Survivor: Exile Island

Well another season of Survivor has begun. Once again it takes place in Panama, the home of Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All Stars. This post contains spoilers, so if you haven't watched the first episode and don't want to know what happened, then you might want to stop reading.

Although the location is the same, the structure of the game has changed. Instead of two teams of eight people, there are now four teams of four people, divided by age and gender. In another twist, the team that loses the reward challenge must choose someone to spend a night alone on "Exile Island." As consolation though, there is an immunity idol hidden somewhere on the island that they can use anytime during tribal council, even after the votes have been read.

My favorite part of the series is at the end of tribal council when Jeff Probst frequently admonishes the team for making a poor strategical choice. Last night, the "Older Women" team was sent to tribal council where they voted off the strongest member of their team, Tina. This women was the first to make fire, caught a large fish, and has been a veritable work horse around camp. In her "real" life, she's a Lumber Jill, a feminine version of a Lumber Jack. She's spent her life outdoors and has proven herself a real asset to the team.

After Jeff extinguishes her torch and sends her on her way, he turns to the remaining team members and says in a disapproving voice, "You're three days into a game you've all admitted is a lot tougher than you expected and you just voted off the one person who could make your life more bearable. Head back to camp."

You tell 'em Jeff!