Survivor (2000–…): Season 41, Episode 1 - A New Era - full transcript

It's been a while.

I've missed you.

Well, I've missed the jungle,
and I've missed the ocean,

but mostly, I've missed
our time together.

Survivor started out as this
tiny little social experiment,

and it has evolved into one
of the most mentally draining,

physically challenging
and socially complicated games

ever seen on television.

And you've been there
every step of the way,

which is why we thought
it would be fun this season

to invite you inside the game
a little more,



make you coconspirators.

So, at times, you'll know

what's happening
before the players know.

You can play along,
second-guess, like this.

It's a new advantage,
the Beware Advantage.

This advantage comes with risk.

So, if you want this,
you better be sure.

What would you do
if you found it?

I'm gonna hide this
at the Yase tribe camp.

The other two tribes
will have one as well.

We just want
to have fun this season,

so we're gonna lean into
the best kind of Survivor fun,

the dangerous Kind.

Plus, we're gonna
increase the pace.



These players will go 26 days,

which means they have to hit
the ground running

because there will be nowhere
to hide and no time to hide.

Plus, small tribes, no rice,

penalties for losing,

and you've got to earn
everything.

And even then,
the unexpected dangerous twist

can take it all away.

What do you want from me?

We're just trying to evolve
the experiment a little more

and see how it goes,
and we'll do it together.

Oh, and for you younger
future Survivor players,

there's a game within the game
just for you.

(sighs)

Been too long. Glad to be back.

♪ ♪

CREW 1:
Okay, here we go.

CREW 2:
All crew set to positions.

-CREW 3: Copy that. Over.
-CREW 4: Helicopter up.

-We're rolling.
-CREW 5: One, two.

CREW 2:
Prepare the beach. We are a go.

-Cameras, this is it.
-CREW 7: Speeding.

-CREW 2: Systems are ready.
-CREW 8: Cameras?

-CREW 7: Speeding.
-CREW 9: Speeding.

CREW 2:
Season 41, let's go.

♪ ♪

I am really freaking excited
to play Survivor.

I have studied this game,
I love this game,

and I can't express
how honored I am

to be part of
the first season back.

That's freaking crazy.

DANNY:
It's been a year and a half
of quarantine.

Your mind's going crazy.

And I would throw on Survivor,

and I would just binge-watch it
all day and all night.

I got to look forward
to seeing competition.

I'm a former NFL player,

and the competitive spirit
never leaves.

You're always trying to win
at something, so this is

the ultimate test for me.

TIFFANY:
Survivor kept me going
through pandemic.

I was an alternate-- I went from

possibly being casted
to you're not on the cast

to being called 24 hours
before you're going.

I'm freaking out.

I want to show my kids,
you know?

Mom said she's gonna be on
Survivor, and look, she's here.

Now you can really do anything.

Like, let's start
with making your bed.

JD:
I've been a fan of Survivor
since I could even watch TV.

I was born after Survivor.

It aired in 2000.

I was born in 2001.

And in my life, I always say
there are three constants.

There's my faith, uh, my family

and Survivor.

You know, take everything
that makes Survivor great

and inject it
into my bloodstream,

and-and there you have me, JD.

VOCE: As someone that is in
the hospitals on the front line,

honestly, this past year
has been pretty traumatizing

for me--
professionally, personally--

and so this is kind of
a complete reset for me.

I am beyond ready
to play this game.

SHAN: A lot of people
would think that pastors, like,

they can't play this game,
they can't play this game well

because they're soft
and, you know,

they want to take
the high road all the time.

Listen, I am
the mafia pastor, okay?

I am half Italian,
half Jamaican.

That means I'm cutthroat, okay?

Like, I will pray for you

and walk you out the door
at the same time.

I have no problem doing that.

SARA:
I think 2020 was probably

the worst year of my life.

COVID has made me more excited
to play the game.

ERIKA: Getting into the game,
I'm gonna be an animal

that's let out of its cage.

XANDER:
This is what
I live and breathe for.

Oh, my God. (laughs)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Come on up.

Opening moments
of your adventure.

As soon as I step foot
on that barge,

game on, game on.

This fantasy is a reality now.

PROBST:
More people coming on board.

GENIE:
We are a part
of this amazing game

and this amazing season.

PROBST:
Yeah, we need one more.

You want to play Survivor?

-(laughter)
-Yes!

PROBST:
Come on.

We got a room.

It's the best moment
of my life, really. (laughs)

All right, welcome to
the 41st season of Survivor.

Let it go.

(cheering)

We are so happy you're here.

I'm so happy I'm here.

We need us some Survivor.

We were lucky enough
to be invited back to Fiji.

You guys did
the full quarantine,

took all the tests--
you are safe.

We can play Survivor.

So let's play some Survivor.

Let's start. Guy in
the far back right corner,

-what's your name?
-Abraham.

Abraham, give me a number
and describe

the feeling right now
of excitement, one to ten.

Oh, ten, ecstatic.

No masks, no confinement.

-I'm feeling it.
-(laughter)

Right here in the middle,
what's your name?

-Erika.
-Same thing-- give me a number

one to ten, and describe
what that number feels like.

Oh, my gosh,
it's like a million.

I was supposed to come
last year,

and it got taken away
last minute.

And I think about, like--

so many people lost so much
during the pandemic

that they're never
going to get back,

but, like, we get to still
have this experience.

I-I can't believe it.

Guy in the back,
what's your name?

-Naseer.
-Naseer.

What is it, Naseer,
about this show

that keeps everybody coming back
with the same enthusiasm?

I can tell you, Jeff, this--
at this moment,

I'm the happiest human being
on the earth.

I started watching
Survivor season 21

and never been to America.

I hardly spoke English.

I learned English
watching Survivor.

(chuckles) Thank you.

-You are my teacher.
-(laughter)

And you're my dictionary, too.

I'm sorry about that.

Well, we're glad
to have you here.

-Woman in the front.
-Hi.

-What's your name?
-My name is Heather.

When did you first start
watching Survivor?

-20 years ago.
-So you... you're a day one.

-Day one. Day one.
-Right... right on.

What is it about this show

that you missed
when it wasn't on for a year?

Oh, I missed everything
about it.

This is routine for me.
This has been a habit.

I started watching 20 years ago
with my boyfriend,

who is now my husband,

and now we watch it
with our children.

-PROBST: Wow.
-So this has been a tradition

in my family--
or creating a family with you.

Thank you. Thank you for this.

Well, thank you
for the family experience,

because that is a big part
of why everybody here--

this entire crew behind me--

-makes this show...
-Yeah.

...is for families like yours.

That's what makes Survivor
special to us.

-Yeah.
-PROBST: All right.

Now, as we all know,
we are in the midst

of one of the most powerful,
still evolving periods of time

that we will probably ever
go through in our lives.

So, while you're out there
backstabbing, blindsiding,

swearing on kids that you may
or may not really have,

if something comes up
that you want to talk about it,

talk about it.

Who knows?
We might learn something.

In fact, I'll start because

I need your guidance
on something.

For 20 years,
I have used one phrase

to call people in
for challenges.

ALL:
Come on in, guys.

-(laughter)
-PROBST: "Come on in, guys."

Yeah.

Love saying it--
it's part of the show--

but I, too, want
to be of the moment.

So my question to you
to decide for us,

in the context of Survivor,

is a word like "guys" okay,

or is it time
to retire that word?

What do you think?

I personally think
"guys" is okay.

It's part of, you know--
"Come in, guys"

is, like, such a signature
expression, and, you know,

I as a woman, as a queer woman,
do not feel excluded by "guys."

Hmm. Yeah.
Does anybody disagree?

-No.
-We feel okay keeping "guys"?

"Guys" is good.

Okay, mark it down--
discussed and decided.

-(laughter)
-All right, tribe names.

Wearing blue, you are Luvu.

-Luvu.
-(whooping)

Wearing yellow,
Yase in the middle.

-Yase!
-(whooping)

-And Ua, wearing green.
-Ua! Yeah!

-Ua!
-Yeah.

PROBST:
I'm gonna tell you up front,

this season is going to be
more difficult than ever to win,

and here are
a few of the reasons.

It's going to be
a shorter season,

which means an already fast pace
will be relentless.

There will be no time to breathe
and nowhere to hide.

You are also starting
with very meager supplies.

One pot, one machete, one flint.

That's it.

No rice, no food source, and...

gameplay that I promise you
has never been so dangerous.

-Ooh!
-(whooping)

PROBST:
When you look at your box,
you see a four and a one,

my suggestion is
drop the four, keep the one.

This is a new era of Survivor.

Let's get to your first test
as brand-new tribes.

On this boat, scattered,

18 color-coded paddles,
six for each tribe.

On my go, you got to get

your six paddles
and your six tribe members

off this barge
and onto your raft.

Then you're gonna paddle out
and around a buoy

and race back to where

you'll see a flint
dangling from a pole.

The first tribe to get the flint

earns those meager supplies--
pot, machete, flint.

The other two tribes
will leave here with nothing.

You'll have to go back to camp
and try to earn them again,

wasting valuable
shelter-building time.

I wish you all good luck.
And go!

Survivor 41 is on!

Opening moments.
You don't know each other,

you've not said a word,

but you've got to quickly
figure out

how to work together.

You are looking for six
of your tribe-colored paddles.

