Survivor 50 premiered with a three-hour episode Wednesday night, kicking off the most anticipated season of the show yet with fireworks. Let’s break down Episode 1: Epic Party, including spoilers for who was voted out.
Survivor 50 Episode 1 Recap
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Well, that was fun.
Survivor 50 opened with a montage of the first 49 seasons of the legendary show. It was enough to give even the biggest new era cynic chills. Blindsides, evacuations, final tribal vote reads. So many legendary moments, setting the stage for what is hopefully to come in the latest installment of the franchise. We also got a sneak peak of the theme of this season: In the Hands of the Fans. It’s an ambitious, fascinating endeavor, we’ll see if it pays off.
We got a first look at the cast on the beach, and it is indeed a large one. 24 players, the most in Survivor history. The legends were front and center on camera often. Cirie, Coach, Ozzy, Colby. All four of them looked ready for the moment in what will almost certainly be their last chance at glory. Cirie gave us our first emotional moment of the season, reflecting on how Survivor has changed her life. Probst even got Coach to say “Let’s slay some dragons!”
Finally, the tribes were divided and the action began. First, Jeff revealed that fans voted for tribes to start without rice OR supplies. The audience was clearly eager for some old school, grind-it-out Survivor. In the first challenge of the season for flint, Vatu gained an early lead and never relinquished it, also earning a massive bonfire waiting back at their camp.
Coach 4.0
Before the tribes departed, they were forced to select one member from each group to “battle in the fight for supplies”. It was an early South Pacific reunion between Ozzy and Coach, and Q also joined the party. Coach drummed up a ton of potential beef, but the two appeared to make up right off the bat. In the fight for supplies, Ozzy jumped out to a massive lead (no surprise there), but all three guys clearly underestimated the effort it would take to pull the key off the hook. Finally, Ozzy accomplished it, but Coach stole the key at the very end, declaring that he slayed another dragon and had evolved to “Coach 4.0”. The beef lives on!
In a fun twist for everyone not named Q or Ozzy, it was then revealed that the two would have to stay the night at Exile Island.
Vintage Colby
Back on the beaches, vintage Colby appeared to be back in action. The original Survivor heartthrob was a workhorse around the Vatu camp, immediately connected with Stephenie over their Heroes vs. Villains days and singling out Rizo as a “liability”. Spoiler alert, it took no time for Rizo to win him back over.
At Kalo, everyone took time to rave about the presence of the “Man Mountain” Jonathan. Also, apparently Mike White has a six pack now? The newly jacked White Lotus creator sent mixed signals about his goals for the season. If you saw his first performance on David vs. Goliath, that will come as no shock.
At Cila, Savannah revealed that she won Survivor 49 in a not-so-humble way. Certainly that won’t come back to haunt her. Meanwhile, the Season 1 vet Jenna put a target on Cirie’s back right away. While she wanted to take out arguably the largest threat right away, throwing out that type of move put everyone on notice. Of course, this ultimately got back to Cirie, setting up an old school showdown.
A budding bromace emerged between Devens and Christian, making fans everywhere exclaim: “YES!!” Seeing these two go far together would be immaculate. The two also pulled in Emily, grouping together a lot of big brains.
Meanwhile, Genevieve, Colby, Stephenie and Kyle teamed up. We got our first real tension of the season, as Aubry and Genevieve had an encounter that can only be described as… odd. Aubry appeared to see a significant threat in the new era strategist, and she wasn’t hiding it.
Ozzy is Gone. Oscar Remains
Back on Exile Island, Ozzy and Q were forced to strike a deal. One player gives up their vote for supplies, the other leaves with two votes and no supplies. Ozzy was determined to kick the narrative that he lacks a strategic bone in his body, declaring he’s playing as “Oscar” this time. True to his word, Oscar talked Q into giving him the extra vote. Could this be the start of the game fans have been waiting for from the challenge beast for nearly 20 years?
