Survivor: Edge of Extinction Episode 1 "It Smells Like Success" Analysis

"Let's admit it, I'm awkward."

-Wendy Diaz

Survivor is back, baby, and boy am I hyped!  This was a pretty solid episode of Survivor, even though it probably should have been 90 minutes.  Either way, we got a very entertaining first Tribal Council and now we have to figure out who played well and who sucked!  Let's go to the Edge!

Who Played Well:

We'll start over on the Kama tribe.  First we have Eric and Gavin who formed the only real alliance we saw on this tribe due to the fact they both want the returning players out, especially Aubry.  I think these two will be really dangerous down the road.

Speaking of returning players, Joe, though he didn't want to be Joey Amazing, certainly was.  He was a huge asset at camp and was the best competitor in the challenge.  So far, he's playing the same game he always does, but, in the early days, it's an effective game.

Finally, we have Ron, who managed to find the Advantage Menu.  He has lots of options with this thing, so plenty of ways to screw it up, but he didn't tell anyone he found it.  So far, so good.

Moving over to the Manu tribe, I gotta give credit to Chris, David, Kelley, Lauren, Rick, and Wardog for getting themselves into the majority alliance.  Even more props to David, who had the best challenge performance on his tribe and wasn't targeted at all for being a returning player.  One episode in, I am making David my winner-pick for the season.

Wardog did have a little bit of a mixed night, but I would say it was net positive.  While his honesty toward Reem is a good attribute in real life, I think he said way too much at Tribal Council.  Let her sink, don't try and give her a life lesson.  Now is not the time.  Don't give her the opportunity to drag you down with her.

Finally, we have Keith, who had a bit of a rough start, but recovered with a solid move giving him a net positive episode.  First off, don't come on Survivor if you don't know how to swim.  Second, he managed to get himself in the minority with Reem and Wendy, but I have to give Keith massive props for knowing when to bail on his alliance.  Leaving in the middle of their strategy talk was an excellent move and I think Keith will be alright for awhile.

Who Sucked:

Going back to Kama, we really only have one person to discuss, my pre-game winner-pick, Aubry.  Out of the four returning players, she did the worst job in getting the target off of her back.  She clearly hasn't bonded well enough with Eric and Gavin.  She isn't as much of an asset as Joe.  If Kama loses, she's my pick to be voted out.

Over on Manu, we once again only have one person to discuss and that's Wendy.  She seems like a great person, but she is not a great Survivor player.  She got herself into a minority position and doubled down on her loyalty to Reem to the point that Wardog wanted to vote her out instead.  You can't be too loyal in this game.  She needed to be more like Keith and know when to jump ship.

We didn't see Julia at all and Aurora, Julie, and Victoria didn't really do anything of note.

Finally, we have Reem, who is still in the game, but over on the Edge of Extinction.  Her social game was awful and instead of trying to make amends, she blamed everyone else.  In real life, if people have a problem with the way you are doing things, it's much more acceptable for them to tell you.  On Survivor, the other players are benefited by not telling you.  They're letting you sink your own game.  It's up to you to recognize that others are being rubbed the wrong way by your actions.  Reem simply wasn't self-aware enough to be good at this game.  Even if she does make it back to the game, I don't think she'll do very well.  Very entertaining character though.  I hope she sticks it out on the Edge for a good long while.

Verdict:

It's now time to give out the "Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On Award", which goes to the best player in an episode.  This time it goes to Ron Clark for finding the Advantage Menu and keeping it to himself.

We also have the "Not The Player For Me Award", which goes to the worst player in an episode, except for the person who was voted out.  This time it goes to Wendy Diaz for putting herself in a minority position and being too loyal to a person who couldn't be saved.

I really enjoyed this episode, even if it could have been longer, and I loved the way they introduced the Edge of Extinction.  I'm nervous about this twist, but willing to give it a shot.