They're not gonna be easy
to get to.

If there are knots,
you got to untie them.

If there's something on top
of it, you got to get it off.

ABRAHAM:
I got two.

PROBST:
All you need is six
of your paddles

and your six tribe members
off the barge and on your raft.

Somebody get in the water
for blue!

Here's another blue!

PROBST:
Doing a nice job there
gathering all their paddles,

and now they're
tossing them over.

Great strategy.

"Do they have all six?"
is the question.

VOCE: No, no, no, no!
One, two, three, four, five.

-There's one more yellow.
-One more.

One more yellow.

Ua has their sixth.

Blue, we got six.

Blue, we got six. Come on.

PROBST:
Who's gonna get all six paddles

and get to their boat first?

Danny's in the water.
Genie's in the water.

Brad getting ready to leap.

Nice entry.

All the paddles
were in the same spot,

so it's interesting
that one tribe is struggling.

-Nothing up here. I promise.
-VOCE: Okay.

-TIFFANY: We have 'em?
-ABRAHAM: No, we're missing one.

PROBST:
They were all in six groups.

What happened?

Hold it. Hold it.

Ready. Go, go!

Luvu has all six paddles
and all six players,

and they are heading out.

(indistinct shouting)

PROBST:
You got to unclip
in the front and the back.

PROBST:
Ua taking a long time.

-Okay.
-Paddle!

RICARD:
You two guys on the left...

PROBST:
Tiffany now in the water
for Yase.

Things not looking good
for Yase.

-Go, go!
-(indistinct shouting)

PROBST:
It is all Luvu right now.

Even though they appear
to be... not moving.

-One, two, three...
-PROBST: Slowly,

they are inching their way
out to that buoy.

We got it!

One, two, three.

PROBST:
Ua now in the water.

They have got a very good pace
out of the gate.

-Press it hard! Press it hard!
-(grunting)

PROBST:
Ua now with a really nice
group effort.

Ua now starting
to pull in the lead.

-Yeah.
-PROBST: Luvu is
going backwards.

Luvu got out to a fast start,
and literally,

it is if they are anchored
in the water.

One, two, three. Row.

We're not moving, guys.

PROBST:
It's now Ua pulling away.

Doing a great job
of paddling together

while Yase is suffering one
of the biggest embarrassments

-of any day one...
-VOCE: Thanks, Jeff.

...in Survivor history.

ABRAHAM:
I don't see it up here.

There is no shot
for Yase right now.

Turn your attention
to green and blue.

Ua is about to celebrate

a first very big
dominating victory

-out of the gate.
-SHAN: Go!

Keep going.

Push on that side from
the front, too, hard and down.

-(whoops)
-PROBST: Pull on it.

-Shan has it.
-(cheering)

Ua wins the first challenge.

Earns their tribe supplies.

Ua, your supplies will be
waiting for you back at camp.

Luvu, you're gonna have to
earn them another way.

Yase, you got bigger problems
than camp supplies.

-LIANA: Guys, it's up...
-VOCE: Oh, it's right up there.

EVVIE:
Oh, my God.

There it is.
At the last minute,

-Liana found it.
-EVVIE: Yeah, Liana.

PROBST:
Too little, too late.

Luvu!

We are not moving.

PROBST:
Luvu, I don't think
you unclipped in the back.

You're dragging an anchor.

-DESHAWN: Bro!
-(laughing)

Oh, no!

Yase, off the barge,
onto your raft.

Take your paddles.
You got to get going.

Let's go-- in the water.

♪ ♪

Who will have what it takes

to outwit, outplay
and outlast all the rest?

This is Survivor 41.

♪ ♪

(burbling)

♪ ♪

SARA:
Last year, my grandmother
passed away from COVID,

and losing her was hard
in itself,

but when you're in a position

where you can't do
anything about it, like...

I wouldn't wish that
upon anyone.

-Oh, my gosh.
-(laughter)

SARA:
My grandmother
enjoyed Survivor a lot.

Home sweet home.

We would watch it together.

-Let's get started.
-Yeah, let's go.

I feel like I'm here
almost for her.

I'm terrible at maps.
Do you mind?

-This is the water...
-So, wait, we took a right.

-Do you guys think it's...
-Yeah, we're just
kind of walking.

-I know, I think we keep
going that way.
-Wait, no, we... Yeah.

We keep going that way.

-We got this.
-GENIE: Okay.

SARA:
Obviously, the fact
that I lost her is very sad,

but I do feel her presence
with me, and I feel like that's

gonna give me so much strength
throughout the game.

And let's find
a good Shady spot.

Oh, yeah.

-BRAD: Look at that.
-SARA: So cool.

Oh, I love this spot.

GENIE:
Should we just start collecting
a bunch of materials?

-I saw a bunch of bamboo.
-Yeah, totally.

The more bamboo...

-I think over there, too.
-RICARD: Let's do it.

♪ ♪

BRAD:
I'm a cattle rancher

on a fourth-generation
cattle ranch,

and we've just raised beef
for the last hundred years.

And so I'm used to working
with my hands all the time.

If there's a well down
and the cows are out of water,

we got to fix it.

On the ranch, I was always
Dad's right-hand man.

So there's a lot
of responsibilities.

Five years ago,
cancer got ahold of him,

and Dad died a week
before I came out here.

Survivor was kind of one
of those things that it's like,

go play Survivor
and do this one for you.

You want to get
the most out of life.

You want to get
the most out of it.

SARA:
We're gonna get fire today.
I'm not worried.

-BRAD: What are we gonna eat?
-Coconut.

-JD: Um...
-BRAD: That's it, huh?

SARA:
In season one, they gave them,
like, canned food.

-Yeah, right.
-(laughter)

(sighs)
Someone else want a turn?

JD:
I can get it.
I promise you, I can get it.

For the past year,
'cause of COVID,

I may not have been
playing Survivor,

but I was playing Survivor.

I was practicing all the time.

Making fire with flint.

With coconut husk, with grass,

with everything,
just making that flame.

There it is.

Hell yeah.

-(whooping, laughter)
-SHAN: You guys got fire?

Yeah!

-(whooping)
-That feels damn good, man!

As a superfan,
making fire on Survivor

was incredible.

Check the box.
I made fire on Survivor.

That's crazy.

Man, whoo!

(laughter, chatter)

Any chance our family and
friends won't watch episode one?

-No, no, no, I don't...
-(laughter)

LIANA:
The first challenge
was quite difficult.

It didn't go so hot
for the yellow tribe.

We definitely hit rock bottom,
and we all looked like idiots,

but the only way to go
from there is up.

EVVIE:
So we walk up on the beach

and see this

crazy-looking hourglass

and this giant triangle frame.

And I'm thinking, "Okay.

Let's see what Survivor
has in store for us."

All right.

"You must choose one task
to complete, Savvy or Sweat."

-Okay, okay, okay.
-EVVIE: Um, okay.

EVVIE:
It's scary.

We need a machete.
We need a pot.

We need, like... This is
a huge, huge, huge decision.

I'm thinking,
with these triangles,

it's gonna be, like...
it's gonna be hard to see.

-Like, it's gonna be like,
you're gonna miss it, so...
-VOCE: Yeah. Yeah.

-LIANA: Right, right.
-(laughter)

-That's right.
-Oh, my gosh.

I think, if we have multiple
people look at it, though...

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

VOCE:
So, being a neurosurgeon,

you are constantly thinking
through scenarios.

And I really want
the Savvy option to be chosen.

One of the rules said
for the physical challenge,

only two people can do it

and the rest of the tribe
goes off.

And you would have to be
an idiot to do that,

because that means you're
sequestered from your tribe.

Like, we could definitely
do the water.

Like, I-I'd be willing
to work with you for that.

VOCE:
The-the one thing that I'm...
I am worried about is,

is that I don't think
filling the two barrels...

-I don't think it's
gonna be that easy.
-Yeah.

And then we won't have...

I think it's gonna
be something where,

if you and I did it,

we're just gonna be
exhausted afterwards.

Which I'm game for
for the tribe.

-Oh!
-Yeah, so that takes two of us

away to the water,
and we can prep for the shelter.

-I'm handy, so I got it.
-All right, let-let's do it.

If everybody's game,
let's do it.

All right.
You gonna be all right?

VOCE:
I look like a little weenie

if I'm just like, "No, no,
I don't want to do it."

And so, of course I have to say,

"Yeah, I could do that with you.

We could get it done.
Sure. No problem."

-All right.
-You guys got this.
We love you. Good luck.

Guys, we love you and we're
gonna get it together for you.

How did I get roped into this

while now these people
are gonna go

make bonds, hunt for idols
as they build the shelter?

They're gonna start this game.
I'm not starting this game.

I'm the moron
running along the beach

back and forth, back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.

Idiot.

ERIKA:
Savvy or Sweat?

The water is a sure thing.

I'll do it.
I'll step up and do it.

-You will?
-Okay.
-Yeah, I'll do it.

-All right, let's do it.
-Thank you.

All right.

-All right, let's do it!
-All right, Deshawn.

SYDNEY:
Immediately, Deshawn's like,
"We can for sure do Sweat."

It really wasn't even
a conversation.

We are here for you guys, okay?
All right?

-DANNY: Thank you.
-NASEER: All right?

I mean, clearly,
our brains aren't working.

We couldn't even unclip a...
a hook.

