This group of strangers
has agreed to be abandoned
in the Fijian islands.
They come from
different backgrounds...
I was born three months early
with mild cerebral palsy.
The doctor said,
"You know, he's not gonna walk.
He's gonna be in a wheelchair."
...cultures...
Growing up in Nigeria
was like Survivor.
You know, it was like
survival of the fittest.
...and experiences.
I played Division I lacrosse.
I was in a moped accident
that caused me
to lose my left leg
above the knee.
And then I became a Paralympian.
And I hold the United States
record for the 100-meter.
But despite their differences,
they must rely on each other
in order to survive.
My biggest asset as a teacher
is being able to connect.
I always hear people get
on this show, and they say,
"I'm not here
to make any friends."
And I'm like, "Well, I am."
Be my friend.
Let's have an authentic
and genuine connection and bond.
That way, when I get to the end,
you can vote me the million.
And then we can go out
for pizza and coffee afterwards.
Being 19 and as young as I am,
I am way more than just my age.
I'm actually attending Brigham
Young University right now.
So, I'm, like,
a student, pet cremator,
business owner hybrid.
I'm all this.
I'm all these things.
Like, look at me.
I think I'm just
a fun and "energible"...
I don't know if that's a word...
"energible" person.
And I don't think I cater
to one specific group.
I can cater to anybody.
I am unapologetically
Survivor's biggest fan.
I mean, I've loved Survivor
longer than I've known
my husband,
my kids, my nursing career.
I've spent the last 22 years
imagining this moment.
It's finally here.
I get one sh*t at it.
What am I gonna do with it?
Growing up
in a tough environment,
I'm a very adaptable
and a very resilient person.
That's how I've gotten
to where I am today in life.
When I've been tired,
when I've been beaten down,
when I've been told no,
that's my time to shine
and kick ass.
I'm gonna play the game
as hard and as fast as I can...
Just like I do my life.
Just like the way I surf.
Just like the way
I go out on a weekend.
And I'll be honest with you,
I've already spent part of it.
So I really need,
I really need the million bucks.
They'll form a new society
where they decide the rules
of how this
million-dollar game is played.
I'm not gonna
sit around and wait
for other people
to determine my game.
I make my fate. I make my game.
It's up to them
who stays and who goes.
One thing I do as a psychologist
is get people to do things
that they don't want to do.
They'll figure it out once
their torch is getting snuffed.
Each player must learn
to adapt to their new society,
or they'll be voted out.
I want the game to be chaotic.
I want no one to know
what's going on.
For me, that's my comfort zone.
In the end, only one will remain
to claim
the million-dollar prize.
I want this so bad.
I used to daydream
about seeing my name up
in the opening credits.
I'm buckled up
and I'm ready for the ride.
Let's do this.
Who will have what it takes
to outwit, outplay
and outlast all the rest?
This is Survivor 43.
Come on up.
When you pull up
and you see Jeff standing there,
it's just the most surreal
thing that you can imagine.
I honestly felt like
kind of out-of-body experience.
And I'm like,
"Whoa. sh**t. I'm here."
Like, I am a part of it, and
it's intense.
All right.
Welcome to Survivor 43.
It's here.
- Oh!
- Yes.
I can feel the energy.
Woman in the front right
in the yellow dress.
- Yeah.
- ♪ Hi! ♪
- What's your name?
- My name is Jeanine.
Okay, explain that reaction,
that ♪ Hi! ♪
- 'Cause, you... It's...
- Yeah. Sorry.
This has been...
Honestly, I just...
I can't even believe I'm here,
and this has been a dream
for not only my lifetime
but my father's,
and so it's-it's just
a dream
of two lifetimes, really.
What's the connection
with your dad and Survivor?
This was his first
favorite American TV show
when he immigrated
from China, so,
he used to be a sweet potato
farmer back in China,
and to now be
a biology professor
- with his PhD here...
- Wow.
And having a daughter be
on the show
is just beyond all
of our wildest dreams.
Guy in the back, in the
blue shirt... what's your name?
- Oh, James.
- James, how about you?
When'd you find Survivor?
When Richard Hatch
was sitting on the tree.
- Day one.
- Day one.
I remember Earl winning,
uh, his season.
For me, it was just good
to see that...
You know, I'm from Philadelphia,
and to see somebody that
looked like me, similar
background, go to an island,
live on dirt, and come out
and win a million dollars...
It just got me excited
about the game,
and I've kind of been
watching ever since, so...
Guy in the back right
with the beanie?
- Yes, sir.
- What's your name?
- Gabler. Mike Gabler.
- Gabler.
When did you discover Survivor?
Jeff, I've been watching
since the very beginning
when our children
were still being created.
And my wife, basically,
when they hatched...
We-we started watching as a
family like everybody else did,
and we make it a Survivor night
every week.
- I'm proud to be here.
- Glad to have you here.
Woman in the middle...
What's your name?
- Noelle.
- Noelle,
when did you first
start watching Survivor?
I first started
watching Survivor
probably
when I was about ten years old.
My mom loved this show,
but she said
she could never play it.
So I said, "You know what?
I'll apply
and I'll play for both of us."
And then I lost my leg, Jeff.
- And then, hey.
- You lost it after you applied?
Yeah, I lost my leg
when I was 19 years old,
and losing my leg is
the best thing
that's ever happened
to me, you know?
It made me realize
the importance in life.
Having something
like this happen to you...
It just really made me think,
"You know what?
This is... it's just a leg."
And I don't want to look back
and regret my life.
I want to look back
and be proud of it.
And the beautiful game of
Survivor and how it has evolved
is the reason why
I even wanted to keep showing up
and keep applying and try
to get on the show, because
it's almost accepted
and encouraged to be different.
And I'm just grateful to be here
and to be able to prove myself
and show
that amputees are badasses.
You know, I got a few
leg jokes along the way,
so I hope I can tell you guys.
All right, so I've heard a lot.
Let me see if I can encapsulate
what we've just talked about.
Survivor is a lot of things.
First and foremost, it's a game.
It's a great game,
and one of the things
that makes it so great is,
anybody can play
because there really
aren't many rules.
You form a community
with a bunch of strangers
where you decide
how that society will function.
You decide
how the game will be played...
Slow, fast, safe, dangerous.
You are forced to rely
on each other
to live in a jungle on an island
while simultaneously voting
each other off the island
in pursuit of a million dollars.
Pretty tremendous. But
Survivor is also an adventure.
All of you got up off the couch,
applied
because you want that adventure.
You want to leave that normal
life behind for a moment,
fly across the world
to be tested
in ways you can't imagine.
It's terrifying,
and yet you're all smiling.
Because it's also exhilarating.
So if you can just let go
of expectation and instead
give yourself permission
to play,
you can change your life.
You can change
how you see yourself,
you can change how you see
the world, you can change
how others see you, because
being here takes courage.
I'm glad each of you are here.
I hope Survivor gives you
what you seek,
and I also hope you'll stay open
to receiving
what Survivor thinks you need.
Shall we get into it?
All right.
Tribe names.
Wearing red, you are Vesi.
Yeah.
In the middle, in yellow... Baka.
Baka!
And on the end, in blue... Coco.
All right, I'm gonna give the
ten points to yellow. I think
that was the most tribe spirit.
All right, you ready to get
to your first reward challenge?
- Wow.
- Here we go.
Two players are going
to race down the beach,
retrieve and bring back...
two heavy wooden crates.
Then two other players are going
to run out into the water,
haul a boat back
carrying more crates.
Once you get
all the crates here,
the two remaining players will
use those crates to form a cube.
Then one player will
hop up on top,
use a bamboo pole
to retrieve a flint.
First tribe to get their flint
earns their camp supplies.
It's not much.
A pot, a machete and the flint.
No food, no help.
You're gonna earn it
every single day out here.
Two losing tribes...
You will have to go to your camp
and try again to earn it
in another way. Big setback.
You're not building shelter.
You're just trying
to get your tribe supplies.
All right, I'm gonna give you
just a moment
to figure out
who's going to do what.
Okay. All right, guys, come in.
- Get in here.
- All right, so who's running...?
You want to run?
Me and you are running?
- All right, six.
Let's go.
Runners, come out here.
Here's our line right here.
This is official. Behind this.
Baka!
- Go, Vesi.
- Here we go, Vesi.
Let's go, Baka!
Here we go. First reward
challenge of Survivor 43.
Yes.
Survivors ready?
Go!
You got to race into the jungle.
Get two heavy wooden crates.
Yeah, Vesi!
