Survivor: Fiji premiered on Thursday. The castaways built a kick-@$$ shelter and fought to remain there. One person got exiled; another got sent home.

INTRODUCTION:

19 people hit the beach in Fiji. They had fun chit-chatting and trying to eat coconuts. People are getting nicknames like Rocky and Dreamz. Suddenly, I feel like I’m watching Vh-1’s I Love New York.

Cassandra struts over to Yau-Man (real name), a native of Borneo. He’s working on a coconut without any ‘implements’. He says it’s tough, but so worth it. I love Yau-Man. He’s my hero.

WHERE’S JEFF?

Jeff is up in a plane. He dumps a carton in the middle of the water. The castaways swim out to get it. Some of the big strong men try to pry it open, but can’t. Yau-Man smacks the corner against a rock twice and it opens so easily. Again, I love this man. He put the iron men to shame with his brain.

IF YOU BUILD IT…

Inside the carton are plans for a shelter, a kitchen, picnic area, bathroom, etc. as well as flint for fire. They are led by Sylvia, who happens to be an architect. Rocky jokes that when Sylvia uses big words, she has to stop and explain them to him. Erica, a non-profit fundraiser, is looking to make alliances and befriends Jessica, a fashion stylist.

IT’S RAINING, IT’S POURING…

The first night, the castaways huddle together under a covering. They have no roof, and it’s raining. Everyone gets soaked and decide that tomorrow they’re building that roof no matter what.

DRAMA TIME:

On the second night, Dreamz and Rocky get into a shouting match. Rocky just wants to sleep. Dreamz, who is a former homeless, street performer, keeps talking to everyone. Rocky heads off to sleep on the beach, grateful that it’s not raining and upset that he let his emotions get the best of him.

IMMUNITY & REWARD CHALLENGE:

On Day 3, the castaways finally see Jeff. He asks if there’s a leader. Sylvia admits she led the shelter-building project. Jeff isolates Sylvia from the group and tells her that she is going to choose two teams all by herself.

Sylvia thinks a lot about her choices. She starts with the gals. Moto is comprised of Liliana, Lisi, Cassandra, Stacy, Dreamz, Boo, Gary (aka Papa Smurf), Alex and Edgardo. Ravu has Michelle, Erica, Jessica, Rita, Rocky, Earl, Yau-Man, Anthony and Mookie on it. Jeff then tells Sylvia she’s heading to Exile Island. She has immunity and will get a clue as to the whereabouts of the immunity idol. However, she has to contend with sea snakes. She’ll also be joining the losing tribe after Tribal Council.

EXILE ISLAND:

Sylvia meets up with the sea snakes. Eeek! They’re scary. She handles it well. She also gets the clue that tells her the idol is NOT on Exile Island, but rather back at camp. This makes my hubby say, “Which camp?” I’m presuming it’s on the one Sylvia will be going back to, but I’m not sure.

Are you?

THE HAVES & THE HAVE-NOTS:

Back to the challenge, the team that wins gets to keep the shelter and gets some cool amenities like kitchen utensils, a couch and stuff. The other tribe goes to a new locale where they’ll find a pot and a machete…and nothing else. They’ll have to rebuild from scratch.

Ouch!

Moto wins largely because Jessica made some key mistakes for Ravu. Moto is psyched while Ravu is sad.

HOME IS WHERE NOTHING IS:

Ravu goes to a nice beach. The tribe tries to make the best of a bad situation. Erica, however, is upset. She talks to Jessica and Rocky. They’ve become her ‘alliance’. They want Rita out. However, Yau-Man and everyone else has decided that Jessica is the bigger liability. Rocky and Erica don’t tell Jessica she’s on the chopping block – at least, we don’t see them tell her.

At tribal council, they vote out Jessica. However, votes were also cast for Yau-Man, Mookie and Rita. Jeff notes that the tribe is obviously divided. Jessica was shocked to be sent home so soon. Of course, we know that the tribe isn't that divided, it's just that Rocky and Erica said they wouldn't vote for Jessica. However, why they didn't go along with Jessica and vote for Rita is beyond me?

Some alliance!

NEXT WEEK:

Ravu continues to struggle. Look for the 'rich' vs. 'poor' experiment to have some serious effects.