What makes us think we can solve
a triangle riddle?

-Ready, guys?
-DANNY and DESHAWN: Yep.

-ERIKA: Get it.
-(laughter)

-DESHAWN: We got it, okay?
-DANNY: We got it.

-SYDNEY: Good luck.
-ERIKA: You guys are
gonna kill it.

-Get it.
-(laughter)

DANNY:
We start off with no food,
no pot and no machete.

This is the horrible part
of Survivor.

It's like, what...
like, what is this?

Forget the four. It's the one.

So we need to just
put the work in, grind hard.

This is a new era of Survivor.

Oh!

God.

Damn, damn, damn.

SARA:
Ooh, the mosquitoes are out.

You doing okay?

Oh... I think I messed up.

SARA:
So, how long have you and
your wife been married, Genie?

I've been married for 20 years.

SARA:
Dang.

-That's so beautiful
to see and, like...
-(insects buzzing)

Yeah, I know, right?

And it's just
so incredible that, like--

it was kind of stigmatized,
right, like, to be gay?

And so I think
that's really important.

I was about 25,

and my now-wife proposed to me.

I have a very traditional
family.

So I knew the first thing
I got to do

is tell my mom, you know?

I thought she was gonna be
really upset with me.

She gives me a diamond,
and she says,

"I want you to give it
to Lindsey."

And I was so touched by that
because...

just from that gesture,

my mom was telling me
she accepted me.

She loved me for who I was.

And...

you know, she never said
those words to me,

but I knew it all
right at that exact moment.

SARA:
How long have you been married?

-RICARD: Six years.
-SARA: Oh, my goodness.

What was strange about it was
right before we met,

I was in the process
of fostering to adopt,

'cause I wanted to be
a single dad.

Okay.

I never, ever, ever wanted
to get married.

At the moment I saw him,

-he was catching a football.
-Yeah.

He had muscles.

-I mean, it was just awesome.
-Yeah.

And so we got married
37 days later.

-That's incredible.
-And now we have a daughter.

-No way. What's her name?
-Yeah.

-Aurelia.
-Oh, my goodness.

RICARD:
Being on Survivor,

it's complicated

because I'm leaving behind
a 22-month-old daughter.

She doesn't understand

why I'm gone
or that I'm coming back.

And my husband,
who's working a full-time job

while taking care of our baby
while also being a transgender

pregnant man...
I'm leaving behind a lot.

But if I won this money,
I would be able to know

that my children's
whole childhood up to adulthood

I could take care of them.

And so I'm here for
a really good reason-- to make

a really big impact on my life.

Yeah. Yeah.

DANNY:
Make sure we keep our eye
on that time.

DESHAWN:
Good thing is
we got plenty of time.

And if we find it, bro,
I'm not saying nothing

if you don't say nothing.

-Tell nobody.
-That's it.

DANNY:
I believe that me and Deshawn
have a pretty strong alliance.

We made some deals
while we were out here,

you know, trying to figure out,

you know, what we want to do

and how we can move further
in this game.

DANNY: And if you're gonna
look for an idol,

look for it on the first day.

DESHAWN:
If there's a clue out here,

we gonna find it.

SYDNEY:
What's going on?

SYDNEY:
Okay.

You want to talk about strategy?

-You know why?
-Why?

-They're looking for idols?
-Oh.

-ERIKA: What?
-SYDNEY: Really?

-NASEER: So...
-You don't think
they're gonna finish?

I know. These guys thinking
they can come back

being the heroes,
then take advantage of us.

Danny and Deshawn
potentially looking for an idol

during the water penalty
started waving

a few red flags for us.

ERIKA:
You know, thinking about what
can happen the next few rounds--

like, those guys could
save each other with the idol,

all of a sudden, like, they pick
off, like, "the weak people,"

then all of us

are screwed at that point.

VOCE:
I'm just slowing way down.

I'm cramping up each time.

I mean, I'm gonna keep going,
but I'm, like,

going about a quarter as fast

-as I was in the beginning.
-XANDER: Me, too.

EVVIE:
I really feel like the two guys,

they're gonna be so bonded
from doing this together.

-You know what I mean?
-Oh, totally.

Totally.

And I would go with
those-those guys, maybe.

-You know what I mean?
-I think I'm open to, like...

-Like, listen, as long as
it's not you or me...
-Yeah.

-Yeah, I 100% agree.
-We're chilling.

LIANA: I definitely think
Evvie right now

is my number one.

I don't know what it is,
but I just have

an inkling of genuineness
and authenticity with her.

-I work in a lab.
I'm a research assistant.
-Ooh.

What kind of research do you do?

So it's, like,
genetics research.

-What?
-Yeah.

EVVIE:
In the game, I don't think

I'm gonna tell everyone
that I'm doing a PhD

in human evolutionary biology
at Harvard.

I think that would make me
a big target.

But I've been studying
natural selection

and, you know, what survives

and what doesn't survive
my whole life.

So I'm really excited to play
the ultimate survival game.

ABRAHAM:
So, wh-what kind of game
you plan on playing?

I'm not gonna not be ruthless
when I have to,

but my most important thing
is, like, making

genuine relationships
with people and, uh,

work with them as long as I can.

-What about you?
-I figure this is a team sport

-until it's not a team sport.
-Yeah. That's exactly
how I feel.

ABRAHAM:
The first challenge that we had,

jumping off the barge,
we looked like a weak tribe.

If we don't win, we vote.

-It's so hard
in every challenge.
-EVVIE: Hell yeah.

ABRAHAM:
Winning stops the voting.

And if I can't win,
I need to find a fall person.

Yeah. (scoffs)

Dude, I did see that. Yeah.

-I mean...
-Yeah. We're good.

I looked at that paddle--
it was just floating away.

EVVIE:
Yep.

ABRAHAM: She could've at least
brought the boat closer.

EVVIE:
I hear you.

LIANA:
He's really about keeping
the tribe, like, strong.

And he was saying,
when you were in the boat

in the challenge,
you were just sitting there

-and you let the paddle go away.
-No, I didn't let
the paddle go away.

-I put four paddles in...
five paddles in the boat.
-I know. Girl...

And I couldn't even get
the other one.

TIFFANY:
Day one, we all
messed up together,

so throwing my name under
the bus, that got me pissed.

But I have
a lot of social skills

and a lot of resilience.

♪ ♪

I'm what they call a previvor.

My mother died of ovarian cancer
when I was 16.

I was a senior in high school.

And I had the genetic code
for that,

which was the BRCA gene.

I was one of
the first people in the U.S.

to make the decision
to have preemptive

double mastectomy
and oophorectomy.

And I knew that if I did
the surgery,

yeah, that was gonna not be
the best thing in the world

for a young girl
to have to do that.

I was only 32.

But they did find
the beginning of breast cancer,

so I saved my life,
and I was quoted

in the medical world
as a previvor.

Now I'm here.

So it's time

to take that title
and change it to "Survivor,"

and that's what I want to do.

SARA:
Why does it keep going out?

(blowing)

Wow.

That's great.

-Are we? Yeah, I guess we are.
-I think so.

You said you're 20...

-23. Yeah.
-23?

SARA:
You're right. Yeah.

JD:
Coming out here,
I didn't want to be the guy

who's talking strategy
all the time.

I don't want that target.

-You all right?
-Yeah. I just came
to talk to you.

JD:
And so what I wanted to do was

I wanted to kind of have

little tiny conversations,
just getting to know people.

I don't know if you believe it,
but I got mad game.

-You know what I'm saying?
-SHAN: Ah!

I believe it the way you came
and sat down over here.

JD:
But at the same time,
because the game's 26 days,

it is definitely gonna

go by so much faster.

It's like it's been injected
with jet fuel.

For now, let's just say
it's you and me.

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

JD:
Me being a superfan,

I know ... about to get real.

It's about to get real
real fast.

Mmm.

Is that working?

You're so smart.

RICARD:
JD is a sweetheart,

but he's here, to, like play.

He's, like, really intense.
He's really...

trying to make connections
with every single person, and...

I just feel like
there's something

untrustworthy right now.

So, what are you thinking, Sara?

Um...

I'm definitely being rubbed
the wrong way.

-By...?
-JD.

Yeah?

I'll say this--
if there is a Tribal Council

without there being
kind of prep,

I don't want to say it,
but I feel like it would be JD.

-Yeah.
-I think so, too.

SHAN:
There are many skills

that I bring to the table
as a result of being a pastor.

I trust you guys, like...

SHAN:
Active listening is huge--
especially in a game

where you can't trust anyone,
I want people

to feel like they can trust me.

BRAD:
Yeah.

SHAN:
Being able to create bonds
with people

and establish
a strong relationship,

that's the disguise, right?

So they won't see me
cut their throat in the end.

-That's a lot of work.
-(laughs)

-But I'm down.
-Yeah.

-I'm-a ride with you to the end.
-All right.

-SHAN: I have your back 100.
-Right.

-I want you to know
I have your back.
-Okay.

SHAN:
I am working everyone
at this moment.

And I have a soundtrack
that I hum in my head

when I'm up to evil.

Like, literally,
I have a soundtrack that I hum.

(humming a tune)

Just know that, like,
if someone says your name to me,

like, I'm coming to you.

-Yeah.
-And I just trust

-that you'd do the same for me.
-Absolutely.

