Episode 8: Was this chaos organized, dumb, or both?

Survivor 46 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 18, 2024

Damnbueno recaps the confusing, chaotic Episode 8 Tribal Council from Survivor 46, along with the various hijinks that preceded it, but in no way seemed to prepare anyone for it. What happened?

Episode 7: More sneaky sneaky, less sloppy sloppy

Survivor 46 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 11, 2024

It's another rock-draw-driven outcome in Episode 7 of Survivor 46 (just as it was at the same point last season), but as Damnbueno recounts, the intra-Nami squabbling kept things interesting as the two teams attended separate Tribals.

Episode 6: They must work together, or ...

Survivor 46 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: April 7, 2024

The new-era merge (-atory) is now a wasteland of half-baked ideas that used to make sense as part of the hourglass twist. Now it's not new, not logical, and mostly not entertaining. Can we just have a normal merge back, please? Plus, revisiting the premiere's foreshadowing.

Episode 6: To overplay, or underplay? That is the question

Survivor 46 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 4, 2024

It's three tribes, one shelter in Episode 6 of Survivor 46, and Damnbueno gives his thoughts on the unfolding aggressive plays and subtle moves as the semi-merge moves through its new era checkpoints. Who is now best positioned for the future?

Episode 5: Looking for green shoots of life

Survivor 46 Episodes 4-5 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: March 31, 2024

With a new tribe squawking to the forefront and a fun journey task, Episode 5 of Survivor 46 finally produced some enjoyable elements, and narrowly avoided hitting the merge with only two people who had ever attended Tribal. Let's hope now that everyone can finally play the game, a game actually emerges.

Episode 5: Wild cards and wild strategies

Survivor 46 Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 28, 2024

After a history of loose-cannon players (and how to deal with them), Damnbueno celebrates Episode 5 of Survivor 46 finally revealing the strategic lines within a tribe that isn't Yanu, and the plays and overplays that led to this week's boot.

Episode 4: To lead or not to lead

Survivor 46 Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 21, 2024

Damnbueno examines the perils of (visible) leadership, as Episode 4 of Survivor 46 shows us Yanu members grappling with perceived vs. actual leadership, someone leading her tribe on a wild goose chase, and jumping lessons.

Episode 3: Doomed if you, doomed if you don't

Survivor 46 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: March 16, 2024

Episode 3 of Survivor 46 had all the flaws of the New Era on full display: An already-depleted tribe that keeps losing, a terrified player on that tribe who was outside the numbers from the beginning, then had his vote taken away. Fans complain the season is boring, slow, and overly focused on one tribe, but the fault is not in the cast, it's in the game design, which has produced the same result two straight seasons.

Episode 3: Lifestyles of the rich and (too) truthful

Survivor 46 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 14, 2024

As Survivor 46 settles into its regular run-time, Damnbueno talks about the episode's over-sharing (with one exception), and its "miracles for one are a tragedy for someone else" ending. Plus a look back at players who "don't need the money."

Episode 2: Pacing, back and forth

Survivor 46 Episodes 1-2 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: March 9, 2024

The first two episodes of Survivor 46 had constant Yanu failure in common, but little else, as an overstuffed premiere led into a laboriously lengthy second episode. A look at the highlights, lowlights and villains (?) of the first four hours.

Episode 2: A wide variety of mistakes

Survivor 46 Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 7, 2024

It's another two-hour Survivor 46 episode, this one spending a long time in the Yanu camp. Damnbueno gives his reactions to their and the other tribe's various strategic triumphs and misplays.

Episode 1: Could this be my dream season?

Survivor 46 Episode 1 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: February 29, 2024

With an extra-long, two-hour Survivor 46 premiere, Damnbueno has a lot of ground to cover, but luckily, one guy keeps volunteering to be in every scene, and keeps messing up and/or quitting. Jelinsky got the title quote and the focus, which unfortunately carried over to Tribal, but Damnbueno is happy about what looks like the perfect mix of contestant types.

Pre-season: But I don't make predictions!

