Survivor 46 Premiere "This is Where the Legends Are Made" Gameplay Analysis

 "From Slumdog to Survivor, baby!"

-Bhanu Gopal

Survivor is back, baby!  This was a fun premiere with a unusual first boot.  Going in, I never would have correctly guessed who was going first.  I loved the Andy Griffith alliance and the geckos used in the Immunity Challenge were adorable.  I want one!  Maybe they'll auction them off after the season!  Anyway, let's take a look at who played well and who sucked!

Who Played Well:

Let's start on the Nami tribe.  Hunter and Tevin formed the Andy Griffith alliance.  I'm hoping this alliance lasts because they seem like a fun pair.  Tevin also managed to get himself an Extra Vote on the Journey.

Soda also seems like she is in a good spot.  She was given information from several people on her tribe and created a wedge between Randen and Venus.

Moving over to Siga, Maria, Jem, Moriah, and Charlie all got into the Charlie's Angels alliance.  Plus Maria and Tim have a side, parents alliance.  Maria also did a great job on her Journey by annihilating Jelinsky and getting herself an Extra Vote.

Ben and Charlie got off to a rough start by failing the Savvy Challenge, but they bounced back with solid social games and seem very well liked by the rest of the tribe.

Over on Yanu, Tiffany and Kenzie both seem to be in a power position on the tribe.  They formed an alliance earlier on, but I don't like that they immediately took out a member of their alliance.  I'll put more of the blame for that on Q though.  At least the vote was unanimous and Tiffany managed to get an Idol and Kenzie knows about it.

Who Sucked:

Back on Nami, Liz seemed to rub Tevin the wrong way by talking about her companies she has sold.  That implies she is wealthy, which isn't something you want to do on Survivor.  That could get you voted out early or make people want to vote for you less at Final Tribal Council.

Randen threw Venus under the bus to Soda too early.  They hadn't even lost an Immunity Challenge yet and Soda used that moment to create a rift between them.  Venus did get caught looking for the Idol, which isn't great, but Randen should have saved that information for a more opportune moment.

Back over on Yanu, I don't like the move to take out Jelinsky.  I don't know why Bhanu, Tiffany, and Kenzie went along with Q's plan.  Tiffany and Kenzie at least made other moves to keep them out of this category.  Bhanu didn't and this was all Q's idea.  He seems like a work hard kind of guy and not so much a work smart person.  I don't think that will serve him well on Survivor.  He had a bond with Jelinsky and that was a number for him.  He can be pissed at Jelinsky all day long, but why get rid of a number?

Jess got off to a really bad start by simply not talking enough to anybody.  I suspect she must have gotten at least a little bit better though because she survived the vote and taking out Jelinsky was good for her, but that is was still a really bad start.

As for Jelinsky, I do feel bad for the guy.  The way this episode was edited did make Sweat seem impossible.  He still probably should have toughed it out if Q wanted to keep going.  As for going on the Journey, he shouldn't have volunteered.  I don't blame him for folding to Maria during the game.  He was dealt a bad hand, but the way he explained what happened to his tribe was terrible.  He could have presented it in a much different way and might have stayed in the game.

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to Maria Shrime Gonzalez for getting into the Charlie's Angels alliance, forming a side alliance with Tim, absolutely destroying Jelinsky on the Journey, and getting an Extra Vote.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Q Burdette for leading the charge in voting out a member of his alliance, who was also one of the strongest members of his tribe.  As a reminder, the person who was eliminated isn't eligible for this Award because I think that is frequently too easy and boring.

This was a fun premiere and I expect more fireworks on the Yanu tribe.  I'm choosing Moriah as my winner pick.  Here's hoping she goes all the way!  I can't wait to see what happens next!