Survivoris back, baby!
Survivor 51kicked off this week with the premiere episode “Permanent Uncertainty.” And if the title wasn’t enough of a reminder for you of what to expect (or not expect) as we enter this new, open era, hostJeff Probstalso reiterated the phrase about 100 times just to make sure itreallylocked in with both castaways and viewers at home.
But the biggest takeaway fromthe episodewas fan reactions. I don’t think I’ve seen this positive of a response to a premiere episode ofSurvivorsince pre-new era…
To start things off, returning to the two tribe format has resonated with fans ten-fold. Jeff continued to say—ahead of the premiere—that the season feels like the old schoolSurvivorand having two tribes really did bring back more need forstrategizingover relationship building. When 6 players is the majority vote needed to be eliminated and not the amount of people on the tribe, things get more interesting.
Fans over on reddit agreed!
@granlyn:The best change thus far is 2 tribes. Putting more personalities in a group makes the group dynamics far more volatile and far more interesting.
@jackgrundy: I feel like tribes of 10 has emboldened people to play too hard too fast.nWhich is excellent btw
@Bhibhhjis123: Two groups at war over the middle people is so much better than 4 people deciding which of the 2 outcasts to send home. 2 tribes superiority!
And with a collective 2200 upvotes, fans definitely agree that two tribes is the way to go to actually make the first Tribal Council “permanently uncertain.” Heck, I don’t even recall the last time thefirstTribal Council was live like that. Do you?
And people are giving major props to Jenna Doore for being the reason it was such a crazy first Tribal Council. Considering she knew exactly how to get the target off of her back in about 0.5 seconds is super impressive and definitely a moment that could win her the game if she makes it to Final Tribal Council.
Plus, now we have some major drama stirring between Jenna, Devin Way, and Brady Booker that could definitely shake up the season if Toka is sent to Tribal Councilagainnext episode.
@eyeslikestarlight: Gotta hand it to Jenna, she did EXACTLY the right thing by going to Brady and playing to his ego.
@LottieDah86: Devin might have some of the worst reads this early. Not only was he wrong about Jenna, he spread so much gossip about her, and didn't even get his way at tribal. And it wasn't even close. And he made himself look very closed off. I feel like people aren't going to want to work with him moving forward.
@ReadySethAction: Devin and Brady being in an alliance and voting for different people is hilarious. I wonder how that’ll impact things going forward
And of course, showing a player after he’s been on Exile Island for multiple days only for Jeff to show up with an axe and an hourglass and tell him to start chopping down a mast for an idol—which he, of course, couldn’t do—was insane and felt so much like the much more difficult early one-person challenges.
Fans love to see failure on the show because as a social experiment, it’s supposed to represent life and you don’t always win in life. Not just the big wins, but the little ones as well. Not everyone gets the advantage when presented with an opportunity to get an advantage. And to see that on our screens was refreshing.
Especially considering the one failed journey inSurvivor 50was tied to the most unfair disadvantage inSurvivorhistory that fans absolutely hated, this felt refreshing. Someone could get an idol if they completed the task, they couldn’t complete the task. Does it automatically send them home? No. Does it put them at adisadvantage? No. It simply shows that not everyone is capable of everything and now we get to watch Lewis Kelly develop another way to stay in the game. I loved it!
@PlatinumDaikenki: Guys, I hate to say this.....but is Survivor officially back?
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