Survivor 29, which was burdened with the cumbersome title of Survivor: San Juan del Sur - Blood vs Water, was a reincarnation of the same theme from season 27. The 18 contestants were all playing with a loved one - parent/child, husband/wife, and dating/engaged couples.
Unlike season 27, which featured returning players and their loved ones, season 29 had all new players paired with a loved one. Early in the game, there was no way to determine which pair would last the longest.
Of course, season 27 started off with an incredibly memorable moment when Jeff Propst split the cast up into teams of returning players on one side and their loved ones on the other, then told each team to vote someone out on the spot.
When Rupert's wife Laura and Candice are voted out, Probst allows the loved ones of those voted out to swap places. Rupert does not hesitate to go to Redemption Island, reasoning that Laura had given him the opportunity to play the game several times and she deserved the chance to play the game herself.
It has a heartbreaking decision made selflessly and stands out as a particularly cruel twist on Probst's part.
What early moment from Survivor 29 was so gut-wrenching?
Like in season 27, the cast gets to spend one night together, isolated. Then, they are divided into teams with their loved ones on the other team. No surprises here.
Then, teams selected one representative to do a rock, paper, scissors game to decide which team would make the first decision about which one team member would participate in the first challenge.
Jeremy ends up being the player chosen to represent his tribe in that first challenge. Then, Jeff Probst springs another twist on them. Jeremy has to compete one-on-one against his loved one - his wife, Val.
Wait! There's more. Probst isn't done yet. The loser in the challenge is going to be sent immediately to Exile Island. This news strikes Jeremy right in the heart. The fireman is confident he can beat his wife in the challenge (which he does handily), but he knows if he does, his wife will be isolated from her team in those all-important early bonding days with her tribe.
He can't throw the challenge, because that just isn't how it works on Survivor (as another cast member finds out later in the game). He has to play the game, and he does, but with an obvious emotional cost to both him and his wife.
All of the players on this show are out there because of their love for the game. To knowingly damage their loved ones chances in the game was a shocking way to start the game. Jeremy's worries came to fruition when Val, who survives the first vote, feels she has to catch back up with her tribe mates, overplays her hand with a bluff, and gets voted out.
Survivor has always been full of emotional, human moments, but this one stands out because it came right at the beginning of the game. It added the additional emotional trauma of negatively affecting the loved one's game.
If you are ever going to play or watch Survivor, you have to be ready for the emotion and season 29 had plenty, right from the start.