Survivor 49’s first two episodes have aired, and while there hasn’t been much overall action, the cast is loaded with intriguing players who have appealed to fans. The most startling development this season is that the team with the two most physical players has yet to win anything.
The Kele tribe has been a disaster despite the presence of Jake Latimer and Alex Moore, the two biggest men in the game. They were saddled with four others who aren’t nearly as physically strong, and apparently, no one on the tribe can do a puzzle. Kele has lost every challenge and task set before them this far and has already sent two players home.
The biggest surprise in Survivor 49 has been the tribe that has dominated thus far
On the other hand, the tribe that has absolutely dominated every challenge has been Hina. During episode two, Jawan Pitts of the Uli tribe won a challenge on a journey and got to choose another tribe to have a significant disadvantage in the reward/immunity challenge.
Jawan chose to saddle the successful Hina tribe with the disadvantage, which meant Hina had to haul around 20 pounds of coconuts during much of the challenge and had to sort through 10 keys to open a lock instead of one. Despite this, Hina won the challenge once again.
What makes Hina’s success so surprising is that they don’t have any one player who stands out as a physical person. MC Chukwujekwu is probably their strongest player, but not overwhelmingly so. Matt Williams is the oldest castaway this season, but he is also physically strong and has skills that seem well-suited for the game.
Jason Treul, Steven Ramm, Sophie Segreti, and Kristina Mills complement MC and Matt to form a tribe that hasn’t really been tested.
The Hina tribe has terrific chemistry so far and hasn’t had much drama yet. They work well together and have excelled with puzzles from the start.
Of course, winning early on Survivor can hide warts, and the audience may not see the cracks or weak spots until they finally lose and are forced to vote someone out at tribal council.
While Survivor 49 is just six days into the game, the Hina tribe’s chemistry looks strong, and however many survive to the merge may still be willing to work together to form a strong alliance.
The other two tribes each have players who appear willing to play the game hard, and that could always upset the apple cart, as the saying goes. Alex, Jeremiah Ing, and Sophi Balerdi from Kele are already thinking ahead. From the Uli tribe, Savannah Louie, Rizo Velovic, and Jawan could all be strategic forces if they make it to the merge.
This is Survivor, and things can change swiftly from episode to episode. It doesn’t take much for one tribe to fall and another rise, depending on the circumstances. There are plenty of great personalities to make it an entertaining season. It will be interesting to see how long Hina can dominate the challenges and whether a future tribe swap will alter the bonds that tribe has formed early.