Survivor Panama Episode One Recap About This Page:

[Moley]

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me

Wind in the sails, a brisk sea, whales a jumpin', and blue-eyed Jeff Probst standing like a smiling rogue on deck. This is going to be the best season of Survivor yet! Jungle beat music has been traded for the stirring sounds of swashbuckling adventure. While the Survivors are relaxing below deck on a sailing ship, Jeff tells us exactly what that adventure will be.
This season will be full of surprises. The Survivors think a few more days will go on before the game begins, but the game is on now. Those suitcases they so carefully packed are now worthless. They will go into the sea with the clothes on their back.

Where they are heading is the Pearl Islands in the Pacific waters off the coast of Panama. These were home to dread pirate battles hundreds of years ago. The rugged jungles on the islands were a perfect hideout for the pirates. The seas were rich with fish, both edible and dangerous.

"This will be their home for the next 39 days. They must learn to adapt or they will be voted out of the tribe. In the end there will be only one who will win the million dollar prize. 39 days, 16 people,(holds index finger high), only one Survivor!" With cannon shots as part of the percussion the familiar theme music rolls. Skulls are shown, pirate booty is shown, Survivors going into the drink are shown in the prologue shots. Be still my heart!


As the show opens Jeff explains to the Survivors what he just told us. The game is on. He said in the past that Survivors were allowed to pick out a few essential things from their luggage. "You guys won't have that luxury." He needed to have a dagger in his mouth when he said that to go along with the pirate glint in his eye as he and the cameras watched the reactions of 16 people who were told they must also give up all personal items, money, passports, wallets and jewelry they didn't want to lose.

Jeff the Rogue mocks their outfits. He said he sees a couple of nice dresses, an Armani suit(on Shawn), high heels, and Nicole's strapless, skin-tight mini-dress. "I hope you're wearing underwear under that." She giggles and shakes her head no! The fear of no panty lines is now outmatched by the fear of the strapless top falling down. And the men in the tribes and in the audience at home are afraid it won't. Jeff points out Lill is fully decked in her Boy Scouts of America uniform. She's really the only one clothed to go into the jungle. Jeff is merciful in one respect. He marauded their luggage for their tennis shoes and has them bundled in two nets. He said, "I want you to have a fighting chance in the challenges." I don't know, Jeff. Tijuana's 5 inch stilettos could take out a whole team.

At last he collects all those personal items. Osten brings his 'drinkin' with the fellas' persona right to the fore by producing a huge jug of Canadian Club and some kind of vodka. All of it goes in the bag. All of the personal items bags are turned over to Jeff as he calls out the members of the Drake Tribe, named for Sir Francis Drake, and the Morgan team, named for Henry Morgan.(For team bios and who is on each team, see the Survivor Premier Pre-Cap I posted 9/17).
Then Jeff the Rogue gives them another grin and another surprise. He said if you thought the clothes situation is bad, when you get to your islands, you will have...nothing. "What I can give you, though, is the opportunity to control your own fate." He throws each team a sack of Panamanian money, 100 Balboas. They are dropping anchor at a fishing village on one of the main islands. They can buy, barter or beg for whatever they can get to supply themselves for the next 39 days. The only proviso is to save money for the boat and driver they must hire to get to their islands. The last thing they get is a map. Then Jeff throws their shoes overboard along with a life ring. They must jump before the shoes get away and jump they do. The jumping in the drink music is chillingly good. Pipes and drums and Irish fiddles and the splash of each survivor.

We Extort, We Pilfer, We Filch, and Sack
We extort, we pilfer, we filch, and sack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Maraud and embezzle, and even high-jack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Rupert explains his heavy jeans really dragged him down as they swam to shore. He said he was spent. So he rested near the boat. And he watched. That gator stalkin', tie-dyed, blackbeard notices a lot. He noticed the Morgan tribe, his competition came up and left their boat unattended. "This is definitely a pirate adventure," he says cunningly. "Pirates pillage, pirates ste-e-eal." He puts everything they left in their boat, mostly their dress shoes, in his team's boat. "I always said I'd lie, cheat and steal to stay in this game. I stole for the Drake." And he pulls his boat off behind him as he trudges into market day at the village, gaining a knife and a pineapple as the first two trades from his stolen loot. This is a fellow who mentors troubled teens and it is obvious he learned a thing or two from his charges. And with the greatest gravelly pirate voice ever on screen, he arrgghs, "Yeah it's a hard life livin' the pirates' life."