Doesn't matter
how you get 'em back.
You can help each other,
you can take your own.
You guys got this!
Yes, Baka!
- Let's go!
- Who will emerge first?
Vesi, Baka or Coco?
Wow.
That's Sami back for Baka.
Right behind, here comes Ryan,
here comes Cody.
There's Jesse
- carrying one.
- Way to go, Jesse!
Geo struggling with his crate.
- Awesome! Good job, Sami!
- Yes! Yes!
Got to get 'em both back.
There's Owen with the second.
Takes a fall.
Here comes Jesse.
These are heavy.
Ryan now heading back to help
Geo, who's moving very slowly.
You've got it, Owen!
You're good.
You're good.
It is Baka in the water.
Vesi now in the water.
- Let's go, Ryan!
- Here comes Ryan
with the second Coco crate.
Keep digging, Geo.
You're good! Let's go!
You got to get both people
to the boat.
You've got to unclip and then
pull your boat back to shore.
We've got Baka
still in the lead.
Elie and Gabler pushing hard.
Let's go, Baka!
Here comes Vesi.
Got Justine and Noelle.
Noelle at the back.
- Okay. Here we, here we go.
- Once you get it here,
- you got to clip it in.
- Go, Coco!
Come on, girls!
There's Karla
and Cassidy for Coco.
Vesi now in the lead.
You're good.
Let's go then.
Cassidy, let's go!
You're good!
Yo, you got this. Let's move it!
Cassidy and Karla,
you got to keep digging.
All right, Coco, you're good!
- Coco, go!
- Let's go, baby.
Got Nneka and Dwight
on the puzzle for Vesi.
You've got Jeanine and Morriah
on the puzzle for Baka.
You're good, Coco.
Start working on that cube.
It's going
to be Lindsay and James.
You're using all of
these crates to solve the cube.
You are playing for a pot,
a machete and a flint,
which doesn't sound like much,
but out here it is everything.
- Oh, no, there, there!
- There! There! Put that one!
No. Here to there.
James and Lindsay
now with some excitement.
They think
they might have something.
Let's go, baby.
Let's go, baby!
James and Lindsay...
They've got it.
- Help her! Help her!
- Help her up! Help her up!
All right, you guys, come on.
- We got this, y'all.
- Coco has it.
- Come on! Come on!
- Lindsay is up now.
- Let's go, Lindsay.
- A little bit higher.
You got this.
Take your time. Take your time.
You got time. You got time.
It's Lindsay
with the bamboo pole
trying to retrieve the flint.
Vesi and Baka still working
to solve the cube.
It would be an early victory
for the tribe
that was in dead last
with a big comeback
if Lindsay can
close it out here.
Can she get that ring?
Take your time! Take your time!
We're in the lead.
Don't rush it, baby.
- Come on. Hop up,
hop up, hop up.
- Vesi has it.
Now they're back in it.
Now it's Dwight for Vesi.
We've got two tribes in it.
- Come on!
- You got this.
Dwight sees the opportunity.
- Okay, good job.
- Dwight.
- Dwight.
- You got this, Lindsay.
You got this.
He's got it good,
smooth, and it drops.
Here goes Lindsay.
She's got it halfway.
- No!
- Lindsay drops again.
Look at that.
Baka's back in it.
All three tribes are in it now.
- Come on, baby. You got it!
-
Once again why you never, ever
give up on yourself
in this game.
Hey, hey, Dwight.
Try to put the flint
right in the pole
on the top of the bamboo.
Go from underneath
and put the flint inside of it.
I got that.
Yeah, there's a hole
inside there.
Put the flint in there.
That's the one, baby.
There goes Dwight.
- Does he have it?
- That's the one.
- That's the one.
- Yes!
- He does!
- Yeah, baby!
Vesi wins first reward!
Tribe supplies waiting
back at camp.
Wow. What an opening challenge.
Everybody left it out
in the sand.
He put the flint
in the bamboo stick.
- It's all right.
- It...
All right. Great effort
by all three tribes.
Let me give you maps
to new homes.
- Welcome to Survivor.
- Yeah!
- Yeah.
- Go, Coco!
All right, Vesi, great job.
Your tribe supplies will
be waiting for you back at camp.
Like I said, it's not much,
but it's a lot in this game.
One pot, one machete, one flint.
Baka, Coco, you're going
to go to your new camp
and have to try to earn it
in another way,
which will take time away
from building shelter.
That's the penalty for losing.
Vesi, head out to your boat.
- Good luck.
- All right.
Baka, Coco, head out.
- Thank you, Jeff.
- Thank you, Jeff.
Out of the gates, to fail
at something that I thought
I would be so good at
is a huge wake-up call to me.
And it made me realize
that, like,
being out here
and the challenges
that we're about to face
are going to be a hell
of a lot harder
than I thought they would be.
And it has definitely set in
that we need to be ready
for anything that Jeff's
about to put out there.
Yay.
- Yes. This is home.
- This is home.
Winning the first challenge
sets a tone,
from an excitement level,
from a camaraderie level.
I feel alive from my-my...
my toes to my bones
to my heart to my spirit.
Vesi.
Yee-hoo! Yeah!
Hell, yeah!
We got a machete, a pot.
We're ready to rock.
During the pandemic, I started
binge-watching Survivor,
and I realized
that I have the tools
to... not only to compete
but... but to win Survivor.
You guys wants to, uh, chat
and talk story for a second?
See what everybody does.
Maybe we got someone in here
that does construction
or knows how to build a shelter.
- Right? Okay, okay, okay.
Good play.
- Not me.
I am so blessed to just get
out there and do some living.
L-I-V-I-N. You know, get busy
living and get busy dying.
That's how I'm going
to play this game.
So I'm... I'm locked and loaded,
ready to go full throttle,
ride a wheelie
all the way across the park.
Uh, my name's Cody. I'm 35,
and I work for an elevator
and escalator company.
My name is Nneka.
Nneka's a Nigerian name.
- That's where
I'm from originally.
- Amazing.
I think it's a name you give
when you want a boy
and get a girl.
So was mine. Mine is a boy name
with an "E" at the end.
So...
- Yeah.
- Justine?
I get called "Justin"
all the time.
Oh, and I work
in software sales.
Okay. Cool.
I'm Dwight. I'm 21.
- So my graduation
is a few weeks...
- Yeah.
- After I'm done here. Like...
- Oh, my God. That's...
My family and I have watched
Survivor together since
I was about six years old.
We've watched
every single season since then.
So my game plan
hitting the beach is,
okay, let's go build
the shelter,
let's go start doing
all the Survivor things.
We can definitely cut the...
I think... I think...
- We have a machete, guys.
- Oh, yeah.
And we quickly realized
no one has any idea
what they're doing
when it comes
to shelter construction.
Has anyone used
a machete before?
- No.
- No.
I can try it out if y'all
really don't want to do it.
I...
Be careful.
Yeah.
Right?
Pull it. Pull it over.
- Like this?
- Yeah.
I know my parents are going
to not let me hear the end of it
because before we left,
they said,
"You need to learn how to build
a shelter properly." Like,
"I watched videos. I know how
to build one. It'll be fine."
- Does it move if you let it go?
- It's slipping down.
Got to... got to deal
with that when I get home.
We've got a beautiful
group of people on this tribe,
a very positive tribe.
We've got some strong people,
we've got
a lot of personality.
But being older,
I am on the outside.
I'm the oldest guy out here.
I think I'm 20 to 30 years older
than some of my teammates.
- Yeah. We got this.
- Wait.
So I have to be careful
with how I start my game plan.
Oh, gosh.
"Two tribe members
work together..."
Huh.
- Okay.
- All righty.
I'm-I'm...
Sami was like, "I would
do the Sweat," and I was like,
"Shh. Like, stop with that."
"Because if you do it,
then I'm probably
going to do it with you."
And I was not going to do that.
[A] the physical exertion,
being away from everyone
in those first moments.
That's where
all the scheming, plotting,
strategizing happen, and
that's where lines get drawn.
- I feel like we all
busted our ass so much...
- Yeah.
- I feel like we should
all do it together.
- That sounds...
- That's...
- Let's use our brains.
We're a smart group.
And we win together,
we lose together.
Baka.
- All right.
- Okay, let's...
We have four hours.
Um, can we see the clue
one more time?
"Move two bones to form
the largest whole number."
"You can only move
the two bones one time."
We clearly have
an intelligent tribe,
but our minds are all racing,
and it's hard
to know what to focus on.
Can that still be a nine?