-Just have each other's back.
-Yeah.

(humming)

SHAN:
I want to be locked in
with you guys.

-GENIE: Yeah.
-BRAD: Yeah, I'm with you.

-We got three.
-Yeah.

(Shan humming)

(stops humming)

DANNY:
Sand's getting a little low.

DESHAWN:
Let's not cut it too close.

We might have to pick it up.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

One step at a time.

DESHAWN:
Let's go.

VOCE:
Oh, my God, man.

-Oh, my God.
-Oh.

Dude.

(sighs heavily)

DESHAWN:
Never quit.

-Thank you so much.
-Yes.

DANNY:
We took that chance

and worked that hard
to get the supplies,

so I think it built us
a little respect in our tribe.

Hello!

(laughing)

Basically,
what happened was, like,

me and Erika are sitting here...

-Mm-hmm.
-Naseer was like,

"No one's strategizing."

Then he's like, "I saw the boys

looking for an idol."

-DESHAWN: Oh!
-Yeah.

-I'm in shock. Did he really?
-Yes.

DESHAWN:
Danny was busting ass.
I was busting ass out there.

Like, it wasn't easy to do.

And, like, damn,
you got a lot of nerve

to come back and say that

two people who just won you
a machete need to be voted out?

That's insane. I was upset.

Immediately for me, it was like,
okay, it has to be Naseer.

Because this is the game
he's playing, he has to go.

DESHAWN:
Sounds like something's rocking.

DANNY:
I just started running.

(laughter)

Oh, that's a big one!

(all exclaiming)

-I see it! It's right there!
-Where, where, where?

SYDNEY:
Survivor makes sense for me.

(others exclaiming)

Like, I love to travel

with nothing
but the clothes on my back,

my retainer, my passport
and a credit card.

Wish it was my dad's,
but it's mine.

I've been to 49 countries.

I always need
to challenge myself in life,

-and Survivor just made sense.
-(Sydney exclaims, laughs)

-DANNY: You got him.
-SYDNEY: Yeah, I got him.

-(Sydney screams)
-DANNY: Oh!

You guys, we have a visitor.

DESHAWN:
We were just kind of chilling
at camp, and a boat pulls up.

That was weird because
it's like, this is day two.

You know what I'm saying?
And it just speaks to

how expedited this game is.

Especially when Jeff was saying
it's a whole new era,

you have to be ready to play the
game like it needs to be played.

So everyone's like, "Oh, Sydney,
like, you're adventurous.

You should go."
I'm like, "Okay. Yeah, right."

She don't want to go.
I'm afraid of the unknown.

I'm thinking...

definitely not going.

Okay, listen, listen.

You want to do
a rock, paper, scissors?

NASEER:
I'm not for it.

That will put a huge target
on my back.

-Does anybody want to go?
-I'll go.

-I'll do it.
-You want to do it?

-DANNY: Yeah.
-ERIKA: Yeah? Go.

-Yeah, I'll go.
-Do it.

Paper, rock, scissors?
Nobody wanted to play.

I was like, well,
if we're gonna sit here all day

and-and debate this,
then I'll just go.

-ERIKA: Good luck out there.
-NASEER: All right. Bye, Danny.

-(all saying goodbye)
-DANNY: It's a risk

any time you're away
from the tribe,

but I wanted to go
because I came out here

to play the game of Survivor.

EVVIE:
What do we do?

What do you want to do? Xander?

Yeah, I mean, like...

I mean, you guys know me.
I'm not gonna...

Let's give it up, right?

-Okay.
-TIFFANY: Are you okay with it?

Yeah. I mean, like,
if-if you guys are okay with it.

-TIFFANY: We're okay with it.
-VOCE: For sure.

-All right.
-EVVIE: I think
you're the person that

everyone would feel, like,
most comfortable with.

-VOCE: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-Okay.

EVVIE:
I absolutely think Xander
was the right decision.

I think he's the least likely to
lie about what happened person.

And I think it's a game
where you can trust no one,

and I think we picked
the person that

we all kind of felt
the best about.

UA TRIBE:
One, two, three.

(all exclaiming)

-JD: Okay!
-SHAN: All right, you're going.

JD:
Let's get this show on the road.

-Who wants this?
-GENIE: We're so happy for you.

SHAN:
We are happy for you.

-Are you sure?
-SHAN: Yeah.

JD:
In classic Survivor fashion,

we decide to draw rocks,
and so...

I reach in, and I'm like,
this one's definitely black.

Like, there's no way
this is the white rock.

We reveal,

and I pulled the white rock
on day two of Survivor.

This is so sick,
and I'm so stoked

to be a part of this new
Survivor experience.

I think all of us
kind of wanted to go.

-BRAD: All right, man.
-I know.

-Now I'm nervous.
-(laughter)

No, actually, I kind of wish I
wouldn't have picked that rock.

JD:
But there's a little fear--

not for what's gonna happen
once I get on the boat

but what's gonna happen
back at camp.

A lot of the times,
when somebody is selected

for something,
puts a target on their back.

ALL:
Ua!

JD:
And it's easy for
the five people there to say,

"There's one person not here.

We could get used to this."

♪ ♪

XANDER:
You notice right off the bat

there are other boats,
so I'm thinking to myself:

What are we doing together?
Is this a challenge?

Are we gonna face off?

Is this a summit?
Are we gonna work together?

And we have no idea.

-Danny.
-Xander.

-Nice to meet, bro.
-Nice to meet you, too.

-DANNY: Nice to meet you.
-What's up, boys?

DANNY:
What's going on?
What's your name?

-JD.
-JD. Danny.

-Danny? What's up, man?
-Yeah.

What's up, my bro?

-Xander.
-Xander?

DANNY:
"Follow the path to the summit.

Take this time
to get to know each other."

JD:
All right.

We read this sign

right in the middle
of the beach, and it's like,

you have a trek to do.

"Get to know each other."

XANDER:
Where are you guys living now?

DANNY:
Uh, I live in Dallas.

(laughing): No, I... no, I run
a youth football program.

I'm no longer a football player.
That ended in college.

Uh, LSU. I did a walk-on.

Damn, man.

XANDER:
Uh, I run recreationally.

Hey, what about you, JD?

-Damn. (chuckles)
-Rollin'.

DANNY:
You the guy we need
to be worried about.

(laughter)

-JD: This is tough.
-DANNY: Yeah.

JD:
I'm an athlete, so I thought

I was gonna be fine.

That trek had me gassed.

You got to be kidding me, dude.

But I thank God for...

for giving me
this experience and...

This is my dream out here.

(crowd cheering)

♪ ♪

Growing up,
I was not always the bro

with the long hair
and the pretty teeth

and the really nice style.

I was bullied a lot.

Because I was short.

I was skinny.

I had braces. I had glasses.

You know, I wasn't cool.

I always say I grew up
more like Carlton Banks

than I grew up like Will Smith.

Watching Survivor made me feel

as though I didn't need
to fit into this mold

that everybody wants
to put me in.

The people who I looked up to,
the people who I loved to watch,

I'm like,
"That's who I want to be like."

I want to be like Ozzy,
you know?

I want to be like Woo.

And so that's why I say
Survivor built me up

and Survivor helped me
become who I am.

And-and without Survivor,

I wouldn't be this guy.

I wouldn't be the guy who loves
being out in the jungle.

I wouldn't be the guy who,

on day one of Survivor,
started fire.

-(cheering)
-Yeah!

-Whew.
-DANNY: Look at this.

JD:
I'm the youngest kid out here.

It feels incredible.

I'm glad we're here.

-DANNY: Oh, yeah.
Okay, okay, okay.
-JD: Yeah.

JD:
This is who I've wanted to be
my whole entire life.

I'm out here,
and I'm a Survivor player.

♪ ♪

JD:
"You will now separate
and make a private decision

before returning to camp."

-DANNY: Because, I mean...
-Damn.

There will probably be
an option for an advantage

or something for the tribe.

Here's my thoughts.

I really want to play
with-with dudes who I vibe with,

and, like, I got great vibes
from you guys

just as soon as
we saw each other.

When-when you go down there,
you taking the advantage?

DANNY:
Me, Xander and JD,
we assume that it will be

advantage
or something for the tribe.

We tried to figure out
if we were going to all agree

to take the advantage...

-Till we meet again.
-It's been good, boys.

DANNY:
...or if we were all

gonna agree to decline it.

♪ ♪

All right.

DANNY:
"After spending
the day together,

"you must now make
a strategic decision

"based on how well
you got to know one another.

"Protect your vote
or risk your vote.

"Here's how it works.

"If all players choose
'protect your vote,'

"nothing changes.

"All players stay the same.

Nothing lost, nothing gained."

"If all players choose
'risk your vote,'

"then all players lose their
vote at the next Tribal Council.

"But if it's a split decision,

"players who choose
to protect your vote

"remain the same.

"Players who choose
'risk your vote'

receive an extra vote."

"The question is, with a
million dollars on the line..."

ALL:
"Will you risk it
or play it safe?"

♪ ♪

XANDER:
The pro to protecting your vote

is that, at next Tribal,
you don't have to worry.

And the pro to risking
your vote is that

you have this weapon
that can get you

out of a sticky situation.

What I gleaned instantly

from those guys is that
they want to play hard.

It's the prisoner's dilemma.

