As always, please forgive me should any of my comments repeat what someone may say as I do write them out prior to posting. Per usual, if I do repeat what someone may say, I agree with you!

The show certainly opened up with a beautiful scene of the cloudy horizon showcasing the big ship. I found Jeff’s initial commentary interesting in that it was somewhat different from the norm “This is their STORY” (perhaps the editors took a look at our thread )

Upon introduction of each tribe by Jeff

Asian American – Brad shown
Caucasion – Candice shown
Latino – Ozzy shown
African American – Stephannie shown with Nathan’s back turned

Jeff: “……also a test of social skills…. It’s the impressions you make on the other castaways that determine your fate……” (again somewhat different than his usual opening. At this time, the racial theme and impressions made may be crucial to the outcome of the story)

Generally speaking, I felt this was a solid opening to this season; perhaps even a little less exciting than I had maybe anticipated it to be but there were certainly players that made one take note and others relegated to the background. In the first episode, those “hidden in the shadows” does not mean anything in terms of longevity but those more highlighted are potentially end game players or those who will be highlighted until their character needs to leave relative to the story.

The Opening Confessionals

Ozzy “My first thought when I saw the tribes split among racial lines was Oh God, this is gonna be hard because as people who have the same ethnicity, we can kind of clash on things”

Sundra “I could care less (about ethnic division)… when it comes to surviving, it’s a human effort”

Yul “…stunned; on one hand it’s a great opportunity, wonderful there are more minorities. At same time, worried about stereotypes/caricatures. I don’t know. It will be interesting to see how things will turn out”

Pavarti “…different ethnic groups. Is that kosher? I don’t know but it’s a cool social experiment I think”

The initial commentary by a representative of each tribe is striking in how each viewed the racial division. Ozzy discusses the issue of inner tribe conflict potentially happening, Sundra pays no mind to the racial division whatsoever emphasizing the purpose of a generalized effort, Yul notes that this experiment has both positive and negative to it and reserves judgment to see what happens and Pavarti's suspicions are casual as well as her approval.

Aitu Tribe

I am sure everyone noted the stand outs and who was not. Again, longevity this does not make but I would hazard a guess that in this relatively extremely important first episode of a very dicey concept, someone who was completely ignored is probably not going to win this game.

Billy (on the boat) “I dunno about you but I feel like this is ##### backwards. Like our parents got on a raft paddling away from an island; here I am paddling back to an island” (This essentially was just a good comment, if I was editing this show, I would have thrown it in)

Billy (conf) “Thought what an advantage (being all Hispanic)… we are used to being in a tropical setting”

Cecelia (conf) “This is a unique opportunity representing our community in a positive way; if we just show we work hard and play hard, I think we are gonna go pretty far”

After, Billy is shown instructing the others and not appearing very adept at the same time

JP (conf) “Billy said he can chop things down and make a hut… Really fired up… I didn’t want to judge him on his appearance, he was out of shape…”

Ozzy (conf) “…he really didn’t know exactly what he was doing. I had to kinda take over and build the shelter… trying to guide things without trying to step into the position of being leader; I do not want that to happen”

Ozzy then shown scampering up the tree to retrieve coconuts

JP (conf) “…straight out of the Jungle Book. He may not be very big but he’s athletic, someone who’s gonna be pretty good at this game”

Ozzy (conf) “As long as we work as a team and as long as we stay fed and happy with each other then we’ll be able to stay really strong”

