Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 1 photos: Appearances Are Deceiving

As we wait for cast introduction videos to slow-drip online, the Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 1 photos have made their way online.

Now is when it starts to get real. The Survivor: David vs. Goliath preseason is a bit more truncated this season, starting just three weeks before the 90-minute debut on Wednesday, September 26. That doesn’t mean all facets of the preseason are starting off slow.

CBS has released the press photos for Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 1, revealing the episode title, “Appearances Are Deceiving.” It will likely fit into the perspective of someone on the David tribe saying that they aren’t as meek or meager as they appear to be.

Regardless, let’s start off with some important photos!

With the players turning around and looking at the banner, it’s fun to look around and gauge people’s reactions. Everyone but Elizabeth is looking at the banner, and she’s already laughing it up, suggesting she may have spotted it before everyone else took a look. There are no advantages at this marooning.

Early on in Survivor, you’ll want to look at who’s hanging out with others to see if bonds are forming. It looks like Elizabeth, Gabby and Bi are getting on very well to start out the game.

These photos are uploaded in filename order per photographer (Robert Voets on the David tribe), meaning that this picture is taken before the first Reward/Immunity Challenge of the season. I’m not sure if the engineering expertise of Christian Hubicki has led to an awesome shelter in the first day or two for the Davids, the tribe got a head start or if it’s necessary to start for the inclement weather.

There are multiple stages to the Reward/Immunity Challenge, and it looks like there will be a tussle in the first running stage part.

Following the running, it looks like someone will have to dig deep for each tribe and emerge the other side of a sand-submerged log.

Then, after cutting a rope on the other side of the log and the tribe climbs up a short rope wall, two players will have to do … something with this big spool. A previous photo showed Natalie Cole trying to do the task, but Mike White had to sub in for her.

Finally, the players will have to slide huge squares with numbers on them to form some sort of correct alignment. A spotter is standing on a higher perch in the unseen bottom-left corner out of frame. I chose this photo to illustrate just how much rain is pouring now at the end of the challenge.

The next set is from photographer David M. Russel, who spent his time photographing the Goliath tribe. This is also the first photo of anyone on the tribe after arriving. It could mean one or both of them won something extra for the tribe. All I know is Jeremy and Alec are in a lot of Goliath tribe photos together.

This is the first of two early photos of Mike White and John Hennigan early on at the Goliath tribe. John knows who Mike White is, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s approaching him early to get a feel on what he’s projecting early in the game. A David and Goliath partnership on the Goliath tribe?

It seems like any arrogance that Johnny Mundo, the wrestler, might have is masked behind his charm early on. The Goliath tribe is all smiles in most of their early photos.

This is why I think the David tribe must have been set up early on; this design stage is a lot earlier than what we’ve seen at the David tribe. It looks like Natalia’s engineering skills means both tribes have good shelter design early on.

The Jeremy and Alec bromance cannot be overstated early on at the Goliath tribe. There are several these smiling, laughing photos between the two.

It looks as though part of the spool in the Reward/Immunity Challenge needs to be taken apart for some reason. We’ll likely need a video for a better explanation.

It looks as though the stronger players will be pushing numbers at the bottom to help solve the puzzle, with John and Dan for the Goliaths converging while Pat and Davie work together for the Davids.

That has been a strong representation of the Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 1 photos! The season premiere airs on September 26 from 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET.