S30.E01: It's Survivor Warfare

[Tara Ariano]

Season 30 begins with eighteen new players who are divided into three tribes according to their occupations (White Collar, Blue Collar, No Collar) as they attempt to become the lone survivor and pocket the $1 million top prize. Just minutes into the game, the castaways are forced to choose between honesty or deception; and one player becomes ill after trying to satisfy his need for protein.

[susannot]

So far I like Hali, the law student on the No Collar tribe.  I love her idealism and her desire to go into law to bring justice to the poor and the downtrodden!  I am an OLD lawyer who felt the same way back in the day.  Props to a young lawyer who manages to achieve her dreams.

[candall]

I think this collar division thing is brilliant.

 

Instead of waiting weeks and weeks for individual personalities to emerge, we have a preconceived set of expectations for each tribe right from Day One.  No valuable time wasted before we can get to the snarky judgy bits.

 

Coconut vendor?  ROTFL

[susannot]

Sexual jealousy already rearing its head on No Collar tribe. It has the most attractive women, perhaps by design.

[LizBug]

First impressions ...

Coconut vendor is creepy, majorly creepy.

Postal worker is trying too hard.

Glad that neither Joaquin nor so found the HII

[NYGirl]

I was planning to like white collar but Joe made me root for no collar.

 

Ha ha..So is gone.  Karma she's a bitch

Edited February 26, 2015 by NYGirl

[dizzyd]

Dang, this season sneaked up on me and I forgot it started tonight, so I missed the 1st 1/2 hour and then had a lot of interruptions for weather updates. I was actually quite excited for this season when it was announced as the collar divide.  And then to find out AR follows, my day is made :-)  Did I miss much?

 

I was actually surprised by the no collars, they got more accomplished than the others, when I thought they would be cast as stereotypical laid back, laying around, singing Kumbaya.  That Vince guy is creepy, though.  And Joe was a star today!

 

Don't have a horse in this race yet.

[susannot]

White Collar is like Brains tribe.  They will be decimated but one or two members will go to the end.

[Lamb18]

Vince seems to be confused about if he's on Survivor or The Bachelorette.

 

This is going to be a good season. There's already so many distinct personalities and so many who love and have studied the game. Already the collar distinctions don't really matter; the tribes are fracturing from the usual reasons like age and sexual tension.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Lamb18

[ShadowSixx]

That big bag of rice sure did look small, I hope that there were more in those crates.

 

The one guy Bubba who's going to use his sister's death story to woo the women, nope, not feeling him. That's just a little low IMO to win someone over. I understand strategy to try and get the numbers but ugh.

 

The guy who ate a scorpion was an idiot. You can get a tapeworm from eating a scorpion. You can eat them but you have to eat them with precaution and recommended that they're cooked first, especially with there being different types of scorpions.

 

Carolyn shows that it pays to watch Survivor over and over as she found the HII just like that by looking at a weird shaped tree.

 

Vince asking that girl if she's attracted to Joe, really dude?? He sounded like a scorned ex.

 

Picking the 50 piece puzzle was a huge mistake, just because Probst said it was easy doesn't mean that it was simple. You had to figure out what it said and then made sure the pieces match. I would have chosen the 10 piece puzzle like the Blue Collar and No Collar tribes chose.

 

Bye Bye So, your 4 alliance isn't so.  Joaquin really, you spell Carolyn's name Cherilyn? When did we hear in H in her name lol.

Edited February 26, 2015 by ShadowSixx

[nottopbravo]

Dan a.k.a. the Mad Pharaoh.

 

Amazed at that vulture shot.

 

Does Jeff know that some tribes have fire?

[Lantern7]

I haven't got a rooting interest yet. The only reason why I'm bummed that So is out is because her name was/is easy to remember.

 

I haven't gotten attached to anyone, name-wise. I am impressed by Carolyn's ability to Russell up an idol with no clues. Looks like the idols will be in plain sight.

 

Where does one sell coconuts? And when? Also: Why do the tribes get names, when Probst is obviously not going to use those names?

[Primetimer]

Survivor's thirtieth season kicks off with three tribes divided by occupation. Also, one guy eats a scorpion.

Read the story

[Dust Bunny]

I already love Joe. He's got to be really smart, because he'll quickly get a huge target on his back.

[truthaboutluv]

White Collar is like Brains tribe.  They will be decimated but one or two members will go to the end.

 

 

Thoughts exactly. And while So was kind of an idiot (I can't believe she just told Carolyn they were going to vote for her before the vote. Did she not realize that Carolyn could have an immunity idol? And then she says she told her it was Shirin because that's what you do in the game - yeah but then you don't turn around and tell them they're going before the vote), I think they may have over-thought this vote.

 

I love how the woman who screwed up the challenge wasn't even on the chopping block. The problem was not just that Shirin showed she panics under the pressure and screwed up the puzzle after saying she was good at it, but that realizing she was panicked and confused, she didn't tap out and make someone else take over. Because in the few minutes he was there, I definitely think Max would have solved the puzzle.

 

She should have been like Jenn. Jenn tried like one piece before she said "screw it" and asked Joe to take over. Speaking of Joe, he should probably sleep with one eye open because I think Vince aka little feather might just stab him in his sleep if he keeps showing him up. And speaking of Vince, holy weirdo. I agree with the above that maybe he's confused about which show he's on. Poor Jenn...run girl, run.

 

I already love Joe. He's got to be really smart, because he'll quickly get a huge target on his back.

 

 

It was interesting seeing the difference between him and Shirin who like Joe, talked about being a huge fan of the show for years.  Joe prepared for how to make fire without flint, killed the puzzle and knew how to build the shelter. Shirin along with everyone on a tribe had no clue how to make fire, she made the mistake of saying she's good at something, then sucked and ultimately lost the challenge for her tribe.

Edited February 26, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[enlightenedbum]

White Collar is super dumb for choosing the 50 piece puzzle.  Like, super, super dumb.  Just manipulating the pieces is probably going to take as long as the 10 or 5 piece puzzle.  I might have hedged with the 10 if the rest of my tribe wanted to, but would have preferred 5.  Vote was pretty straight forward, though I don't think any of those people are even vaguely likeable, especially the Bearded Douche..  Other tribes are a bit better.

[BigRedCheese]

 

The only reason why I'm bummed that So is out is because her name was/is easy to remember.

 

I'm bummed because she's so hot, and more likable than Carolyn.

[PaperTree]

I like it so far.

 

Good job No Collar.  I like them all except creepy Steve.

 

Blue Collar.  Too catty and juvenile.  Plus Rob wannabe.

 

White Collar.  LOL  Too bad.  So sad.  Joachin should be next.  Carolyn is a hoot!!  She may go far.

 

This season has potential.  Nobody to really root for yet.  Let the backstabbing begin!

Edited February 26, 2015 by PaperTree

[Lamb18]

I liked that little raccoon animal. I don't know where they're filming--is it Costa Rica again? Anyhow maybe Clare's raccoon from Bachelor in Paradise is a reality show star in the animal world and showed up for Survivor.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Lamb18

[ShadowSixx]

Shirin is reminding me of J'Tia panicking at the puzzle, hopefully she doesn't dump the rice lol. Besides picking the 10 piece puzzle, I would have opted to untie the knots than use all them keys, you could end up using the same key and not knowing it.

[susannot]

Carolyn shows that it pays to watch Survivor over and over as she found the HII just like that by looking at a weird shaped tree.

 

Totally. Love her!  Go older women.  Despite what Jeffy says about people from all walks of life winning Survivor, no older woman has ever won.  By "older woman" I do not mean older than 30.  I mean 50 or above.  Tina was about 40.   That doesn't count.

[ElleryAnne]

Hello show, welcome back.  I missed you.

 

This is starting off to be a good season.  I'm liking the work-related team division concept.  Though I did think it was obvious to the point of stereotypical that the white-collar team was the only one to choose Deceive.  The fact that the "large" bag of beans wasn't that large was clearly meant to cause players to be suspicious, though, so I wasn't surprised that at least one woman on the blue team doubted the guys' honesty.

 

Happy to see that a couple of people on the teams learned how to make fire before showing up to play the game.

 

No-collar - Vince the coconut vendor is creepy.  That was way too jealous to get that soon.  The rest of the team seems okay so far.

 

Blue-collar - I don't know how I feel about Dan, but I hated the way most of the team was laughing at him. 

 

The white-collar team seemed to be taking things very personally. And I'm not sure if Carolyn has nerves of steel of the luck of the leprechaun, but I was stunned she didn't play that idol. 

