Here we go again, ladies and gentlemen.
The start of yet anotherSurvivoradventure.
Those things are absurdly enormous and completely horrifying.
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
And where are those statues now anyway?
That would be such a baller move.
But enough about that.
Which reminds me, its time for yours truly to once again take The Oath of the Survivor Recapper.
The Oath of the Survivor Recapper
I am the Survivor Recapper.
I am not competing.I do not vote.I cannot win the million-dollar prize.
Everything that happens here is intended to make you a betterSurvivorfan.
Likes an orange hat.
Looks down a lot.
Is Probst now taking days off like his main man Howard Stern?
No time to debate such hot-button issues.
Lets give our initial impressions of each tribe.
THE LAIRO TRIBECongratulations to Lairo for getting the super-scenic dope-ass beach.
This tribe camp is used every season in Fiji and with good reason it looks absolutely stunning.
Im excited too, Karishma!
People like Vince, who is the first Hmong contestant ever.
At least thats what I learned from Googling.
(Does he also quote Bob & Doug McKenzie while rocking out to a little Rush?
just say yes, eh?)
Also part of that alliance is Elaine.
Otherwise were just gonna go commando.
Does that meaneveryonehas to go commando if Elaine forgets to put her underwear on?
That doesnt seem particularly fair.
Also, doing a challenge with no underwear on just feels veryBig Brotherfor some reason.
God bless that show.
She may be right, but not when one of those strangers is Ronnie.
Ronnie is a poker player, because of course he is.
TheSurvivorcasting department is obsessed with poker players.
If I have to endure one more formerSurvivorcontestant tweeting about something called Run It Up Reno I will…
I dont know, I guess book a ticket to Reno to go see what that is all about?
But the point is,Survivorplayers seem obsessed with the card game and vice versa.
(Im more of a Monopoly Deal kind of guy.
just @ me.)
Meaning there is no reason to take her out first.
In terms of other Lairo folks, there is also Elizabeth a former three-time Olympic swimmer.
That will no doubt prove to make her a true physical force in this game.
After all, look at the way Crystal Cox dominated challenges in Gabon!
And while youre at it, can you also check to see if G.C.
is still going by G.C.?)
Im also digging Missy.
Okay, lets go check out the less posh beach.
THE VOKAI TRIBEJanet shows up and shes worried about the stigma of being the older woman on the tribe.
Its a legitimate concern, to be sure.
Janets special set of skills does not entail wiping out an entire Albanian sex trafficking ring.
But while Billy Joel may not have started the fire, Janet can!
I sayhimbecause its pretty much always a dude.
Apparently, only men are that socially clueless.
Every season we see some doofus lets call him… Thats just not playing the percentages.
He makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable, says Kellee.
His lack of spatial awareness, for me being a germaphobe, but also for me being a girl…
I dont want your sweaty body on me, at all.
Its not just Kellee either.
Molly is also a bit skeezed out by the fact that Dan does not know personal space.
Well, not exactly, but she does express that his tactile obsession is making her uncomfortable.
That conversation easily could have gone south really fast.
Theres no way the germophobic Kellee would let that happen.
Personally, I find that more interesting than the pull-a-name-out-of-the-bag approach, which involves no strategy whatsoever.
Then again, I foundGhost Islandmore interesting than most people did in general, so there you have it.
Still seems like a weird switch to make though.
And then, right on cue, Sandra and Rob walk down the path towards her.
(According to Sandra, he may even be a better player.)
Well, that was certainly nice of him.
Then, Sandra takes Elizabeth up to some other weird area so she can help her practice.
Im sorry, is he too busy staring at his own terrifying statue to help her practice?
So anyway, Elizabeth returns and the Robfather throws out an offer she cant refuse.
But probably should have.
The offer is this: They compete to make fire and burn a rope.
If Rob wins, then she loses her vote at that nights Tribal Council.
So what are the pros and cons here?
However, being sent to the mysterious Island of the Idols could make Elizabeth a target.
Tribemates may assume she got an idol and at the very least vote against her to flush it out.
Why would they assume that?
BECAUSE ITS CALLED ISLAND OF THE IDOLS!!!
Not gonna happen.
Making him happy madethemfeel happy and they wanted that feeling.
Thats exactly what appeared to happen here between Rob and Elizabeth.
He baited her into it.
Anyway, lesson learned.
you could just go to Amazon and orderThe Boston Rob Rulebook: Strategies for Life!
But you also have to be willing to let others teach and help you.
You have to be able to work well with others and be part of a team.
But there you have it: No man is an island!
That lesson did not even cost you your vote at Tribal Council.
But it did cost Elizabeth.
Which also means she needs to decide whether to tell the tribe the truth about what transpired or lie.
That sounds like a terrible fib until you consider thats pretty much exactly how Ghost Island worked.
Personally, I think thats the wrong call.
I would have told the truth and heres why.
That means a bunch of other people are going to be heading to the Island of the Idols.
What happens when they find out you straight up lied?
They may not trust you.
There are just too many variables for how that could go wrong down the line.
While information is indeed power in this game, trust is evenmorepowerful.
Im not saying Elizabeth made a crucial error or anything.
I just would have handled it differently.
Whos Bluffing?Look, if Ronnie is going to be painful and compare poker toSurvivorthen so will I. EXHIBIT A: Karishma tells Ronnie and Aaron I will vote however you want to vote.
Or maybe she did.
I HAVE NO IDEA!
BEATS THE HELL OUT OF ME!
The design actually dates back to the….
Wait, who the hell is that sneaking into an elevated booth on the Tribal Council set?
What are Boston Rob and Sandra doing here?
It doesnt say anything about this inThe Boston Rob Rulebook: Strategies for Life!
To which the Queen replies: F no.
Ill vote you out and thats it.
Because we know you change stuff.
First off, that is mean for Elaine to troll me and my love of the final 2.
And then there is Ronnie.
Interesting seeing as how they lost this challenge because of a puzzle, which requires zero strength whatsoever.
But Ronnie seems to think he knows how things work.
Perhaps that is because he has worked at seemingly every job under the sun.
And when I say out, I mean OUT!
As in noEdge of Extinction!
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!
Order has been restored to the galaxy!
Ehhhhhhh, I mean, I guess thats fine.
And, possibly, crypto.
How do we feel about the first episode ofSurvivor: Island of the Idols?
The extra half hour in the 90-minute premiere obviously helped.
Its so hard to meet 20 people in under an hour.
But I like the Island of the Idols component and the casting so far comes off as solid.
And theres something else I cant quite put my finger on.
But Im digging the vibe of season 39.
That could change at any point, of course.
But so far, so good.
An exclusive deleted scene?
Sure, we got that.
And my exit interview with Ronnie which you could also hear onEW Liveat 2 p.m.
ET on SiriusXM, channel 109 isready for you right here.
If you miss any of this stuff, just follow me on Twitter@DaltonRossfor all the latest updates.
Well, thats what I think, but what doyouthink?
Was sending Ronnie out the right way to go?
Whom are you loving and loathing so far?
And what do you think of what Sandra and Rob bring to the table?