You've just met these people,
but you really don't know

how they're gonna respond
to something

that could benefit them
personally.

It's a high-risk,
high-reward situation.

Although an extra vote would
mean a lot later on in the game,

I know it puts a big target
on my head.

I don't think it's a...
a big risk for me going home,

but I don't want
to lose the loyalty.

Think, uh,
those guys will probably

protect their vote as well.

If I risk my vote
and I end up losing,

then I would lose my vote
at the next Tribal Council,

and I don't think the risk
is worth the reward.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna...
I'm gonna protect my vote.

At this point in the game,
that's probably

the smartest decision.

So, if JD and Xander
decided to risk their vote,

they will both have extra votes
at Tribal Council.

Damn.

JD:
The best decisions
in the history of mankind

have been inevitably decided

by eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

Oh, guys,
the-the boat's coming back.

Danny!

-I'm ready for story time.
You know I love it.
-I know, right?

-Let's go take a seat.
-SYDNEY: All right.
-ERIKA: Okay.

DANNY:
I absolutely felt the pressure

to come back and let them know
what really happened

at that mountain.

I met with JD from
the green tribe and Xander.

Once we got on top
of this mountain,

we read this little note.

And it was like,
"Each of you will go and make

your own private decision
before you go back to camp."

-(chuckles)
-You can choose
to risk your vote,

-or you can protect your vote.
-ERIKA: Oh, my gosh.

DANNY:
If all three people say
"risk your vote,"

all three people lose their vote
at the next Tribal Council

and you won't have a vote.

If it's a split decision, then
the people that said "risk,"

they get an extra vote
and it's good.

-Okay. The prisoner's dilemma.
-SYDNEY: Oh, my God.

DESHAWN:
Okay.

What did you do?

I protected mine.

-Oh, so you're staying the same.
-Yeah, I'm staying the same.

-Okay, cool.
-I got my vote.

HEATHER:
Danny was very forthcoming,

and there were too many details

to not... to not mess up.

And I feel everybody is
believing Danny's story.

You made a good decision, then.

Yeah, we didn't get
no damn rice.

XANDER:
After we meet and everything,

we each get to play,

-like, a game of chicken.
-Oh.

And if everyone risks
their vote, then we all lose it.

If everyone plays it safe,
we all keep it.

Oh, okay, okay.
I see what you're saying.

XANDER:
If one other person
or two other people

played it safe and I risked it,
then we get an extra vote.

My tribe knows
I'm coming back with something

that helps me or the tribe.

And we all know
how this game works.

If I come back empty-handed,

they're left to assume
the worst, which is bad for me.

ABRAHAM:
No guts, no glory.
I say you went for it.

XANDER:
I risked it.

I don't know
what the other two tribes chose.

We won't know until Tribal.

We could use it
come swap time or whenever.

-EVVIE: Oh, yeah.
-Yeah.

-You made the right decision.
-Yeah.

EVVIE:
Xander is smart.

This idea of risking your vote

and kind of
a prisoner's dilemma,

that's a complex story,
and I think Xander knows

he'd get caught if he tried
to lie too much.

So we'll see, but that is, like,

a huge advantage,
an extra vote at any time.

Like, we don't know what's
coming to us. That's amazing.

XANDER:
This is something that
we can do for the team,

and, like, I'm willing to put
my neck on the line for it.

With the way I was able
to present my story,

I didn't have to keep up
with my lie

and, you know, remember
the little things

I changed and tweaked.

So, I always find it
interesting that people love

to lie about these, you know,
risk/reward scenarios.

BRAD: You got a big bag
of rice in the bag?

-JD: No, I wish.
-(laughs)

But, like, if y'all really want
to check, like, here's my bag.

-Go through the bag.
-BRAD: Oh, no, no, no, no.

RICARD:
Oh, honey, I'm going through it.

I will...
I will literally, like,

nothing in here,
and I will take my pants off.

I sit everybody down,
and I'm like,

"I have a story to tell."

From the beginning,
get on the boat.

You know, we're cruising,
and I'm like, mmm,

and my hair's, like,
flowing through the wind

and I think I look amazing.

I look over, and then there's
two people in different boats

whose hair looks
even more amazing.

And we jump out the boat,
and we're like, "Oh, what's up?"

And, like, we're all stoked
to meet each other.

So, we have to do this trek,

probably a little over an hour,
and I-I led the way.

And so, yeah, but that's not
the end of it. Um...

There is this ship's wheel,
right?

Xander and Danny both had
the same thing,

and if one of us hits...
if one of us turns it

and it says "risk your vote"

and two people turn it
and say "protect your vote,"

someone gets an extra vote.

But if two people
risk their vote,

then they lose their vote
at the next Tribal Council.

If you lose a vote,
like, you're screwed.

-SHAN: So, what did you do?
-I protected my vote.

I didn't want to be the person

to just screw everything up,
you know, for myself.

I told them that
I protected my vote,

and I gave them so much
information that I don't think

I left room for them to believe
I was leaving anything out.

And I feel like everybody's
still getting to know each other

and, like, we kind of are...

it's-it's in that blurry
gray area so far.

I think they ate it up.

I really think I sold it
really well.

-I feel good.
-SHAN: Okay.

JD:
But yeah, that was
what happened.

RICARD:
Yeah, so JD just came back

from his little fun adventure.

And I don't believe ...
he just said.

It just doesn't make sense.

He's shady-boots lying,
so let's get rid of JD.

That's crazy, right?

♪ ♪

Come on in, guys.

Getting your first look
at that big first challenge.

All right.

So let's check in.

Ricard, how you feel?

We're three days into
the biggest adventure

of your life.

-What's the vibe?
-(light laughter)

So, when we saw you on day one,
you asked us a question.

You asked us how we felt

-about "Come on in, guys."
-PROBST: "Come on in, guys."

-Right.
-RICARD: And the reality is

there was so much going on--

there's so much commotion,
cameras, my hair is messed up,

I'm half crying--

I don't have the capacity to do
what I'm really supposed to do,

which I regret.

I don't agree that we should
use the word "guys."

-Huh.
-RICARD: I fully agree
that we should change it,

whether it just be
dropping the "guys,"

changing it to something else.

I just don't really
agree with it.

Reality is Survivor has changed
over the last 21 years,

and those changes
have allowed all of us,

all of these Brown people,
Black people, Asian people,

so many queer people
to be here simultaneously.

PROBST:
Yeah. It's a great point,
and I got to say,

I love that you thought
about it more.

I love that you had the courage
inside a million-dollar game

in which standing up anytime
is risky

to bring it up again,
because I'm with you.

I want to change it.

I'm glad that was the last time
I will ever say it.

And realizing in this moment

somebody right now
is on social media saying,

"Oh, he caved,"

(laughter)

I'll probably never
read it anyway.

All right. I love that.

We just made a change.
From now on, it is "Come on in."

Okay.

I want to tell you about
a new twist at Tribal Council.

Gonna complicate the game
a little more.

(sighing)

If you go to Tribal Council

and you fear you are in danger

but you don't have an advantage,
you don't have an idol,

this is
the Shot in the Dark die.

Here's how
the Shot in the Dark works.

This die gives you the power
to decide not to vote

but instead reach into a bag

and draw for
a one-in-six shot at safety

that night at Tribal Council.

Low odds. It's like 17%.

But if you need a Hail Mary,
this will give it to you.

Comes with a big invoice--
you can't vote--

but if you think
you're in trouble,

what does your vote matter
anyway?

And this decision
will happen in private,

in the voting booth,

so nobody will know
what you've done

until just before
I read the votes.

Very new complication
to the strategy.

There's one in here
for each of you.

You can take these back
to your camp.

Deal with that later.

Sorry about that, JD.

That's a bad toss, man.

All right.

Let's get to your first
immunity challenge.

-(clapping, cheering)
-There's the immunity idol
right there.

-Oh, yeah.
-Yeah.

-Yeah.
-(others whooping)

In the tribe stage of the game,

this is what you want,
because if this is at your camp,

it means so are you.

You're not going home.

For today's challenge...

...you're gonna race over
and under a series of obstacles

till you get to the sled.

You're gonna load your sled
with very heavy puzzle pieces.

Then two members at a time are
gonna move very heavy sandbags.

Once you've cleared the track,

you'll push the sled
down the track,

transfer your puzzle pieces
to a crate,

and then hoist them
to the top of a very tall tower

where two players will solve
a Survivor puzzle.

The first and only
the first tribe to finish

wins immunity.

(all groaning, muttering)

The two losing tribes
will go to Tribal Council.

Two people going home tonight.

In addition,
the two losing tribes

will have to forfeit
their flint.

You will get a chance
to earn it back

at the next immunity challenge.

I hope it's starting to sink in

this game is more difficult,
more dangerous.

You have to perform
every single day,

or you could be gone like that.

All right, give you a minute to
strategize. We'll get started.

♪ ♪

All right, here we go.
For immunity.

Survivors ready?

Go!

You got to get up
and over that net.

Everybody moving quickly.

(grunting)

Now you're through the sawdust.

Naseer with a big fall.

Tribal Council tonight,
two people going home.

-VOCE: Go, Abraham.
-You got to keep moving!

ABRAHAM:
Give me your hand.

PROBST:
Got to get all six people
to your mat.

-(grunting)
-Come on. Come on.

Luvu, you're good.
Ua, you're good.