I don't think that's gonna fly.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Right now, we absolutely
are up the creek
without a paddle.
So, we have
four hours to complete
whatever that
dig-out challenge is.
So I'm willing to dig if
somebody else is willing to dig.
Four hours to dig on the beach?
I didn't come out here
to be a strong person.
That was not
what I came out here to be.
Yeah, is that for sure
what every...
- I mean...
- Is that okay
with everyone?
I mean, yeah,
as long as it's okay with y'all.
So our choice was
Sweat versus Savvy.
We just looked at each other,
and we're like, "Okay,
"none of us are,
like, geniuses here.
: So we just got to...
Let's be real."
For the Sweat challenge,
you have to dig
for your supplies, and it
could be anywhere in the square.
I volunteered, 'cause I felt
a little guilty about
not being able
to carry the boxes
from the previous challenge.
- See you guys later.
- Good job, guys.
It'll be quick.
You guys got it.
No one said it would be easy.
That's why they call it
the Sweat challenge.
We only have four hours.
It's quite a big area
to dig with the two of us.
If we do an "X," we'll be
able to cover more ground.
So I ended up
figuring out we're gonna do
an "X" formation
across the grid.
It's gonna cover
the most amount of area
with the least amount of effort.
I'm pretty good. I do carpentry.
My mom taught
me everything I know.
I can build quite a bit,
as long as I take my time.
So I feel like
working smarter and not harder
in the Sweat challenge
really draws back
to having to think
outside the box growing up.
I was born three months early,
which gave me
mild cerebral palsy.
And that not only
affected the ability to walk,
but it also affected
the way I think.
And having
a stutter in my brain,
it's like having two seconds
of an echo before you're able
to figure out, okay,
that's what I need to do.
Doctors said I would never walk.
And my mother said,
"No, we're not having that."
And she took me
to physical therapy
every Thursday for four years.
I developed walking
late in life,
and I had to rewire my brain
to be able to function
the way I do today.
- Oh. Oh!
- Oh.
Yeah!
I think they finished.
Wait, that would be amazing.
Shut up.
It only took about 30 minutes
to get this bag out,
and we had four hours.
Oh, look at that.
It's so nice.
To be able to pull off
this challenge feels like
everything that
I've been through had a meaning.
Having the confidence
in myself to be,
"Hey, this is my idea.
We should try it."
- I'm sweaty and sandy.
- Good job! I know...
Good job.
I really feel like I could bring
more than just muscle
to the squad.
I did good on this one.
- Okay, yeah.
- Right?
It's so important, day
one, to be able to have the pot
and the flint and the machete.
But when everyone saw
the Savvy challenge,
we freaked out,
because we don't have any idea
how to figure it out.
There's something
that we're missing.
I wanted to do
the Sweat part of the challenge,
because I'm trying to play to
what people see me as out here.
I'm a bigger guy.
I kind of do want
to conceal parts of me.
Like, I don't want them to know
that I'm good at puzzles because
every little thing can be
used against you in this game.
But I do want us
to have a good camp.
I want us to be organized,
and we can't really do that
if I'm sitting here,
trying to hide my strength.
Guys, guys,
watch your minds be blown.
Watch this.
- Yeah, okay. Okay.
- Okay. All right, Sami.
- Five, right?
- Okay.
We got a zero.
- Okay.
- We got an eight.
Uh-huh.
- And then we got a...
- Zero?
No. Three ones.
You move these two.
- Yeah.
- Oh! It's a six-digit number!
- Sami!
- Sami!
- Oh, yes, Sami!
- Yeah!
Ah! Wait! Hear me out.
Hear me out.
Do that here! One, two, three.
- In here, with the same thing.
- 51.
- So it'd be...
- 5-1-1...
- ...8-1-0.
- Ah.
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!
That's it.
Let's lock it.
- You got this.
- You got this.
All righty.
Everybody blow it a kiss.
Yay.
- That looks amazing.
- 5-1-1-8-1-0.
- Can't touch it now.
- Yeah.
- Jeanine, you're gonna drop it.
- Oh, no.
- No, someone else.
- Yeah, you drop it.
- I'll untie it.
- You do it.
Yes.
Ooh, my heart's pounding.
Yes, Elie.
- All right, ready?
- Yeah.
I knew I had a spark.
Amazing! Amazing!
Like when you spark
a little flint on the fire.
It sparked our group.
I feel really good
about solving the puzzle
and getting us the materials
that we needed,
because I'm 19 years old.
That's not gonna sound good
in a group of people
who are experienced
and well-thought-out
like-like these people.
Wait, you never said your age.
Oh, well, I'm 22.
Sorry if anybody was,
anybody was wondering.
So I'm telling people
I am 22 years old.
19's just not a good sound
and it's not a good look,
regardless of how much
you prove yourself.
- You need some help?
- No, you're good.
I'm out here doing
what most 19-year-olds can't do,
and I'm gonna be
the youngest to win this game.
You're k*lling it, Sami.
I've made 'em before.
- Yeah?
- It's been a while.
- And I thought about it...
- It looks awesome.
I was like, "I'm gonna
try making one of those again."
I'm extremely happy
that I'm on Vesi tribe.
Doing that first challenge
and kind of having,
you know, that winning
atmosphere made it
definitely a lot easier for
people to be happy around camp.
My first Survivor meal.
- Oh.
- Yes!
Ta-da!
I think, off the bat,
I definitely mesh with Justine,
just because, you know,
we are similar in age.
This tree looks
very suspicious to me.
Yeah.
She is definitely
a very smart girl,
and she's very determined.
- Damn.
- So having that relationship
off the bat,
I really, really think
that we're gonna do really well
working together.
Yeah.
How do you guys feel?
The game is afoot.
The game?
One thing that I've learned
from the last few seasons is,
obviously,
the game is very quick, and
I don't have an alliance,
I haven't talked to anybody.
I got to do something. So,
I saw my cr*ck, and I took it.
- I connect with y'all.
- Yeah? It's all good.
I'll be straight with you.
Feel good about you,
feel good about you.
What do you think? Same? Yeah?
- I'm good.
- Let's do it.
Right now I'm excited.
I can very easily
build a relationship
with the guys
who are like, hey, easygoing.
I work with guys a lot.
I understand that.
And I was like,
"All right, first alliance.
Check, check. You know?"
Yeah, me, too.
I always fear any salesperson
in this game.
- Justine?
- Mm-hmm, because
they're so good at, like,
the game, right?
The dynamics of how it flows.
- Yeah.
- And that, that fears me.
When I found out that Justine is
a sales representative,
I was stoked. Like,
there is a stereotype with
salespeople... like, manipulative
or, uh, BS-er. So,
I'm making sure everybody knows
that Justine is a sales rep.
That's the salesperson.
Like, that's-that's my fear.
I've told my tribemates that
I work
for an elevator company, but
I don't need them to know
that I'm a salesperson.
- I mean, I'm glad
that we're talking.
- Yeah.
And we can get something going.
I do sales
for the elevator company.
Been doing it for a long time,
and, um,
my motto coming
into this was not telling people
I'm a salesperson.
You can be damn well, I'm going
to be going after the person
that's a salesperson.
Yeah.
Right?
I really like Cody and Nneka,
but for me,
I think the game plan is to not
do too much at this point.
Like, day one,
I want to sort of sit back.
I want to see, like, who is just
naturally sort of cliquing up.
I initially cliqued with Noelle,
and I think that's, like,
natural 'cause we...
- Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
- Are around the same age, and...
But I think that, like,
I can definitely
see myself trusting you.
At this point,
I'm in a really good position.
Nneka and Cody want
to work with me,
but then on the other side
the two girls
Justine and Noelle are tight,
and they want to pull me in.
Back home,
I don't have very many friends.
Like, it's me, my wife,
and my kids, so, like,
I don't really get invited to
parties or anything like that.
But out here
I got, like, two invitations
to two separate parties, and now
I have to figure out
which one I want to go to.
I'm going to take this out.
- Yes.
- I'm gonna put it here.
- We'll do a triangle here. Okay?
- Cool.
Sami, just watch yourself.
I'm going to come over you.
You're gonna go over my head. Okay.
You're going to put it up
on that "Y" branch.
Back a bit more.
- There we go.
- Good job.
People are working hard.
Elie, Morriah and Jeanine have
been weaving fronds all day.
Okay, now let's put it up.
- Whoa.
- Okay.
Hey, we're going
to figure it out, guys.
- We sure are.
- I'm worried.
