Welcome to episode one of the Open Era of Survivor, an era in which Jeff Probst promises any twist ever used in Survivor history could return to be used again. I know a lot of Survivor fans aren’t particularly excited about random twists appearing without warning and totally inhibiting players from strategizing or making their own decisions. You can include me in that group.

But in the interest of fairness, I think we should give the Open Era a chance to prove itself. Who knows? This could turn out to be as influential as the addition of the Hidden Immunity Idol. What would Survivor be without Idols?

I think I’ll apply the Open Era concept to this week’s column. With that in mind…

James Lim.

What’s that? You don’t know who this is? James was recruited to play in S36: Ghost Island. After being cast, he binged watched several seasons filling his head with Survivor knowledge. He found himself in the middle of the “geeks vs alphas” divide on his tribe. He put his knowledge to use by immediately nudging Brendan Shapiro into the “leader” role on their Malolo tribe (which contributed to Brendan’s demise). A swap put James in a 4 vs 4 standoff of original Malolo and Naviti members.

James noticed the tension between Naviti members Domenick Abbate and Chris Noble, so he played them against each other. He noticed that Naviti’s Morgan Ricke had sided with Domenick and Wendell Holland. James’s Malolo tribemate Libby Vincek had made quick friends with Morgan, but James was able to convince Libby to help vote Morgan out – a move Libby believed was bad for her game.

After that vote, James found himself in a stronger position. He had identified Domenick and Wendell as very savvy players, saying in confessional, “Domenick and Wendell are great thinkers. They can play this game at a really high level.” James’ move not only weakened that duo by removing their pocket vote, but it improved his own status because now they both needed him more. James also improved his ability to influence how 4 others on his tribe (Donathan, Laurel, Angela and Chris, who’d been sent to Exile) would vote too. On top of that, neither Domenick or Wendell figured out it was James who’d outwitted them. James kept his cover. Domenick and Wendell further alienated Chris and Angela too as they had voted for Chris’ partner Angela.

That’s your Damnbueno Open Era random example of Cirie-level manipulation. And now, back to the column.

In case you didn’t read my cast preview column, know that Patt Cannaday is the newbie this season who I think is most capable of pulling off surprising strong game play like James Lim did. I’m not predicting a win or even a deep run for Patt. After all, James finished 15th after getting taken out at a second swap. I just recognize the potential for Patt. I love finding diamonds in the rough like this and this season has a lot of rough looking players. I’m looking forward to being surprised by a strategic standout this season. That might make the random return of the Medallion of Power more tolerable.

I’ve regularly said that the best Survivor players are the ones who can adjust to unpredictable circumstances. Since this season promises to be chock full of unpredictable twists, this should really test this season’s players in their ability to roll with the punches delivered by the Producers. Who’s gonna step up? Let’s find out.

And away we go ...

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Boy they weren’t kidding when they said anything from prior seasons could return. That looks just like the ship from S34 when Cochran gave advice to Debbie.

Hmm ... there are four rafts tied to the ship. Does that mean we’ll start with four five-person tribes and one person has to swim to the island?

Probst pulls up on another boat. I wonder how many times they had to do this before they could put Probst in the right spot to board the ship?

Probst: “The most exciting part is we turn the game over to you. From that point forward, we have no say in what happens.” Yeah right, except when you force players to go on a Journey, risk their vote or draw rocks to determine their challenge teams.

I guess they all knew to start grabbing supplies when Probst rang that bell. It’s interesting how so many people are throwing palm fronds overboard. Don’t they know there’ll be palm trees on the island? I’d be looking for tools, tarps, pots and anything else that doesn’t grow on an island.

In his preseason video, Brady said the word “Brody” four times in two minutes. The second word of his first confessional is “Brody.” I might be sick of this guy already.

Jenna stands on the raft holding an oar saying, “Good job, you guys, you’re crushing it,” as Kristin and Sharonda paddle. That reminds me of S4: Marquesas when Sarah stood on the raft fixing her hair as everyone else paddled. Sarah didn’t make it to the merge. I’m thinking Jenna hasn’t seen that season.

Brady: “We got the brody raft, oh yeah!”

Patt lost her pants? She’s gonna be hating life. I just rewatched S1: Borneo. Colleen, Jenna and Kelly’s legs were absolutely torn up with bug bites. Patt is gonna have to improvise and fast.

Hmm, the two guys from Rhode Island bond. So do the two Canadians, and Aaliyah says she and the other four black players are “connected from jump.” I’m gonna wait until the other black players confirm this. I remember in S14: Fiji, Dreamz made the same assumption and eventual winner Earl used Dreamz to draw information from the opposing tribe all game long.

