‘Survivor 44’ Premiere Recap: 2 Castaways Injure Themselves and 1 Is Evacuated
Survivor is back, baby! We can finally wave goodbye to season 43 and say hello to season 44 and the 18 new castaways ready to take the plunge on an adventure of a lifetime. Survivor 44 is the fourth installment of the reality competition show’s “new era,” and we have a feeling it will be the best one yet. So, sit back, relax, and read on for our recap of the Survivor 44 premiere, “I Can’t Wait to See Jeff.”
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from the Survivor 44 premiere, “I Can’t Wait to See Jeff.”]
The 18 new castaways compete in their first challenge during the ‘Survivor 44’ premiere
The premiere begins by setting the tone for Survivor 44 with an awkward and endearing try at a confessional from Carolyn Wiger. Carolyn, we’re already rooting for you to go the distance.
Then, the episode introduces other players like Carson Garrett, Claire Rafson, Jaime Lynn Ruiz, and Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho (who is very excited to meet host Jeff Probst and poop in the ocean) as they take a boat ride to their first challenge. The 18 castaways, split into three tribes — Ratu, Tika, and Soka — greet Jeff on the beach, where the host welcomes them to the game. And quickly, they get into the Reward Challenge.
Jeff explains that the three tribes must race through obstacles, grab puzzle pieces, and assemble the puzzle. Once that is completed, they release rings from a tall pole. The first tribe to finish wins camp supplies, including a pot, machete, and flint.
The two losing tribes return to their camps to earn supplies by competing in a sweat or savvy challenge. However, the second-place group gets to pick which tribe does which challenge, a slight differentiation from previous “new era” seasons.
Right after the challenge begins, Bruce Perreault from Tika hits his head hard on a wooden plank while trying to dive underneath it. He immediately starts bleeding but crawls under the obstacle anyway. When Bruce returns with his puzzle piece, he insists he can continue competing. However, that all changes when Bruce suddenly falls to his knees. Jeff immediately calls in the medical team.
Bruce has a heart rate of 134, which is a bit high, but the doctors determine that his vitals are good. He’s able to sit up after getting some rest and treatment. And in a heartwarming moment, Jeff allows Bruce to call the challenge back on.
Tika finishes their puzzle first, but Soka gets their rings off before Carolyn can get one. She continues to try, but Ratu is also able to surpass Carolyn in the Survivor 44 premiere.
Producers evacuate Bruce Perreault from the game
Back at Soka’s camp in the Survivor 44 premiere, they celebrate their win and get to work building their shelter. And while exploring, the castaways find a locked birdcage with a pouch inside (suspicious). But they need to find a key to open it.
Ratu finds a sign when they arrive at their camp, which gives them two options to earn their supplies. In “sweat,” two castaways must collect coconuts and place them in a net one at a time in under four hours. In “savvy,” two castaways have only one guess to solve a brain teaser in under 15 minutes. Ratu ultimately chooses “sweat,” which means Tika has to complete “savvy” to get their pot, machete, and flint.
At Tika, Helen Li and Carson count the rings of a complicated sphere while the rest of the tribe discovers the birdcage. Helen and Carson write their official guess, and they’re right, meaning they don’t have to wait till Day 3 for their supplies.
Meanwhile, Matthew Grinstead-Mayle and Brandon Cottom from Ratu get to work on the coconut challenge, and the other tribemates find their birdcage. With only seconds to spare, Matthew and Brandon finish the “sweat” challenge.
And what follows is precisely what Survivor 43 was missing — tribe dynamics forming and bonding at their respective camps. In particular, Frannie Marin and Matt Blankinship vibed from the get-go and agreed to work together. Could they possibly be the rumored showmance of Survivor 44? We are definitely sensing sparks.
On a more somber note, Bruce starts not feeling well later that night, and the medical team comes to check on him. The doctors check his blood pressure and determine that they have to medically evacuate Bruce from Survivor 44. Jeff Probst comforts Bruce, and the castaway heartbreakingly cries, “I wanted this so bad.” But Yam Yam promises Bruce that the Tike tribe will “bring it home” for him.
The medical team then took Bruce away from the island in the Survivor 44 premiere on Day 1, making him the earliest medevac in the show’s history. And just like that, the first castaway left the game.