Yase, you're good.

-Puzzle pieces on the sled.
-Push it up.

-PROBST: Got to get all six,
then you start moving.
-Go, go, go!

-Move, move, move!
-Get a sandbag. Get a sandbag.

PROBST:
Now you're moving
very heavy sandbags

to clear that track.

-Whoa. Right here, right here.
-Sorry. Sorry.

Two members of each tribe
moving very heavy sandbags.

You can swap out if you need.
There's Erika with one.

Here comes Heather with one.

Liana. Look at that!

That's how you do it
on Survivor!

Xander with another bag.

-Everybody doing a nice job.
-DANNY: Here we go, here we go.

Bring it back, bring it back!

(deep, heavy breathing)

(whimpers)

LIANA:
Go, Abraham!

Abraham trying to get two
to finish this out

for Yase, and he's got it.

LIANA:
Come on, Abraham, go!

PROBST:
Got to get 'em on there.
Come on, Abraham.

Get it on there.

(others shouting encouragement)

You're good. Get back.

The last bag for Ua.

-SHAN: Come on,
let's go, let's go!
-You're good. Get back.

-JD: Come on, Sara!
-Last two bags,
Deshawn for Luvu.

♪ ♪

-(shouts of encouragement)
-PROBST: Here comes Yase.

They had a horrible start
in the first challenge.

-Let's go!
-PROBST: Here comes Ua.

ERIKA:
Pick it up, now!
Pick it up, now!

Luvu! Luvu!
You got to go back!

You don't have your bags
on here. Back!

-Go back.
-Go, go back. Go back.

PROBST:
Another tactical error by Luvu.

First, they did not clip their
raft in the first challenge.

Now they got one bag.

-Oh, my God.
-One, two, three!

Three!

One, two, three!

Luvu with a massive setback.

ERIKA:
Come on, Naseer!

-DANNY: It's all right.
It's okay.
-RICARD: One, two, three!

-(grunts)
-One, two, three!

It is Ricard and JD for Ua,

Liana and Xander
pulling for Yase.

We got to pick it up. One.

Now get 'em into the sled.
Let's go.

One, two, three!

PROBST:
Luvu once again not sure
what they're doing.

One, two, three!

PROBST:
Ua finishes the first level.

-(grunting)
-Everybody working hard.

Yase finishes the first level.

Luvu trying to get back
into this now.

(grunting)

One, two, three!

PROBST:
Ua in the lead, now starting
on that second level.

Luvu still all the way back
at the first.

One, two, three. (grunts)

That sled is very heavy,
but you can do it.

-Come on, let's go, Genie.
-(grunting)

PROBST:
Ua's almost at the top.

LUVU TRIBE:
One, two, three!

PROBST:
Ua's first up.

Now two people doing the puzzle.

(grunting, shouting)

Yase, Luvu still working
to get to the top.

EVVIE:
This is it, Abraham.

Pulling for Yase,

and Luvu is fighting
to stay in this.

-One, two, three!
-(grunting)

PROBST:
And now Luvu's starting
to close the gap.

We got a big advantage.
Come on, let's go.

(indistinct shouting)

-One, two, three.
-PROBST: These are very heavy,

especially after two and a half
very taxing days.

-Two, three!
-PROBST: To pull
a lot of weight.

Yase very close. One big tug.

-LIANA: Yase, together.
-EVVIE: One...

YASE TRIBE:
One, two, three!

-(grunting)
-Go!

One, two, three!

(grunting)

Yase, you've done it!

-Get it all the way in!
-Come on, come on. Keep going!

PROBST:
Here comes Luvu.
You're back in it!

That's how to dig,
Luvu, right there.

You are back right in this.
Two people on the puzzle.

-Good job, good job.
-PROBST: Exhausted bodies
everywhere.

This is Survivor 41.

Just breathe.

You are birthing a new era
of this game right now.

-You guys got it.
-You got this, guys.
We are so in it.

-RICARD: We're still in this.
-Just look. It's okay.

We have time. You got this.

They're double-sided.
They're double-sided.

-Don't worry.
-Good. There you go.
There you go. Let's go!

Yeah, Shan!

PROBST: Shan and Sara getting
a lot of early momentum.

Yeah, baby! Whoo!

-Yes!
-PROBST: Right now it is Ua,

and then Yase and Luvu
fighting for second.

Unfortunately, today, second is
no different from third.

You're both last.

JD:
Yeah, get it in there!

There you go!

Wow, Ua continues to rip
through this puzzle.

You got it, you got it!

Luvu was in trouble early,

and they're trying
to get back in it now.

Erika trying to fit that piece,
and it's done!

It's now Yase in last place.

Turn that around flat.

PROBST:
Again.

-Yes!
-Nice.

Another piece by Deshawn.

Luvu is in this now.
We got a challenge.

Another piece for Ua.

They're trying
to hold on to that lead,

-but Luvu is right
on their tail.
-NASEER: Yes, yes! Here we go!

-On-on the long part.
-HEATHER: Come on, come on,
come on, come on!

PROBST:
Yase has made
very little progress.

We're missing a piece.

Keep working till you find that.

You can do it. Yeah.

It is now Luvu in the lead.

-Yes!
-Yes!

Luvu had to go all the way back
because of an error,

and Luvu is now in first place.

SARA:
Where's the...

-BRAD: That's not it.
-GENIE: You got this.
You got this.

PROBST:
What a comeback this would be.

(whooping)

PROBST:
And Ua just discovers

they had not emptied
all of their pieces.

They were still in the bag.

An impossible way
to solve a puzzle.

HEATHER:
Yes, yes, yes!

PROBST:
Wow.

That's that adrenaline
causing panic,

causing a mistake,

which leads to a visit
to Tribal Council

as Luvu is closer and closer.

Ua, now that they have
all their pieces,

they're actually starting
to get back into this.

It makes you wonder
what would've happened

if they had 'em all
from the beginning.

Deshawn with
the next to last piece.

Erika for the win.

(cheering, exclaiming)

-And they've got it!
-(cheering)

Luvu wins first immunity
challenge of Survivor 41...

(excited chatter)

...sending Ua and Yase
to Tribal Council.

(excited chatter,
cheering continue)

(cheering)

Luvu.

Congratulations.

Tribe immunity is yours.

All six of you are safe.

Nobody going home.

Grab your stuff.
Head back to camp.

Enjoy the night off.

-Congratulations.
-(whooping)

Thank you.

Ua, Yase, different story.

Tribal Council tonight,
somebody will be voted out.

Before you go,
I need your flint.

Sorry for you. Sorry for you.

Thank you.

All right, grab your stuff.
Head back to camp.

See you tonight
at Tribal Council.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

LIANA:
That sucked. (laughs)

TIFFANY:
Holy crap.

XANDER:
You guys kept going.

-You were awesome.
-TIFFANY: Yeah.

-EVVIE: I'm so sorry, you guys.
-TIFFANY: Don't be crazy.

-You didn't stop.
-I told you I'm only okay
at puzzles.

TIFFANY:
And I'm even less than okay
at them, so...

LIANA:
No, seriously, I'm so sorry.

-You kicked ass.
-TIFFANY: What are you
sorry about?

-Are you kidding?
-LIANA: No, I...

I think I was... I...
because I was doing so much,

-I think, like,
other people could've...
-TIFFANY: It was too much.

The sandbags.

I'm sorry.

TIFFANY:
Don't be sorry.

LIANA:
The first immunity challenge

was quite difficult,

but me and Tiffany want
to take out Abraham

because he wanted her out,
and...

hopefully,
he'll go home tonight.

TIFFANY:
We all know it's Abraham
to begin with, right? SO...

Mm-hmm, but... okay, but this
thing-- this is the only thing.

Like, do you think people
are gonna be like,

"We got to keep
the tribe strong"?

And then, like,
try to keep Abraham?

You think... you think so?
I don't know.

VOCE:
So we're on the same page,
what does that mean?

-XANDER: We're thinking Tiffany.
-ABRAHAM: Tiffany.

I look at the first
challenge we did.

We jumped off the boat.
Who was where?

-Who was doing what?
-Yeah.

This next challenge,
physicality was in there.

-I don't remember where
she was at. I didn't see her.
-VOCE: Yeah.

VOCE:
This is a different Survivor.

The physical demand

that has been put on us
right now is intense.

And so, looking at it,
having strength

is an asset
while we can still preserve it.

-ABRAHAM: It's not personal.
I mean...
-XANDER: No.

Uh, nobody wants
to be the first one to go.

XANDER:
Yeah.

ABRAHAM:
My day-to-day,

I'm a cybersecurity analyst.

So I look at
different perspectives

of how to execute my job.

And the Yase tribe
as a whole is a great tribe.

So what we need to do
is just execute better

so we can compete in challenges.

We can't get that if we got
parts that are not as strong

or doesn't work together well.

I think, when we get rid
of Tiffany,

it's gonna make us stronger.

-It was a physical challenge,
and it's hot.
-Yeah.

ABRAHAM:
We're trying to get that stuff
where it needs to be,

and then you got a big-ass
41-piece puzzle.

EVVIE and XANDER:
Yeah.

EVVIE:
What are you thinking?

I'm gonna still go
with the same thing--

let's keep the tribe strong.

EVVIE:
Yeah.

