Category: survivor game changers

Gen X screwed up the first challenge in Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen X Episode 1 and had to find a scapegoat to blame, leading to Rachel’s elimination.

It’s day 5, and Gen X still haven’t managed to make fire. Don’t you have flint and the torches you carried back with you when you got rid of someone? Dave manages to finally start fire for them, which doesn’t convince people that he shouldn’t be going home. Knowing he’s on the chopping block, he continues searching for an idol, and this time he is not only less obvious about it but actually finds it.

Figgy and Taylor are already making out and cuddling. This has to be a record. Jay warns him that couples never, ever last. Other than that time that Rob & Amber made it to the finals, although I don’t think they were kissing in the second episode. Eventually, this turns into drama with Michaela, as even when she is not saying anything, she is screaming with her facial expressions.

You wouldn’t think it by looking at him, but Ken says he is socially awkward and can relate to the very neurotic Dave, who to build more trust reveals that he has an idol.

Ken and CeCe are plotting to take out Paul, but they may not need to. He lays down on the ground as medical approaches. They think he may have had a heart attack, but he is ultimately cleared to continue.

The immunity challenge requires them to swim to cargo nets to jump and retrieve keys, dive for rings, and then complete a ring toss. Hannah sits out for Millennials. It’s close for a while, but Dave struggles and gives Millennials a big lead. CeCe’s inability to get a ring puts them even further behind, but Mari takes a long time to get hers and brings them about even again. The tossing seems to be unusually easy. After not very many tosses, Gen X wins immunity and reward, tarps.

The pretty duos thought they had things under control, but they can’t do that if they can’t convince some of the other six people to join them. Figgy has painted an easy target on her back by being so blatant about her relationship while also not being that much of a problem to lose. Their plan: pretend that Michaela is the next target after them. The girl you have been fighting with is your best hope? Then they try to pull in Will as well. Not done there, during Tribal Council while everybody else is involved in another conversation, Michelle whispers to Hannah that she is voting for Mari, but she won’t provide a reason to help convince her.

Votes
Figgy
Mari
Figgy
Mari
Figgy
Mari
Mari
Mari
Mari

With 6 votes, Mari has been voted off the island. Perhaps the thing she did wrong was letting everybody know she is a gamer, which carries with it a target when you are playing a game. Zeke and Adam remain the two left out of the loop. They even managed to sway Michaela, which to me just seemed absurd to even try.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen X Episode 3, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.

This season in Fiji has been divided along generational lines. I’m not sure either side really has an advantage, but I’m sure they are going to deliberately try to poke people and force viewers to pick a side early, with the risk of it getting old. The cast of 20 contestants includes:

Adam Klein
25
San Francisco
Homeless Shelter Manager

Bret LaBelle
42
Dedham, Mass.
Police Sergeant

Chris Hammons
38
Moore, Okla.
Trial Lawyer

Ciandre “CeCe” Taylor
39
Granada Hills, Calif. via Buffalo, N.Y.
Insurance Adjuster

David Wright
42
Sherman Oaks, Calif. via Philadelphia, Penn.
Television Writer

Hannah Shapiro
24
West Hollywood, Calif. via Brookline, Mass.
Barista

Jessica “Figgy” Figueroa
23
Nashville, Tenn. via Indianapolis, Ind.
Bartender

Jessica Lewis
37
Voorheesville, N.Y.
Assistant District Attorney

Justin “Jay” Starrett
27
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Real Estate Agent

Ken McNickle
33
Denver via Hana, Maui
Model

Lucy Huang
42
Diamond Bar, Calif.
Dietitian

Mari Takahashi
31
Los Angeles via San Francisco
Professional Gamer

Michaela Bradshaw
25
Fort Worth, Texas
Vacation Club Sales

Michelle Schubert
28
Yakima, Wash.
Missionary Recruiter

Paul Wachter
52
Sugarloaf Key, Fla. via Long Island
Boat Mechanic

Rachel Ako
37
Los Angeles. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii.
Recruiting Director

Sunday Burquest
45
Otsego, Minn.
Youth Pastor

Taylor Lee Stocker
24
Postfalls, Idaho via Spokane, Wash.
Ski Instructor

Will Wahl
18
Long Valley, N.J.
High School Student

Zeke Smith
28
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Asset Manager

The tribes are divided into age groups between 18-31 and 33-52. This provides more older contestants, but on average, the cast is about the same age as it was last season.