Three players go on a summit
The next morning at Ratu’s camp, Matthew climbs a large rock structure but falls, dislocating his shoulder and cutting his hands and foot. The doctor brings him a sling and instructs him to take it easy, but Matthew is OK to continue in the game. But given everything, don’t expect him to do any more climbing in the future.
At Tika, Helen, Carson, and Sarah Wade make a pact to stick together, while Carolyn struggles to form connections. So when a boat arrives to take one of them on a summit, Carolyn wants to go. But they draw sticks, and Sarah is the chosen one. Meanwhile, Matt draws the short straw at Soka, and Lauren Harpe from Ratu cheats at a rock draw to go on the adventure.
Brandon finds the key to the cage at Ratu and shares his discovery with Maddy Pomilla. Even though Maddy wants to keep their findings a secret, Brandon doesn’t trust her and alerts everyone. He opens it in front of them. It contains a hidden immunity idol and a decoy that would fool the others had they not seen Brandon open the cage.
On the summit, Sarah, Matt, and Lauren must draw from a bag with three packages. One is a secret advantage, while two say, “Lose Your Vote.” If they first draw a “Lose Your Vote,” they can try again. But if they pick another “Lose Your Vote” package, they can’t vote at their next two Tribal Councils.
Ultimately, Sarah first gets a “Lose Your Vote.” But on her second draw, she receives the Inheritance Advantage, which she can play at a Tribal Council and inherit all of the advantages played. Matt also loses his vote first, but when he draws again, he loses another vote. And Lauren got the Bank Your Vote Advantage on her first try, which allows her to secretly not vote at a Tribal Council, keep the parchment, and use it as an extra vote at another Tribal Council.
Back at their camps, Matt tells his tribemates a half-truth. He informs them that he lost his first vote but not his second (sneaky, sneaky, sneaky). Sarah and Lauren, on the other hand, tell complete lies. Sarah says the experience was similar to the ship wheel from previous seasons, and she’s unsure if she will have a vote or not. And Lauren informs Ratu that she lost her vote in the Survivor 44 premiere.
Who was the first castaway voted out during the ‘Survivor 44’ premiere?
At the first Immunity Challenge of Survivor 44, Jeff Probst reports that Bruce was recovering at the hospital. After cheering for their fallen comrade, the 17 remaining castaways move on to the challenge. They have to push a boat into the ocean, paddle out to a buoy, jump out, carry a heavy chest to the shore, place it on a track, pull the chest to the end of the track, use a key to open it, release a slide puzzle, and solve it. Got it?
Jeff then reveals the two tribal immunity idols — a shield and a sword, probably the coolest idols in recent memory, in our opinion.
Matthew and Claire sit out of the challenge, and while on the sidelines, they discuss the summit. And Claire informs him that Matt showed Soka the parchment that proved he lost his vote. As fans recall, Lauren didn’t do the same for Ratu.
Brandon starts to feel lightheaded during the challenge, so Jeff tells the tribes to stop and calls in the medical team. CBS wasn’t kidding when they said this was one of the most dangerous seasons. But thankfully, Brandon will be OK. The doctors determine he’s dehydrated and give him fluids. And while resting, the challenge continues. Soka completes their slide puzzle first, followed by Tika, meaning that Ratu is going to Tribal Council.
Back at camp, Matthew shares Claire’s information with Brandon, Jaime, and Kane Fritzler. They agree to vote out Lauren for not being truthful about the summit. At the same time, Maddy schemes to target Brandon and tries to get everyone on board.
Later that night, Ratu enters (a medieval-themed) Tribal Council and lights their torches. The producers really outdid themselves in designing season 44. It’s almost as if they knew this would be a season to remember.
After a tense and anxiety-riddled conversation, Jaime announces she’s playing her Shot in the Dark. And in the voting booth, Lauren banks her vote. After the votes are cast, Matthew reveals he played his Shot in the Dark, but his scroll reads “Not Safe.” As for Jaime, her’s reads, “Safe,” making her the first Survivor castaway to successfully play their Shot in the Dark. As a result, Brandon brilliantly plays his hidden immunity idol.
Since Maddy and Kane voted for Brandon and Brandon voted for Maddy, Maddy was the first castaway voted out of Survivor 44. And that concludes one of the most chaotic and entertaining season premieres in the show’s history. We need more ASAP.
New episodes of Survivor 44 air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Fans can stream the Survivor 44 premiere on Paramount+ starting tomorrow, March 2.
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