Ahh, one player won’t start the game with the rest of them. I don’t mind this twist because at least the players get to decide who that’s gonna be.

Lewis volunteers. He’s the Irish player who moved to Puerto Rico to be a farmer without knowing how to speak Spanish or run a farm. In preseason, I said, ”Who knows how he’ll adjust to playing Survivor, but he won’t be worried about it, that’s for sure.” I guess I got that one right. I admire his bravery, but that’s an absolutely horrible move. He won’t get to join an early alliance, and everyone will suspect he’s got an Advantage if he returns.

I also said Lewis’s confessionals would be entertaining even if you couldn’t understand them. Lewis: “I wanted to be a person that started ... (I have no clue what he said next)” It sounded like “the bid of yogurt there.”

Who’d have figured Jelly and Ori would bond over their mutual love of lasagna?

Ok, Devin is also pushing an all-black person alliance. I guess that’s a real thing. Now watch them get split up on different tribes just like in S14: Fiji.

The helicopter flies low enough to scald everyone with sand, then drops another note for everyone.

Twenty minutes in, and five butt shots from Pantsless Patt.

They get to form their own tribes? I like this twist too. The smart person will have observed who has been hanging out with whom. If I see all five black players grabbing the same colored buffs, I’m grabbing the other buff.

Oh, the buffs have already been assigned? What happened to that player choice Mr. Probst? What happens to Lewis’ buff? Did they remove it before dropping the bag?

And right on cue, Jelly and Ori have different buffs. Fiji strikes again.

Ok, two ten-person tribes. Do they all start on the same beach? Second envelope please.

“Choose one person to represent your tribe.” “Leader” status shall be thrust upon two people who didn’t volunteer to start the game alone. Kristin reluctantly takes the role. Mike negotiates contracts for the Yankees, but he should negotiate a closed mouth here.

Then Kilby volunteers. In pregame, Kilby said, “I love that (on Survivor) you have to stand out, or you’re cooked.” I said, “Those who stand out usually get cooked first BECAUSE they’re standing out.” So far, I’m 2-for-2.

Kristin suggests a thumb war. Kilby accepts and they do it left-handed. I bet Kristin is left-handed. She kicked his ass.

Kilby reminds me of Elder Arnold Cunningham from the musical “The Book of Mormon” – full of energy and excitement, but utterly clueless. One of his better lines was “And so, yeah, so then Christ said to the Nephites, ‘be strong!’ You know?! ‘Just because Laminates got big death star weapons and stuff doesn’t mean they should run your lives!” In my book, both Kristin and Kilby have just been labeled as “leaders.” They usually finish around 10th. I don’t think Kilby will last that long.

Lewis goes to Exile Island and immediately regrets it.

The yellow buff tribe’s name is “Toka.” They get to know each other in the water. We get three more “Brodys” from Brady.

Jenna is intimidated in a large group. That’s ironic considering she’s a wedding photographer. She needed to come in more prepared to talk about herself. Clamming up like she did makes others think she’s hiding something. They’ll probably think she’s lying about being a lawyer. Why not just tell the truth and say you wrote an out clause in your contracts in case you got cast on Survivor?

And right on cue, in confessional, Devin says he’s not buying her (lack of) story.

Jelly: “Me, Devin and Aaliyah knew we were still locked in from that first beach (conversation). Uhh, Jelly, a three-person alliance is NOT a majority on a 10-person tribe. In S24: One World, Matt Quinlan thought his four-person alliance would rule over his 10-person tribe. Matt was the first one voted out of his tribe.

“Maryanne looks like she's 12 years old. I guess last season's marketing to kids worked. She's giving off that annoying superfan vibe. My gut says she won't last long.” Sorry, that was a line from one of my Survivor 42 columns. It just randomly popped up this season like the Fiji twist did. Maryanne won S42. Now you know why I don’t make predictions.

The purple tribe is called Savu.

Yeah, Linnea sounds exactly like four-time player Stephenie LaGrossa.

Voiceover actress Ana gave a pretty good breakdown of everyone on her tribe. If her reads are accurate, she should have no trouble making a deep run. But if she’s wrong, she could talk herself out of the tribe by episode 4.

Sharonda has the right idea in telling Ori they shouldn’t spend too much time together and should bond with separate people. But she should also try to bond with the same people Ori bonds with just in case they get separated. Connecting well with Kristin is a good start.

So far, I like Kristin, but she’s standing out too much. She already took a “leader” role and negotiated for supplies, and now she’s making a fire with little effort. She’s already creating reasons not to let her reach the finals.

