Episode 6: Fiddling while Rome burns

Published: October 27, 2024

Survivor 47's not-quite-merge episode was enjoyable, thanks in part to almost the entire 13-member tribe being eligible to vote against and able to cast a vote. A defense of bringing that back, and a look back at the foreshadowing in the premiere.

Episode 5: Pay attention to this twist, not that one

Published: October 20, 2024

Survivor 47 trotted out some pretty heavy-handed misdirection with its Episode 5-opening twist (two teams, not two tribes), but it mostly turned out for the best, as seven castaways were allowed to mingle and chat while eating exactly one hot dog apiece. Better than having their votes yanked away, at least.

Episode 4: Collusions of grandeur

Published: October 13, 2024

The fourth episode of Survivor 47 delivered just the right blend of cringe comedy and strategic maneuvering, as multiple contestants overestimated their abilities, while one previously hidden player emerged to seize control of the vote.

Episode 3: The evolution of New Era strategy

Published: October 6, 2024

Episode 3 of Survivor 47 showed the six-person Lavo tribe deciding on an outcome much the same as we saw in the premiere. They kept the more volatile player that had irritated/worried everyone, and jettisoned a capable strategist/superfan instead. A look at how six-person tribes, a single-use idol, and an advantage made that inevitable.

Episode 2: A massive peacocking display

Published: September 29, 2024

A look at the many ways the men of Survivor 47 appeared to mostly be digging their own graves (/ idol box-hiding holes) in Episode 2. Did Jeff Probst request a Q for every tribe this season?

Episode 1: A fun but still flawed seventh New Era premiere

Published: September 23, 2024

The Survivor 47 premiere did a lot of things well: It delivered another aggressively game-savvy all-new cast, and slightly pared back the tentpole Events that have cluttered New Era kickoffs. But those steps forward were shackled by a new, even more complex idol-finding mechanism that all but siloed off two of the contestants in their own mini-shows.