They cheer each other with coconut toasts

The obvious missing component was Cristina who barely had any visibility in this episode. This, of course, does not mean she may not do relatively well but I am hard pressed to believe in a tribe of only five that each individual would not be shown to a degree and that concerns me for her longevity. Also notable was that Ozzy was talked ABOUT; always a good sign especially if it is within context of playing the game as JP did. Billy obviously is being established in a not so positive light within his tribe and with the upcoming preview, this was done no doubt to begin this mini episode within the story. This has absolutely no bearing though on Billy and his longevity. We have certainly seen many characters introduced as not being received positively by their tribe and also somewhat embarrassing and they do fairly well (Judd being a quick example). It is the player that doesn’t need to BE there that should be worried about their stay on this show in terms of longevity. Ironically, this Billy "set up" may, in fact, provide a nice run for Billy; perhaps we see him pull it out for his tribe or end up being received better by another tribe; he will either last longer than anyone would generally expect OR will be gone very, very soon. I found it fascinating to hear JP discuss not judging someone on their appearance in light of the context of this season’s storyline. Cecelia was given the inner tribe confessional of their tribe showcasing themselves (Billy’s commentary on their advantage being in the tropics was a throwaway comment) and representing themselves. The comment needed to be put there; every tribe needed this type of confessional. Why not Cristina? I’m sure she discussed it as well. Cecelia’s presence was definitely noted more out of the two women which is suggestive of each of their time there. Ozzy’s self awareness of the need to step up but not wanting to be seen as leader is always good to hear regarding longevity as the game context is noted and the awareness of what needs to be done.

At this point, Ozzy seemingly is faring very well and probably had the most compelling narrations and I would suspect he may be our lead narrator of his tribe. JP’s commentary was sufficient but note that it was more about OTHERS than himself which then one questions if those he discussed last longer than himself and while Cecelia was briefly shown, her commentary had substance but her stay may be more about the story than the win. Billy has been shown as the potential thorn in the tribe’s side but that is not indicative of a short stay and may even suggest a healthy character. Cristina is a doubt and I would hope the next episode may help her as we know first episodes alone do not tell us anything definite.

Puka

We see them initially on the raft and Cowboy’s jokes are already met with derision.

Cowboy (conf) “I’m a refugee…. I survived Vietnam War, I can survive this” and “The Puka tribe’s advantage..we fly under the radar. Nobody suspects these little people to see anything or to be strong enough to be anything… people always underestimate the Asians” (Ahhh, what a difference between Billy’s comment that Hispanics will do well because they are in the tropics and this meaty comment about others will underestimate his tribe. I do not subscribe to “million dollar quotes” but this was a juicy one and only time will tell should an Asian member of this show win the game)

Jenny (conf about the tribe members and their background) “…our tribe is comprised of five Asians…. we are a mixed group ourselves….” (Again, like Ozzy’s commentary this may help set the tone should we see inner ethnic conflict occur and thematically that it may not be diversity of each tribe but may be broken down further to division in one’s OWN ethnicity)

Yul (conf after Cowboy is shown telling his stories) “I guess for me the person I’m having most difficulty with is Cowboy, sense a little schism; some degree of generational gap” (Again it is fascinating to see how these tribes are broken down and yet even within, gender, generation and geographic differences can still cause an issue)

Cowboy (conf) “My biggest concern is I’ve never been accepted by the Asian community…. I don’t fit the stereotype….very dangerous position for me to be in…..” (Cowboy does scream character naturally and there was a lot of investment put into his first episode for him to leave so soon I would imagine despite the previews for next week)

At this juncture, the investment in Cowboy is obviously for a reason and he will be sliced and diced as much as it will be allowed. For the first showing of this tribe, Becky was sadly neglected and again, I am sure she was asked questions as well as everyone else. Jenny made a small but potentially important statement about the differences within her tribe, Yul had solid visual and verbal presence and Cowboy naturally was the headliner. Brad had not made any showing at the initial introduction of the tribe. Both Yul and Cowboy have good narrator status and from very different perspectives; they even may end up making great allies

At this point, Yul and Cowboy sit very well in terms of future stay. Cowboy however is more about the conflict and Yul was more about observance and situational which tends to bode better for Yul whereas with Cowboy it is more about a potential journey story for him. Jenny may have some push in her but too soon to tell. Both Becky and Brad were not shown until later and Becky was sadly neglected and Brad was ONLY shown later because of the situation that occurred; it was interesting and therefore shown but it meant nothing as far as Brad the player.

Hiki

Let me preface this tribe with the note that the tribe that ultimately goes to Tribal Council will get a good amount of screen time so the dynamics of each character tends to be skewed because they HAVE to be shown to help set up the end of the episode. This is why face time/visibility is not necessarily a viable indicator of anything. The context of WHY they are visible and WHAT they say and perhaps why someone ELSE didn’t say it is what I attempt to look at.