ABRAHAM:
Tiff's short track record
shows that she's here,

but physically, she's not
gonna be able to help us.

-EVVIE: Yeah.
-We got to be able to compete,

or our tribe gets decimated.

All right, well, I think we all
agree to keep the tribe strong.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We just failed hard-core
in the last challenge, you know,

so the guys are thinking
we need Abraham.

And on the other hand,
the weak target

that's on the table is Tiffany.

But there's only six of us,

and I don't want to be
in a situation where

keeping the tribe strong means
getting rid of all the women.

Yeah. And the thing is, is that
I really do love Tiffany.

-I-I love her. Yeah.
-She-she's a ball of energy.

VOCE:
I'm just a little worried
about...

-...how sociable she is.
-Yeah.

EVVIE:
Right now, I'm trying
to convince my tribe

to vote out Abraham.

I think he's a really good guy.

I think he'd be great
to work with for a while,

but Tiffany is someone
that I want to go

really deep in this game with.

I would personally
go either way.

Like, there's pros and cons--
like, I think

Tiffany is more likely
to be, like, really loyal.

-Yeah.
-Maybe. Yeah.

-You know what I mean?
-That's true.

EVVIE:
I don't want to lose Tiffany.

She has been a very familiar
type of person to me.

We clicked, and we both
really want to work together.

Which puts me
in a really good spot.

-Tell me, tell me, tell me.
-Oh. Well, I just...
the more important thing...

'Cause we're all planning
on a little bit

being, like, strength or bust.

TIFFANY:
And you're all throwing
my name out there,

-and I'm letting it
be happening.
-EVVIE: Exactly.

Yeah, but you say that my name
is out there,

-and that's really unsettling.
-Scary.

I mean, of course. Of course.

I, like, really trust
my gut instinct

that it's gonna be fine tonight.

But I'm... you have the feeling
that this is Survivor

and this is where
people get in trouble.

So I don't want
to be overconfident.

♪ ♪

(chirps)

So going to Tribal Council
tonight, having to figure out--

what do I need to do
to save myself tonight?

'Cause I know my name's
on the chopping block.

If there's even a one percent
chance that I'm gonna get out,

I want to try to protect myself.

And so I went looking
for an idol.

Oh, man.

Where would you be?

I'm gonna hide this
at the Yase tribe camp.

The other two tribes
will have one as well.

TIFFANY:
I just want to make it
through tonight's Tribal,

but I could be blindsided.

Which would be, like,
my worst Survivor nightmare.

I feel like it's, like, here
and I'm just not seeing it.

It's, like, right
in front of my face.

♪ ♪

SARA:
We had such a big lead.

I didn't come here to lose
a challenge like that.

I knew it was a risk.

I told myself I wasn't gonna
volunteer for puzzles

for this exact reason.

BRAD:
That was horrible.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

Just a little twist all of
a sudden makes us a big loser.

SARA:
Someone has to go, and, like,

I genuinely feel
like it's gonna be me.

I'm gonna fight-- like, I'm
gonna fight for it to not be me.

SARA:
Yeah.

We have so few people.

We have to get
everyone on board.

Well, as long as you, me
and Shan vote the same way...

My God, Shan loves you.

RICARD:
So we all wanted to get out JD,

but Sara and Shan
messed up the puzzle,

and I would be really surprised
if they voted out Shan.

So...

I don't know if Sara's
safe tonight.

But I feel like
JD should be next.

I worry about JD.

-Right.
-RICARD: I worry.

It's just, like, his personality
that's coming through.

A few of the things
I'm picking apart.

We could all vote JD.

-I just... yeah, so I'm good.
-Okay.

-Okay. Yeah.
-That's right. That's right.

I was talking to Genie,
and she really was on board...

-SARA: Voting for JD?
-RICARD: Yeah. 100%. 100%.

-And...
-(footsteps approaching)

Just the man
I wanted to talk to.

BRAD:
Hey.

-And then he walks away.
-(chuckling)

-Trying to solidify plans.
-Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, you got to...
you got to keep strength.

I hate to throw JD at
this point, 'cause he's strong.

He's strong.
We're gonna have challenges...

RICARD:
Who were you thinking, then?

-Who are you thinking, Brad?
Who do you want...
-RICARD: Be honest, like...

-Well...
-It's all gonna come out
tonight anyways.

Sara's on the table.
Shan's on the table.

SARA:
What? Like, you're saying that
to our faces?

Brad is playing the game
like they played it

in 2000.

Like, whoa.

"She messed up.
She needs to go."

I'm not opposed to JD,
but not right now at our Tribal.

-SARA: Yeah.
-Here's... here's my hesitation.

SARA:
I'm thinking about using
my Shot in the Dark.

Any single one of us has
a one-in-six chance of immunity.

So I think it would change

the way this game is played,
I feel like.

-JD: Hey, boss.
-Bro, they are chucking you
under the bus.

-Really? Really?
-(laughs) yeah.

Really?

(JD and Brad laugh)

JD:
This freaking sucks, man.

I really wanted to work
with Sara, but...

Sara and Ricard were both

throwing me pretty hard
under the bus.

BRAD:
Dude, it's got to be Sara.

It's just, I think that's
our only choice.

-I'm down. Yeah.
-BRAD: That'll protect you.
I mean, yeah.

JD:
The best option for me is to go
with Brad, Shan and Genie

and vote for Sara.

I'm gonna go this way,
and then y'all...

And we just meet up right there.

SHAN:
I'm excited,
but I'm also nervous

because my name has been
thrown out there.

Brad told me straight up
it could be me

because of that one
puzzle piece.

I trust you to the end.
We go with Sara tonight...

SHAN:
But I feel like I have been

in every conversation...

RICARD:
We should get rid of JD.

SHAN:
...enough to get a sense
of what's going on.

Brad is wanting to do Sara,

and Ricard and Sara,
they want to do JD.

So I kind of feel like

I'm at the bottom
because of the puzzle piece,

I'm at the top
because of social game,

and I'm in the middle
because of this divide.

Who would you want?
Who would you want?

SHAN:
If I can get the person

that I want out tonight,
that puts me in

a really good spot
to keep controlling this game.

♪ ♪

First Tribal Council,
here we go.

♪ ♪

Behind each of you is a torch.

Go ahead and grab a torch,
dip it in and get fire.

This is part of the ritual
of Tribal Council because

in this game,
fire represents your life,

and when your fire is gone,
so are you.

It's about to be the case
for one of you tonight.

So let's just start big-picture.

Tiffany, the first hours
the first day,

you're trying to find our vibe.
What's our group?

Do you feel that
this is a tribe?

I do. I feel it's
a pretty cohesive tribe.

You know, we don't just exist;
we exist in harmony.

And you get to know somebody
from your heart.

I think that that's what we're
doing going forward in this,

even in this world right now.

We're starting to love
each other

and accept every one
of our differences,

and we're doing
a really good job

showing the rest of the world
that we did it in one day.

PROBST:
Abraham, the other big thing

that you guys
are dealing with is

the tribe is only six people.

-Yes.
-So when it comes to voting
somebody out,

what's the criteria?

We look at it as the strength
we have moving forward

will compel us to be able to do
and select the right person.

And it's not out of malice.

I mean, we're living the
life experience on Survivor,

but on the other side,

who we have and what we
put together for strength

is gonna be what we look at
and say, okay,

this will get us further
in the game.

PROBST:
Tiffany, Abraham's answer

sounds to me like somebody who's
played this game many times

because he said
absolutely nothing

-while saying many, many words.
-(Tiffany chuckles)

Right, that is very much
who Abraham is.

He's very good
at speaking in circles,

and you're not really sure
if you ever got an answer.

It's-it's like a magic trick.

Where I have the gift of being

friendly and loving
with everybody,

he has a gift of
being close with everybody

yet not saying a single thing

unless he absolutely feels
it's necessary for his game.

You know, Jeff, I can't change
her mind about that,

but at the end of the day,

here's what I bring
to the table.

I bring the stamina.
I bring the strength.

You know,
I'm coming to get it done.

PROBST:
Evvie, this is fascinating

because Abraham
hears somebody say,

"I don't think you make
any sense when you talk,"

and he says, "Okay, that's fine.
I know what I bring."

And the great thing
about this game is

he might be reading it right.

It's just irrelevant
what Tiffany thinks

about "my communication."

Or it could be Tiffany tonight
writing down Abraham.

"I hope you understand this."

(laughs)

EVVIE:
Yeah, there are about
to only be five of us,

and we definitely don't want
to get down to four.

So, I mean,
I think challenge strength

is extremely important.

PROBST:
Voce, the Shot in the Dark.

New twist.

Walk up there to vote,
nobody knows if you're

going to vote,
play your Shot in the Dark.

They don't know
what you're gonna do.

But it could mess everything up
if you draw that 17% shot

and you're safe.

16.7.

Thank you.

-(laughter)
-I love that.

I'm just glad I got close at 17.

I was guessing.

So, Mr. Math Expert, at 16.7%,

how does the Shot in the Dark
change the game?

Yeah, I think the idea of it
is terrifying

because if I'm in danger,
I'm gonna take that shot.

But at the end of the day, if
you think through it logically,

I don't think it's actually
as scary as what it is.

Liana, that is
the kind of answer that,

if somebody said it to me,
I would think,

"I should probably take
my Shot in the Dark.

