Episode 13: Close the deal

Published: May 27, 2022

The winner of Survivor 42 has been crowned, and Ryan relives the highlights of the last two eliminations and Final Tribal, celebrates the final five players, looks ahead to 43, and to another worthy Survivor season that will hit screens in just over a month.

Episode 12: Final five forecast

Published: May 24, 2022

Ryan is here later than usual, but early enough to make timely predictions about how the final two eliminations of Survivor 42 — and of course the winner — (just) before finale day. And of course, a brief revisiting of the highlights of Episode 12.

Episode 11: Badass woman

Published: May 13, 2022

As Episode 11 of Survivor 42 brings about the downfall of another big player amid a flurry of (mostly failed) twists and trinkets, Ryan recaps all the action, the strategic options, the hanger, and the self-snuffery.

Episode 10: The king will be dethroned tonight

Published: May 6, 2022

Ryan is back for the lighter events of Survivor 42, Episode 10: half-drowned contestants competing in a lame challenge while Probst assures them it's 'fun,' reward winners getting spooked by disembodied voices, his winner pick joining the jury. So much fun!

Episode 9: Burden

Published: May 3, 2022

After mulling the episode, Ryan comes in later than usual to talk about the many conversations of Episode 9 of Survivor 42, from the big one in the second Tribal Council, to some that were one-sided in camp, to one that was inexplicably cut from the episode.

Episode 8: That ain't your family

Published: April 22, 2022

Ryan is back to revisit the first fully post-merge Survivor 42 episode, where the excitement ranges from people realizing they're not in the majority to lots of people sitting out of challenges. At least the latter leads to an increase in Drea's overflowing (with paint) armory.

Episodes 6-7: Are you buff-shaming me?

Published: April 15, 2022

After the Survivor 42 merge episode(s) twisted and turned in mostly predictable ways (except perhaps the boot), Ryan takes stock of where the sandy turmoil has left each remaining contestant, and puts forth a somewhat revised winner pick.

Episode 5: Two weasels in a chicken coop

Published: April 8, 2022

With the merge approaching, Ryan takes one last look back at the three original tribes, evenly matched at four apiece, but all with internal discontent and warning signs. Will the various power duos succeed going forward, and if so, which one(s)?

Episode 4: There is no Kumbaya - it's like Holy Crap-baya

Published: April 1, 2022

There's a lot of Ika in Episode 4 of Survivor 42, and a definite and regrettable dearth of Vati. Ryan makes the best of it, though, and doesn't even miss repeatedly in his attempts to grab the key events of the episode.

Episode 3: The math doesn't make sense

Published: March 25, 2022

In Episode 3, Survivor 42's characters take a backseat to rogue challenge waves, twists, more twists, and overlapping twists. But the final vote ends up hinging on two people making decisions, some good, some really bad, and Ryan is here to walks you through the debris field.

Episode 2: What's your story?

Published: March 18, 2022

Survivor 42's second episode dials it back a bit on the twists (perhaps they forgot where they were?), and puts a heavy emphasis instead on character development, and Ryan is here to praise every minute of it.

Episode 1: You can be weird too

Published: March 11, 2022

Ryan takes a deeper look at the cast, now that he's seen them in action, as they soldiered through the many wild, wet (with disturbing liquids), and weird events of the Survivor 42 season premiere.

Pre-season: Survivor 42 cast assessment

Published: February 28, 2022

As is traditional, Ryan returns from his winter hiatus to take a look at the even-numbered Survivor season's cast. If he sees his shadow, we're in for another 12 weeks of the same twists as Survivor 41. On the other hand, he reports we're also in for another solid-looking set of contestants, whose chances of winning he ranks.