In confessional, Eric brags about how well he can connect with people quickly, but we get shots of confused faces and eye rolls from everyone he’s chatting up. Bad sign for Eric.

Lewis gets a visit from Probst on Exile, and he finds out he’s got Immunity for the first vote. All he has to do to get an Idol is chop down a wooden mast. Lewis “I am not about to chop down this tick (thick) mast. That’s a tick bi’ o wood.”

Probst whips out an hourglass and Lewis starts chopping with a tiny hatchet. But he didn’t say if there was any penalty for failing to chop it down. What happened to that player choice Mr. Probst? He doesn’t even know if he’s risking anything.

Lewis: “I’m like ‘keep whacking that power (pole).’” I always thought “pole” was a one-syllable word. I thought he’d need captions for every confessional, but his accent isn’t as thick as I thought it would be.

I wonder if this would be the same challenge if a woman was sent to Exile? Lewis fails. This is why I wondered if he could just say, “No, I’m gonna conserve my energy.” Now he’s exhausted, his hands are beat up and doesn’t have an Idol. But when everyone sees his hands, they’re gonna know he worked hard for something.

“Wow, we finally get to hear the on-site producers interviewing players for their confessionals. Carolyn is already having trouble with the first one. I’m loving this season already.” Random line from my S44, Episode 1 column. This season’s Lewis fell in love with Carolyn and Yam Yam.

Devin shows off his abilities by demonstrating how to lift someone on their shoulders quickly. Good job, Devin. You just created a reason for your tribemates to want you gone right around the merge.

Thien An gives a very insightful confessional about her read on Devin: “He likes to smile at everyone. He’s very energetic. But under his smile, he could be gaming hard.”

And right on cue, Devin proves her right by throwing out Jenna’s name to Brady before they’ve even built a shelter. At least wait until you’ve secured an alliance.

Eric commits Survivor sin #7B and takes off by himself snorkeling instead of joining an alliance. I suspected this season didn’t have a lot of strong strategists, but I didn’t think so many (Lewis, Kilby, Jenna, Eric) would start off this badly. I guess Eric hasn’t watched Ozzy make this mistake ... five times.

And right on cue, Rob does the same thing Devin did by throwing out Eric’s name.

Carter feels good about his three-person alliance on a tribe of 10? He should read a few paragraphs back when I talk about Jelly.

Eric is bubbling over with excitement about catching a three-inch fish. Yeah, he’s just here for the adventure. I think Rob’s plan will backfire. Why vote out a guy you know you can beat. It’s smarter to boot the guy trying to control the vote. Eric is the guy you tolerate and try to carry his vote in your pocket. You can control Eric. You probably can’t control Rob. (I’m totally channeling Cirie here).

“Tiyana: “We said ‘Throw rock or scissors and the odd man out goes.” So, TK throws paper. I LOVE that Tiyana called him out for his brain fart. But I wonder if TK did that on purpose to sandbag his intelligence? Either way, it’s a bad move to separate yourself from the majority of your tribe so early on. You’ve given them a chance to form an alliance and discuss voting you out.” – Random line from S47, Episode 1. TK got voted out second overall. I wonder if Eric watched that season?

Hmm ... Rob convinces everyone that Eric is being sneaky because he’s been off on his own for so long. Then Rob goes off on his own. Does he not realize he could come under the same suspicion?

But Rob finds a regular Idol that’s good until the final 5. He didn’t have to open a bird cage, recite a nonsensical phrase or carry heavy chains around either. He vows to keep it secret. We’ll see how long that lasts. Here’s what his Idol looks like.

As the tribes line up for the Immunity Challenge, I’m glad to see Patt got some pants.

Wow, the players get to decide if they’ll have a final 4 fire challenge. I like this already.

But I hate the fact that only five players initially voted to get rid of it. Now I hate this season’s players.

The 50/50 coin is back and can double the prize money. That’s where this season’s promotion budget went. The prize rolls over to the next season if nobody hits it? They REALLY liked the way Devens played last season.

Side note: I don’t watch Big Brother, but I’m not surprised that both Dee and Devens are in the final 4.

Imagine that? The Immunity Challenge requires players to lift each other onto their shoulders. Devin’s preparation might pay off immediately. Then they’ll REALLY have a reason to want him gone soon.

I gotta say, I’m not impressed with the Whale Immunity Idol.

Eric and Aaliyah take the spotlight roles in untying knots. Aaliyah slows her tribe down.

Damn, Rob just let Linnea fall on her ass after she tipped over their bucket. Rob just gave Linnea a reason to want him gone.

Jelly pushes a crate right into Brady’s leg. I can hear his confessional now. “Dammit, these Brodies are trying to kill me!”