We see Sekou gather the group with cheers of “Represent”

Stephannie (conf) “……all feel the pressure to represent”

Rebecca (conf) “It makes me feel that because we are divided by race, now we have to step up to the plate and show, yes, black people swim, yes, we know how to get on a boat and paddle….. I mean we don’t just run track” (It was notable how we first hear the African American tribe vocalize the ideal of “representing” and “proving” to negate the stereotypes that are prevalent in society yet there was some contradiction to this in the happenings around the tribe)

Sundra (conf) “This has nothing to do with race, we are just a bunch of city kids; it’s not that we are black, we are city slickers thrown into the bareness of life” (This confessional elicited some irony in that she was then shown stating how the machete “couldn’t cut cotton”)

I’m not entirely sure if the editing was meant to show the contradiction of their individual words to us and then their group discussions as varied talk of “low income housing” “nappy hair” and so forth were left in the show. Again, time will tell but there did appear to be a greater emphasis shown in the African American tribe but it may have also been relative to the fact they lost.

Nathan (conf) “Black people don’t like to be told what to do and we have a bunch of headstrong people, me being one of them” (Again, I found it interesting that there was a greater emphasis on the African American tribe essentially telling the audience of their own stereotypes, compare this to Cowboy’s commentary how the stereotypes of Asian Americans is beneficial and they are underestimated)

Sekou was then shown to discuss his ability of leadership and his accomplishment of same which naturally came across as somewhat pompous in light of the audience seeing how he was failing and that most of his tribe members were not embracing it….filler for the outcome of the show

At this juncture, everyone was given some camera time which is not surprising since we need to know this tribe in order to appreciate the ending. One has to determine what the ultimate objective of this season is and how the winner fits into this and how the longer term players fit as well. Ultimately the story may be that this is not about race but just one individual playing and winning the game but that does not mean the longer term players are not there to show that the racial aspect IS important in the ultimate outcome. Both Rebecca and Stephannie tell us that it IS about proving something while Sundra advises it is not; perhaps this will lead to one woman making a decision because of race and the other does not…There was some indication that Rebecca took on a narrator role to a degree; some may think Stephannie did as well but one must understand that Stephannie was integral to the outcome of the Tribal Council so much had to be made about her not quite fitting in and being saddled in the middle. In other words, the SITUATION caused her to be more prevalent in the episode; not necessarily HER as a player

Raro

Adam (conf) “The tribes were divided by ethnicity but it doesn’t matter to me if its all white or any other type of race; the issue is what kind of people you have, their personalities and if you get along with them”

Jonathan (conf) “It is truly going to be a social experiment; fascinating to see how it plays out. I don’t believe that just because these groups have cultural similarities that that will make them more cohesive. This is Survivor (shot of Parvetti) and someone is gonna win a million dollars and they are gonna have to cut the throat of the guy next to him at some point” (Great confessional and obvious why it was put there as it is chock full of potential foreshadowing and great insight into the potential of issues within regardless of similarities. Foreshadowing of someone who will “betray” someone else of their own background in order to further themselves? This is truly one of the cruxes of this season, i.e. do the races “stick together” or will those be willing to betray that to win the game?)

A tongue in check toast ensues with “To the whities” (Was anyone offended by this? If so and you would not mind stating your racial background I would be most interested)

Jessica (conf) “We got a jock (Adam) sorority type (Parvetti) study type (Candice), family man (Jonathon) and then me, the alternative option” (No mention of the breakdown but mention of her assessment of their breakdown and ironically her stereotypical perception based on the short observation of her tribe mates)

We then see the chicken mishap (recall the spear mishap, let’s see if this is glossed over as well)

Jonathan (conf) “A one second mistake cost us the chicken… I’m not happy right now with Flicka…” (Situational confessional as it directly involved him as he acquired the chicken. Whether it is potential foreshadowing between Jessica and Jonathan will need fleshing out but as it stands it appeared to be a fluff piece and since it was never brought up again, I don’t know that this is reflective of a poor showing for Jessica)