ELIE [laughing]:
Oh, no.
God willing, we will have
a beautiful shelter,
but the minutiae
we're putting into the shelter
is not how I would want
to expend my energy.
- I'm getting real thirsty.
I might...
- I know, I know.
That well water's looking
pretty good right around now.
This 26-day game
is so much more rapid.
I need to sneak off
and start strategizing.
We'll keep an eye out
for each other.
Hopefully, we can...
You know, the number one rule
of Tribal Council is don't go.
"Hey, if I hear your name,
Gabler, I'll let you know."
That's not a whole lot.
I mean, this is Survivor.
That's not like
a blood pact or anything crazy.
I will definitely...
will let you know
if I hear your name coming up.
Yes, I will for sure
let you know.
That's so weird to say.
- No, I mean, it's...
That's what we're doing.
- Yeah.
- Are you getting
good vibes from anybody?
- Honestly, I'm getting
good vibes from everyone.
- Yeah.
No one seems to be scheming.
No one's, like,
trying to do too much.
People have been very guarded.
No one wants
to jump out as being strategic,
and it's...
it's a little frustrating.
The way alliances are going
right now,
it's like we're trying
to chop these coconuts.
Just hacking away, hacking away.
And just bang, bang, bang.
Like, open up, open up.
And I think,
later on in the game,
it might bite us in the butt.
A little more coconut pressure's
gonna do it.
So, my oldest sister is 42.
I have a sister who's 35, 33,
- 30, 28.
- Okay.
My oldest half sister is, like,
- 18 years older.
- Okay.
But I have one full sister,
but she passed away.
- Oh... I'm so sorry.
- Yeah.
I'm so sorry.
Yeah, but she...
she d*ed in 2020.
Definitely the worst thing
that ever happened in my life.
When we were growing up,
my sister was my hero.
She's smarter than me,
she's prettier than me.
She is everything to me.
And then there was this
major trauma that happened
to my entire family, and I think
that my sister dealt with it by
using dr*gs.
I tried to help guide her
through the struggles
that she experienced, and our
relationship became strained.
And we hadn't spoken in a year.
The last conversation
that we had was aboutSurvivor,
and it was just like
I was talking
to the sister that I knew.
Um, but she told me
that she was proud of me,
and she told me
she was excited for me.
And the most important thing
she said...
"Whatever you need, I got you."
I hadn't felt that
for a long time.
That was the last conversation
that I had with her because
six months later,
she d*ed of... of an overdose.
- No amount of time
makes it not...
- Yeah.
- Just, like, k*ll you.
- Yeah.
Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
- Oh.
- Thank you.
Make room.
I feel closer
to Jeanine and Morriah
because of that moment.
- Yeah.
- Right?
Yes!
- Seriously.
- Yes.
I think we're a good three,
and I definitely
want to play
with women in this game.
It feels totally natural to me.
It's powerful.
I feel my sister here with me.
She would be happy
that I'm in a good spot
right now.
Ugh.
Doesn't taste that good.
You could put bamboo this way.
- Slide...
- Push it, push it, slide more.
- Here we go.
- Yup. There we go.
I would push it more this way.
We have the plans
to start building the shelter.
You know, some people are going
to weave palm fronds,
some people are going
to start cutting bamboo.
But I'm in the game now,
and it's time
to start strategizing.
You know, always nervous.
- I know, me, too.
- Yeah.
- But I really like you.
- I like you, too.
I feel like we're dating.
I'm just kidding, right? Like...
Yeah, I know, like...
I want to play like a fox...
Clever and cunning.
I want to outmaneuver people.
I want to be sneaky.
I don't want to play a loud,
in-your-face game
because a lot of times
women can't get away with that
the same way that men can.
- If we have to go
to Tribal Council tomorrow...
- I know.
- I want to have a game plan.
- Yeah.
There are some loud voices
on this tribe,
and it allows me to stay
behind the scenes, and nobody
sees me as, like, a huge thr*at
until it's too late.
Okay.
So if you see James
and I talking, I promise you...
You're working it.
...we're not hiding anything
from you guys.
- Yeah. Okay.
- Okay?
I love Survivor, and
I always said
that I wanted to be able
to have an all-girls alliance.
- Because at the end
of the day...
- Yeah.
The three of us...
It's what's going
- to keep us alive in this game.
- Yeah.
- It is.
- Honestly.
- Seriously.
The girls and I got together.
But for numbers, I want
to pull James into our alliance.
I think
he's very genuine out here.
I know.
- Mm-hmm.
- I like your vibe.
- Cool.
- I think we work well together.
That's the name of my company...
Good Vibes Only.
- It is not.
- It is.
I feel like
my biggest trick to this game
is going to be my ability
to connect with almost anybody.
What do you think?
Growing up in Philly,
I learned how to play chess, and
I won the U.S. Open when I was
13 for my ratings bracket.
Traveling around the country,
I would be surprised
to be the only Black kid
at tournaments.
In chess, you figure out
who you're playing,
and you're trying to figure out
what they're going to do.
And now being on Survivor...
Lindsay and Karla...
They're all solid with you.
...all three women have said
they wanted to work with me,
and I'm the lone guy. Like,
that's great.
It's always better
to let people feel like
they have the upper hand.
I want to be a king,
but I'm gonna look
like the pawn.
This is so much harder
than at home. Geez.
You think it's just too humid?
That's what it is?
There's just
too much humidity in the air?
You got it, Mike.
Come on.
Man! Why isn't it burning?
Is that husk not flammable?
Yeah, maybe so.
When you hear "pet
cremator," all you think of is,
I'm a guy that grabs dogs
and cats and lizards by the feet
and throws 'em in a fire.
Put a bunch of magnesium
on there.
I actually gracefully
lay them in the incinerator, and
I'm not k*lling the pet.
- Well...
- Okay, that's our firepit
for the...
- So you get... you get it going,
and I'll just pick it up.
- Cool.
But I know from experience,
fire is something I know I can
do, just like with the shih tzu
that I put in the incinerator.
- Elie, come over here.
- Fire!
- Oh, my God, guys.
- Little sticks, guys.
Teamwork, as usual.
- Oh, my God.
- Baka teamwork, guys.
Oh, my God. You are...
- Sami!
- Hey!
Sami!
Sami lit the fire!
Guys, we're cooking.
We're literally cooking.
Amazing.
Okay, we can exhale now.
This was not a start that I had
planned on or envisioned.
Watch out. It's going
to be nice and toasty there.
I'm older than my teammates.
I think that basically points
everybody against you
and makes you an easy target.
So, my strategy is basically
connect with them
and to bond with them.
And I think
there's always somebody teaching
somebody what to do,
and, you know, sometimes
I'm the one being taught,
which is awesome at 51.
- Yeah, like, Mastodon.
- Oh, that's...
- Mastodon is great.
- I mean...
Yeah, it's really good.
Sex Pistols...
- It's just really good music.
- Yeah.
My sister loved metal.
And Gabler...
He listens to heavy metal.
I'm like, "Yeah, Mastodon.
I listen to that."
Uh, Dead Kennedys.
I'm, like, pulling
from my sister up in space,
being like, "What were
those punk bands you like?"
And he loved it,
so we bonded on that real quick.
Well, it's been
great playing with you.
You let me know how I can help
you in this game, too, okay?
Oh, yeah. Same here.
If I can help you,
if I hear your name.
I'll let you know.
I think he feels like we're
probably kindred spirits, and
in a way, we are.
I genuinely respect him.
- Yeah, absolutely. Deal.
- Yeah, yeah.
All right, I'll let you know.
He's really sweet
and he's caring.
I might want to work with him.
I'm not ruling him out at all.
Somebody want coconut water?
I'm out here laying
on the floor.
Crazy. I'm from Philly!
This is not what we do!
Um, so it was hard for them
to understand and accept
that we were together.
But now we're really good, actually.
Me and Karla... we kind of,
like, started vibing.
We're both married, both gay,
and we're both Latino.
She's from Mexico,
I'm from Peru.
So we have a lot in common.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Stop, you're gonna make me cry.
I know.
I play with my heart,
and I feel like
I want people to see the type
of person that I am,
and I want people
to see my life.
I think that's going
to be a good way to get people
to open up about themselves,
so that way
we can feel more connected
and we can work together.
Thanks.
You know?
So...
Coming into this game,
I was just
so nervous. Like, no one's
going to want to work with me.
They're going to see me
and they're going to be like,
"Who the hell is this girl?"
But now it feels like
I've spoken to everyone.
So...
Okay.
