Last night’s Survivor premiere kicked off with a bang.
24 fit and formidable Aussies were marooned on the stunning and rugged tropical island of Samoa with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the drive to be the sole survivor.
Arriving on the island, the contestants were divided into three tribes – the blue Saanapu tribe, red Aganoa tribe and yellow Vavau tribe – and thrown straight into their first challenge.
In a complex physical and strategic battle for fire, the three tribes had to run, swim and canoe to a barge which was floating in the ocean with a fire cauldron on top. Whoever could light the torch first would win fire for their tribe, giving them the ability to boil water, cook food and stay warm.
Before reaching the fire cauldron, the tribes came across another barge full of supplies essential for establishing their camps. The longer each camp took to gather their supplies, the more they risked another camp getting to the cauldron first.
With host Jonathan LaPaglia officiating, the contestants scrambled to fill their canoes with supplies before racing to the fire. With canoes sinking around him, Sam, 28, quickly swam to the cauldron, lit the torch and secured fire for his Saanapu tribe.
Settling into their new camps, the tribes got straight to work setting up their new homes. The Saanapu tribe went from strength to strength as their ready-made fire burned brightly and their shelter came together seamlessly. But when law student Conner, 23, burnt his hand, he feared his time in the jungle would come to an end.
The Vavau tribe struggled but retired customs officer Sue stood out as a pillar of strength for her team, building a shelter for the tribe.
The Aganoa tribe was tense after Kat, 26, began delegating tasks to the others, a trait which annoyed Des. While Des kicked his feet up for a leisurely soak in the ocean, Kat and the others worked tirelessly to establish their camp.
Unfortunately, Kat’s delegating was not enough and Aganoa were forced to face a cold, sleepless night on the ground, without shelter. When high tide washed their camp away in the middle of the night, things went from bad to worse.
The next morning, the three tribes met Jonathan to begin their second challenge and the contestants learned they would be playing for immunity at the first Tribal Council.
In a complex obstacle course consisting of jumping, climbing, human ladders, puzzle building and teamwork, the race came down to the puzzle building section of the competition.
With Des and Kat failing to piece together the puzzle, the Aganoa tribe members had to prepare themselves to eliminate one member of their tribe at the first Tribal Council.
Des and Kat scrambled to form alliances with the members of their tribe. Female versus male alliances formed but Evan, 30, and Kristie, 24, were cagey about which way their votes would go.
When Jonathan asked the tribe members about their first two days in Samoa, they did not hold back, with Des and Kat airing their unfavourable opinions of one another. Des received the most votes from his tribe, bringing his time on Australian Survivor to an end.
Departing Tribal Council, the Queensland courier driver told his tribe: “Good luck, guys
