Season 51, Episode 1: New Beginnings

And we're back! New Season, new era. The Open Era, actually, which I guess means anything goes. Someone find Rick Devens. Oh, he's at the Big Brother house.

Reminder that these aren't typical recaps. I'm assuming you watched the show and know what happened. I don't need to tell you everything that occurred or what the challenge consisted of. But if you get lost, comment your concerns. I'm open to hearing suggestions. For example: "Alison, I have no idea what you are talking about." Thank you and noted. Or, "Alison, your sentences are too choppy." I hear you, reader. "Alison, get a thesaurus." Look, I can take constructive criticism.

Anyway, let's get into what I loved other than just being back in it: The big Jeff speech, of course. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called "Survivor." Hello! Now, grab a bunch of shit and jump off the boat! When was the last time we had this kind of opening? Although I was saddened to not see any large bunches of bananas, while also heartened to see that there were no terrified chickens in wooden cages being tossed in. Loved Kilby--complete with his lifesaver--telling us how he just recently learned how to swim from a guy he found on Reddit and paid with a six pack. Loved Kristin's superfan energy and badassery. Loved Lewis heading off to the unknown because someone had to and, hey, there might be advantages to it.

It's a great cast full of so many interesting people with a good variety of vibes and approaches to the game. It tickled me that Kilby volunteered to be a negotiator. It was hilarious to see Eric go out fishing because he thought it looked "punk rock" and only end up catching a teeny tiny fish. It was half lovely, half cringe to see him gush about his beloved Gina and be so emotional. I mean, I'm all for a man showing emotion and love, but maybe reign in it a bit right now, Eric. People are already feeling overwhelmed. I appreciated Brady's enthusiasm but not his yelling at fellow tribemates during the challenge. And while I don't love Devin's hardcore gunning for Jenna and main character energy, I know he's going to contribute to the drama in a fun way. And I laughed when he complained about having to work to keep the vote on Jenna. We had two immediate allies split the tribe on the first vote! Wild. A battle of egos about ego, is what that was.

Watching it, I would have loved to see Jenna or Jelly or Aaliyah try to take the reins from Brady and Devin and say, hey, we don't need them to tell us what to do. But because they are strong guys, no one is going to want to vote them off. The best way to be safe, is to stay away from tribal. And Jelly is aligned with Devin, so I worry she won't go after him, but maybe she'll have seen enough. No need to hand the game to someone so fast. On the other hand, Devin would be a good shield, too, He's out front and loud about it. Literally. He bragged about being up front and loud about it. So, maybe keep that guy around so you can hang in the background for a bit. Still, it made me mad and I know if I'd been sitting there next to him, I'd have been fighting hard not to roll my eyes.

I hope the next couple episodes bring us some behind the scenes type duos. A Kyle and Kamila or Denise and Malcolm or Charlie and Maria. I'm sure there are under the radar male duos and female duos that I'm forgetting. But Sharonda and Kristin or Sharonda and Ori have some potential.

I never hated the three tribes of the new era, but it is refreshing to see something different (or, old school) this season. I don't trust that there won't be three tribes at some point, but it's going to be fun to see how relationships build with a bigger bunch of castaways together.

Poor Lewis and his impossible challenge to axe down the whatever you call it. A mast trunk? I can't imagine that many could do much better than his effort, which was intense. We don't know how long he had before his time ran out, but it was obviously a brutal experience. His poor hands! I think they could have given him something a wee bit easier. Not easy, but not so nearly impossible unless you are a combined bodybuilder/lumberjack/woodpecker.

All in all, I had a grand time and I'm excited to see where it goes. I know we'll get to know some of these other castaways better, but right now, if I had to pick faves, I'd say Kristin, Sharonda, Mike (can I call him Pinsky?), and Linnea. I do have a special little chamber in my heart for Kilby. And Lewis will definitely be fun to watch. Hoping his hands heal quickly. Poor lad.

We never did see if Patt found her pants. Also, how did she lose her pants? Everyone, go look for Patt's pants!