Yeah.
At this point, it feels like
that Geo, Ryan and myself...
The three of us are solid,
but I'm also working with James,
Lindsay and Cassidy.
It feels like I'm in the middle.
Let's try not
to spend too much time, like,
all of us hanging out together
- because
I don't want people to suspect.
- Yeah.
Coming in, I was
very nervous that
I would be perceived as weak,
that people would think that I
won't do well on our challenges.
I honestly thought
I was going to go out first,
so it's hard to trust that
everyone wants to talk to me
and solidify my vote.
So I don't know what to believe.
I don't think
this is good for people
:
To be, like... this scrambled.
I had a couple tattoos, man,
so this is just, uh...
I had one
on the back of my head removed.
- What?
- Had one on my face.
You had a tattoo on your face?
Yes, sir.
Where was the one on your face?
Like, was it, like,
a Mike Tyson tattoo?
No, it was, uh, three dots.
- I had three dots right here.
- Oh.
- Tattoo?
- Yeah, right here.
When I was a teenager,
I was, I was in a g*ng,
- and so...
- Oh.
- Sort of juvenile hall
and stuff like that.
- Yeah.
Ended up meeting some,
like, really cool nonprofits
- that were able to help me out.
- Yeah.
They, uh, were able
to, like, pay for, like, things
- like getting the tattoo off
the back of my head.
- Wow.
Yeah, I'm not the type
to walk in a room
and just sort of
advertise my background.
I grew up
in Los Angeles, California.
My family didn't
have college degrees.
They had, like, addictions, right?
Nobody went to college.
They went to prison.
You know, I ended up in a g*ng
and I ended up getting arrested
and going
to juvenile hall at 17.
When I was in juvenile hall,
I was lucky enough
to be in an educational program,
and they offered
a GED test there.
And I took the GED test,
and I got one of the highest
scores that they had seen.
Like, that's when I think it was
sort of like a switch went off,
you know, and I was like,
"All right,
let me try
and, like, shift gears here."
And so, that's when I started,
like, doing things
to better myself,
better my situation.
And I got accepted at Berkeley,
which was insane,
and then went on to Duke.
And now I have a PhD
in political science.
But coming out here,
I just want to show my family,
my son, my daughter that, like,
you can do anything you want.
But at the same time,
I feel like
I need to represent because,
like, there's a lot of kids
who, you know, are sitting
in juvenile hall right now,
locked up in the same room
that I was in,
thinking
that they can't make it.
And I want to show people
that you can go
from sitting
in a juvenile hall with
a tattoo on your face
and on the back of your head,
uh, to, you know,
sitting out here
in Fiji with a PhD.
Where's that shell?
I just kind of wanted
to go for something.
Like, put the L.A. in there.
Sort of like the belly
of the beast kind of thing.
- Oh, wow.
- Yeah.
But, uh, he has a cooler one
than me, though.
Really? What do you have, Cody?
Where is it?
Oh, great. Okay.
Livin'.
Two exclamation points
and a smiley face.
You got it.
I grew up doing a lot of things
that are not typical
of young girls.
Like, my dad and I
had matching dirt bikes,
and we would be camping out
in the trunk of our Jeep.
- I'm manifesting.
- Absolutely.
You're gonna get it.
So, coming into Survivor,
I was like,
"I can build a fire."
Damn.
And then it's very humbling when
we can't do it.
Wow. Good job, you guys.
But at the same time,
like, I'm super impressed
with how our tribe
has been doing so far.
Wow. This looks like
a really good shelter.
Yes, it would be amazing
if we had fire,
but I'm just thankful
that we have a shelter.
Better. There... Like, I think
at the very top,
it's kind of loose.
- You okay? You good?
- You okay?
Yeah, I'm good.
I'm fine. I'm fine. Y'all?
- I'm good.
- Yeah, you good?
- I'm good.
- Oh, man.
- Is everybody all right?
- I'm good.
- That's it.
I'm-I'm good.
Oh, my God, we have a fire!
So, we broke our shelter
immediately,
collapses on my head,
the girls get the fire going.
Ugh! It's going out, guys.
That sucks.
The fire then goes out.
It's a complete disaster.
So while we had a leg up
on the competition,
we also kind of
took a few steps back.
Just when we think
that we're actually relaxing,
like, everybody's hanging out,
yeah, a boat shows up.
Oh, God.
- Oh, no.
- Okay.
We all know.
Here we go. Like,
that boat ain't coming here
to drop us off some goodies.
- I'm scared.
- I'm scared, too.
It was on like Donkey Kong.
You guys.
So, we're all sitting
on the beach,
and all of a sudden
we see a boat pull up.
Coming out here, I thought
about this exact scenario,
but I have no idea
what's about to happen.
:
How exciting!
- Oh!
- Ah!
In this new era
of Survivor, you 100%
have to make big moves to win.
I'm not scared
of what is coming.
I'm not scared
of the game of Survivor.
I'm scared of never having
the opportunity to play.
"One person
must get on this boat.
You'll return to camp
this afternoon." That's it.
Okay. Who's staying?
- Oh, we have to stay.
We got to.
- Okay.
We got to work on the shelter.
What can we do? Draw sticks?
We had to pick somebody
to go to an adventure.
I'm thinking
the most democratic way.
Pick a number
between one and 20.
- 17.
- 14.
- 20.
- Seven.
- She got it on the... on the...
- Blackjack.
- Did it.
- Really?
- Yeah, blackjack.
Karla got the seven, and
this is the new era,
so we know
she's going off somewhere,
and there's going to be an
advantage or something in play.
-
Have fun. Have a ton of fun.
- Oh, my God!
Advantages change things up.
Someone that was nice
and sweet can be a villain.
- Okay, go, let's do it.
- Okay. I'm ready.
- Okay.
- One, two.
- One, two.
- One, two, three.
- Go.
Deep down, of course, you want
to go on the journey. Like, you
want to go see what it's about.
40, 41, 42, 43.
All right!
But I was totally okay
with putting it out
to a random draw because
you don't want to put a target
on your back by being
so eager, especially when
there is something like an
advantage, and everybody knows
about the possibility
of it being there.
You know you want to, bro.
- Kind of do,
but I kind of don't.
- This is your dream
to go out there and do this.
All right.
Dwight is a superfan,
so he wanted to go.
I mean, him
getting on the boat was
a wake-up call for everybody.
Like, I could tell
everybody was like,
"Now the game has started."
I mean, he might be out for
a boat ride, having a picnic,
but my guess is that
something's going to go down.
I'm on this boat, and
I don't know
what's happening whatsoever.
So I'm really nervous.
- Karla.
- Gabler.
- Nice to meet you.
- Gabler. Aw. Nice to meet you.
Dwight.
But I was actually really
calming myself down
because,
if I come in level-headed
for whatever the task is,
I will be fine.
"Make your way from the beach
to the giant rock,
"where you will
make a group decision.
Take this time
to get to know each other."
- The giant rock being... that?
No, I...
- The big boy.
- I think that's the giant.
- Out there?
I think we head out there.
Yeah, I guess so.
All right, let's do it.
I look over, and I can
already see the giant rock.
And I'm like,
"It can't possibly be that bad.
"It's just right there.
"It's going to be, like,
a two-or three-minute walk.
We're gonna have barely
any time to talk."
I was so,
so wrong about that.
Do we have
to make it over there?
- Yeah.
- What?
Yup, we got a ways to go, Karla.
- Oh, we have a long way.
- Okay, is anyone else afraid
to hike?
In this journey,
you're kind of going through
these, like,
really slippery, dangerous
rocks and covered with moss.
- Oh, here. It's slippery.
- It's super slippery.
So I'm trying
to calm myself down, I'm trying
to breathe and remind myself,
like, why I am out here.
I'm the proud daughter
of two Mexican immigrants.
I grew up poor, but I'm not
going to settle for less.
And that ignited a fire in me
to pursue education.
I got into UC Berkeley.
I thought to myself,
"How am I going to pay for it?"
And then I got the word
that I was awarded
the Bill and Melinda Gates
Millennium Scholarship.
I am the first in my family
to graduate high school.
I was the first in my family
to graduate college.
It's like a generational change.
So, I need to remember that
I am street-smart
and I'm book-smart,
and for this game
I have to channel that.
I'm ready to do what it takes.
- Oh.
- O... kay.
Okay. Oh, my gosh.
Here we go.
Okay.
- Okay.
- Interesting.
So, what happens is, each player
chooses secretly
if they want to risk
or not risk their vote,
and we all reveal the card
we choose simultaneously.