I remember this crate staircase challenge from S18: Tocantins and S20: Heroes vs Villains.

Ana and Cristian take the spotlight puzzle roles. In preseason, I said, Cristian has got the look of a nerdy intellectual type, so I won’t be surprised if he gets labeled the “puzzle guy” like Mr. Hubicki.” I’m 3-for-3.

Jenna and Kilby work the puzzle for Toka. Kilby is just determined to stand out, isn’t he?

Probst: “It’s looking a little closer now.” It doesn’t to me. It looks like Savu is still several pieces ahead. But I realize part of Probst’s job is to make it sound like every challenge is neck and neck.

This looked like a blowout win for Savu. Toka had the entire right side of their puzzle left. I guess we’ll see if Jenna shot herself in the foot, or Kilby played too hard too fast. We haven’t seen so much of a whisper about anyone else in trouble, so this vote should be anti-climactic. I guess Devin’s human ladder technique wasn’t that big of a help, was it?

Is it just me or is Aaliyah an evil twin of Charity from S48?

Four more “Brody’s” from Brady. I’d be tempted to vote him out just for that.

Maggie correctly points out to Mike that Aaliyah’s slow work untying the balls slowed them down.

In confessional, Aaliyah gives the Survivor death phrase “I’m in a good spot,” and augments it with “Us three (herself, with Devin & Jelly) are running the ship.” I think it would be smart for them to boot someone else since Jenna will be an easy sell later on.

And that’s exactly what Jelly is thinking, so she tries to sell Brady to the women.

But Patt’s not going for it and warns Jenna. Time to step up your social game, Jenna. She’s doing a great job of talking about her job in confessional. It’s time to do it around the other players.

Jenna tips off Brady about Aaliyah targeting him, and he falls for it. Now the guys are butting heads. I can’t resist. I’ve got to say it. These brodies are suckers. It was just too easy for Jenna to manipulate Devin and Brady into butting heads.

The tribe enters Tribal Council and Maggie utters my favorite line from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”: “Look at the bones!”

Probst asks Patt about what relationships have been forming, and she gives a great non-answer. Good job Patt.

Devin: “I’m an honest to God guy.” That immediately made me think “This guy is full of shit.” Then he point blank announces he’s voting for Jenna. That made me think “Devin is a horrible alliance partner. He can’t keep his mouth shut.” Why would anyone want to align with someone who’ll expose his strategy so blatantly? He not only cut himself off from Jenna if she survives, he cut himself off from anyone who wants to work with Jenna.

Jenna, of course, goes off on Devin’s move, but still doesn’t rattle off some photography terms to prove she was telling the truth.

Then Patt copies Devin’s move and outs Aaliyah. She admitted she hasn’t watched a lot of Survivor but come on, you just watched Devin’s move blow up Tribal Council, why risk your own game just to save Jenna? Do you think she’d do the same for you if the roles were reversed?

Yo Brody, I mean Brady. When seven people are whispering on one side, GO TO THAT SIDE!

Aaliyah and Jenna each play their Shot in the Dark, which of course means these players did a horrible job of keeping the vote a surprise. Only eight votes in the Urn.

Bye, Aaliyah. I guess I’ll never hear the story behind those scars on your arms. She got six of the eight votes, and only three people spelled her name correctly. Is it really that hard to spell?

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Recap

Kelley Wentworth popularized the Survivor phrase “Sneaky, sneaky,” but this episode was Sloppy, sloppy. There was bad gameplay all around.

Devin showed himself to be an unreliable alliance partner. Anyone who’ll blow up Tribal Council like that is not a team player. He’ll never let anyone control or influence his actions. He’ll act without consulting his partners too. Brady is too reactionary. It’s too easy to push his buttons. Aaliyah panicked a little too. I was disappointed that Patt stuck her neck out for Jenna as well.

And on Savu, Rob and Eric spent too much time alone instead of prioritizing joining an alliance. I think their mistakes will catch up to them sooner than later too.

But there were some good strategic moments. Maggie successfully switched the target to Aaliyah without getting exposed. Jelly put a target on Brady and was smart enough to keep her mouth shut when Aaliyah took the blame for it.

I also liked the subtlety shown by Ana, Alexis, Mike, Thien An and Carter. They all got themselves included in the strategic planning. Kristin had a good first episode too, even though she got labeled as a “leader.”

What do you think? Are there any savvy strategists this season? Are we gonna have a repeat of S17: Gabon where strategy was avoided like the plague? Are there any diamonds in the rough? Lewis gets to replace Aaliyah. Does he get to keep the axe? Let me know in the comments.