September 27 marked the beginning of the 45th season of the American reality series Survivor. Set in the islands of Fiji, Survivor features a competition between eighteen diverse individuals initially split into three “tribes” who compete to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other through competing in physical challenges and strategizing to vote each other out until only one Sole Survivor remains and is rewarded a million dollars for their success.
According to CBS, Survivor 45 promises to be “…the biggest season of the greatest game ever played,” adopting ninety minute episodes for the first time in the show’s twenty-three year history. The first episode proved that the season was going to be intense – the players were given even less beginning advantages than even the more recent seasons where the shortened playing period inspired the twist of competitions being required to win basic survival necessities, such as flint. These struggles were highlighted in the episode’s title – “We Can Do Hard Things” – which, per Survivor fashion, was taken from a vulnerable conversation between two castaways about how challenging it was to live in the show’s demanding conditions of hunger, stress, and lack of shelter. CBS described that the increased episode length is going to allow viewers to have greater exposure to the survival aspect rather than solely the strategic aspect – a format reminiscent of the earliest seasons where strategy and advantages had not been developed to the point they are now. Still, the premiere certainly didn’t disappoint in terms of strategy – the Lulu tribe has already made it into a new video titled “Top 5 Most Chaotic Survivor Tribes in a Premiere” by Peridiam, a Survivor and Big Brother focused YouTube channel.
This new season also marked the return of a familiar face. Forty-seven-year-old Bruce Perreault, who was medically evacuated just days into season 44 after injuring his head in the Marooning Challenge, was brought back to Fiji for a second chance to outwit, outplay, and outlast the competition. Despite his attempts to articulate that he didn’t have an advantage over them because he hadn’t truly had a chance to play the game his season, some castaways were still suspicious of him, painting an early target on his back.
Survivor will continue to air Wednesday nights this fall on CBS.