Based on how many people choose
to risk their vote,
they draw from a bag
of that many risk-takers.
One has an advantage,
all of the rest
lose their vote.
So now we have to figure out...
How this is going down.
...if we want to risk it.
It's like a game
of poker, right?
Uh, you know, what are the odds?
Risk, no risk.
It could lead to an advantage.
It could lead to an idol.
But, honey, your vote is
your life right now.
You thinking about risking it?
I'm thinking pretty big. Yeah.
I was half bluffing.
I was trying to say it so
confidently so that they would
be like, "Well, if Gabler's
going to do it,
then I'm not going to risk
my vote 'cause he's going in."
There we go.
We reveal our cards,
and it's shown that
Karla did not risk her vote,
but Gabler and I did.
So that means
Gabler and I have to now draw
from a bag
which contains an advantage
and a "lose your vote" card.
It's 50/50,
which is terrifying.
If I lose my vote, I am screwed.
You want to draw first,
or should I?
Let's go age before beauty.
How about that?
All righty. Good luck.
Dwight met my bluff,
and he doubled down,
so now I can lose my vote.
But I'm 51, and
there's only been one winner
over 50
of Survivor in all the seasons,
so, yeah,
I have to take risks,
and I'm going big.
- Good luck, guys.
- Good luck.
- Good luck.
Guess we'll find out.
I guess we will.
It's going to be interesting,
the next Tribal or not.
Like, "Oh, God."
I'm very happy with my decision.
I think
I did the right thing
by trusting my gut
and not risking my vote.
- See you at the merge.
- Definitely see you
at the merge.
- Absolutely.
- And Gabler was like,
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll see
each other at the merge."
But I don't know if that's going
to happen, given the fact that
one of them can't vote
and one of them is now a thr*at.
This is the one.
This is the one. Come on.
Blood, sweat and tears.
We've kind of
just traded off shifts
of everyone trying to
make fire.
Oh, oh, oh.
All right,
add those twigs behind you.
But for me, when I put my mind
to something, I...
I-I know I have
to do it, or else
I'm not going to be able
to, like, sleep at night.
- Hey, girl.
- Keep going.
Sticks, sticks, sticks,
sticks, sticks, sticks!
It was super satisfying
being the one
to actually get fire,
and it's also something
that I wanted
to cross off
on my Survivor checklist.
- Nice work.
- Thank you.
Yes, queen! Great job.
Nice.
Oh, Dwight is back.
Dwight's back.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Coming back
into camp, I'm thinking about
do I lie? Do I tell the truth?
Oh, God. Do we have a fire?
- Yes.
- Oh, my God.
We've all seen 41 and 42.
We know that advantages come
from these journeys.
So if I come back and say,
"Oh, it was nothing this time.
It was just a nice walk,"
they're gonna put a target
of my back so quickly.
So it was an island.
It was me, Karla and Gabler.
We had to walk across...
Like, it was water up to here.
So everything was wet.
We get there.
You can risk your vote
or not risk your vote.
For every person that risks,
you draw out of a bag.
Only one has an advantage.
Oh, damn.
And I don't know yet. I won't
figure out till later today
what I got. So...
You're fine.
Have at it.
I don't know if I trust
Dwight's story fully,
'cause he's like, "Oh, we went
in the water. It was this deep."
And then he's like,
"It's already dry." I'm like,
"There's no way it's dry
by the time you're back.
You were only gone for
an hour and a half. Impossible."
I didn't believe
any of that story.
- You know what I mean?
- Yeah.
He's got a lot going on
in his head.
I think there's more to it.
This guy's here to play.
Not out here
just to have a good time.
So it could be
detrimental to my game.
So, me
and, um, Dwight risked it.
- Oh.
- So it's like a toss-up.
- So it's 50/50
if you get...
if you win the advantage or not.
So I don't know what it is yet,
and I don't know if he got it,
but I'm gonna go.
So I'm gonna go walk off
and figure out what it is
and then I'll be back, okay?
- And then you come back and let
us know whatever you want to.
- Come back. You got to.
- All you.
- Okay. Let's roll.
I could lose my vote.
That would be devastating.
But at the same time,
you know, if you get
that opportunity to go
on a big journey like that,
you want to come home
with something.
Let's see.
Did I outplay Dwight?
Or did he outplay me?
Okay.
"You risked and won."
"You risked and lost.
You cannot cast any votes
at your next Tribal Council."
Damn.
Oh, my God!
I have an idol for
my first two Tribal Councils.
Most people think
you get the idol,
you bury it,
you hide it, you lie about it.
- Yes!
- Oh, my God!
But as you probably
can figure out by now,
I go to the b*at of my own drum.
I'm-I'm so happy for you.
They didn't get it.
Oh. Aw, man.
You lost your vote?
And listen, we all know
Gabler has something now.
- So just be wary of Gabler.
- Yeah.
By letting them see the idol,
it builds goodwill and trust.
And trust is
the name of the game out here.
Baka, Baka, Baka!
Come on in!
- Yes.
- Look at those smiles.
Oh, dang.
Awesome.
That's what we want to hear, Lindsay.
This is a big, kick-ass
first immunity challenge.
Let's get it on.
I like the enthusiasm.
All right, let's get into
your first immunity challenge.
Yeah, baby!
For today's challenge,
you're gonna race
through a series of obstacles,
collecting three balls.
One player will then
dig under a log...
...and release a ramp.
You'll work together
to get everybody
up the ramp
and across a balance beam.
As players cross the beam,
you can untie a handle
that will open the beam wider
and make it easier.
The first tribe to get
all their players to the finish
gets their choice
between three table games.
The second tribe picks
between the remaining two.
The last tribe gets what's left.
Then two players
will work together to maneuver
three balls to the end
of their table game.
The first two tribes to finish
win immunity,
are safe from the vote.
These are the immunity idols.
Yeah!
They're so beautiful.
With an immunity idol
at your camp,
it means
you're not going to Tribal.
It means you can't be voted out.
The last tribe to finish,
Tribal Council tonight,
where somebody will be the first
person voted out of Survivor 43.
And as a penalty for losing,
I will take your flint.
All right, I'm gonna give you
a minute to strategize.
We'll get it on.
All right, here we go.
For immunity. Survivors ready?
Go!
You got to get through that mud.
This is your awakening.
It's happening.
You're not at home anymore.
You're on Survivor!
Here we go, guys.
Everybody's got to
get through that mud.
Yeah!
Got to get all six people
to your mat.
Go, go, go, go, go.
You got it. You got it, Nneka.
Baka, you're good.
Go, go. Go, go.
Coco, you're good.
Vesi, let's go.
Got to get everybody through.
You're good.
Now you're untying
your three balls
that you need
for that table game.
They're attached to the post.
Come on, come on!
- Go!
- Baka, you're good.
Go, go, go!
Yep, yep, yep.
Vesi, you're good.
Okay, we got it.
Coco, you're good.
We're dead even right now.
All three tribes in this.
You've got to dig a hole
that is deep enough
for your entire body
to get under the log
and through to the other side.
- Let's go, Ryan, you got this.
- This is not easy.
Ryan is going for it.
Let's go, Ryan! Let's go!
Can he get through?
You got this! Yes!
- Yeah! Yeah!
- Yeah!
Ryan's through for Coco!
All right, let's go,
let's go, let's go.
Coco, now trying
to get to the top.
All right.
Lindsay on her own. Wow!
Nice work.
James is providing that ladder.
Let's go, baby!
Come on, step on my shoulders!
Lindsay trying to pull Ryan up.
He's up!
Cody's through!
Jeanine, completely buried
under the pole,
trying to get
back out to dig again.
You're good, Vesi.
Pull. Climb it up.
Climb it up.
James still trying to get up.
Ryan gonna come down
and try to help him.
This is what
it takes on Survivor.
You have to assess
the situation and adapt,
and you're doing it.
James is almost up.
They've got him!
Now can Ryan get up again?
He's done it once.
Coco, they've got it.
Start across the beam.
Come on, Jeanine!
Come on, Jeanine, dig!
- Almost there, y'all!
Let's go!
- Go, go, go.
Vesi's still working to get up.
Here goes Ryan.
Take your time.
- All right, go.
- Yeah, Ryan!
You can start untying that pole.
Once Ryan has the knots undone,
you can open that beam wide
and everybody will race across.
Lindsay's across.
Keep pushing, girl.
Here we go!
Thataway, Jeanine!
Jeanine is through.