Morgan Tribe went about the shopping day in chaos. Osten sold his clothes and was left with his boxer drawers. Then he proceeded to offend three of the women, Lill, Nicole and Darrah by telling them "these old guys get horny. I don't mean to be rude, but you know, you could flash your boobs and maybe it would help." The girls laughed but then Nicole said to the Nicole cam, "This guy's a jerk."

The Drake team had a secret weapon. Sandra spoke Spanish and also spoke attitude. She handled bargaining as if she was rolling the dice in Vegas, with flair and determination. She took control, but not in an obnoxious way and landed many bargains. Christa noted to the Christa cam that the village people liked Sandra because she was being respectful. Not so with the Morganistas.

Tijuana and Osten got into a shouting match in one store with the store employees. Money changed hands before goods were handed over. Then the store people insisted the deal was not made. Not understanding the bargaining, Tijuana yelled they were stealing. It got a little ugly, but in the end, they got what they thought they were buying.

Then Cool Sandra hears music and moves very well into a street party. She bargains away her gold chain for everything they have at the barbecue, all the utensils, the knife, cutting board and a huge mess of barbecued chicken and sauces. Even the foil. Sandra left them with only their grill and danced out of there with everyone happy. I love this girl!

Sandra's success was not lost on the Morgan crew. Tijuana said to see the wealth they had accumulated was very discouraging and they had not done as well. Osten rushed them to the boats before the spare money was spent. Not so the Drake ducks. They had fishing line, a fishing spear, tarps, a bamboo mat, machetes, live chickens and a barbecue supper to enjoy on the ride over.

It was no surprise the difference in team spirit when each tribe reached its island. Morgan was somber and off in many directions. RyanS lamented that there was no group jumping and no group hugs. Well, there was, Ryan, but it was among the Drake team when they got ashore. Before they went anywhere they had a huddle, a team hands on hands salute to Drake and a cheer.

We Kindle and Char, Inflame and Ignite,
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We burn up the city, we're really a fright,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Osten takes charge immediately at Morgan but it is Lill who quietly digs a hole in the sand as a wind shelter for a good fire. At Drake an exhausted Christa looks at Shawn when he suggests they need bigger firewood. "Bigger firewood?" she gasps. This is a lead in for rumblings in Drake over the way Shawn and Burton assume the leadership mantel. The B.S duo make a critical mistake when they split a coconut and share the milk only with each other and Michelle. A thirsty Christa and an ever watchful Sandra take notice of that. Rupert also adds to the Rupert cam, "The Dynamic Duo need to be careful. Everyone will be hating them."

Back at Morgan, the tribe is eye-balling their good fortune in having a cliff and loose tree limbs with which to build a lean to. The trouble is it is a shale cliff which crumbles with great regularity, like every 10 minutes in the episode. It is also home to hundreds of hermit crabs which attack the human intruders all night. Osten panics at the thought of snakes, so when he sees a tree frog jumping near him, he assumes it's a snake and shouts for the Morganighters to abandon the lean to. Rocks falling, crabs pinching, Osten with his pants constantly falling down shouting. Goodnight Moon, already!

Drakelites party hearty with the purchased jugs of wine from the fishing village. They don't know what kind of shine it is, but they all swear it is the best tasting they ever had. Jon begins to show his repulsive side under the influence. He says, "I'm a funny guy." But he isn't impressing the ladies like he promised he would in his audition video. Christa said he is a goofball but a little obnoxious. Sandra, who has a gift for a good phrase says she can't stand him. "He talks too much crap."

The next morning the very wet Drakes begin to realize what a mistake it was not buying clothing while in the village. Rupert's heavy jeans have been chafing his legs. Christa, who likes to sew, says there are lots of good things you can do with clothes. So they cut down an Armani suit and she uses her longish dress to make a wrap for both Michelle and for Rupert! Jon calls it a "skirt for Blackbeard," a great name for Rupert. Rupert himself says, "It's done. I'm wearing a dress.

Back at the tired Morgan tribe, they are still searching for water on the morning after their first day. Then Tijuana makes a discovery that all women learn early in married life. The guys neglected to look at the map! She runs excitedly to her team members and tells them the water well is on our map. We begin to see a few alliances form in the beginning hours of the game. RyanS is kind to Lill, who feels she doesn't fit in with any of the younger tribe members. They both think they will be the first to go, but Ryan tells Lill to keep hanging in.

At Morgan, Burton and Shawn are an obvious first alliance, but also are painting targets on their hineys. They go out and make a big deal of securing one fish. After they come back, Rupert decides that isn't near enough so he grabs the spear and proceeds to exhaust himself getting a whole pot full. He tells the Rupert cam that "I came here to be the caretaker. I will make these people believe no way you can do without me."