Survivor 46 Pre-season cast analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: February 25, 2024

With the Survivor 46 premiere days away, Damnbueno has watched all of the contestants' pre-game interviews, made when the actual game was mere days away, and has come up with a list of potential standouts and longshots. But he doesn't make predictions.

Episode 13: Everybody here has a story

Survivor 45 Episode 13 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 23, 2023

With its action now complete, Survivor 45 stands as easily the best New Era season, and perhaps one of the best-told season stories thus far. A review of the story and strong characters that 90-minute episodes enabled, plus a few things that could still be improved about the new era game.

Episode 13: Satisfaction!

Survivor 45 Episode 13 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 21, 2023

Survivor 45 has crowned its champion, and Damnbueno is here with his in-progress reactions to the chaos, challenges, various Jake-ing, and through it all, the calm competence of Dee in the finale and Aftershow. Farewell to a well-played season, hello to a new tribe forming.

Episode 12: The head vs. the heart

Survivor 45 Episode 12 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 14, 2023

There's still one more episode of Survivor 45 to go, but Damnbueno is ready to crown the best strategic player of the season: Dee. Episode 12 showed her dodging and manipulating the episode, securing her desired outcome, and doing all this while almost entirely undetected. Can she go all the way?

Episode 11: A plethora of foreshadowing

Survivor 45 Episode 11 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 9, 2023

Episode 11 of Survivor 45's big idol play took out a huge fan favorite player. It was a shocking, disappointing outcome, but one that rewatching reveals was pretty heavily hinted at throughout the episode. Preparing the audience to have their dreams crushed, whether from the title ("This Game Rips Your Heart Out" - also from the newest juror), or by the storytelling of the episode, is always a nice way to soften the blow.

Episode 11: New era whack-a-strategic-player

Survivor 45 Episode 11 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 7, 2023

As another big Survivor 45 player gets the boot in Episode 11, right after making a big move, Damnbueno looks ahead to the player making that move also getting the boot, ad infinitum. Also, a whole lot of jury preference projections.

Episode 10: Some light prognostication

Survivor 45 Episode 10 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 2, 2023

With just three episodes left in the season, Survivor 45 finally hit that beloved new era milestone (after three landmine-filled weeks) where it was finally normal, standard, post-merge Survivor in Episode 10. You know, the "real game," as the players call it. It was refreshing and welcome. How might the game proceed now?

Episode 10: Can a Big Move be the wrong move?

Survivor 45 Episode 10 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 30, 2023

At long last, everyone is finally voting on Survivor 45 in Episode 10, and Bruce does not have immunity. Damnbueno ponders the logic of taking out someone holding an idol while sparing the alliance that seems to be running the game.

Episode 9: It could be worse - it could be raining

Survivor 45 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 23, 2023

Damnbueno is thankful that three people losing their votes didn't turn out worse, but Survivor 45's Episode 9 still delivered a bit of a turkey. Which you then had to eat with your bare hands.

Episodes 1-8: A trip across the pond and to the past

SurvivorUK 3 Episodes 1-8 recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: November 21, 2023

Ryan pops back in to recap and review the pre-merge of Survivor UK 3, the first UK season in almost two decades. He finds it generally to his liking, with simpler strategies, a lower-key pace, and a few big characters. He runs through his favorites so far, and makes some predictions for the endgame.

Episode 8: Give and take, and take

Survivor 45 Episode 8 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 19, 2023

With Episode 8 of Survivor 45, fans were given back a popular staple of the show, the auction. But it was an auction filtered through the claws of Jeff Probst's two favorite things: Rock draws and taking people's votes away. Yes, it produced a big blindside that appears to have altered the balance of power. But was it worth it to have a rock draw decide that fate?

Episode 8: A positive evolution

Survivor 45 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 16, 2023

The auction is back in Episode 8 of Survivor 45, and Damnbueno takes you through the twists (of course there's a twist) and stomach-turns of that and the immunity challenge, plus a high-powered blindside at the subsequent Tribal Council.