Jeanine now trying
to chop the rope.
Jeanine's got it!
Baka, you're good.
Start working on the wall.
Gabler, Gabler...
Let's go.
Now you got it!
Let's go!
Come on!
That's how you do it.
Coco releases their pole.
Everybody now can cross.
Slide down, slide down.
Run, run, run.
Slide down now.
Go.
Okay, let's choose one.
- All right.
- Wait, wait, wait.
Before we do...
Coco now has made
their selection.
They've taken the maze.
Table game number three.
- Baka trying to get
everybody up.
- Got you.
They've got one person left.
- Yes!
- Morriah, get ready. Morriah...
And he's up. You're good.
Start on the beam.
You're good. Great job, girl.
Good job, girl. That's awesome.
We've got Coco in the lead,
working on their table game.
Let it go. You're good!
You got it.
Vesi heading across now.
Here goes Morriah.
Wow. Nice touch by Morriah.
That is how you do it!
Great job, Morriah.
- Here goes Sami.
- Look forward, and...
Vesi have to choose now
between one and two.
They're gonna take number two,
the straight sh*t.
All right, guys, we got this.
There you go!
Up, up.
It is Ryan and Lindsay
doing a really nice job.
They are very close to
that first ball, but it drops.
- It's a learning curve.
- Sorry.
Here comes Baka.
Coco got here first.
They chose the maze.
Vesi got here second.
They chose the straight sh*t.
- One, two, three!
- One, two, three, go!
Baka got here last, and they
were left with the obstacle.
The question is,
were these the right choices?
Drop back our way.
Drop back our way.
Oh.
Coco lands
their first ball. Two left.
Jesse and Noelle.
They chose straight sh*t.
Some would say
this is a more difficult,
but they've got a nice touch.
Almost drop it out of the gate.
- Pull it back. Wait...
- Good job, brother.
- Little bit.
- There we go.
So flatten her out.
Okay. That's okay.
We're learning.
Once again, Ryan and Lindsay,
very, very close.
- And they've got it.
- Got it.
Coco has two.
Down to their last ball.
- Jesse and Noelle
gonna give it another sh*t.
- Slow it up, slow it up.
- Yes.
- In and out for Vesi.
- Nice maneuvering
by Gabler and Sami.
- Nice. Nice, nice, nice.
- You got it. Yes...
- They're at
the three-quarter spot now.
- Yes, we do.
- Yes.
Gabler and Sami.
Drops in the gutter again.
Bro, bro, I'm trying.
I know. It's hard. I know.
- Okay, slowly. Okay, ready?
- Okay.
Coco very close
to their third and final ball.
Coco wins immunity!
Safe from Tribal Council.
Nobody going home.
We're looking for one more.
Somebody will be voted out
of this game tonight.
Sami and Gabler,
as close as they've ever been
- to landing their first ball.
- You're taking the sh*t.
They're close.
- They're in, they're out.
They're around, and they drop.
- Oh, man.
You are so close...
I need your help right there.
Bro, I know.
I was, I was helping you.
- I was...
Trust me, I'm helping you.
- You hold that.
- You want me to go,
like, right here?
- Yep.
Let's try this.
Ooh, a new strategy.
- That's in.
Vesi has their first ball.
- Yes!
Now they know they can do it.
- And that is
a lot of this challenge.
- Yes, that's it, yes.
Believing that you can do it.
- Down, down, down.
- Wow. Wow!
Amazing. Straight down the track
and right in the hole.
Vesi lands their second ball.
Sami and Gabler cannot panic,
but they're in trouble.
- Gabler, stop. Gabler, stop.
Gabler, stop.
- Okay, okay, okay, okay.
- Okay. Barely touching.
- Okay.
Let's do it.
You're fighting me.
I'm not fighting you, dude.
I'm barely
putting any effort on this.
Vesi can close it out
right here.
Vesi down the track.
It's Jesse and Noelle
for the win.
Slowly.
- And that's good!
Vesi pulls it out!
- Let's go!
- Immunity for Vesi.
- Sending Baka to Tribal Council.
- Let's go!
Where somebody will be the first
person voted out of this game.
All right.
First place, Coco.
A dominating performance.
You are all safe.
Nobody going home tonight. Congrats.
Yeah!
Mwah.
Equally hard fought
the entire way.
Vesi, congratulations.
- Let's go. Let's go.
- Yes!
Coco, Vesi, nobody going home.
- Grab your stuff,
head back to camp.
- Yes.
- Congrats.
- We can go?
- We can go?
- All right.
All right, Baka. So let's talk.
Gabler,
what's the feeling right now,
knowing Tribal Council
is just a few hours away?
Jeff, honestly,
we haven't thought about it.
We thought about winning
since-since we got here.
And I'll tell you this,
we all gave it all.
We were communicating.
We never lost heart.
We never lost friendship.
That's right.
That's it. I mean, it's just...
it's hard.
All right,
the result is, Baka, dead last.
As a penalty for losing,
I'll be taking your flint.
Sorry for you.
Sorry for us.
You'll have a chance
to earn it back
at your next immunity challenge.
All right, Tribal Council
tonight, where somebody will be
the first person voted out
of Survivor 43.
Grab your stuff,
head back to camp.
See you tonight at Tribal.
Group hug.
Let's go.
Losing sucks. It's sad.
With that being said, I think
that with the loss today,
our game really starts.
I mean, we didn't talk
any strategy at all,
not for one second.
And this is no longer
some kumbaya camping trip.
It's about to get
really crazy very shortly.
We lost the challenge.
It was excruciating.
In the sun, everyone's watching.
Jeff's in your ear.
It's about the most intense
thing I can think of,
and I work in the operating
room with heart surgeries.
We have to go to Tribal Council,
and we're gonna have
to lose somebody tonight.
- Okay.
- How is everybody?
We busted our ass.
We did our best.
I'm so proud of everybody.
I take accountability for that.
I was part of the loss,
so I should be
a potential target tonight.
So, a couple things here.
Number one, I came out here
with three goals.
And one was to learn
about myself through hardship.
Secondly, I came out here
to play a great game,
which t-to date, we all
have played an amazing game.
And lastly, I wanted to win
an immunity idol, which I-I did.
So that's freaking huge.
It's amazing.
Being that said, I'm not gonna
hide behind my immunity idol.
I don't want
to take the easy road out.
So tonight, I'm gonna take
a sh*t in the Dark.
I'm gonna roll it.
I'm gonna throw
the sh*t in the Dark,
and we're just gonna
see where it's at.
Everybody at home is gonna have
a hard time understanding
why I wouldn't automatically
play my immunity idol.
But I was part of the loss,
and therefore I'll be playing
my sh*t in the Dark,
because I should be
at risk tonight.
Cool?
The shock was written
all over my face and body.
Just... what?
Like, what are you doing
right now?
- Dude, we still got,
we still got...
- I know.
I-I know...
We need to look at our fire.
We just lost our flint. I think
we'll all want to scramble.
- Let's focus on that
first. Yeah.
- We'll all want to talk
to each other. Like, let's just
see if there's something there.
- Okay.
- You only play
the sh*t in the Dark,
you only choose
to lose your vote
for a one-in-six chance
if you think you're going home.
- We need to get some kindling.
- I'm gonna go
run and grab some.
- Okay.
- I'm not interested
in voting out Gabler,
especially not this early.
- Hey, we're not voting you.
- Okay.
Gabler works really,
really hard.
He's constantly
helping out around camp.
And I think
that we need workhorses.
Okay.
Okay, but don't...
My skill as a therapist
is to talk people out of things,
to talk people off of a ledge, essentially.
Unfortunately for Morriah,
in a tribe of six,
strength and challenge
performance is really important.
Oh, yeah, keep blowing
like that.
This tribe
was living in a fantasy world.
We were all like, "Oh,
my gosh, we're on Survivor.
This is so fun.
I love you. I love you."
And now, strategically,
that lackadaisical attitude
has definitely translated to now
a mad, mad dash right now.
All right...
Yeah.
And she is strong,
and I feel bad.
I feel very bad.
I definitely don't want it
to be me or you.
- No, yeah, I'm good with you.
- I-I, like, I'm serious.
- Like, look me in my eyes.
- We're good.
Like, I, like, Sami.
Like, seriously.
No, yeah, we're good. I-I
wasn't even thinking about you.
Like, not even once.
I do like Elie a lot.
- Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
- And I like Jeanine a lot.
'Cause in a perfect world,
we're all on the same page,
except for who's going home.
