Television’s longtime favorite reality competition series “Survivor” returned with a bang on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The episode, titled “LIVIN,” introduced eighteen new castaways to the game of “Survivor” in its now permanent location of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.
The episode begins with host Jeff Probst introducing the 26-day adventure with a commentary on what the game of “Survivor” is: strangers helping each other to build a society and strategizing on who they will eliminate once they attend tribal council – where players’ torches are snuffed after they’ve been voted out of the game.
Probst makes a lot of banter with the new players, asking them about their lives outside of the game and what it means to them to play. It’s good to see Probst interacting with the castaways on a personal level, adding a much-needed human element to the game after a string of seasons that were hyperfocused on the new twists and advantages the show was throwing the players’ way.
Ultimately, the game of “Survivor” has proven itself to be social and about building relationships, which is what this premiere episode focuses on.
The episode continues with an exhilarating reward challenge in which the three tribes, which are named Vesi, Coco and Baka, compete against each other to earn the basic camp supplies they will need to survive. The challenge was an incredibly close call, but in the end, the red-wearing Vesi tribe came out victorious and earned their supplies.
The other two tribes were forced to try and earn their supplies in a different way, in a game called “Savvy or Sweat.” If players chose the “Savvy” option, they would be given one chance to attempt to solve a brain teaser involving rearranging bones to make a certain numbered combination. If “Sweat” was selected, two members of the tribe would dig through a large square in the sand to find their supplies under a four-hour time constraint.
The Baka tribe chose to work together, with 19-year-old college student Sami Layadi figuring out the puzzle quickly and earning his tribe their supplies.
The Coco tribe went for the physical “Sweat” challenge, with tribemates Ryan Medrano and Geo Bustamante swiftly digging up their camp supplies.
As the first three days of the game continued, alliances were formed on each of the new tribes, and on day two, each tribe was required to send a representative to an island in order to play a game of chance. Ultimately, Mike Gabler of the Baka tribe was able to earn a special hidden immunity idol, keeping him safe for the first two tribal councils of the season.
The season’s first immunity challenge included a unique element of choice in which tribes were able to choose what puzzle they wanted to complete after running through an obstacle course. Bickering between tribemates, Layadi and Gabler ended with the Baka tribe attending tribal council, where schoolteacher Morriah Young was eliminated in a 5-1 vote after being deemed the weakest member of her tribe.
The season premiere of “Survivor 43’’ is strong in the fact that it focuses so deeply on the relationships and the beginning of their formation early on in the game. With each tribe, we got to see the new players form bonds with each other and create alliances that may last a long time.
The reworking of twists from previous iterations also works well, forcing players to show their cards and make strategic decisions for themselves and for their tribes early on.
Ultimately, “Survivor 43” started its 13-episode run strongly, reviving the heart of old-school seasons while adding its modern twists. The show returns Wednesday, Sept. 28, with a 90-minute second episode.
