Steph Sometimes

Ha! Now I'm imagining Season 45 with several contestants wearing matching shirts saying, "Not a Lawyer."

I've been doing a rewatch of past seasons, and I was really excited for this premiere, but it just didn't work for me. I missed the intros at the beginning where you meet the teams and learn their relationship to each other, etc. I know not everyone's going to get equal time, but with 14 teams (28 total people), there needed to be more than what we got. Maybe half the teams got a little segment about themselves, and the other half were just there. It felt really unbalanced. And the Fork in the Road just seemed like a change for change's sake. It was just the first episode, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it more. And it's always so good to see Phil.

I'm not quite sure how I feel after all that. I didn't think Operation Italy was going to work, but good on them for making it happen (am I actually giving props to Andy?). I'm all in on Rachel winning this thing. She needs to use her block the vote next and get the numbers back. My favorite was when Sue told Caroline she had dirt on her face. Caroline, would it have killed you to return the favor?!

Obviously, Sue is showing that she is very loyal to the soil.

I'm so glad we had every single player on the journey explain what it was they had to do in that challenge in slightly different wording. I never would've figured it out otherwise. Andy is just a real liability in challenges, isn't he? He always seems to be making things more difficult than they need to be. I mean I'd probably be making the same stupid mistakes, but still.

With her red and white striped shirt, it was almost like a Where's Waldo in reverse. Jeff, what's the point of making such a big deal of a schoolyard pick if you're not going to show the damn thing. Who were the captains? Who was picked last? This is the kind of content 90-minute episodes are dying for!

Yay for each tribe going to tribal council! Jeff won't know which tribe to disparage now at challenges! Good news: Sol and Genevieve made appearances this episode. Bad news is that so did everyone's favorite "bonus" contestant: Elsbeth.

Paraphrasing but: Jeff to the yellow tribe: Wow, you won! That's different! Jeff to the blue tribe: Wow, you lost and have to go to tribal. That's different. It's the second episode, Jeff! Calm the hell down. I'm glad a different team lost. The last few seasons have had one tribe implode while the other two stayed whole, so this is good. Apparently, there's a Genevieve hiding somewhere. I swear it.

Did anyone else hear Peachy mention that Survivor was a community? Like a dozen times? I guess that's this season's theme. Community. Whatever that means. Troy and Abed on an island!

The real question: Is Liz Moriah?

I enjoyed it. I wasn't the hugest Kenzie fan at the beginning, and I remember one thing she said that was so cringey about how her eyes get so blue when she cries. But she grew on me, and I'm good with her winning. I would've been good with Charlie too, and I like that I didn't know which of the two would win. I like Ben too, but he was definitely not getting votes. Liz, Liz, Liz. I would've loved to see her answer jury questions. What an insane season this was. Bring on Forty-Several.

But did he win a million hearts? Because that's what's really important! Kenzie at tribal looks more stylish than I do on my better days.

Not anymore! Didn't you hear her big announcement? I was half-worried she was going to announce it to Jeff at the challenge or the jurors. I would personally enjoy that final 3 more than seasons 38, 39 and 43. But to each their own. This season was so meh at the beginning, and I even remember writing that I hope it picked up. It did. I'm so onboard with this trainwreck now. And finally, I love Malcolm and Denise so much more than these two.

I should have known this season was going to be bananas when they first showed the cast photos and two of the women looked identical. This season is such a goddamn mess that I'm just going with it at this point. Three people in a row going out with idols. People losing their mind over Applebee's. Several jokes about "several." Pretty much everyone making terrible decisions. Some seasons have great players, and some seasons are Gabon. This is shaping up to be Gabon. I'm so curious about who the final 3 will be. I hated the Season 43 final 3 (not as people, but as players), and I thought no one of them deserved it. I think any combination of a final 3 is going to be interesting. Not good, but fun in a way 43 wasn't. I'll have my licorice and cushion ready. I did laugh when Jeff was announcing the reward of pizza ... and soda. It would've been funny if it was actually Soda singing to them while they ate. Dinner and a show.

Liz's big move that she's been craving so much that she can take credit for if she somehow gets to the final 3??? Tell Tiffany beforehand to play her idol. Then Tiff is safe, that horrible Applebee's Monster Q goes home, and Maria/Charlie's big move doesn't work and they may end up in the minority. Liz endears herself (as much as she can) to Tiff and Kenzie. The three of them (plus Venus) pick off the others. Dammit.