A new season of Survivor is underway, and last week saw the game begin in ways that were both usual (the tough older woman being voted off first) and unusual. The unusual was the introduction of the Island of Extinction, the isolated island where Reem chose to go for a vague promise of getting back in the game. That opened the episode in a very different way – Reem found herself alone with little communication from the gamesmasters or supplies, and had to figure out how to fend for herself. She was determined to stick it out, but the white flag at camp always loomed – a contestant can raise it at any time and be ferried out of the game for good. Whether she’ll stay alone or be joined by a new castaway every week, we’ll see.

I was worried that this new twist would take time away from the contestants still in the game, but thankfully the standard Survivor editing was still in effect. Besides Reem’s early segment, the rest of the episode was devoted to the Kama and Manu tribes. But not too much had changed, because on both tribes the drama was still all about the four returnees. We couldn’t go five minutes without being reminded that Wentworth, Joe, Aubry, and David were both dominating the game – and deeply vulnerable.

The Manu tribe, coming off their first tribal council, was united. Seven of their nine tribe members had participated in the Reem/Wendy vote split last week, and that left the entire tribe united against Wendy. The tribe mostly seemed to be dominated by two power pairs – Wentworth and her closest ally Lauren, and the “alpha bros” of Wardog and Chris. The pairing off continued as nerdy superfans Rick and David bonded and formed an alliance reminiscent of last season’s “Mason Dixon” team – and this only left early misfits Wendy and Keith on the outside.

Things were much calmer on Kama, a highly functional tribe that has had little drama – and little screentime, given that they haven’t gone to tribal council yet. Despite this, the power players here seem just as in the game as the Manu ones. Eric and Gavin immediately stood out last week as Survivor players to watch, and Eric continued to build his stock this week. At the same time, Victoria and last week’s invisible Julia seemed to have a tight bond and be plugged into the social dynamics of the tribe. Last week’s breakout character, educator Ron Clark, faded into the background as he was mainly noted for his wacky motivational dances.

The common thread on both tribes was the returnees, who were the subject of hot debate. While Joe continued his Survivor pattern of fishing and being unaware there was any strategy going on, Aubry was quite the opposite. She was determined to find out where she stood on the tribe and did this by asking everyone “So, how do you feel about returnees?”. This naturally made everyone even more suspicious of her, and contributed to her being target #1. On Manu, Wendy decided her best strategy to stay in the game was to put the target squarely on Wentworth’s back as the biggest threat – a plan underdog David was more than willing to consider.

The other big subplot of the episode was the idol hunt. None was found in the first episode – a Survivor rarity lately – save for Ron’s advantage menu. That put it high on everyone’s agenda – at least on Manu, where the whole tribe united to search and make sure Wendy didn’t get her hands on it. It was eventually found by college student Lauren, Wentworth’s closest ally and a giddy superfan – and she decided not to tell Wentworth, keeping her options open. On Kama, no idol was found, but it led to an amusing rant from toymaker Julie as she complained about the tribe’s women being seemingly unconcerned with the men’s idol hunt – a running plot from last season.

Then it came time for the immunity and reward challenge, as Kama and Manu faced off in an extended obstacle course that included a tough swimming challenge, carrying a heavy snake on both land and sea, solving a combination lock, and finally winning a ring toss. The two tribes seemed even at first, but the difference-maker was in the water. 19-year-old Keith, who had trouble swimming during the marooning last week, crashed and burned during the water challenge. His tribe made up ground on land, getting to the ring toss before Joe could win it for Kama – but then Keith tried to make up for his bad performance in the swimming part by throwing, and completely muffed it. Chris took over and tried his best, but Kama cruised to a second straight immunity win.

Back at camp, the target was now squarely on Keith after his disastrous performance, and it looked like Wendy might just survive. Wardog in particularly wasn’t a fan of keeping a challenge trainwreck on the tribe, but he wasn’t the only one with big plans. David and Rick were quickly won over by Wendy’s pitch to take out Kelley, and others still wanted to take out Wendy seeing her as a bigger strategic threat. Wardog and Chris considered flipping to target Kelley, but Chris was ultimately hesitant. Things were very much in flux heading into Tribal Council, where a lot of dirty laundry was aired and everyone stated they felt safe. Ultimately, Wendy voted Kelley, Keith voted Wendy – and the other six members of the tribe all made Keith Sowell the second person voted out of Survivor: Edge of Extinction.

Keith was a nice guy who the tribe got along with, but his ultimate problem was lack of swimming skill and lack of confidence. And that continued as soon as he reached the fork in the road Reem faced last week. Was his Survivor journey over, or would he go to Edge of Extinction? He couldn’t decide – and the episode left off with him standing in front of the signs agonizing. To be continued.

Now, a quick look at the power rankings on the Manu and Kama tribes heading into next week’s episode.

Kama Tribe:

1. Lauren

Wentworth’s closest ally raised her stock a good deal this episode, finding an idol and not making any enemies. Although Wentworth certainly has a bulls-eye on her back, Lauren isn’t likely to be collateral damage.

2. Chris

Although his strength wasn’t enough to win the tribe this time, he’s still by far the tribe’s best asset physically. There’s no reason for Chris to be targeted right now.

3. Rick

The nerdy news anchor had a good episode, finding a close alliance-mate and taking a bigger role in the tribe’s decision-making. He seems to be on the right side.

4. Wardog

Wardog has become the de facto leader of Manu, and his pushy style could wear thin. Right now, he seems to be in a good position but his aggressive gameplay could flip on a dime.

5. David

David seems to be on the right side of the game right now, but as a returnee he’s always one bad day away from jumping to the top of the hit list. Getting an alliance in order helped his stock rise.

6. Wentworth

She stands out as the biggest threat on the tribe. Although her ally has an idol, she didn’t tell her about it – will she play it on her? I do think she probably has one more TC of safety before she has to really worry.

7. Wendy

For two TC’s the Manu tribe has stuck together against the misfits. That’s not good news for Wendy – and her sprained ankle in the preview makes those long odds much longer.

Kama Tribe:

1. Eric

Eric is firmly in control of the Kama tribe, but unlike Wardog his laid-back personality doesn’t seem to be causing any waves. He’s the type of guy who goes VERY deep in this game.

2. Gavin

As Eric’s #2, he has absolutely nothing to worry about at Kama’s first TC – if that happens, the way the tribe is performing.

3. Victoria

She seems to be the woman on the tribe with the best social game and the most allies. That should keep her safe for now.

4. Julia

She emerged from obscurity this week and seems to be in a solid social position. It’s hard to see her be targeted now.

5. Ron

Ron has an advantage in his pocket and has proven himself an asset to the tribe, but being older always puts a target on your back.

6. Aurora

Unlike Victoria and Julia, she seems to be a little more isolated and doesn’t have the close ties to the rest of the tribe, but that’s likely a later concern.

7. Julie

The offbeat, opinionated older woman always has a lot to worry about – just ask Reem. But Julia seems to be overall liked by this tribe.

8. Joe

Joe’s basically won every challenge for his tribe, but that might not be worth much. While his odds are good to survive Kama’s first tribal council, they’re far from a sure thing.

9. Aubry

Well, at least Aubry isn’t likely to have to worry about joining Amanda and Russell in losing two final tribal councils? Her social game this time is a disaster, and she has a huge target on her back.