We're Rascals, Scoundrels, Villains, and Knaves
We're rascals, scoundrels, villans, and knaves,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Morgan discovers their tree mail and take it to Andrew who has taken on the role of leader right from under Osten. There appears to be no resentment of that for now, especially since Andrew proclaims that if Osten's drawers start to sink during the upcoming challenge, then he and RyanO will also take theirs off. RyanS doesn't volunteer to disrobe and no one asks him to, either. The tree mail promises the upcoming challenge will be both brawn and brain.

It is at Snapping Duck Bay that the immunity challenge takes place. Jeff tells them that pirates frequently traveled from island to island and took their weapons with them. So would the Survivors. Their challenge was to lug a very heavy cannon on its wooden wheels through several obstacles. They would have to disassemble the cannon to go through a narrow construction of bound limbs, then reassemble it on the other side. Then they would have to clear a path of rocks, drag the cannons through a mud pit then down a beach to the finish line.

At stake is the coolest Immunity Idol to date. It is a skull on a battle axe similar to this graphic:

This is certainly a foreboding that heads will roll if challenges are lost. Drake takes an early lead in the challenge and keeps it through the disassembly, the rocks and the mud. Osten's pants fall down early so while Drake is blocking their way through the rocks, the Manly Men of Morgan drop trou and get nekkid. This causes Sandra to say in disgust, "They better hope they don't lose their weanies out here." The music is stirring as Rupert's brute strength pushes the cannon out of the mud. Drake looks like the winning will be easy.

Then the beach changes fate. Drake gets bogged down in some soft sand while Morgan seems to glide by with their heavy cannon and their dangling swords(all blurred for the TV audience). Miraculously the fully clothed Drakinators pull out of the sand and go by a Morgan team which bogs down just short of the final sprint. By mere feet, Drake pulls all of its members through the finish line ahead of Morgan. Drake goes home with the Kissing Skull to which Rupert lovingly affixes his lips. Morganders look ahead to the real villainry of deciding which teammate to give the paper cutthroat to. Drake happily comments on their good fortune saying, "The coolest thing is we don't have to send anyone home tonight." There was also talk about the nekkid competitors. Sandra, clearly winning the Best Line Trophy for this episode, "I wasn't impressed. I wished their dingalings would get stuck on a vine."

At Drake, the rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves begin to emerge for the plotting day before the Tribal Council. Andrew goes up to a group of the women(Lill not present) and says did they see what he saw during the challenge. RyanS gave out a third of the way into the challenge. He finishes by saying the challenges are not going to get less strenuous. Are they better off with Lill who may not make it or "a limp noodle like Ryan."

Noodle and Lill kanoodle about which one of them will get voted off. Then Ryan goes up to her with a big word of support. "When your torch goes out, you can give up." Until then they are still in the game. What happens next gives them the hope they thought they had lost. Nicole is trying to make up an alliance to vote off Tijuana, to whom she has taken a dislike. When Nicole mentions this to Lill, Lill can't see anything wrong with Tijuana so she wisely goes to tribal leader Andrew and tells of the plot. Andrew declares Lill honest and true so what she said must be right. He lets Tijuana know of Nicole's knavery and Tijuana confronts Nicole. The resultant "high drama" as Andrew puts it, places Nicole in a dead heat with Lill and Ryan for being the most vulnerable to be voted off.

We're Beggars and Blighters, Ne'er-do-well Cads
We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Tribal Council, right across from Shark Beach, is in a cool rock fortress structure. In the dark of night with the cold rocks surrounding them, the members of Morgan light their torches. Jeff gets right to his specialty Probing Probst questions. "Before we get to the vote, let's talk about the challenge, the reason you are here tonight." Jeff says it is one thing to get naked for no apparent reason and win. "But it's another thing entirely to have three guys walking around naked and lose a challenge. Any regrets about that?"

Osten says no regrets. He silently thought, "My butt is fine. Don't hate, just appreciate." Ryan replied to the question of how it has been after 3 days, that he was struggling with the lack of water. Andrew says he is staying hydrated but for him it is the lack of sleep. Jeff makes note of Lill's scoutmaster status. Has it served her well? She said it has given her patience. Then he asks Nicole about friendships. Nicole digs her grave deeper by saying she has already seen several sides of people, which caused Osten to give the 'look' to Tijuana. Two votes for you, Nicole!

