The Survivor 49 premiere is mere days away, and while you're waiting, Survivor has just released, for the first time ever, a shorter season of the show to watch in the meantime. Available on YouTube right now, eight influencers battle the elements and each other for 36 hours as they compete in the first-ever Survivor Influencer Experience.
The cast includes Hannah Kosh, a pop culture news content creator; Tommy Scibelli, a content creator for Bar Stool Sports; Davis Burleson, host of Fallen Media's TikTok interview series, "What's Poppin? With Davis!; Phaith Montoya, a fashion influencer; Sean Klitzner, the creator behind Beast Games; Alyssa Amoroso, podcast host and business owner of Tea With Publyssity; Karl Jacobs, a YouTuber; and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars winner, Monét X Change. The excitement radiating from these eight castaways about playing their favorite game, even if only for a short time, is truly infectious.
Watch influencers spend 36 hours on the Survivor beach in Fiji
While I won't give out any spoilers, here are a few highlights from the episode. It begins with the players receiving their first tree mail, alongside a machete, their Survivor buffs (including the season 49th ones), fishing gear, a cooking pot, some rice, and they even get their own iconic Survivor intro. Just by this start off, these eight tribe members are better off than most tribes from the New Era combined.
Right away, they begin their Survivor experience by focusing on the basics: building a shelter, gathering food, and getting to know each other. They also name their tribe Bula, which might ring a few bells for Survivor historians, as the merge tribe in Survivor Fiji was also named Bula Bula.
Most importantly, these eight people know their time is limited on the island, so plotting, scheming, and alliance-building discussions immediately begin as they build their new society.
I must admit that I'm a little biased, as I'm a long-time fan and viewer of Survivor and RuPaul's Drag Race. Seeing Monét play on the island almost feels like a fever dream, as anyone who has seen Monét on Drag Race can attest, as she even referenced Survivor during her time on the drag race franchise.
During Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars fourth season, Monét attempted to form her own alliance with other drag queens to outwit, outplay, and outlast their fellow competitors. Slight spoilers ahead: Monét reached the finale and even won her first All Stars season, so it's safe to say that the Survivor handbook is also successful in other shows.
The influencers receive a well-rounded experience, as they encounter a thunderstorm throughout their first night. While they managed to get a fire going, it wasn't particularly helpful, as the wind and rain kept them from getting a proper rest. As they acknowledged, the first night was brutal; once the dawn broke, the castaways were also grateful for getting to live out a lifelong dream.
Later, the Bula tribe greeted Survivor host and executive producer, Jeff Probst, to play their first immunity challenge. Three captains were selected to form three teams, and they were accompanied to run the challenge alongside Dream Team members and dignitaries from CBS. As with any Survivor challenge, it is accompanied by Jeff's commentary, and he doesn't hesitate to make a few jabs against the players as they're covered in mud and trying to finish the challenge first.
After a team wins immunity, Jeff announces to the players that they will get to experience Tribal Council, as well as vote out a member of their tribe. Back at camp, the Bula members scamper off to plot while also looking for an advantage. Undoubtedly, these rookies learned the hard way what it takes to actually play the game, especially after a Tribal Council filled with twists, turns, and even a blindside.
Suffice it to say, this Survivor episode was truly an enjoyable experience to watch, and I highly recommend it to both new and long-time fans alike. While the pacing, editing, and certain moments feel vastly different from what we're used to seeing on the regular show, it still has the grip, intensity, and savviness that the regular Survivor has. In the end, I hope we see some of these people out on the island again, especially Monét, who is truly a gem to watch every time she appears on television.