That sounds like they're trying
to get me off the scent."

Yeah, if you are somebody
that feels like you are

on the minority,
you get this sliver of power,

and so that can cause
a ton of chaos,

you know, whether that be
a revote or somebody that's

top dog in the majority alliance
is suddenly gone.

Like, it can completely
stir up the game.

PROBST:
Xander, how will tonight's vote,

if it goes the way
you think it's gonna go,

make this tribe better?

I think that this tribe has
gotten a bitter taste of loss,

and maybe the other tribes
see us as something less,

but I want to be able
to show them

that we're not a David tribe.

This is a strong tribe

that works together
really, really well.

Somebody from the David tribe
won that season.

-Right.
-That's true.

-PROBST: Evvie,
how about for you?
-EVVIE: As everyone's saying,

we're really cohesive as it is,

and I really think that we'll
leave here even more cohesive.

If we leave this Tribal
strong as a tribe,

able to do everything
we got to do around camp,

able to win in challenges,
we'll be so much better off

for the later part of this game
when we, like, critically

will need each other,
you know, just as we do now.

How we feeling?
It's time to vote?

Time to vote, Jeff.

PROBST:
All right.

Voce, you're up.

♪ ♪

All right!

I'll go tally the votes.

♪ ♪

If anybody has an advantage
or a hidden immunity idol

and you want to play it,
now would be the time to do so.

Okay. I'll read the votes.

First vote, Tiffany.

Abraham.

Abraham.

Two votes Abraham,
one vote Tiffany.

Abraham.

That's three votes Abraham,
one vote Tiffany.

First person voted out
of Survivor 41: Abraham.

That's four. That's enough.
You need to bring me your torch.

I did not see
that blindside hit me.

(sighs heavily)

Abraham, the tribe has spoken.

Enjoy this ride.

-Time for you to go.
-EVVIE: Thanks, man.

-Bye, Abraham.
-VOCE: See you.
-Bye.

ABRAHAM:
Did not see that coming. Whew.

Grab your torches.
Head back to camp.

We'll bring in the next group.

Oh, I was blindsided. (laughs)

Didn't see that coming at all.

This is a great group of people.

I wish them all
the best of luck.

This is a great game, and I had

a great opportunity
in playing it.

PROBST:
Behind each of you is a torch.

Go ahead and grab a torch,

approach the flame,
dip it in and get fire.

♪ ♪

PROBST:
Let's start on a high note.

Straight out of the gate,
domination by Ua.

So, Shan, what did you feel
with this group?

SHAN:
I felt a great sense
of camaraderie

and so much excitement and joy

that we had just,
like, conquered

the very first challenge
right out the gate.

Like, that put us in
such a good headspace

for the next couple days.

I think we got fire in, like,
the first 30 minutes

and, like, we built our shelter.

It was a beautiful space,
honestly.

RICARD:
We have not fought.

No one's had anger.
It's, like...

-"Kumbaya."
-...really weird.

And not like the fake "Kumbaya,"

where everyone's in
a honeymoon phase.

-We genuinely are just chill.
-SHAN: Mm-hmm.

And yet you're gonna
vote somebody out.

-Yeah.
-PROBST: Beautiful part
of the game.

BRAD:
Jeff, we would trade you
a machete

and our last pot if you'd just

kind of let us stay
as a family tonight.

I'm sorry to disappoint you.

-(laughter)
-So, Shan,

yesterday,
one person from your tribe

had to leave the tribe,
get on a boat.

What are you thinking when you
have to make that decision?

Oh, well, like he said,
we are a very namaste tribe.

And so we're like,
"Let's get democratic,"

and we pulled rocks and...

JD knew that if he came
back here without any rice,

we're gonna know
you have an item,

we're gonna vote you out.

And that's why I said,
"Check my bag,"

at the very start--
'cause I did tell them

that I had a chance
to get an advantage,

and I told them
exactly what it was.

And to risk my vote
on the first vote?

I didn't think
that was very smart.

And so I told them my decision
to protect my vote, so...

SARA:
You do have to be skeptical

when someone shows back up
with nothing in their hands

when typically
something like this,

they have an opportunity
to get something.

You're taking the word
of someone you don't know.

-And I'm not saying
I don't believe him...
-JD: Yeah, yeah.

...but I'm just saying
you have to have

some skepticism in this game.

PROBST:
Let's talk about
today's challenge.

Looked to me, Sara,
that it came down

to one piece that was missing,

but it was a piece you needed
in order to continue.

What happened?
How'd you discover it?

Yeah, so we got, like, a pretty
good start on that puzzle.

Those pieces were
flying together at first and...

-You were in the lead.
-Yeah, we were in the lead,

and that one piece
connected the side

to the rest of the puzzle.

And, like, that's a mistake,

and that could have
been avoided.

In Survivor season 41,

there is no room
for mistakes like that.

You know, we just...
we're learning that this is

-a new era for real.
-GENIE: And also the fact that,

like, there's only one immunity,
uh, you know,

like, to-to win? Like...

-What is that, Jeff? I mean...
-GENIE: We. I mean...

-(laughter)
-SARA: Namaste.

PROBST:
That is why Survivor is
so compelling,

and the stakes are high
when you're on a tribe of six.

So regardless whether
it's Sara and Shan's fault

or they get credit
for stepping up doesn't matter.

Somebody's going home.

JD, what kind of criteria

starts kicking in for you,
in terms of...

What do you want to be
after tonight's vote?

Right, your-your mindset
fluctuates

because if you feel as though
you're on the bottom,

like, my criteria is very low,

but if you are
kind of running things

and you got
the best relationships,

now you have a little leeway.

You can choose
who you want to go home.

And so I think...
I think everybody

talked to everybody
at one point,

and-and I also think that...

-Does that concern you at all?
-JD: Yeah.

Yeah, that's terrifying
right there.

Maybe some plans are changing.

And that's what
I was about to say,

was that I think everybody's
name was thrown out

at least one time.

Okay, but mine was thrown out
to my face multiple times.

So, out of everyone here,
Brad comes over

and says, "Well, we think
it's got to be Sara or Shan."

Like, you know, we got to stay
strong, and it's like...

Are we about to make this
a live Tribal?

-SARA: I mean...
-JD: I'm down.

Like, we're already whispering
over here, and I thought...

I've heard that I'm
on the block tonight, and I...

BRAD: I just threw up
two names because,

though that was the puzzle, what
Jeff was talking about earlier.

I get it.

"Okay, those two are on the
block." You know what I mean?

And I-I try to...

play that straight, but...

GENIE:
I-I mean, it was...

-No matter whose name...
-Yeah, this is, uh...

JD:
Let's get it started.

RICARD: So the point I was
trying to make earlier, though,

the puzzle piece,
that's old-school.

We blame the people
who messed up, made one mistake.

But we need to work
with people we can trust.

RICARD: Maybe think about
future challenges.

Maybe names you throw out

and the paranoia you cause,
that's what I'm more

-paying attention to.
-SHAN: I'm with you.

Like, right now?

(splutters)

All right.

(groans)

JD: Jeff, it's funny because
when you see on TV,

you hear the conversations,
right?

But, like, once again,

I'm hearing different things
than what I was back at camp.

So either now or then,
people were feeding me bull.

-Mm-hmm.
-JD: Now I have to decipher

whether or not
what they said then was true

or what they say now is true.

I don't quite understand
the paranoia, man.

-JD: From me?
-BRAD: Yeah.

I thought we were tight.

-I thought we were cool.
-(JD stammering)

-I am.
-I am.

-I am.
-All right.

Wow.

Jeff, can all of us put our die
in our pocket right now?

Absolutely.

-Do you have it close?
-I already put it in my pocket.

JD:
Jeff, tonight's gonna be a...

a Saturday night at Las Vegas,
maybe, up there.

-We'll see what happens.
-Jeff, just take us
to the vote, please.

-PROBST: You're ready to vote?
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Oh, my goodness.

Okay, it is time to vote.

Ricard, you're up.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(sighs)

Yes! Yes!

(sighs):
Oh, man.

I'll go tally the votes.

If anybody has an advantage
or a hidden immunity idol

you want to play,
now would be the time to do it.

Okay, I'll read the votes.

First vote, Ricard.

Sara.

One vote Ricard, one vote Sara.

Brad.

One vote Ricard,
one vote Sara, one vote Brad.

Sara.

That's two votes Sara,
one vote Ricard,

one boat Brad.

Second person voted out
of Survivor 41,

Sara.

That's three. That's enough.

You need to bring me your torch.

♪ ♪

Sara, the tribe has spoken.

Time for you to go.

Bye. Good luck.

Bye, Sara.

We love you.

Grab your torches.
Head back to camp.

Good night.

♪ ♪

Captioning sponsored by
CBS

BRAD:
I dive right in there,
and sure enough,

here they come
right down the trail.

SYDNEY:
We were trying to learn
as much as we could from him

-so we could boot him.
-Yay!

XANDER:
You got to throw all you know
about Survivor out the window.

-Oh ... no.
-XANDER: This is a new game.

I feel really disappointed
right now.

I think my one regret would be
not using the Shot in the Dark.

But it's been my lifelong dream
to come on the show,

and even in
these short three days,

I feel like I've learned
that I can really do more

than I thought I could and, um,

maybe not to trust people
as much

as I thought I could as well.

(roars)