At Cila, Christian pulled off the iconic science experiment of making fire by directing sunlight through glasses. Channeling Jeremy Collins, he then revealed in a confessional that his baby boy was born just before he left for this season, and that he would keep it a secret as a superpower. Across their camp, Cirie and Ozzy subtly formed a legends alliance. If they can actually stick together this time, that would prove to be quite the duo.
A Former Winner Gets Hurts, While a Legend Disappoints
In the first immunity challenge of Survivor 50, human ladder Jonathan helped carry his tribe to victory, with Chrissy and Kamilla getting a head start on the the puzzle before Kyle hurt himself trying to scale the wall, as all of his weight came down on his foot. Play ultimately resumed, and the Kalo crew finished the job for a first-place finish. Despite having to carry Kyle up the wall, Vatu claimed second place, sending Cila to tribal council, mostly due to Cirie failing to accomplish her part of the challenge in a timely manner.
Back at Cila after the challenge, Cirie was understandably defeated. Jenna, determined to pull off the aforementioned blindside, rubbed salt in the wound by declaring the legend had to be voted out. Naturally, Cirie threw Jenna’s name out to counter the narrative. A third, more surprising name was eventually floated in Ozzy, before the tribe ultimately made its way to the first tribal council of Survivor 50.
Jenna set the stage by reminiscing on her first tribal council experience. Jeff proceeded to move through various contestants, discussing their growth in the game. The Cila members discussed potential pathways forward vaguely, before beginning to write some names down. The result? Jenna’s blindside attempt did NOT pay off. If you come at Cirie, you better not miss, and she did. The former Season 1 contestant was sent home.
Hey, It’s Billie Eilish
Back on the beaches, Aubry’s No. 1 target Genevieve found an idol! However, it wasn’t your normal idol, but instead the “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol”. Genevieve was forced to send it to a member of another tribe, and if voted out while still holding it, it boomerangs back to her. Genevieve chose Ozzy, who now has an idol and an extra vote. Quite the start for the former golden boy!
Next stop was the journey. Mike White, Savannah and Colby made the trip. Poor Mike didn’t even get to play after drawing rocks, leaving the old school legend and the most recent winner. A hybrid game of Jenga and Tetris ensued, and Savannah emerged victorious. Colby lost his vote, but potentially made an ally in the process as the two connected well. Savannah walked away with her vote and a secret block-a-vote advantage.
When Mike returned to Kalo, he did what he does best in real life and on screen: stir up drama. In front of the entire group, Mike told Coach that Ozzy said he cheated in the fight for supplies. Naturally, this angered Coach immensely, who declared that the beef was officially back on!
An Unfortunate, Early Exit
A fantastic Episode 1 ended on a sour note, as a simple mistake cost Kyle Fraser a shot at (further) Survivor glory. The former Season 48 winner’s achilles injury suffered in the first immunity challenge of the year proved to be too serious to continue. Kyle was medevaced from the game, becoming the second departure of Survivor 50.
Overall, it was a strong start to arguably the most anticipated installment of Survivor yet. All of the contestants are ready to play hard, setting the stage for a memorable season.
Who was voted out in Survivor 50 Episode 1?
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty was the first person voted out in Survivor 50 Episode 1 after failing to blindside Cirie Fields.
Survivor 50 Episode 1 FAQ
Who was voted out in Survivor 50 Episode 1?
Former Survivor: Season 1 contestant Jenna Lewis-Dougherty was voted out in Survivor 50 Episode 1.
Was someone medevaced on Survivor 50 Episode 1?
Yes, Kyle Fraser was medevaced on Survivor 50 Episode 1 after suffering an achilles injury during the first immunity challenge of the season.
When does Survivor 50 Episode 2 come out?
Episode 2 of Survivor 50 will air Wednesday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Where to stream Survivor 50?
Survivor 50 episodes can be streamed on Paramount+ the day after they air on CBS.