At this juncture, Jonathan provides the narrator role essentially to this tribe and while Pavarti did not play a big part, visually she was seen often enough to not be forgotton. Jessica naturally was shown in a slightly negative turn but I found the whole scene very sterile in terms of casting a heavy negativity on her. Candice was barely there and Adam was really shown solely in chasing the chickens

Revisiting Hiki

Rebecca and Sundra find the water and we hear from Sundra her opinion on Rebecca

Sundra (conf) “Rebecca’s cool, she’s just very smart, athletic… we work really well together” (I question why we did not hear about Sundra from Rebecca, again I usually give lengthier stay to those being talked about; it was obvious they got quite close but we heard from Sundra about Rebecca as opposed to the other way around)

Stephannie (conf) “Rebecca and Sundra are much closer than I could be to either of them, they go off together…. that is something I ‘m watching…” (Yet with this confessional, it is potentially possible that this relationship may at some be called into question)

There were more confessionals from Stephannie involving the firemaking and Sekou clearly setting up what would occur later and not necessarily indicative of Stephannie and how she may fare in this game.

Revisiting Raro

We see the initiation of the “cuddle puddle” and the sleeping arrangements

Candice (conf) “Sleeping next to Adam… he is the biggest guy out here… Adam is an attractive guy”

Adam (conf) “It does make the island more bearable… attracted to Candice a lot”

Parvetti (conf) “They are snuggling, I dunno, romance is in the air”

(This little segment actually seemed to bode better for Parvetti than Adam or Candice. Candice was relatively unheard of or seen this episode except for her discussing an attraction. Adam, at least, was heard from with respect to the racial dynamic setting but Parvetti is shown being an observer and discussing camp events)

Revising Puka

Brad’s headache is showcased with Cowboy discussing the “bad wind” and his cure for same. The girls are laughing at the “indicator” with Brad with Cowboy narrating how the younger culture has lost touch. Yul joins Brad and the girls but only asks Brad if he is okay.

Brad (conf) “I will be truthfully honest, I don’t have a headache anymore but I do have a red mark…” (We are meant more than likely to reinforce the difference of Cowboy and the younger Asian Americans with some slight tone of Cowboy being a slight butt of the joke yet, unlike Billy, Cowboy put his money where his mouth is and we hear from Yul…)

Yul (conf) “Cowboy is interesting…. when I first met him, I wrote him off as a crazy kook but in between the nonsense there’s gems of nuggets that are useful” (For the record this was a confessional from a later time, at least after the immunity challenge as Yul’s nose is cut in this confessional and this cut occurred during the immunity challenge. This confessional was inserted at this time though on purpose to reinforce a positive for Cowboy and coming from Yul serves Yul well and in terms of editing should serve Cowboy well since in actuality we didn’t HAVE to see this but it was to help the audience give Cowboy credit)

The segment ends with Cowboy laughingly tell Brad the red mark will go away when he is all better. The ladies were essentially invisible and Brad, although integral to the scene really was not very important.

Revisiting Aitu

Billy (conf) “….if we lose it’s not the end of the world, it’s the beginning of the game” (Oh this little blurb could have a world of meaning, it is also a gem of a comment; perhaps not indicative of Billy but something to start happening to and/or with the Aitu’s when they lose their first challenge…)

The Challenge

The challenge did not necessarily showcase anything spectacular except that the chicken was mentioned and that would probably only be because the men from Hiki chose their victim for this reason so there had to be some commentary for progression sake.

Of note, or not, Yul was shown when Jeff mentions the all important “immunity”

Nathan then Cecelia were shown with respect to Jeff’s comments about a twist he would reveal after the challenge.

Only noteworthy was during the challenge Billy was noted by Jeff as slowing down his tribe with a close up shot of Billy appearing to trudge slowly yet if you saw the scene immediately after, Billy was right next to his tribemates and Puka still needed to climb over the small hill to catch up. Considering the previews for next week, clearly this was placed as a placement clue for the events to come

Of note: Ozzy and Cecelia were puzzle assemblers as were Becky and Brad, Jonathan and Adam and Stephannie and Sekou with Nathan and Sundra ultimately taking over.

