It’s finally here: Survivor: Winners at War, a season that could not have been more anticipated (or more needed) if it tried. After the debacle that was last season, every Survivor fan is excited about watching 20 former winners come back and try to win again. And guess what? If you put 20 people who know how to play Survivor on 2 separate beaches, good things happen! Of course there are unnecessary twists (hello, the Edge!) and new “advantages” (hi-ya, Fire Tokens), but the core of the game is still essentially the same: don’t go to tribal council, and if you do, figure out a way to not have your name be the one written down the most. And usually, if you feel very confident, that is when you should be the most nervous. Also, Mary and I are in a Survivor Fantasy League, along with my family, so we will also provide little updates on how that is going as we progress through the season! Now that this preamble is basically done, let’s jump into the post (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD: BEWARE!).

This season we want to do a more streamlined post for each episode, so instead of a full recap, we will each pick a moment from the episode that stood out to us, as well as a player who we think is on the rise and one who is headed for the Edge. 

MOMENTS FROM EPISODE ONE

Todd: This is less a moment and more a larger theme that seems to be emerging: transparency. In this first episode, a lot of the castaways broke down (even if just talking to producers) while talking about the game but mostly while talking about their family members. Rob got emotional talking about Amber; Amber got emotional talking about Rob; Parvati told Jeremy not to mention kids or she might cry (she left a 10-month old at home!); even Tyson (Tyson!) got a little misty talking about his kids. And of course Ethan’s entire story about surviving cancer (twice!) and returning to the island is one that is sure to leave no dry eyes left in the house. This season is so interesting because we are seeing so many of these players for the first time in over a decade. While it is fun to see Yul playing with Sandra, it is also very interesting to see these people reminisce on how their lives have changed thanks to this show. The producers don’t have to work overtime to create a reason to invest in all of these players. We know who they are, and that’s enough.

Mary: Transparency is HUGE this season. I really enjoyed how Rob bluntly told his group something like, “Well, let’s get to it” when they needed to discuss who to vote out. You simply wouldn’t do that on another season, even though everyone knows someone has to go home.

My favorite moment from the first episode is also more of a theme: Sandra’s rage. Sandra made a huge deal about how she had just spent thirty-six days on an island with Rob and he hadn’t said anything about him or Amber returning to Fiji for another season. I’m not sure why Sandra was so mad, and Todd and I have speculated that perhaps she played up her anger for the cameras. After all, would she have told Rob information that could harm her game? Probably not. Either way, Sandra’s anger is certainly entertaining. She goes on the warpath to vote Amber off her tribe, and succeeds. Sandra knows the way to hurt Rob, and it’s through Amber. We see the fallout in episode two, when Rob looks to be near tears at seeing his wife voted out. The first person he suspects? Sandra. I love Rob and Sandra’s rivalry and friendship, and I’m excited to see how this storyline plays out throughout the season. I see Rob and Sandra as both going pretty far in, so I suspect we’ll see more of this feud. 

MOMENTS FROM EPISODE TWO

Todd: In recent seasons especially, idol hunting has become an integral part of any Survivor season, with many players (*cough* BEN *cough*) relying on it to help them progress in the game. So it was perhaps inevitable that people would find idols, but I want to pay special attention to Kim finding this new variation on a hidden immunity idol. A quick breakdown: this idol comes in 2 parts, and the person who found the idol has to give the idol to someone before sundown or it will be void. Kim, still feeling on the outs after the last tribal, decides to give the other half of her idol to Sophie, a decision that was as shocking for me as an audience member as it was for Sophie. Sophie literally calls herself the devil and says that she is the last person that Kim should be trusting. While I hate to see Kim so thoroughly on the bottom, I am really enjoying Sophie so far this season. 

Mary: Don’t hate on Ben! One favorite moment of this episode deals with idol hunting on the other tribe, with Ben teaching Denise how to hunt idols.

But that’s not what I want to talk about. My favorite moment was Tony’s ladder incident. I’m not quite sure what I expected from Tony, because I’ve never seen him play. The chaotic energy of Tony’s ladder, from its creation to its use, is just wild to see. After Yul fails to get ample breadfruit from a tree (he did get one!), Tony decides to construct a bamboo ladder to get fruit and it goes horribly--in everyone else’s eyes. For Tony, I guess it was a success? Tony’s ladder is shoddily made at best: two long pieces of bamboo with smaller pieces of bamboo rungs tied together with TWINE about three feet apart. Not only could Tony himself not climb the ladder without help, but he also had to ignore the ladder as it FELL APART BENEATH HIM. It was truly a wild moment. But it’s ok. He got, like, one fruit. Very worth it. 

Todd: Truly, who is Tony?

Mary: I’m ready for Tony to incorporate the ladder into a spy shack. 

PLAYER ON THE RISE

Todd: My player on the rise is, surprisingly for me, Sarah Lacina. I went back and re-watched the first episode, and I was consistently impressed with Sarah. It is no surprise that she is physically strong in challenges, doing her part to help her tribe win the first immunity challenge. But I also thought she did a good job subtly insinuating herself into the good graces of her other tribemates. When Yul says he feels like an odd man out, Sarah offhandedly assures him that he is not odd before continuing on with her larger point. At this point, it also seems like Yul underestimates her, and if she can stay in that spot while still subtly manipulating everyone else, we could see a repeat of her Gamechangers performance. Plus, if the Cops ‘R’ Us (ugh, that name is very silly) alliance can really have each other’s back this time, Sarah might just be unstoppable.

Mary: My player on the rise--as predictable as it is--is Boston Rob. From the first moments of the game, the rest of the players seemed to look to him for guidance and support. One weird glance from Rob sent Ben into a spiral, divulging all the information he had, and I was HERE FOR IT. Talking to people and forging personal connections is Rob’s whole game, but he also has a supernatural ability to make others look at him like a leader, which is a make or break quality in Survivor. Be too much of a leader, and everyone wants you out. Be too little of a leader, and other contestants view you as a goat. It’s a hard balance to strike, but I think Rob is doing it this season. I know, I know, Rob could go out at any minute, but I think he’ll be around for a while. 

PLAYER ON THE EDGE...OF GOING TO THE EDGE

Todd: This hurts to say, but I think it might be Adam? In our First Impressions post, I had Adam going pretty far into the game, and while I still think that could happen, he really hampered himself early on by getting lost in the woods with Denise. Also, he is giving off some really intense energy, from his interaction with Ethan before Tribal Council to his one word answer when Jeff asks him if he feels better about his chances: “No.” Loosen up a bit, Adam, or you could find yourself on the Edge.

Mary: No, not Adam! He’s on my fantasy league! 

Also on my fantasy league, and sadly in danger of going to the edge, is Ben. After we rewatched Ben’s season (35--Heroes v Healers v Hustlers--ugh), I took a liking to him and picked him as one of my top bets to win Winners at War, but Ben has been acting erratically, making several weird decisions of who to give information to and ally with. Ben seems to simultaneously be trying to play Sandra’s “any name but mine” strategy while also just...getting in everyone’s business. It’s not a good look for him. I think it’s likely that he knows that he’s a target for later in the game, considering how he won his season with a streak of individual immunity wins. However, he might not make it far if he keeps telling everyone everything and running his mouth at tribal. Seriously, Ben! I expected more from you! 

Join us next week for our thoughts on Survivor 

Winners

at

WAAAAAR!