Early on in the first episode of Survivor 40: Winners at War, host Jeff Probst turned to one of the beloved returnees, Amber, and asked her what it was like to be back 20 years after she was first on the show.
He reminded her, “Last time you were on this show the iPhone didn’t exist. iTunes didn’t exist. Facebook and Twitter didn’t exist…”
Two thoughts probably went through all of our minds at this point: First, thanks, Jeff. For making us all feel old.”
But secondly and more importantly, it’s a great testament to how long Survivor has been on. The world has changed exponentially in 20 years. But Survivor has managed to stay relevant and interesting on the TV landscape.
Which brings us to FIRE TOKENS!.
Fire tokens?
What in the name of all things Survivor is a Fire Token?
As all fans of the game know, Survivor is always evolving to keep it fresh, and this season seems to be no different. The key change in season 40 is the addition of FIRE TOKENS! (Fine, I’ll stop shouting, but I feel like it’s more fun to type this in all caps). Although the implications of these “fire tokens” aren’t quite clear yet, each player starts with one fire token and they cannot be stolen by other players. They can be used as a kind of currency to buy items at critical moments during the game. Once voted out at tribal council, you bequeath your tokens to an existing player. And yet after you’re voted out, you have the chance to earn additional fire tokens on the Edge of Extinction to purchase food prizes or an advantage that will help in the final “re-entry” challenge so you can join the rest of the remaining Survivor contestants.
These “fire tokens” are already a new, fresh addition, as we have seen Sandra “buy” an immunity necklace for one fire token in the second half of the first episode, thanks to Natalie bequeathing her a chance to purchase the idol when she won this on Edge of Extinction.
Fire tokens is also a very smart way to help get the Survivor faithful to accept “Edge of Extinction.” In the history of Survivor, some fans bemoan any season where there are second chances, thinking it destroys the original intent of the game. While many Survivor fans are loathe to think that Edge of Extinction is a good thing, in the case of Winners at War, it’s something we have to put up with, precisely because some big-time stars will be voted off early and we want them to have a chance to re-enter the game. More importantly, the fire token concept seems to link the Edge of Extinction players much better with those still in the game– creating a more vibrant, interactive game that should be more interesting. (We’ll find out in the weeks ahead because it’s still a bit early to tell.)
While the first episode of any episode of reality TV is a bit hard to gauge because we’re still getting to know the layout, it appeared the two tribes, Sele (Blue) and Dakal (Red) are fairly evenly matched. Among the most recognizable Survivor winners, Sele includes Boston Rob, Parvati, Ethan, and Denise and Dakal has Amber, Sandra, Tyson, and Yul.
And the contestants will be playing for $2 million dollars–the largest prize in reality show history. (No wonder they agreed to come back!)
But even on an all-winners show (and perhaps even because of it), when it came down to coming up with a plan to vote out their first players, each tribe took different approaches: chaos theory vs. a controlled blind-side. For Sele, the chaos was swirling around a few options, but strangely not the strongest players. Once they lost immunity and it was clear they were going to tribal council, it appeared Adam or Denise were going home, because both were accused of looking for an idol (which they were) by spending way too long on a trip to the “water well” together. But then the tribe suffered from a massive (and quite entertaining) bout of fear where everyone was afraid of making a big move and nominating anyone to go home. After all, they all know each other–in and out of the game. So just nominating anyone out loud can be perilous.
So everyone was literally afraid of nominating anyone.
And like an old mobster movie, two Survivor greats, Rob and Parvati, sat back and cackled at the newer winners from under the protection of trees a few yards away:
“Do you think everyone (else) is dumb or really scared?” Parvati asked.
“You and I are the biggest targets and I don’t feel worried,” Rob said, with a smirk.
“Are we being punk’d? … what is going on?” Parvati said, laughing.
It’s The Godfather and it’s exactly the moment the audience has been hoping for since Winners at War was announced.
Eventually, Natalie (in a bit of a surprise because she had no screen time) was sent to Edge of Extinction after a chaotic tribal council where it seemed as if no one really knew what to do, which is pretty much what happens on the very rare days when contestants go without an actual plan.
In the second half of the two-hour premiere, we got to see inside the Dakal tribe. Once they lost immunity, it was a game of who has more alliances and a real paranoia spreads about connections in the game and outside the game. Yul remembers seeing several past contestants on a TV poker game a few years ago and they apparently joked they’d be hard to stop if they were ever back on Survivor together. Yul doesn’t want that to happen–and as a result has his eyes on a few contestants: Kim, Tyson, and Boston Rob. And Amber is married to Boston Rob, so somehow Amber takes the bullet by association.
This was the low point of the premiere, only because Amber deserves better. The majority of fans were extraordinarily excited to see her after 20 years, but we can hope she becomes a super-star on the Edge of Extinction and still impact the game.
And then there’s Jeff. Hollywood actors (think Johnny Depp in any of the recent Pirates of the Caribbean films) can sometimes have that certain look – like they are there for a paycheck and going through the motions. But that cannot be said for Jeff Probst. Even in season 40, he brings more energy and enthusiasm than Bob Costas at an Olympics (and that’s hard, if you’ve ever watched a Parade of Nations and wondered how many crazy facts he’s memorized about every nation on Earth). You genuinely believe he’s thrilled to still be there hosting and even more excited that there are 20 winners in front of him that have agreed to come back for this ultimate edition.
After a much maligned (and deservedly so) season 39 of Survivor, this was the breath of fresh air we needed. A bit of nostalgia, a bit of something new, and 20 masterminds that can take the game anywhere. There seems to be quite a bit of rust on many of the contestants’ games, which is probably just the typical and necessary hesitation that comes with playing the game. But it’s off to quite a start.
Survivor 40: Winners at War airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm Eastern / 7 pm Central on CBS. It can be watched online here: https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/
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