 

What was that cute animal they kept showing with the raccoon-like mask eyes?

[BigRedCheese]

 

 

Tina was about 40.   That doesn't count.

 

 

But she looked 50, so I think it still counts.

[susannot]

Coatimundi, I think.

Edited February 26, 2015 by susannot

[ihartcoffee]

Vince and his feathers.... he is so creepy. When he confronted Jennifer he reminded me of pissed off cockatoo. He's mad she was flirting with Joe. Who is adorable BTW. So far he's my favorite I'd say.

So brought that on herself with her mouth.

Don't care for the old dude in the speedo.

[Lantern7]

I forgot about the raccoon. Very cute. Better than the lizard I saw in the commercials, with the creepy-crawly things on its face.

[Straycat80]

I don't like anybody right away. They have to prove themselves to me first. I do like Carolyn so far. She has studied the game and found the idol. She seems tough and doesn't take any shit from anyone. Joaquin and bearded guy act like the stereotypical self entitled white collar jerks.

I thought I would like the blue collar team but postal guy is trying too hard and the other guy ate a scorpion which was stupid.

I like that no collar team won the challenge because white collar guy said something about them never being able to figure out the puzzle they chose. So good for them winning. But there's too much jealousy over nose ring girl, that might sink them.

Glad So went home. I knew when they chose deceive that that wasn't going to end well.

[kelnic86]

Jeff was hyping this up to be one of the best premieres ever, and while I enjoyed this episode as a whole, I wouldn't call it the best premiere ever.

 

Jenn had me cracking up when she was going on about Vince. She seems to have a good sense of humor. I like her already. I also like Joe. He seems like an easy-going, fun-loving guy.

 

Dan reminds me of Rupert. He's really loud and boisterous. He might start to get on my nerves down the road, but for now he's okay.

 

That blond barrel racing girl is super tall. I laughed when she questioned Dan and Mike's story about the beans. I know they were telling the truth. But if I was in her shoes, I would've thought something was fishy too. That "big" bag of beans was really small.

 

The Blue Collar and No Collar tribes seem to have much more interesting personalities. I get the feeling that the White Collar tribe will continue to lose challenges.

Edited February 26, 2015 by kelnic86

[susannot]

Glad So went home instead of Joaquin because I'm shallow and he's hot. But was it really So's idea to choose deceive? I thought Joaquin voiced the idea first.  Not that  it matters.  So would have been voted out first anyway,

[candall]

Was it the "of course we deceive" guy who said "None of us know how to make a fire, ppfft, why would we?"

 

Oh, I don't know. . .maybe because this is SEASON FREAKING THIRTY of Survivor?!?!?

 

It took coconut vendor less than a day to lose his kumbaya vibe and go mad stalker.

 

Carolyn!

[dbell1]

'So' long, vocal fry. One quick way to go at the first tribal is to name your alliance. Delusional exit speech was comedy gold.

Does feather guy remind anyone else of Mel Gibson? 40 year old Mel, not crazy ranting Mel...

[susannot]

Carolyn

 

Yes.  We can only fervently wish.

[Alapaki]

Instead of waiting weeks and weeks for individual personalities to emerge, we have a preconceived set of expectations for each tribe right from Day One.

 

Fucking A.  If Probst has to devote the first 10 minutes on the beach explaining the format, they're obviously bullshit categories, especially given that none of these 3 categories provides any inherent advantage/disadvantage in the game.

 

In fact, the interesting sociological revelation of this week was not how "white collar" vs. "blue collar" vs. "no collar" perform on Survivor.  It's how quickly eighteen people each almost immediately fall into the stereotype/box that the show squeezes them in.

 

Which is a shame because I think there are some genuinely interesting personalities this season.  But they're all falling into the bullshit "well, as a xyz collar, I'm yadayada, unlike those abc collars."

[Lamb18]

One thing, I'd rather see people in swimsuits than underwear.

[LanceM]

well according to next week's preview we will see them in neither

[princelina]

Does feather guy remind anyone else of Mel Gibson? 40 year old Mel, not crazy ranting Mel...

 

Nah - he reminds me of Coach.  And according to his bio, he can flirt and "use his sex appeal like Parvati" - as we saw tonight :)  Clearly he tells as tall of a tale.

