to give him another shot. Not because they trusted his stability, but because they needed his strength for challenges. Unfortunately for Jon, that made him the first person voted out of Survivor 47.
What did you think of the Season 47 premiere? Grade the episode below, then light up those comments!
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