Survivor 41 has finally arrived. The first episode was two hours in length and it took Survivor fans back to the islands of Fiji.
There are 18 new castaways playing on Survivor 41, none of which have played the game before. As host Jeff Probst has already indicated, this is the beginning of a new era for the show.
As the season premiere began, Jeff talked to the camera for quite a bit, welcoming Survivor fans back and talking about the excitement of a new campaign.
It was then time to get down to business as we watched the Survivor 41 cast arriving at the islands by boat. And boy were those boats zipping across the water.
Survivor 41, Episode 1 recap
Before getting to shore, the three boats of castaways stopped at a ship and everyone climbed on board to start out the first challenge of the season. This was after a lengthy amount of time spent on introductions. Here is a full Survivor 41 cast list that covers that.
The tribes had already been decided by the time they got to the ship, so everyone knew their teammates. Below is a quick breakdown of the people in each tribe.
- Luvu (Blue): Danny, DeShawn, Erika, Heather, Naseer, and Sydney.
- Ua (Green): Brad, Genie, Jairus, Ricard, Sara, and Shantel.
- Yase (Yellow): David, Eric (Abraham), Evvie, Liana, Tiffany, and Xander.
A race to the beach on Survivor for new cast
The three tribes had to track down oars on the ship, and then jump into the water to get to the boat for their tribe. They then had to row it all the way to shore as quickly as they could. Jeff made a big deal about the castaways only getting “meager supplies” this year.
A lot was on the line because the first tribe to make the shore would get a pot, a machete, and a flint to help with starting fires. The losing tribes would have to wait for their supplies.
The Ua Tribe won, giving Brad, Genie, Jairus, Ricard, Sara, and Shantel a big advantage out of the gate. Yase had trouble even finding their oars, while Yuvu had tried to move their boat without unclipping the anchor, costing them valuable time.
Yase and Yuvu found out they needed to complete a challenge when they got to their camps. They could choose between a mental challenge (Savvy) or a physical challenge (Sweat) and if they completed either within four hours, they could get those supplies.
Danny and DeShawn from Yuvu worked on the Sweat challenge to fill the barrels with water. But during the process, they decided to also look for Hidden Immunity Idols. Naseer came back to cheer them on and found them gone. He then told the three ladies about what was happening. Danny and DeShawn immediately became targets for an upcoming Tribal Council.
At Yase, David and Xander worked to complete the same challenge, but back at their camp, Liana, Evvie, Tiffany, and Eric Abraham were already conspiring against them as they worked on the challenge.
Danny and DeShawn struggled to finish in time due to their Idol search but succeeded for Yuvu. David and Xander also finished in time to get Yase the supplies.
A secret mission for Survivor 41 cast members
Later, each camp had to send one person on a journey without knowing any more details about it. Yase sent Xander, Luvu sent Danny, and Ua sent JD (Jairus). The trio arrived separately at a fourth beach and had to go on a trek together. At the top of a mountain, they were then faced with paths of their own and important choices.
Xander, Danny, and JD had to choose if they wanted to “Risk Your Vote” or “Protect Your Vote” and they had to do it by themselves. Choosing to protect their vote meant nothing would happen, but risking their vote could lead to a reward or a loss of their vote.
There was also a big twist to everything that the three castaways were going through. If all three chose to Protect, then everyone would be safe nothing changed. If all three chose Risk, though, they would all lose a vote at their next Tribal Councils. That’s where it truly became risky.
So, if there was a split decision, those who protected their votes simply kept their votes, but those who risked their vote would receive an extra vote.
Danny chose to protect his vote. Danny then told his tribe about everything. Xander risked his vote in order to get an extra vote, which he told his tribe about. And as for JD, he risked his vote to gain an extra vote, but he told his tribe he just protected his vote. His tribe did not believe him.
Later, we learned that Xander and JD each got an extra vote that they can use until the final six.
The first Survivor 41 Immunity Challenge
As they arrived for the first Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst presented another risky opportunity for the castaways called The Shot in the Dark Die. Each person received one and it can be used at any Tribal Council. The user gets to draw out of a bag and either get an Immunity Idol or lose their vote for that Tribal Council. It was an interesting twist with a lot on the line for the people using it.
The Luvu Tribe then won the Immunity Challenge, protecting their tribe from having anyone eliminated. The Yase Tribe and Ua Tribe were each told that they would be voting out someone at the very first Tribal Council.
Survivor 41 season premiere Tribal Councils
The Yase Tribal Council was up first. Xander learned that he now had an extra vote that could be used up until the final six. Eric Abraham was then voted out 5-1 over Tiffany.
At the Ua Tribal Council, Sara Wilson was voted out, 4-1-1 over Brad and Ricard.
Tune in next week for an all-new episode of a much shorter season of Survivor.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.