 

Joe became my favorite with "I learned how on youtube and practiced every day."

 

I do think it's hilarious how they fall into whatever story they are given - from the angst and drama Jeff loves over the "blood v. water" angle to the "look how we act, we're ____ collar" - I also like Joe for not giving us a bunch of that :)

Edited February 26, 2015 by princelina

[Eolivet]

If Vince seems to think he's on The Bachelor, Dan might've gotten lost on his way to The Biggest Loser. He is quite possibly the most unattractive man -- nay, the most unattractive person -- I have ever seen on Survivor. I seriously hope the super fans on that tribe don't go for the inaccurate cliche that older women are always the greatest physical liability, because no one on that tribe is a bigger physical liability than Dan.

 

Side-eying the law student being classified as "no collar." What...exactly do they think law students grow up to be? Someone at CBS sure did some creative casting.

[dizzyd]

Max looks like Sebu Simonian from Capital Cities.

[KaveDweller]

I am disappointed that they made the White Collar people all Type A personalities.  Not everyone who works in an office is cut throat and/or an executive. I guess that's the type that has the most potential for drama, but it doesn't feel like a fair representation of the classes.

 

Jeff was hyping this up to be one of the best premieres ever, and while I enjoyed this episode as a whole, I wouldn't call it the best premiere ever.

 

 

He ALWAYS says it is going to be the best premiere/season ever.

Was it the "of course we deceive" guy who said "None of us know how to make a fire, ppfft, why would we?"

 

Oh, I don't know. . .maybe because this is SEASON FREAKING THIRTY of Survivor?!?!?

 I know, I can't believe everyone doesn't practice making fire before they go on the show.  I wouldn't even consider applying for Survivor until I had tried making fire without flint.

[Straycat80]

Does feather guy remind anyone else of Mel Gibson? 40 year old Mel, not crazy ranting Mel...

Sort of. Maybe Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

[kelnic86]

 

Side-eying the law student being classified as "no collar." What...exactly do they think law students grow up to be? Someone at CBS sure did some creative casting.

I noticed that too. I think they put her No Collar because she's still just a student, and also because she wants to be a lawyer to create her own rules and not just go with the system, or something like that. But yeah, definitely some stretching had to be done to fit her in the No Collar tribe.

 

Also, that Rodney guy pulling a Jonny Fairplay with using his dead sister to gain an alliance? I guess it was smart, but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

Edited February 26, 2015 by kelnic86

[candall]

  But they're all falling into the bullshit "well, as a xyz collar, I'm yadayada, unlike those abc collars."

True, but I think it's just as interesting watching them adapt themselves to those categories.

 

Brains/Beauty/Brawn made me uncomfortable by suggesting those three attributes were exclusive, but so far, most of these folks seem pleased and proud of their collar affiliation.  More power to 'em.

 

I too wonder about law school girl being a no-collar.  Law school's not exactly slackerville.  Maybe she has a few other degrees under her belt--"professional student" is a great way to stay collar free.

Edited February 26, 2015 by candall

[Alapaki]

Side-eying the law student being classified as "no collar." What...exactly do they think law students grow up to be? Someone at CBS sure did some creative casting.

I think they shoehorned her in by her saying that she intended to go into an area of law that wouldn't pay very well.  And given the legal job market right now, frankly she'll be further from "white collar" status that the coconut vendor (at least he probably doesn't have a mountain of student loan debt).

Edited February 26, 2015 by Alapaki

[LakeGal]

Vince is my first dislike this season. The guy is creepy.

Bearded guy on white collar was not as smart as he thought he was. He sat at TC and announced he would be a better liar than everyone else. Do you really want to tell your tribe that you are a great liar?

[Rick Kitchen]

I was so wishing that one of the pairs that went for "Honest" would call out if any of the tribes had gone with "Deceive", just to out them to their tribe.

 

Man, when they started the montage of talking heads at the beginning, I was thinking that they were all obnoxious.  So far, I like Joe and Carolyn, and the white collar guy who isn't Max or Joaquin (I don't know his name, Tyler?)  When did that "Core of Four" happen? And why did Carolyn tell him that she had the idol this early in the game?

 

So is a horrible liar.  Vince is just creepy. I'm not sure how I feel about Rodney yet.

