Episode 1
"Boys vs. Girls"
Filmed Nov. 4-6, 2002.
Airs February 13, 2003.
CBS web promo

More video resources:
- Web promo 1/17 (16 pics)
- TV ads 1/19-20 (26 pics)
- Cast TV ads 1/19-

Immunity challenge: "Unchained" - Jaburu wins?

From Manuel Mendoza's piece in the Dallas Morning News: "The CBS publicists, worried about leaks, only let us see the first immunity challenge, called 'Unchained.'" See the break down of this multi-part course with the vidcaps below, for an explanation of the challenge. Click on thumbnails for a larger picture.

Stage 1: It's a four-part obstacle course that starts with a bramble of branches the contestants will have to crawl through. The contestants will be locked together, first in groups of eight... And they'll have to solve puzzles and retrieve keys to get the locks open.
Stage 2: (...then in groups of four). That's followed by poles woven with cargo netting that will have to be scaled.
Stage 3: (...then in groups of two). Twin balance beams. (The men blow their lead, doing poorly here).
Stage 4: (...individually heading for the finish). "Flying fox": contestants will climb a two-story tower and slide down a rope to the ground.

So who wins? This Houston Chronicle article about Daniel Lue seems to strongly hint the men lose the first challenge, no thanks to Daniel's inability to keep his balance. In this Sun-Sentinel article, we see "A clip of the first immunity challenge for Survivor: Amazon bore him out. The men jumped out to a big lead when pure speed was important. However, down the course, where balance became a factor, the women overtook them." That's pretty close to the finish, and CBS themselves have included images of the women celebrating boisterously in their Ep1 IC outfits. Together, it looks fairly likely that Jaburu (the female tribe) wins the Ep1 IC.

This happy little fellow is the immunity idol.

TV Guide's picture of the first IC (right side). Inset (left) shows the immunity idol near the finish line.

E!'s shot of Heidi in camp. Looks like the idol parked in front of the crate. Probably from Ep2.

Boot: Ryan

ChillOne's thread on EZ states that Daniel will be the first voted off, with the men of Tambaqui losing the first immunity challenge. On the Early Show (1/13), Daniel was described as "not wanting to use bathrooms in rest areas." Coupled with his desire to be a professional wrestler, it's possible Daniel is the first to go. But the vidcaps don't seem to support this. Instead, while the men do appear to lose the first IC, Daniel clearly is present during at least two further challenges, while Ryan is missing from both.

So Ryan the "model" is our new pick for the first boot. He appears sullen in quite a few pictures, including the tribal picture in TV Guide (see Preshow spoilers). His Early Show soundbite mentioned his surprise that the wildlife in the Amazon was "for real." To be honest, we have no idea why he's gone, but that appears to be the case. Maybe he wanted more free time to work on his tanning.

Tamabaqui huddle and cheer, apparently preceding a challenge sometime beyond Ep1. Ryan is missing.

Seven men (sans Ryan) going to another challenge, possibly in Ep3. See also MTV promo caps.

Single frame from a recent ad shows what looks like the men arriving at TC, (lit) torches in hand. Ep3?