Survivor season 35 premiere recap: Idols, idols everywhere
Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers kicked off with a bang (or a splash, or the case may be) in its premiere, with everyone worrying about idols.
It’s time for Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. There’s nothing more to say. Let’s dive right into “I’m Not Crazy, I’m Confident,” the premiere episode. Who went home? Who took what could be crucial victories? Who really had the “idols, idols everywhere“? It’s all right here.
Jeff Probst took a moment to greet the three tribes, explaining the point of the divisions. To read into the initial questions, Probst talked to Ben, on the Heroes tribe; Cole, on the Healers tribe; Mike, on the Healers tribe, who was very open about what he does; and Ali, on the Hustlers tribe.
The tribes all had the chance to raid the ship, but also had to try and pick someone up and light a fire off of a torch on the beach. As per usual, things went bonkers immediately. Ryan, on the Hustlers, picked up the secret advantage, but the Hustlers themselves did not really play a part in the fire-lighting. Instead, the Healers won a “fire-making kit” and a pre-made bonfire, while the Heroes took the second-place flint.
The Healers’ first scene showed them as pretty sure they weren’t going to lose. Meanwhile, the Heroes kicked things off by starting a fire, and then getting to shelter work. Names being tough, J.P. and Ashley started talking about working with “Cowboy” Ben. They pulled Alan in and immediately looked to the other two members of their tribe, the “Mom Squad” of Katrina and Chrissy, as targets.
(A physically-oriented tribe immediately planning to pick off the two older members? Why, this is a Survivor novelty!)
The Hustlers, though, bounced back from the loss. Ali and Patrick had a quick conversation, and then Patrick brought up the “clue” — also known as the advantage, which Ryan found (and fans knew about) was an idol good for the first Tribal Council, playable after the votes.
Things started getting more complicated on day 2, all revolving around idols. On the Healers, Joe took Mike aside and called him out for idol hunting. Ryan confided in Devon about the advantage. Meanwhile, the Heroic foursome saw its first fissures with Alan causing a little chaos with the i-word: idol. Also, we had the first blur of the season, as J.P. dropped his pants to prove he didn’t have the idol. (#IdolStripSearch.)
Probst returned to talk everyone through the immunity challenge, finally clarifying all of the details. First, they had to rush up to a platform, pull a cart up, hop back in to roll down, pick one of three tables, haul it up to a taller platform, and then solve the maze thrice over. Each of the three tribes were about even. The Heroes chose table 3; the Hustlers took table 1; the Healers thus had table 2, what Probst called a “rail maze”. The Healers started last, but the tables ended up equalizing it out. It all came down to the last ball, and the Healers snagged first place, with the Hustlers just beating the Heroes for second.
Chrissy threw up a little after the challenge, but didn’t call medical in, and the other two tribes witnessed this. Katrina and Chrissy started talking to Alan, calling Ben in to try and vote Ashley out, putting Ben and Alan in the middle of things, as Ben himself observed in a confessional. Apparently, Chrissy’s little medical incident helped her out — because she got Ryan’s idol.
Tribal Council had the Heroes rehashing the entire Alan/J.P. and Ashley conflict, pants removal and all, which Probst found pretty hilarious. (Okay, who doesn’t?) Ben tried to settle things down, but Alan refused, bringing Katrina and Chrissy right back into it.
Katrina scored five votes and went home, with Chrissy retaining her idol, although it will no longer have any effect. Ashley had just one vote — yes, even Chrissy voted for Katrina.
Next: Andrea Boehlke on season 35 and the Fan Forum
Episode 2 looks to be all about pairs in the game of Survivor. Keep an eye out for all the coverage on Surviving Tribal throughout the week!