Anybody a leader? Jeff asks. Andrew admits to it and then is asked if one member stands out as a weak teammate. Andrew is quick to volunteer RyanS saying that during the challenge, "Ryan didn't wake up and show me the passion." The vote begins.

We get to see two votes revealed. Nicole votes for RyanS and Tijuana shows that no-surprise vote for Nicole. Then Jeff tallies the vote. The first one he reads is for Nicole, then he reads the one for RyanS, then the next 4 deciding votes are all for our strapless, hapless nymphette. Nicole it's time to go home to sail home to your Mommy and Dad.

After Jeff snuffs Nicole's torch, he turns to Morgan and intones, "Judging from tonight's Tribal Council a couple of you certainly thought that could have been your torch, so maybe the thing to be learned is you are not out of this game until your torch is snuffed. Keep that in your head over the next 36 days. You can always save yourself."

Nicole admitted in her final words she can't keep her mouth shut. "I knew going into this I would be either the winner or the first one voted off." Durn, Nicole, you're good!

Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo Ho, Yo Ho, no Pirate Life for Theeee.

I hope all the Passporter Survivors had as much fun as I did watching this premiere of Survivor Panama. I have totally changed my mind from the impression I had after the audition videos. Rupert is no Bonehead. Christa is no bimbo. Lill and RyanS have lived to play the game another day. We have a great group of TV Survivors to cheer on by our great group of Passporter Survivors. Drink up, me hearties, until next week, Yo Ho! [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[LilMarcieMouse]

I wonder how many guys are crying [img]graemlins/cry2.gif[/img] over her being voted out? I'm just glad it wasn't Ryan S. Thanks for the recap Moley.

[Heidi]

Yeah!!!! It is time again for our weekly Survivor fixes from our resident recapper - MOLEY!!! Great job summing up the premier. I too am looking forward to a swashbuckling good time in the Pearl Islands! Looking forward to next week already.

[Beth L.]

An excellent first episode and as usual it left me wanting more. Moley, great recap, you definately have a gift! I already have a few favorites and some that I'm looking forward to walking the plank of shame. This looks like the begining of an incredible Survivor season and Thursday can't get here fast enough for me.

[sandar]

dear Moley,

I share your enthusiasm for this round of Survivor. Great opening episode!

What fun to have a new, beautifully written recap to greet us this morning. You captured all the best parts, including Rupert's pirate voice and ways, Sandra's zings, and the fledgling interpersonal dynamics for each tribe. I appreciate your sharp eye for detail and your matchless Moley wit! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Sandi

[Janet 46]

Sandi said it best: "your sharp eye for detail" Moley, you mentioned details in your recap that I missed completely! How do you do that? I'm glad you gave us such a thorough recap, because I'm sure Steve and a few other Passporters have no electricity and missed it. Your re-telling the tale will get them right back on track. Thanks.

[Mouseketeer]

Moley, thanks for the excellent recap! I think that was one of the best Survivor openers ever. So far, I'm rooting for the Drake team.

Lynda

[loobyoxlip]

Thanks, Moley. That was fun to read.

My fave moment of last nights show is when they were showing the blurred behinds of the Morgan tribe and then they flash on the screen 'Morgan behind'. Bahaha.

[OffKilter_Lynn]

Terrific details in this wonderful recap! Makes me want to watch it again!

What I love is that Sandra bartered her necklace for a whole barbeque meal yet Nicole didn't think or want to offer up her necklace!

[All Ears]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
This first episode really kicked it off right. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Michelle

[Belle*]

Moley, as usual a tour de force recap! I know it's been said before but you need to start a website for these. Either that or Entertainment Weekly needs to start paying you to print them! I'm liking Trish so far although she was a little oblivious in the store with that voo-doo queen. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[LilMarcieMouse]

In honor of DebiDebiDbei I though I would post the Probst Pic of the week.

From Survivor 3 when he got bit by a scorpion

''Fortunately, the bite was a bit lower on the body. He crawled right up my boot and planted one on my Achilles' heel.

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">

[Fortissimo]

Moley, you and Rupert are my heros! Your re-cap and his pirating skills are awesome!

loobyoxlip, I laughed so hard when they showed the Morgan Behind that I almost had an accident.

I also wondered why Nicole didn't give up her jewlery.

This is going to be a great game.

[Janet 46]

Has anyone else had "Yo Ho, Yo Ho" going through their heads all day? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[eliza]

LOVED the show - and Andrew [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I cannot BELIEVE Steve is missing out on this due to Isabel! I hope he got to see the show somehow [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]