Survivor 50 premiered with the Cila tribe voting out Jenna Lewis-Dougherty instead of Cirie Fields and a few shocking twists and turns during the three-hour episode that aired Wednesday night on CBS.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jenna -- who made the jury on Survivor Borneo, the show's very first season, and then placed third on Survivor All-Stars -- was unanimously voted out of her Cila tribe with seven votes on Night 3 of the game at Tribal Council.
RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS)
Jenna had voted for Cirie, a four-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was third on Survivor: Micronesia.
"Yes this absolutely sucks. First being voted out is always the worst, not that I've experienced that, but it's got to be somebody," Jenna said in her final words.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I did come out and play my game, and I played aggressive. But I also think you've got to play aggressively with the right people, so I'm hoping that they lose every challenge now."
The Survivor premiere began with the 24 returning castaways meeting Survivor host Jeff Probst in Fiji. Jeff explained how 751 people have played the game in the last 25 years and they should view it as an honor that they were asked to compete.
Jeff also told the players they had "no idea" what they were going to encounter because fans had been voting on key elements of the game.
Jeff asked the castaways to give the game everything they had.
"We want your blood. We want your sweat. We want your tears. We want it all!" Jeff told the cast.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cirie broke down into tears saying Survivor felt like home to her and the game always gave her more each time she played. It was clear everyone was thrilled to be a part of the show's milestone 50th season.
Each castaway then picked a buff, which, when unwrapped, revealed a color that indicated which tribe of eight players he or she would be on.
The three tribes were the Kalo tribe, the Cila tribe and the Vatu tribe.
In addition to Cirie and Jenna, the Cila tribe was comprised of Christian Hubicki, who finished seventh on Survivor: David vs. Goliath; Joseph "Joe" Hunter, who placed third on Survivor 48; and Emily Flippen, who placed seventh on Survivor 45.
The Cila tribe also featured Ozzy Lusth, a four-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was second on Survivor: Cook Islands; Rick Devens, who finished fourth on Survivor: Edge of Extinction; and Savannah Louie, who won Survivor 49.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Kalo tribe was made up of Benjamin "Coach" Wade, a three-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was second place on Survivor: South Pacific; Charlie Davis, the runner-up on Survivor 46; and Chrissy Hofbeck, who was the runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
Rounding out the Kalo tribe was Dee Valladares, the winner of Survivor 45; Jonathan Young, who placed fourth on Survivor 42; Kamilla Karthigesu, who finished fourth on Survivor 48; Mike White, who was the runner-up on Survivor: David vs. Goliath; and Tiffany Ervin, who placed eighth on Survivor 46.
Competing on the Vatu tribe was Angelina Keeley, who finished third on Survivor: David vs. Goliath; Aubry Bracco, a three-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was second on Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty; and Colby Donaldson, a three-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was second on Survivor: The Australian Outback.
The Vatu tribe also included Genevieve Mushaluk, who placed fifth on Survivor 47; Kyle Fraser, the winner of Survivor 48; Quintavius "Q" Burdette, who finished sixth on Survivor 46; Rizo Velovic, who placed fourth on Survivor 49; and Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, a three-time Survivor castaway whose best finish was second place on Survivor: Guatemala.
Since this season is dubbed "In the Hands of the Fans," Jeff revealed fans had voted 53 to 47 percent for the players to start off with no rice. Fans also voted 60 to 40 percent for the tribes to have to fight for their Day 1 supplies.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'BIG BROTHER' SHOWMANCES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHICH COUPLES HAVE SPLIT UP?? (PHOTOS)
The three tribes then competed in a challenge for flint. The challenge consisted of digging in the sand under logs, pulling boats with rope, and racing to light torches.
Vatu ended up winning flint and a big bonfire back at camp.
Each tribe then had to choose one person to go compete and fight for supplies.
The selected players were Q, Coach, Ozzy. Coach and Ozzy were persuaded by their tribemates to participate, which brought a big smile to Jeff's face.
On Day 1, at Vatu's camp, Stephenie decided that she could trust Colby, adding, "He's the perfect person I want to play the game with."
Colby complained about how Rizo talked a lot but dodged the work.
"This guy is going to be a liability. He's going to be a danger to Stephenie's game and to my game and to the tribe," Colby said.
At Kalo's camp, Charlie joked about how Mike had a six pack of abs and Jonathan was like three players in one because of his size.
Mike decided to act like a goofball who needed to be led around camp in order to lower his threat level.
Over at Cila, Joe said he loved his tribe, and he immediately bonded with Cirie since she's a nurse and has a ton of knowledge of the game. Savannah admitted she won Season 49, and Jenna predicted the game was going to get very bloody, very fast.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jenna spoke to Savannah about how she was worried about Cirie, and the women talked about voting her out. Jenna asked Christian and Joe to vote out Cirie as well.
"I am here to cut people, and Cirie is such a lovely lady, I love you. But if I give you an inch in this game, you'll take a mile," Jenna told the Survivor cameras.
Meanwhile, Coach and Ozzy -- who were enemies on Survivor: South Pacific -- had an opportunity to hash things out. Ozzy told Coach that he deserved to win South Pacific and he was sorry for bad mouthing him to the jury, and Coach apologized for handling his loss terribly.
Ozzy realized in that moment Coach was probably someone he could work with and they could do major damage in the game together.
In order to win tribal supplies, the guys were instructed to collect three bundles of materials around the island and then use those materials to build a stick long enough to retrieve a single key from behind a wall. The first person to collect the key would win.
Ozzy showed off his speed and agility by cutting through the waves and making it out of the ocean before Coach and Q were even finished digging in the sand. He had a huge lead on the other two players, but building a strong pole proved to be the tough part.
Ozzy appeared to exhaust himself after 45 minutes of trying to pop the key off the wall with his pole. He told the other two castaways that if they managed to get the key down, he wouldn't take it away from them.
But Coach wasn't feeling as generous.
When Ozzy finally knocked the key off the wall, Coach got a hold of it with his pole. Ozzy then tried to fight for the key, and he begged Coach to let him have it. Coach, however, managed to secure the key and win the challenge, much to Ozzy's disappointment and dismay.
"Coach stole the key right out from under me. I had hoped in my heart of hearts that after the moment Coach and I had -- when we talked about sportsmanship and honor and all that -- that Coach was going to do what I think is the right thing," Ozzy complained to the Survivor cameras.
"But Coach decided that he was going to be cutthroat. He's going to play a cutthroat game and he's going to win at all costs. And his word doesn't really mean too much.
Coach, for his part, boasted about slaying a dragon -- and his former rival -- on Day 1. He said the victory felt "euphoric."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Coach said he'd have no problem being ruthless, as long as he remained honorable.
"This is Coach 4.0 here," Coach bragged.
Ozzy and Q were then sent to "Exile Island," meaning they'd have to spend the night on the island they were already on as a penalty for losing the challenge. Ozzy laughed out loud, knowing the day probably couldn't get any worse. And Q admitted he wasn't looking forward to spending the night with a salty and angry player.
Over at Kalo, Coach returned to camp with supplies, and everyone celebrated his victory.
Chrissy proceeded to team up with Coach, and she pitched targeting Dee, a former Survivor winner whom she found threatening.
ADVERTISEMENT
Meanwhile, "Idol hound" Rick and Christian bonded while looking for hidden Immunity Idols together. Rick and Christian hugged each other and formed an early bromance, saying they loved and admired each other. Rick then secured Emily into their alliance as well.
At Vatu's camp, Colby and Kyle teamed up and spoke about how they wanted to Stephenie and Genevieve to work with them. Kyle also wanted Genevieve to be his new Kamilla in the guy, referring to his loyal ally from his prior Survivor season.
Aubry said she wanted to work with Genevieve but there was "an unspoken tension" between them when they tried to talk game. The awkward conversation made Aubrey lose trust in Genevieve.
"I think Genevieve is calculating and an exceptional liar. She also seems to look at the game in some of the same ways I do," Aubry told the Survivor cameras.
"So I feel like with Genevieve, I'm going to have to cut your throat before you cut mine."
On Exile Island, Q complained it was cold, windy and buggy. Ozzy said it was a major setback for his game because people often form alliances on Day 1. The guys were hungry and dehydrated, and Ozzy vented about how his back was "toasted" from that difficult first challenge.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Day 2, Ozzy and Q were told one of them could buy tribal supplies in exchange for his vote at the first Tribal Council. The player to walk away with no supplies would earn the other guy's vote, meaning the seemingly empty-handed castaway would have an Extra Vote at the first Tribal Council.
Ozzy said "the old Ozzy" would take the supplies and be a provider for his tribe, but he wanted to play as Oscar, "the quick talking negotiator."
Ozzy and Q had to come to an agreement before they could leave Exile Island, and Ozzy convinced Q to give him the Extra Vote.
"It can't be just about winning challenges and hunting fish, so this means everything to me. I couldn't be happier!" Ozzy told the Survivor cameras.
Q, however, thought he got the better end of the deal by returning to camp "a hero" rather than "a zero" with supplies.
Q told his tribe what happened when he returned, but he lied about the fact he had lost his vote.
ADVERTISEMENT
Q came clean to Kyle, who thought he'd fit in perfectly with his Colby, Stephenie and Genevieve group.
At Cila's camp on Day 2, Christian said Ozzy retiring without supplies was "demoralizing." Christian therefore stepped up and impressed his tribe by using a couple pairs of eyeglasses to make fire on the beach. Christian proudly said his son would watch that scene someday.
On Day 3, Rick warned Cirie that Jenna had thrown her name out there already. Cirie laughed about how the two women were viewed as Survivor queens and so naturally they'd go after each other. Cirie tried to form strong relationships so people would want to keep her around instead.
Ozzy told Cirie that he wanted to work with her and he had an Extra Vote. He figured he could use her mind to help him with the strategy aspect of the game.
"Cirie is going to be my No. 1 alliance, the person I'm going to trust with my life in this game," Ozzy told the Survivor cameras.
At Vatu on Day 3, Colby admitted he had judged Rizo too early because he thought Rizo was hilarious.
ADVERTISEMENT
Colby said he saw the same excitement and energy in Rizo that he had when he first played Survivor. Rizo had clearly won Colby over, and so Colby said he wanted to take Rizo under his wing and take care of him. The guys formed a father and son type of relationship very quickly.
Jonathan, meanwhile, said he wanted to play a more fluid, pensive and strategic game this time around. He tried to establish friendships with his tribemates while Tiffany and Dee really hit it off.
Tiffany and Dee brought Kamilla into their alliance, and the women looked forward to having fun.
"People have no idea what's coming," Kamilla boasted.
On Day 3, the three Survivor tribes gathered for the season's first Immunity Challenge.
Each tribe was required to run up and over a steep ramp and then crawl under a muddy net. Once everyone got through, two players would roll a big metal cage filled with coconuts. Once they reached a platform, two other tribe members would empty those coconuts.
ADVERTISEMENT
One tribe member would then toss those coconuts into a net until it's heavy enough to drop a crate, releasing a rope. Another tribe member would then use that rope to drop a ramp. Working together, everyone had to climb a wall to reach a platform, where the two remaining tribe members would race to solve a 50-piece Survivor 50 puzzle.
The first two tribes to finish would earn immunity and Reward in the form of fishing kits. The first-place tribe would receive a larger kit.
The losing tribe would be forced to attend Tribal Council and vote out one of their own. They'd also lose their flint as a penalty for finishing in third place.
During the challenge, Cirie slowed her tribe down by getting stuck at the monkey-fist part where she was supposed to pull down the ramp.
Jonathan and Joe transformed into human ladders, hoisting their tribemates up the wall.
But once Kyle was alone on the ground, he tried to run with speed up the wall and hurt his ankle. A medic looked at his leg and wondered if he had torn a tendon, but Kyle kept going and completed the challenge.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Kalo, Kamilla and Chrissy worked on the puzzle, and they ended up finishing in first place.
Vatu finished the challenge in second.
Savannah noted how Cirie had blown it and so she may be on the chopping block.
Once Cila returned to camp, Jenna told everyone that she wanted to take out Cirie. But Ozzy, wanting Cirie to be his "ride or die," spoke to his tribemates about how Cirie had other talents.
But on the other hand, Christian acknowledged that Jenna was playing the game too hard and too fast, which really scared him. Ozzy also pointed out that Jenna was probably going to be more of a liability rather than an asset going forward.
Christian told his tribemates that they'd be playing around Jenna's game for however many days.
ADVERTISEMENT
But Joe thought the Jenna vote was determined too quickly, and so he began to fear that Cirie and Ozzy were working together. Since Joe had gotten played by Kyle and Kamilla on his previous season, he didn't want a pair to betray him again.
Joe expressed his concerns to his tribemates, which got Emily and Rick talking about voting out Ozzy first. Emily laughed about how that would be a "wild" and "chaotic" choice.
Emily thought it would be good for her game to keep two enemies, Cirie and Jenna, in the game so they'd continue to go after each other while she sat back and relaxed.
Savannah said she didn't like that Ozzy and Cirie were connected but she wanted Cirie to go home due to her poor performance in the first Individual Immunity Challenge.
"We are getting rid of someone huge tonight, and it is going to set the tone," Rick said, adding how no one would've expected Ozzy, Jenna or Cirie to be the first person out.
At Tribal Council on Night 3, Cirie, Ozzy, Jenna, Joe, Christian, Savannah, Rick and Emily met Jeff Probst to discuss the beginning of Season 50.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ozzy said he wanted to play a more mature and strategic game this time around, and Cirie said she was trying to be as transparent as possible since everyone had knowledge of her impressive Survivor past.
Although this tribe had lost, Christian announced they were going to get back in the saddle and show everyone what they're made of.
When it became time to vote, Jenna was shown voting for Cirie, and Cirie was shown casting her vote for Jenna.
Jeff proceeded to read the votes aloud in the following order: Cirie, Jenna, Jenna, Jenna, Jenna, and Jenna.
"First in, first out," Jenna noted.
Jenna's tribe stood up for her when she exited, and she wished everyone "good luck."
ADVERTISEMENT
On Day 4, Genevieve and Stephenie then went looking for idols together. Genevieve found a package in a stump tree and it turned out to be a "Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol."
Billie revealed that 80 percent of fans had voted for idols to be included in the game. Not only that, but they'd have the most "Dynamic" power possible.
The "Boomerang Idol" also came with a twist. Genevieve was told she must send the idol to someone on another tribe, and if that person got voted out with the idol in his or her pocket, it would circle back to her.
Genevieve could also choose to send it to someone she thought would remain in the game for a long time. Come the merge, she could find that person, talk about the idol, and immediately establish trust and loyalty.
Genevieve, however, wanted the idol back as soon as possible, and so she tried to pick a castaway who would most likely get blindsided early in the game.
Genevieve thought "the safest bet" would be Ozzy, and so she selected him as the recipient of the "Boomerang Idol."
ADVERTISEMENT
Afterward, Ozzy -- who seemed to fall into the trap of providing for his tribe again -- suddenly found the idol in his bag. He learned he must play it for himself and could use it until five players remained in the game.
Ozzy also still had his Extra Vote, and so he was excited to have so much power in Survivor.
It then became time for one member from each tribe to go on a journey. The players who got to go were Mike, Savannah and Colby, and they immediately compared notes about Coach and Ozzy's prior journey.
Mike said it didn't bother him that Coach wasn't playing with integrity.
The three players had to choose two people to play a game, and they drew rocks to determine who those players would be.
Savannah and Colby were instructed to build a tower as fast as they could, similar to how the game of JENGA works. The winner would keep their vote and the loser would lose their vote at the next Tribal Council. It was as simple as that.
ADVERTISEMENT
Colby's tower collapsed and so he lost his vote, but he realized he may be able to work with Savannah down the road.
When Savannah headed to the boat afterward to return to camp, she learned fans had voted for idols to have "Dynamic" power in the game, which means they'll be more powerful than ever before.
While Savannah didn't receive an idol, she earned herself a secret "Block a Vote" advantage, which also apparently had "dynamic" power. Savannah thanked the fans and cheered.
RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS)
When Savannah returned to camp, she didn't tell anyone about her "Block a Vote advantage," and none of her tribemates seemed to believe that she had left the journey empty-handed. It made Rick realize that Savannah was a dangerous player he needed to watch out for.
Meanwhile, Coach learned Ozzy had complained about his behavior and questioned his integrity. Coach worried that if people couldn't trust him, it would damage his longevity in the game.