Episode 9: Think big, Survivor

Survivor 47 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 18, 2024

In Episode 9 of Survivor 47, a fan favorite character joined the jury after a chaotic strategic scramble. While the ending was exciting, getting there through all the production-laid hurdles was tiring, if pretty to look at. How to fix that? Read on.

Episode 9: Politely, WTF?

Survivor Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 14, 2024

Damnbueno tries to assign credit for the last episode's boot, then dives into the chaos of Survivor 47, Episode 9's messy Tribal. (It was Genevieve.) But was it a good move, long-term?

Episode 8: Get ready to get happy

Survivor 47 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 11, 2024

Episode 8 of Survivor 47 brought back the fan-favorite auction (in new era shackles), and featured some brilliant emergent gameplay, with Rachel making use of her Shot in the Dark to assess whether she needed to play her idol. It was a struggle between tribes for dominance, and a struggle for the show to shave off some of its new era excesses.

Episode 8: When is unpredictable too predictable?

Survivor Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 7, 2024

Damnbueno wades through Episode 8's auction, and finds the Survivor 47 version was very long and stubbornly retained all the same flaws found in 45's. But the post-IC maneuvering and a clever Shot in the Dark play elevated the rest of the episode.

Episode 7: Turning back time

Survivor 47 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 2, 2024

It's the merge! Everyone has purple buffs! But despite all that, Episode 7 of Survivor 47 sent the Tuku tribe back to Tribal Council, where their pre-merge power dynamics returned to control the vote. All because of a dumb twist, designed to impede the players from actually playing.

Episode 7: An unwelcome return with a championship twist

Survivor Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 31, 2024

Amid minor distractions from the World Series, Damnbueno rounds the bases of Episode 7 of Survivor 47, an episode that returned the bag of rocks, random-drawn teams, and only six, er, five people voting (ugh), but at least gave Sol something fun to do, briefly.

Episode 6: Fiddling while Rome burns

Survivor 47 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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 6: Comeuppance is best served sweet

Survivor Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 24, 2024

Damnbueno is here for the fireworks of Episode 6's almost-normal merge, with advantages and feasts and burning amulets and one big-talking player finally reaching the end of his soliloquy.

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

Survivor 47 Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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 5: A nice twist for a change

Survivor Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 17, 2024

First, a detour through past challenge-throwing attempts, then Damnbueno evaluates the big twist of Survivor 47, Episode 5, and how the contestants handled it, plus Gata's big (non-thrown) challenge loss and final pre-merge boot decision.

Episode 4: Collusions of grandeur

Survivor 47 Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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 4: Shameless self-promotion ... perhaps

Survivor Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 10, 2024

After another immunity loss (and another lost vote) in Episode 4 of Survivor 47, things get chaotic at Lavo, and Damnbueno evaluates the strategic implications of Genevieve's big move. Was it the right one?

Episode 3: The evolution of New Era strategy

Survivor 47 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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 3: The fast and furiously cocky

Survivor Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 3, 2024

An Episode 3 journey brings lack of choices back to Survivor 47, but then thrusts power-altering changes into the game that cause the losing tribe to make different choices than they were planning. Damnbueno runs through the choices (or lack thereof), starting with: Never get on the boat.

Episode 2: A massive peacocking display

Survivor 47 Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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 2: Buried his own grave

Survivor Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: September 26, 2024

As Survivor 47 settles into its regular-sized episode run, Damnbueno examines the overconfidences, oversharing of idols, and overarching men-overplaying vibes of Episode 2. Plus a deep dive into classic Survivor meltdowns.

Episode 1: A fun but still flawed seventh new era premiere

Survivor 47 Episode 1 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | 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.

Episode 1: We're in for a bumpy ride

Survivor Episode 1 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: September 19, 2024

Damnbueno speed-runs through the muddy, overheated capsizings and counter-moves of the two-hour Survivor 47 premiere, everything from key scenes to scenes of keys (and keys, and keys).

Pre-season: Diving in to the Survivor 47 cast

Survivor Pre-season analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: September 16, 2024

With just days left before the 47 premiere, Damnbueno has combed through the pre-game interviews in his attempt to predict how the new contestants will fare in the seventh rendition of the New Era game. Who has the best chance to win, and who will leave with an idol in their pocket?

Survivor 50: I'll go tally the votes

Survivor 50 contestant poll results

By Anthony Cusumano | Published: September 13, 2024

Guest author Anthony Cusumano (formerly beatles20147) is back to reveal the results of his massive poll rating every living former Survivor contestant on a 5-point scale, as a measure of which alumni fans most want to see on Survivor 50. Who were the 20 most sought-after alumni by TDT readers, and whose returnee torches should probably be snuffed?

Pre-season: How to win New Era Survivor

Survivor Multi-season analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: September 3, 2024

As we wait for Survivor 47 to air, Damnbueno has a handy guide to the optimal path to victory in the New Era: The importance of being strategically subtle, having strong alliances, maybe an occasional challenge win, and much more.

Episode 13: What comes next

Survivor 46 Episode 13 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: June 3, 2024

Survivor 46's finale continued to make welcome trims to the New Era's excesses, while also adding some new features. Some glaring problems, like the Aftershow's cruelty to the losing finalists, still need fixing, though. What else should change?

Survivor 50: It's time to vote

Survivor 50 contestant poll

By Anthony Cusumano | Published: May 24, 2024

Guest author Anthony Cusumano (formerly beatles20147) introduces a massive poll in which voters can rank every living former Survivor contestant on a 5-point scale, as a measure of which alumni fans most want to see on Survivor 50. 50 will, of course, be the first all-returning-player season in five years when it airs in 2026, but casting for it will officially kick off this fall. And on that note, it's time to vote.

Episode 13: What a bumpy but fun ride

Survivor 46 Episode 13 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: May 23, 2024

Survivor 46 has at last crowned its champion, and Damnbueno is here to run through all the big whiffs, assisted victories, and surprisingly malleable jurors of the finale and the aftershow.