 

Not a whole lot of diversity in this cast.,

Edited February 26, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Alapaki]

I was so wishing that one of the pairs that went for "Honest" would call out if any of the tribes had gone with "Deceive", just to out them to their tribe.

 

 

I thought a smart play for So (since she seemed reluctant to go with "Deceive" in the first place) would've been to early on tell one or more of her Tribe that Joaquin had lied about what happened (obviously that would've required her to have him explain their "choice" when they originally returned) and offer to share the clue in return for aligning with her to vote out Joaquin.  

 

I thought it was interesting at least some people were skeptical about the Blue team guys selecting "Honest".  It makes sense, because everyone now assumes that any piece of parchment the show hands out has a HII-Clue in it.  But if the players could've predicted that level of skepticism and paranoia, they could've chosen "Deceive".  If people aren't going to believe you anyway, you might was well get the HII-Clue.

[cooksdelight]

I just got my power back after losing it right before they went to tribal. Thank goodness someone texted me about the blindside.

I didn't like So or Joachin from the beginning, so I'm glad to see one of them is gone. That stupid story So told them was so lame it was laughable. Tell them that there were three boxes, they blind picked one and this was all they got. Nothing about honesty or dishonesty. A 12-year-old could have done a better job.

Vince the Feather Coconut Gatherer is well on his way to the crazy train. I would almost bet he cracks up before he's voted out.

The postal worker who insists on showing us his huge hairy belly.... please let him get sunburned as hell, quickly, so he covers himself.

I like Carolyn. I wanted to like Max, but knowing he teaches a course in how to play Survivor and seeing he's already out of his element gives me a huge pause.

[Etta Place]

White Collar made terrible decisions in that challenge. All the keys took was someone who was methodical and quick, especially when no one else has made a switch. And then choosing the 50 piece puzzle - that was inexcusable. What a weak decision, considering that they could switch people out and help whoever was up there. Get there first? Choose the 5 pieces; it's likely that at least one of you will figure out what needs to be done, and that's all you need.

[Turtle]

I loved the "make a choice" parts of the challenge - something new and it adds a really interesting aspect to not only the challenge itself, but also to the team dynamics.  Overall, a pretty good start!

 

I can't believe So announced her alliance of four at tribal.  So dumb - who is she, Keith??  You'd think that someone who is presumably good at sales would be a little better at reading a room (and maybe at lying).  After seeing Carolyn not trust several people, I was really surprised she didn't play the idol-  I'm curious about what went down at camp that convinced her she was safe. 

 

Carolyn seems to have some good Survivor sense, but I found her talking heads so grating.  Maybe once she settles in, she's calm down a little; otherwise, she's going to drive me crazy.  Joaquin is annoying in just about every possible way. 

 

Vince is an early front-runner for entertainment value, but he's an awful human being that I would never want to be in a room with.  I suspect he's Coach/ Phillip levels of cuckoo, but way more frightening.  I think I like Jenn and Joe on that tribe.

 

For the blue collars, Dan unfortunately did not read the room right, but Lindsay is terrible.  Just mean all around.  Mike was dumb to eat the scorpion, but I like him.  The guy from Boston?  Just because of his hair, I am against him.​

 

I wanted to like Max, but knowing he teaches a course in how to play Survivor and seeing he's already out of his element gives me a huge pause.

 

 

I think it goes along with what a lot of contestants (and forum posters!) have said - a lot of Survivor success depends on who is in your tribe (and luck about the idol and challenges).  Being the best strategist or knowing a lot about the game can actually be a disadvantage if you're playing with people who don't really know the game and/or who are incapable of understanding strategy.  But I think his knowledge will help him make the best of it, rather than imploding or making stupid impulsive decisions.  He voted with the majority and stayed quiet at tribal, two super important things this early in the game.  

[Wings]

This is going to be a good season.   I love the crazies and we have a good one in feather boy. 

 

The postal worker.  Oh good god keep your clothes on.  He will be the first to go on that team anyway.  He said he wanted to be remembered, he won't be.  

 

Not impressed with the white collar team.  After they made the mistake of choosing the largest puzzle they didn't change the players when it was obvious she was struggling.  Glad So left though.  Abrasive woman.

 

Carolyn must have been very sure the vote would be for So.  Editing left that out for us to have a nail biting moment.    .  

Edited February 26, 2015 by wings707