Survivor: Cagayan is all about brawn vs. brains vs. beauty. So we’re told. Three tribes of six people each divided into those three categories, in some cases seemingly at random, make up the cast of 18 new contestants.
When they hit the beach, they must pick a leader, a potentially terrible position for those who are chosen. LJ (beauty), Sarah (brawn), and David (brains) are picked. Why is David wearing a suit?
Now the leaders must pick the weakest person from their group. LJ chooses Morgan, Sarah chooses Trish (the first person to vote for her as leader), and David chooses Garrett (who’s probably the fittest person on the island, even better than the brawn tribe). The chosen weakest links will head to camp by helicopter while the others make the long trek.
They can either help the tribe or help themselves to a clue to the hidden immunity idol. David quickly opts for the idol. Morgan likewise goes for the idol without hesitation. Trish helps the group instead.
David finds an idol. 16 minutes into the show. This is pitiful. I’ve got an idea. Why not just put up a flashing neon sign that says “Idol Here”? Or just use one of the American Idol signs. It’s not like people watch that show any more. Morgan does not find one as well, but she is smart enough to pretend she chose for the group, getting them all the stuff that’s on the beach, which they have no way of knowing they already had regardless.
The beauty tribe manages to make fire on day 1 without flint.
Sarah knows what cops look like. She confronts Tony about it. He denies anything, claiming he’s in construction. She at the very least knows she can’t trust him.
David’s tribe is unimpressed with his selfish decision to try to get rid of the biggest threat rather than the weakest link. It’s way too early to be playing an individual game already.
Though J’Tia fancies herself the smartest person on the island, the rest of her tribe is not impressed. She tries to take the leadership role, and they just smile and nod.
For the immunity challenge, they must load chests on carts, unlock the chests, take the carts apart, get everything through a set of obstacles, then solve a puzzle at the end. Reward is a fire making kit (the second tribe to finish will get flint instead of the full kit). The results are pretty much as one would expect in a physical challenge: brawn then beauty then brains. The Brains better hope they can catch up at the puzzle because they suck at the first part of this. But really it’s the Beauty tribe that benefits most from this puzzle, as they win immunity. Brawn places a close second. The Brains tribe seems to lack any.
Who does David want to get rid of? Garrett of course. Why not get rid of the only brawn you have?
J’Tia realizes she’s a big target because she doesn’t do much. She even admits to being the (bad) planner (such as her shelter, which collapsed), not the worker.
Votes
J’Tia
J’Tia
David
David
David
David
With 4 votes, David has been voted off the island. The right person went home, even if J’Tia is useless. He played too hard too fast. It’s not even like he was playing smart. He just made an idiotic move within the first five minutes. Kass, who pushed for the J’Tia vote, is the lone outsider to the majority.
When they return to camp, Garrett starts whining. He doesn’t like the survival aspect of a show called Survivor.
Trish was already low on the totem pole. Complaining to Lindsey about how she doesn’t do anything is not going to do her any favors.
Now for another immunity challenge, this one at the beach. They will swim out to a large bamboo cage, dive under and untie knots to release the gate, and return back to shore with fish traps, which one tribe member will use to solve a puzzle. Reward is a large fish kit. Second place wins a smaller fish reward. Cliff sits out for Brawn; Brice sits out for Beauty.
Once again, the Brawn tribe takes the lead, but this time the Brains are not far behind despite a slow start. As the others fall apart in the water, the Brains take a large lead back at shore, giving J’Tia an opportunity to shine as puzzle solver. Brawn catch up to them with Sarah as the solver of her bloody puzzle (following Tony’s terrible cut on his foot). Beauty is dead in the water, quite literally. Brawn tribe wins immunity and reward as J’Tia falls apart on the puzzle. Somehow, LJ smokes her on the puzzle, and Beauty places second, sending Brains to Tribal Council for the second time in a row.
Without question, J’Tia has to go. She got lucky last time, but there’s no saving her now.
Tony is the only one smart to enough to think that there must be a clue in the reward basket. He sneaks the clue out of the basket then goes searching. Now he has a hidden idol, too. This is getting dumb.
When they return to camp, Garrett takes issue with his tribe wanting to go talk separately about how to vote. This is the guy who said he was bored because he wanted to outwit and outplay. Now he just wants to make a decision and sit around the fire until Tribal Council.
Tasha proposes an all female alliance to Kass. She is on to something: they are outnumbered. The problem is that J’Tia, Tasha, and Kass would be the most pathetic tribe in history. You think the Brains are bad now? Picture them without the men.
So now that she’s done being told by her tribe that she is going to be voted out, J’Tia dumps all the rice into the fire. Dumbass. What little chance she may have had is gone now, and on top of that she comes off as a psycho. Ironically enough, though Garrett was being mocked for it earlier, his plan for everyone to stay together would have prevented this. Then Kass blames him for the rice being dumped out because he wanted to hear what they were saying rather than staying behind to babysit J’Tia.
Votes
J’Tia
Garrett
J’Tia
Garrett
Garrett
With 3 votes, Garrett has been voted off the island. How is what just happened even possible? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Sinking ship of fools. You just got rid of your greatest (only) challenge asset and kept the weakest link on any tribe, who dumped all your food.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Cagayan Episode 1, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.