Vanua (Orange/Millennials): Adam, Figgy, Hannah, Jay, Mari, Michaela, Michelle, Taylor, Will, Zeke
Takali (Purple/Gen X): Bret, Chris, CeCe, David, Jessica, Ken, Lucy, Paul, Rachel, Sunday

The youngest person is Will, the show’s first high school student.

Their first task is to choose and gather resources in two minutes. They must also start making decisions between two specific items. Jessica takes the time to grab an envelope. Both tribes pick the pot and utensils. Gen X goes for fishing gear, while Millennials take chickens, long-term versus short-term as Jeff calls it, a predictable result if you go by stereotypes.

Before they head to camp, Jeff warns them that this is the middle of cyclone season.

Zeke doesn’t consider himself or look like a Millenial and thinks he is on a tribe with children.

Jessica has found the Legacy Advantage, which can be used by someone still there on day 36. Okay, we seriously don’t need anyone to have an advantage 3 days before the show ends. If she is voted out, she must will it to another player.

Taylor and Jay are immediately drawn to each other, and they approach the girls they find attractive, Figgy and Michelle.

Dave hates everything about Survivor, except for the gameplay. He is already starting rumors that Paul and Ken found the idol because they have hands and possibly things in those hands.

Adam believes you don’t really have to try to get what you want in life. Your dreams can come true right now.

It’s day two, and it has already been raining most of the time. In a rare gesture, they are provided with tarps to help until the weather improves. That isn’t going to cut it. Later in the day, it turns out the weather forecast has been upgraded to cyclone, forcing them to evacuate overnight for the first time in 33 seasons. The next morning, what little shelter they did build has been destroyed.

Assuming he is probably the first target, Dave starts searching for an idol. He is very obvious about it.

Zeke feels out of place, but now he thinks he is becoming the leader. He is one of the few people who manages to make fire without flint.

Mari and Hannah see the cool, pretty people combining, and they want to form an outcast coalition to oust them.

The immunity challenge is an obstacle course in which they can choose whether to take shortcuts. Shortcuts will add 10 more pieces to the puzzle. Considering the history of puzzles in this show, I would say you don’t want the harder one. Gen X take the first shortcut, which doesn’t seem to provide them with much of an advantage. Gen X also take the second shortcut, and so do Millennials, which they determined before the challenge began. That means it’s a 70 piece puzzle against a 60 piece puzzle, and there is not much of a gap between the two tribes. Obviously, Millennials win immunity. I don’t know if the easier puzzle helped them because it wasn’t even close, but having the harder puzzle was not smart.

They blame Rachel for the puzzle, but they screwed themselves by choosing to take shortcuts. David’s paranoia makes him the other potential target. The plan is to split the vote. Already? Then leave four people (CeCe, Ken, Rachel, and David) out of it, so if they join together they can decide who goes, which seems unlikely.

Votes
David
Rachel
Sunday
CeCe
Rachel
CeCe
Rachel
CeCe
Rachel
Rachel

With 5 votes, Rachel has been voted off the island. What an odd vote with four different people receiving votes, but the person who went was probably not going to be of much benefit. CeCe voted for David, Rachel voted for Sunday. Jessica, Lucy, and Sunday voted for CeCe. So when they said split the vote, they meant split it for two people they don’t think have an idol, instead of David. This is just baffling. You can’t just randomly split every vote just because.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen X Episode 2, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.