Puka wins the challenge and Jeff reveals the EI twist. There was not as much “feel” to his delivery as last season so I question whether anyone even finds it this season. Of note, JP was shown twice when Jeff talks of sending someone there and if found that the information can be shared.

Nathan and Sekou discuss their selection with Nathan mentioning “the dude in blue is the one that got the chickens” and Jeff notes that the men made the decision with Sundra commenting how they took control (Again, this could be mostly fluff since the end result at TC did come down to a gender vote)

Nathan “Karma’s a bizzle so chicken man over here” (Foreshadowing? Will Nathan reap what he sowed?)

The Exiled One

As last season suggested, those who appear to have legs in this game did receive a more substantive edit at Exile Island. That is not to say that ANYONE this season will receive a substantive edit on EI especially if the idol is never found or is not important to the ultimate story. Being the first exiled this season, we need to wait to compare Jonathan’s stay with others. Jonathan had a simple edit on EI; he notes his shock over the selection due to the chicken, the clue was read and discussed, he was cold and miserable and missed his family and EI was terrible. Short and sweet with nothing of real value

Hiki Goes To TC

The gender division commences in earnest with Rebecca and Sundra discussing the men with Stephannie while Sekou and Nathan discuss bringing Stephannie into the fold.

Rebecca (conf) “….Sekou might be the right person to vote out; had a hard time establishing leadership and no one was working in unison, we think he plays a major role in that”

Nathan astutely tells Sekou that Sundra and Rebecca are tight so pulling in Stephannie is the strategy with Sekou shown approaching Stephannie.

Stephannie (conf) “Sekou tried to persuade me to align with him and Nate to vote Sundra out. I know my vote is the swing vote, men on one side and women on the other side……”

(Nothing from Sundra and nothing from Nathan. Again, Rebecca chosen speak, Stephannie speaking easily explainable as she was integral to the outcome. What concerns me for Sundra is that she was someone brought up as a potential boot victim yet we hear nothing from her in terms of wondering what may happen. Usually the two contenders for leaving are heard from in some aspect. This is not always the case but it does happen quite often. We did not hear from Nathan either with respect to what may happen nor did we see him part of any discussion with Stephannie (if there even was one) In all actuality, Rebecca had the best “showing” this first episode but first episodes are tricky with longevity.

Tribal Council

We heard Rebecca discussing Sekou stepping up as leader with Rebecca shown rolling her eyes at Sekou’s commentary on that, Nathan discussing their beautiful spirit and laughing over the division with more on representation, Sundra discussing the bonding scenarios, Stephannie discussing her “odd man” out status and Rebecca again advising the criteria she is using for her vote.

Sekou leaves and Jeff states: ”If what you said is true and you just voted out your weakest link you should go back to camp stronger and a more organized tribe” (We have heard this before and the result is not usually positive)

Edited to Add: KO, I am thrilled you are analyzing the music and it should serve as well, Corvis I am so happy to see you in here and your observations along with BR’s are extremely insightful. I am curious to see how the messages stated by the contestants result in the outcome. Emydi and Pepe I expect more popping in and will be revisiting this episode noting what all of YOU observed since I take others insights to help with mine.

Obviously the first episode was significant in establishing this experiment, I would suggest that a minority will win this season (in terms of numbers it is sensible as well) Ozzy, Yul, Cowboy, Rebecca, Pavarti, Jonathan, possibly Cecelia and Jessica, Jenny and Billy have potential. Stephannie is inconclusive as she was integral to this particular episode. I’m concerned the bane of Adam and Candice’s existence is their romantic interlude and Jonathan, Cowboy and Billy are there for character placement (Jessica may fit this as well) There is still quite a bit of muck to weed through; next week will certainly help flesh some of this out. I am not one to guess weekly boots but recall that in a lot of instances the second boot was not even someone shown in the first episode. Kel, Jess, Patricia, Tanya, Janet, etc. were essentially background players in the first episode and only until the second episode they were shown AND the showing was the actual reason they left, i.e. beef jerky, sickness, bossiness and so forth so someone who was NOT shown this week may, in fact, be a candidate to leave THIS week; this boot does not need a prior episode introduction.