Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers - Episode 1 Recap
I'm Not Crazy, I'm Confident
By Jim Van Nest
September 28, 2017
Once everyone is finally overboard, they gather gear and throw it in their boats. The Heroes and Healers are all loaded up and heading for shore. The Hustlers are...not. To use Jeff's words, "And the Hustlers team, still trying to figure out what show they're on." They are, as I expected them to be, a hot mess. They can't get their boat turned around. They can't paddle forward. They're just an island out there. By the time they figure it out and get headed in the right direction, the Healers have lit their torch to earn the massive fire kit and the Heroes have pocketed the flint for their second place finish. Things are not looking good for the red team! As they head out to find their camps, Ali from the Hustler tribe is pretty concerned about their result here on the first mini-challenge. She's hoping that they're strength and work ethic will help them gel as a team so they can have better results next time out.
And look at Survivor go - normally, that's where the first break of the episode would be, instead we get some fantastic underwater whale shots and we move right to the tribes reaching camp. The first to be shown arriving are the Healers and there beach is pretty easy to spot due to the raging bonfire setup for them as winners of the first challenge. They are all smiles and games right now. Joe loves his tribe. Jessica loves Cole and his abs. Everything is coming up "Healers" right now. Joe tells us on the side that he loves his tribe and feels that because of their caring nature, he'll be able to run the show here. They're "all my victims at this point."
And on that note, let's go check in with the Heroes as they arrive. They waste no time using the flint to make their fire and they are right to work building a shelter. They also waste no time making alliance. JP and Ashley start the talk by agreeing to work together and agreeing that they need to pull in "Cowboy" aka Ben. NFL'er Alan sees them pairing off and is already concerned. He chats up Ben about making a pact and Ben wants to keep the tribe strong by including the aforementioned JP and Ashley. Essentially leaving the 2 older (if you can call 46 "older") women out of the numbers. Alan agrees with this plan, but he tells us that he doesn't trust that pair, and he might be looking to change things up. Already. Um, overplay much? Ben locks in the 4 with Ashley and JP and everyone is ready to go. Chrissy and Katrina - now called the Mom Squad - look to be in some serious trouble.
And with that, it's time to visit the Hustlers. Everyone can breathe easy - they managed to point their boat in the right direction and make it to camp. Lauren, the fisherwoman, greets us at camp with nothing but positivity. They're making a shelter and she's sure that they're work ethic is going to help carry them through the early part of the game. And they are fast at work on a shelter and weaving palm fronds for the roof, so she might just be right. Ali then fills us in on what her hopes are for the beginning of the game. She wants to see where Patrick is first off. If you read my preview, you'll remember that these 2, coincidentally, know each other from prior to the game. She goes on to tell us that if they just win, alliances won't matter right away. But, given their last performance, they probably need to start talking ASAP. So, she grabs Patrick and they agree to have each other's back. Oddly enough, no mention is made at all that they know each other. Patrick tells us that in a game where you can't trust anyone, he feels pretty solid that he can trust Ali. So, it appears we have our first Hustler alliance.
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