Survivor SA Panama SummaryEpisode 1Mark Bayly, the host of the show explains about the rich history of Panama, and about its rich environment, containing tropical fish, dolphins and some of the most deadly frogs on the planet. Ultimately, after a game lasting 29 days, there will be only one survivor.
14 castaways are on a plane flying along the coast of Central America; en route to what they think is yet another media briefing. Little do they know that their pilot has been instructed to make an emergency landing off the coast of Panama, where the game of Survivor South Africa: Panama will begin in earnest.
Once disembarking off the plane and seeing Mark walk toward them, the survivors know that the game has begun. “Here comes Mark our host – the voice, the look – that’s when we realized that it’s no longer a game; it’s happening” said Sanele.
Mark announces that the game has indeed begun. He holds out a sack and asks for all their valuables. Once they have been stripped of their valuables, he hands them shoes (sneakers/takkies/ trainers) he divides the survivors into the tribes.
Aguila, (Eagle) in blue contains the following survivors
Sanele - “What I think I can bring to the tribe will be first my work ethic and second my sense of humour”
Sam - “If you are looking for an encounter or a challenge…. Watch this space”
Mzi – “…be indispensable. You gotta be needed”
Jude – “My leverage will be my negotiating skills… able to read people”
Briggite – “… not a typical model, I’m more of a tomboy”
Vanessa – “Observe, observe, observe and “hou my bek””
Nico – “Friends, they come and go. If you want a friend, buy a dog”
Rana (Frog) in orange consists of
Don – “… I don’t want people to assume that old therefore I am weak…”
Lezel – “In a situation like Survivor you need to have the ability to lie in terms of strategy”
Zayn – “I’m a regular guy, with big opinions”
Gareth – “…imply promises to everyone without ever committing to anything…”
Ncumisa – “I call a spade a spade; discretion is not one of my strong points”
Jacinda – “…if I am right, I will defend my decisions…”
Danielle – “I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut…”
Mark hands over a map and a knapsack to each tribe. He informs the tribes that one knapsack is all that they are allowed to take, and that between them they will need to decide what they will take. Once they have got their things together, they need to navigate their way into the village using the map where they need to fill containers with fuel. Once the fuel has been obtained, the survivors will then make their way down to the docks where two boats will be waiting to transport them to the Pearl Island.
They need to swim ashore from the cove, climb up the cliff face and place their flag on the beach. The first tribe to place their flag on the beach claims both the beach and the bounty. The bounty is contained in a treasure chest and contains things that will help the tribes survive. The loosing tribe will have to go back to the boat, go further along for an hour until they reach their island, swim ashore and locate their chest which will be hidden.
The tribes scurry about to get their gear, and then begin to navigate their way towards the village. Sam arrives at the location in the village first. He finds a canister but finds it locked. The others arrive and start looking around the shack. Mzi finds a bunch of keys and one of the keys unlocks the canister that Sam found. Aguila rush to get their canister filled, while Gareth waits for them to be done. Meanwhile, inside the shack, the rest of the survivors rummage the shack for any suitable materials they find.
Both tribes race down to the docks, but Aguila is slightly ahead. They set off to Pearl Island first, with Rana just behind them. Aguila reaches the cove first and they all dive into the ocean and begin their swim to the island. Rana is close on their tails. The Aguila tribe mates are almost at the shore when Sanele starts experiencing difficulty.
He starts shouting for help and appears to be drowning. Gareth, from the Rana tribe, is closest and goes to his assistance. “I couldn’t have lived with myself if something bad had happened to him” said Gareth. Sam deposits his baggage on the shore and heads back for Sanele. In a tight race to claim the beach, Aguila emerges victorious. Mark, who was waiting on the beach of the Pearl Island, sends the loosing Rana tribe off to their island, an hour away.
Aguila almost immediately starts putting together their shelter. In their treasure chest they find various items, fishing line, rice and various other things. They successfully start a fire. Meanwhile Rana arrives at their island much later than the estimated hour, and it’s dark already. They trek through the jungle and find their treasure chest. As it’s too late to set up a proper shelter, they setup a makeshift shelter for the night.
Day 2 sees them unsuccessful in the quest to get their fire up. “Fire is life, and we have not managed to make fire yet” said Zayn. Rana also sets about building a more permanent shelter.
At the Aguila tribe, Sam seems to be assuming the leadership role, while Mzi tries his hand at fishing. He doesn’t catch anything and good-naturedly bears the humour from his fellow tribe mates about his fishing skills. “I still have a smile on my face” he says.
Day 2 also sees the tribes compete in the first immunity challenge. For this challenge, the tribes need to select one member who will be attached to a mast by a rope. The rest of the tribe will line up behind that person and be tied to the mast, feeding the rope through hoops. They will then have to navigate their way through the swamp. Whoever returns and mounts their mast first will win immunity.
Aguila chooses Sam to lead them and Rana chooses Jacinda. In a close race, Rana reaches the half-way point first; but Aguila picks up the pace. They are not able to close the gap however, and Rana emerges from the trees first. Aguila is hot on their heels, and finally both teams are neck and neck in the race to untie the knots that are keeping them from mounting their masts first. Sam makes short work of the knots and Aguila wins by a narrow margin.
Back at the Rana campsite, strategy is emerging. Jacinda says that they should route out the cancer and suggests that Danielle be voted out. Meanwhile on the Aguila Island, Mzi manages to catch a fish.
Day 3 On the Aguila Island, Mzi catches 3 fishes and is proclaimed the fishing master by his fellow tribe mates.
In camp Rana, all tribe mates sans Don are out in the rain looking for food. They are still fireless. They also decide to build a new shelter as they are unhappy with their current shelter. Don, who is not feeling well, does not participate in any of his tribe’s activities.
Tribal CouncilFor a full transcript of Tribal Council, visit the Tribal Council Transcripts :
Episode oneAt Tribal Council, Don is voted out (4-3)
The voting was as follows:
Don – Danielle, Gareth, Jacinda, Zayn
Danielle – Don, Lezel, Ncumisa
Don’s closing words
“I actually saw it coming and I wasn’t surprised at all. For the last two days, there’s been a tremendous power play going on in camp. Considering I’ve only had about 6 hours sleep, I was physically not able to last and form alliances”
Next Week: Tempers erupt on Aguila