I guess if I was to say
who I haven't talked to.
- Yeah.
- Probably Owen
the least out of anybody.
- Like...
- Okay.
We're no longer a kumbaya tribe,
but I have my girls,
and I really vibe with Sami.
And that leaves on the outs
Gabler and Owen.
Yeah.
For me,
it's just too much of a risk
to vote out Gabler.
Not only does he have an idol,
but now he's talking about
playing his sh*t in the Dark.
That's two different
opportunities
for him to save himself.
Gabler's not playing his sh*t
in the Dark. We were just
- kind of chatting that.
- I don't b...
- I don't know. I don't know.
- We don't think so.
So, not Gabler.
- Okay.
- What were you thinking?
Oh.
So, Owen.
Me and Owen
haven't really
been talking very much.
And I think he's a lot smarter
than he seems,
which scares me about him.
Owen is the kind of player that,
down the line,
when we get down to it,
I'm going to end up seeing
just how dangerous
Owen could be.
- That's true.
- All right.
- So, Owen?
- That's the clearest way.
Morriah came up with a plan,
and I came up with a plan,
and she doesn't know that
my plan is against hers.
I'm not interested
in voting out Owen.
I want
to prioritize strength
right now.
Sorry.
The three of us and Sami...
We're writing...
- I just wanted
to triple-fy check.
- Yeah.
The three of us plus Sami
is going to write Owen.
Okay.
The three of us
sticking together...
- If we lose again...
- Yeah.
- we have three women
over two now.
- Yeah.
It's like the smartest plan
for the three of us.
Elie wants
to vote Morriah out because
she's just the weakest member
of our tribe, but
my mind is working right now,
and
I'm worried about how that will
go in the future in terms of...
It makes it pretty easy
for the majority of three guys
now to work together
to vote out the women.
And that's why I'm, like,
really stressed right now.
'Cause I don't want to be,
like, us versus boys.
I understand Jeanine's fears.
So now I'm weighing out
options of a vote
for Owen
or voting out Morriah.
I really want us to move forward
more physically strong.
Morriah is not the strongest
physical competitor
amongst our tribe, but
I know that she wants to stick
with me and Jeanine.
Sorry.
The downside to keeping Owen
is that he could be trouble
down the line.
I have to take
into consideration
the relationship
between the three guys.
I could be setting
something in motion
Where they could have
an easy majority.
The first vote is huge,
and Jeanine and I hold
all of the power
to decide who goes home.
Behind you is a torch.
Everybody grab a torch,
dip it in, get fire.
This is part of the ritual
of Tribal Council because,
as you know,
in this game
fire represents your life.
And when your fire is gone,
Owen, what happens?
- So are you.
- Yeah.
Always breaks my heart.
All right,
so, Sami, let's talk
about the first few days.
What is life like back at camp?
Life has been, like, a joy.
We were all harmonious.
It was all just like
a kumbaya group thing.
We are final six, honestly.
I'm stunned
by what Sami just said.
To come out into this game
and to actually believe
you're the final six,
"We don't need to think
about Tribal, we're going
to be fine," blows my mind.
Owen, did you share
that unbridled we-got-this based
- on absolutely nothing?
- Yeah. Well, like
Sami was saying,
like, we've gotten
to know each other,
shared our stories.
But in terms of the gameplay,
yeah, no one wanted
to put a target on themselves
by being that person
that is a little too antsy
to, like, rush in
and throw someone under the bus.
Gabler, the obvious downside is,
you wait
so late that people don't have
much time to make a case
to keep themselves
or even know it's them.
So it's just as vicious.
- Oh, yeah.
- Just in a different way.
But I think
that's all the more reason why
it was important to get
to know everybody early
because you never know how
the game is going to shake up.
I mean, we were supposed
to win today.
- We really...
We-we gave our all.
- Supposed to win?
I just can't figure it out.
- I know.
- Based on what?
Well, I just want to say
that we did win today.
We didn't win
the immunity challenge 'cause,
- clearly, we're sitting in
this beautiful Tribal Council.
- Yeah.
Let me just take this in, Morriah.
- MORRIAH [laughs]: Wait.
- You won today because?
We won because
none of us gave up
and we all tried our best.
- Yeah.
- And that's what it's about.
You're not always going
to win the game,
but when you walk away
knowing that you gave it
- every single last thing...
- Everything.
That you had in the t*nk,
then you won.
But at the same time,
moral victories
- mean nothing
at immunity challenges.
- Right.
We're going to be here
every single time if we look
- at moral victories
as a real win in the books.
- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.
- I agree.
- That's right.
- Yeah.
- I have... I have enough
- moral victories
in my personal life...
- Yeah.
With the teams I root for,
so in Survivor,
it's not as attractive.
You want to... you want to win
at whatever cost.
We really wanted
to win this one.
Losing with dignity's great.
Like, we all had
our heads held high,
but it still sucks.
So, if everybody feels good
about the effort today,
does that mean
there was no finger-pointing?
Because Gabler and Sami... you
two picked the finishing spot...
- Yeah.
- And couldn't get it done.
Did anybody come back and say,
"Maybe we should look
at these two"?
For sure, Jeff.
I mean, there is accountability.
You know, you feel bad
for letting people down.
You know, you want
to be the-the hero.
You want to...
you want to pull it out.
You know, but is it possible
that I'd have a target on me
for that? Yes.
But pinning everything on like,
"Hey, you volunteered to do this
"and you couldn't pull it out
at the end of the day," to me,
that's not a great strategy
right now.
So I think
that won't be what it rides on.
For me, it's almost
a first-come,
first-serve situation.
You know?
Who reached out to me first?
Who has been making an effort
to make some kind of connection?
Those things really do matter
because that lends itself
to trust.
- You know?
- Mm-hmm. It's like
that validation you need when,
you know, you just started
dating someone,
and you need that affirmation
from someone to...
- Yeah. Text me back.
- Yeah, exactly. Like,
give me a little bit
to go off of, and then...
and then you hitch onto that
and you realize,
"Okay, I'm being affirmed
that this is where I want to go,
and I'm not crazy."
And, you know, you...
- It's reciprocal from there on.
- Yeah.
- Morriah, did you feel
that people texted you back?
I got some emojis and stuff.
I'm not gonna...
I'm not going to go
into details, Jeff.
No, but I do feel
like some people text,
and I got a few phone calls
here and there,
and I'd like to think
that I sent out a few texts
and phone calls as well.
And it's scary
because we're kind of
out of this trance
that we've been in,
and every single person today
is going to pick up that pen
and write a name.
- Yup.
- I kind of feel
that same way. I feel like
now we're playing the game.
The game is on,
and it's on full force.
I mean, at the end
of tonight, somebody is going
to be looking back like,
"What if I was
a little bit more aggressive?
Could I have made it
a little bit further?"
It's really interesting
how this conversation
started with all of you
entrenched in this idea
of a happy tribe, and now that
we are literally moments away
from voting,
I'm feeling the tension.
It's the price we pay for trying
to be kumbaya for too long.
And I think
whoever does go home is going
to wish they sent
a few more texts out and
had-had something cooking
a little bit better.
All right, with that,
it is time to vote. Sami,
you're up.
I really do hate this.
Wow.
If anybody has an advantage
or an idol they want to play,
now would be the time to do so.
All right, I'll read the votes.
First vote... Morriah.
Owen. One vote... Morriah,
one vote... Owen.
Morriah. Two votes... Morriah,
one vote... Owen.
Morriah. That's three votes...
Morriah, one vote... Owen.
First person voted out
of Survivor 43... Morriah.
That's four. That's enough.
You need to bring me your torch.
I love you guys. It's okay.
- Love you.
- Love you guys.
- It's been a blast, guys.
- I'm going to miss you.
You're amazing.
Morriah, the tribe has spoken.
Thanks, Jeff.
- Bye, you guys.
- Bye.
- Bye-bye.
Grab your torches,
head back to camp.
Good night.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
That storm was a b*ating.
This game is blowing my mind
right now.
They believe that I'm with them,
but there's a girls alliance.
I want to jump off that
'cause it looks really fun.
Tribal lines
are getting clearer.
It's heartbreaking to be going,
but I'm happy
with the game I played.
I had a ton of fun,
but I played
like it was my first time,
when I should have been playing
like it was my second time.
I genuinely love the Baka tribe,
and I'm so proud of them and
so proud of how they played.
And I hope they get far
in the game.
43x01 - LIVIN
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Show places a group of people in an isolated location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves.
Show places a group of people in an isolated location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves.