Brought a Bazooka to a Tea Party (S45: Episode 2)
- Tribemaster Brian
- Oct 9, 2023
- 3 min read
“Oy, lyoll lee lyoll lee, lyah ah, lee ee, lyoll lee lyoll lee, dah rah!”
Episode 2 presented us with many exciting firsts, and a significantly better energy than Episode 1. Here were some of the highlights:
The first opening-credits sequence to the Ancient Voices theme song since Season 38
Dee’s long toes
Jeff announcing a major rule change: A tribe cannot sit out the same player in back-to-back immunity challenges
The first ever Hidden Immunity Idol that can only be unlocked by melting it out of a wax casing
A redemption arc for Emily which included the first ever usage of the Shot in the Dark as a currency/bargaining chip
The unanimous departure of Brandon
Also on the note of highlights…
Tribemasters Liv & Brian were lucky enough to score tickets to a Survivor watch party in New York City hosted by Rob Has A Podcast (HUGE shout out to league member, Amanda <3, for the amazing hook up)! This viewing party was stacked - we're talking almost 1000 superfans plus dozens of former and current cast members all packed into a venue to watch the latest episode together.
From the minute the episode kicked off, the energy in that room was electric. It was a blast hearing the current cast cheering each other on in real time through challenges, idol hunting, tribal council. Man, every Survivor episode should be watched in that setting.
After the episode, we got to sit in on a live taping of Rob Has a Podcast. The podcast taping included exciting bits like Rob Cesternino putting a buff on like a tube top (inspired by Brando during the episode), Survivor legend Frannie guest co-hosting, and Tiffany Sealey from Season 41 walking on stage with boxes of pizza as an ode to the recent finales where contestants are awkwardly stuffing their faces as Jeff interviews them.
As the cherry on top of an already perfect Survivor evening, we were lucky enough to score last minute tickets to the after party. We nerded out big time getting to chat with players like Bruce (S44+45), Maddy (S44), Heidi (S44), and Wendell (S36+40) while drinking signature beverages like the Ponderosa Punch, and watching Sifu (S45) battle people to pushup competitions while wearing a furry leopard print jacket.
It’s quite heartwarming knowing there’s a bunch of other weirdos out there who adore this game just as much as we all do!
Oh and for any of you aspiring castaways out there, the main advice we got from the players was:
Keep submitting videos, you never know when they'll be looking for someone like you
Show that you have the ability to tell a compelling story
Grab their attention within the first few seconds of your audition (you don't have to do something crazy, just say something that shows your individuality or will at least intrigue them enough to keep watching)
WHAT'S GOOD, VUKELULU TRIBE?!
WE'RE OFFICIALLY BACK WITH ANOTHER SEASON OF SURVIVOR!
Sole and Merge Bonus picks really created a clear line in the sand between favorites and well...the less desirable. The clear favorite this season was Katurah, who was selected as the Sole Survivor on 9 tribes, and is 0 tribes' merge bonus, meaning she is actively gaining points for all 14 tribes! Closely trailing Katurah in popularity were Austin (7 Soles // 0 Merge Bonuses), Sabiyah (7 Soles // 4 Merge Bonuses) and Kaleb (6 soles // 0 Merge Bonuses).
For the first time ever, there are a whopping SIX players that were not selected as anyone's Sole Survivor pick (Brandon, Bruce, Drew, Emily, Sean, Sifu). That's 35%!! Are we going to go back to having no one take the +75 Sole Survivor Bonus Points?!
The most popular Merge Bonus pick this season was Drew, who earned the most points this week (20 points) thanks to his advantage win at the Survivor Summit. He was selected as the Merge pick on 8 out of his 14 tribes.
Ironically our league's least popular draft pick, Emily, seemed to turn things around this episode and managed to earn her two tribes a big 19 points (despite Lulu losing). And the other unpopular draft pick this season, Brandon managed to score his tribes 11 points before getting the boot this week in episode two! No one on Vukelulu beach selected Brandon as their Sole Survivor, so everyone's stilll in it!
We still got a long way to go; it's anyone's game! Check below to see how the points shook out:
Your Tribemasters,
Brian & Olivia
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