Survivor premiered its 38th season last night and I am back to recap this season. How does this premiere stack up? Let’s find out!

We start with a shot of a person on Extinction Island that will be on wikifeet later. Let me take this opportunity to have the coldest take of the century. I am not a fan of the twist this season. Any twist that breaks the finality of being voted out hurts the game. Now, on to the actual episode.

We start with the new castaways on the boat with a confessional from Wardog about him being a lawyer. Wardog surprised me by not being a train wreck despite having the qualities of a trainwreck. Next, Jeff gives his opening spiel and brings in David, Aubry, Wentworth and Joe. Lauren is excited about the Candy Crush champions, Kelley and Joe. Lauren is my winner pick and she had a decent episode.

Jeff goes through why each returnee was there. I don’t like mixed seasons but, I do like Aubry, David and Wentworth. I am not a big fan of Joe or his mustache. David and Wentworth are on Manu with Lauren, Reem, Keith, Chris, Wendy, Rick (Devens) and Wardog. Aubry and Joe are on Kama with Julia, Julie, Gavin, Ron, Aurora, Victoria and Eric. The marooning begins

Marooning

This was an average marooning and all I got to say is RIP those fruits and vegetables that are floating in the ocean. There was a surprising lack of chickens. Kama comes out with more supplies. The biggest takeaway is that Keith cannot swim.

Manu

We get to Manu beach and Rick is very excited to play as a fan with a dad bod. He also does the iconic kool aid man yell from the trailer. They start building the shelter but Wentworth wants to change-up her strategy this season so she pairs up with Lauren. It’s a good move to get a connection early but being seen as a pair can hurt you as we see later.

Meanwhile, David’s role from MvGX completely changed as he is giving his expertise instead of being seen as a liability. This is great character development from David and I think he is probably playing the best of the returnees.

We find out from Wendy when she and Reem are weaving palm fronds that she has mild Tourette’s and a bit of OCD. It’s nice to see some representation on the show for people who have that. This also makes Wendy’s confessionals different from everyone else. Kinda a funny moment during this serious moment is when Wendy accidentally hits Reem with bamboo.

Kama

Kama arrives and Victoria is pumped. She asked for a buff from Santa when she was 7. Joe is trying to hide Joey Amazing but, the very next scene he is helping everyone around camp. Joe also got the title quote for the episode. Joe has a shot to win but he will go to extinction at some point. His tribe is impressed. Aurora gets the quote of the night, ” I am gay and I’m team Joe”. Aurora also says that she doesn’t have to do things because Joe will do it.

Julie on the other hand, is struggling a bit. The most extreme thing she has ever done is pee in a bush in Central Park. She eventually chops that bamboo and integrates herself.

We cut to Ron and he has found an advantage WTF. The editors pulled a Dan idol find on us. The advantage is a menu. He can choose the following:

Reward Steal Extra Vote Idol

The catch is that he has to use it by the third tribal. He should choose the idol if he is in a rough spot. If I am in the minority and not the target I would choose the extra vote to flip the numbers.

There is some speculation on what Edge of Extinction means and Aubry wants to lay low. This is a good spot for Aubry since Joe is so out there.

Gavin and Eric bond and decide that they want to target Aubry. This is a smart move since a returning player has made it to the end of every mixed season. I applaud them for not falling into the trap. Will they get the numbers? That’s a different story.

Manu

Over on Manu, Reem is starting to aggravate people by moving their stuff to dry. Keith though is good with her and she offers to teach him how to swim. This backfires since the tribe put the swimming group of Keith, Wendy and Reem in the minority.

Immunity Challenge

We get to the challenge and Jeff reveals the Tribal Immunity Idol. It is a badass black dragon. The challenge starts with a rope maze, then a rope climb, followed by a three-tier balance beam to a crow’s nest to drop a slide and a giant slide puzzle. I am ok with this challenge as it is very standard for Survivor. Some highlights include, Rick being called Devens, Kelley gashing her head and Kama stopping completely because of Julia yelling. Despite that stop, Kama wins sending Manu to tribal. Wentworth gives a generic confessional about going to tribal post challenge.

Manu before tribal

We open up with an excellent shot of the reflection from the goggles in the sand. Keith, Wendy, Rick and Reem talk about taking out Wentworth or Lauren. Keith realizes that this is a sinking ship and rats them out. This was a great move for Keith and puts him in the good graces of the majority. Reem is the target and they try to find a way to tell Wendy. David and Wardog tell her it’s Reem but Wendy is still voting with her. This a bad move since it gave Team Bald an idea to maybe send out Wendy instead. Wendy tells Reem that she is the target and she is pissed. Reem asks David why while holding a machete so David asks her to put it down. The sun sets and we head to Tribal

Tribal Council

I wish I could get a picture of Tribal since I loved the set so much. The giant shipwreck looks amazing. Devens gets the opening question but, It quickly devolves into Reem versus everyone but Wendy. Even Chris who has been quiet speaks about Reem. Reem asks if anyone has a problem with her and Wardog in his early 2000s hat speaks up. Reem keeps digging her grave further and it is time to vote.

By a vote of 4-3-1-1

Reem is voted out by a plurality. Reem is an iconic train wreck and I hope she stays on Extinction for a while. She walks down and finds the split path. She chooses Extinction and we get some of the best cinematography in Survivor history. The lack of light, the ominous feeling of the island. That sequence was a masterpiece. Reem ends the episode by saying, “Screw my tribe!”. Reem is a first boot if I ever saw one. She probably has no chance to win but, she will be fun to watch.

I enjoyed this premiere, I just wish it was longer. The purple player of the episode was Julia. She is the only one who got no content at all. At least Chris talked at tribal. I am disappointed that Chris had barely any content since he is one of my favorites going in.

Next time: the returnees are being targeted and Reem feels the effects of Extinction.

Grab your stuff and head back to camp!