Episode 1: Jim We Hardly Knew You

Jim We Hardly Knew You
official title: Big Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise

No time was wasted in starting Survivor Guatemala. The Survivors were already divided into two tribes and Bobby Jon and Stephenie descended from heaven (a Mayan pyramid) to each join a tribe.

Yaxha Tribe (blue buffs)
Stephenie, Rafe, Gary, Brian, Morgan, Amy, Brianna, Jaime, Lydia

Nakum Tribe (yellow buffs)
Bobby Jon, Brandon, Danni, Jim, Judd, Blake, Margaret, Brooke, Cindy

(to put faces to names: Cast Revealed! )

Reward Challenge
Competition: 11 mile race through thick jungle
Reward: the better camp & fire

The race was a marathon. They started in daylight and spent a night in the jungle before getting to the finish line the next day.

Jim took charge of Nakum and led the way. Gary (left) led Yaxha. Rafe is happy to let Gary be leader. Along the way the men of Nakum had a rough time. Blake fell and got thorns in his shoulder. He then became dehydrated. Bobby Jon also became dehydrated. They both vomited and Margaret (a nurse) helps them the best she can. Judd: "Eleven miles through a jungle is insane. I'm a doorman in New York; I've never even been camping." Gary, the former NFL quarterback, said that he won't tell them about his pro football background (smart move). He'll lie if necessary, he's Gary Hawkins (not Hogeboom) and a landscaper.

Nakum was first to the canoes but just a little ahead of Yaxha. Nakum's lead held up and they won Reward. Yaxha then had more paddling to do to get to their camp. Stephenie said it was one of the most physically demanding challenges in Survivor ever. She likes her tribe, they have heart and determination. Rafe also likes their spirit.

Judd got a touch of dehydration too. Bobby Jon was really bad, his eyes were rolling back in his head. Later he said that Survivor Palau was "recess" compared with Guatemala. However they are all game for the Immunity Challenge.

Immunity Challenge
Competition: boat race - lake & land

To start each tribe had to paddle their boat out into the lake to pick up a torch and then return to the beach. Next they had to drag their boat a 100 yard (meters) or so on land. Five members pulled a rope attached to the front of the boat while the others kept logs (used as rollers) in front of the boat. They then had to light their torch to win Immunity.

This was a close race. each tribe had a member or two get caught under the logs. Nakum had a slight lead but then lost it and the challenge to Yaxha.

Yaxha win Immunity and fire.

Jim was injured in the Immunity Challenge. He said he "snapped" his left biceps muscle (it sounds like he pulled or tore it bad) pulling on the rope (he thought they were all going to pull, but he was the only one to yank it). In private Brooke (left) says the women feel that a man should be voted off since none of the women have been dehydrated. Brandon doubts half of his tribe will make it, he's really concerned about Blake.

Nakum at Tribal Council
(paraphrased by me, not word for word)
Jeff Probst: Tribal council is here at an ancient Mayan ruin. Fire is life on Survivor. It was very tough start this time.
Blake: Don't I know it.
Bobby Jon: I don't like getting beat so early. (Shouldn't Palau have prepared him for losing?)
Jeff P: Isn't it ironic that your strong men get sick?
Danni: In general I think women have better endurance than men. The men tried hard early. (She seemed to imply that the men got sick by working hard - nice move.)
Jeff P: Judd are any of the men worried?
Judd: Hey! I was only sick for about an hour I could do back flips now - wanna see! (bad move)
Jeff P: Woa calm down, Judd.
Jim (arm in sling) tells how he hurt his arm during the Immunity Challenge.
Margaret: We're all worried about how we can get healthy and do our best.

Time to Vote: only five votes are shown and they're all for Jim. In his final words, Jim says that he doesn't blame them and he hopes that no one gets hurt.

Alliances
Too early to tell. However I could see Blake voted off next if Nakum go back to Tribal Council next week.

Heroes and Villains
Everyone seems nice enough. I bet Nakum were glad they had Margaret, a nurse, with them. However Brandon called Bobby Jon "dumb" in private, which I didn't think was a nice thing to do.

Won Reward: Nakum
(nice camp and fire)

Immunity: Yaxha
(and fire)

Voted Off: Jim
(with only 5 votes for him shown on air, no other votes shown)

Preview Episode 1

title: Big Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise
CBS 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005

Reports are that Survivor Guatemala starts off with a long hike and along the way several Survivors suffer scrapes and bruises. Blake, if I remember correctly, picks thorns out of his shoulder. Jim, the oldest contestant, supposedly has such a tough time that he vomits. Some people online are predicting that Jim will be voted off first.

The Survivors will be split into two tribes - nothing new there. So, what's the big surprise? Apparently it has to do with Stephenie and Bobby Jon from Survivor Palau. Most people believe they will be competing as regular Survivors on Survivor Guatemala.

Enjoy Survivor and check back after the show for my review.

Handicapping the Survivors

Handicapping the Survivors

Scale 1-10 (10 is best)
Desire (D), someone with a real desire to win has a better shot of winning. Most say they want to win but few really, really need to win. Self Awareness (S), players who know themselves and are aware of how they are perceived by others have a better chance of winning. Judging Others (J), to do well Survivors must be able to see through others. Physical Ability (P), strength, stamina, swimming, running and hand-eye coordination are also very important. (I don't include intelligence, because it rarely seems to be factor in Survivor.)

I've studied the Survivors and crunched the numbers and here's my ranking from most likely to win to least likely to win:



Brandon
Score: 8.25

D 8. He doesn't come from the well-heeled.

S 8. He seems to be a free spirit.

J 8. He has met all types of people.

P 9. He's fought wild fires.



Cindy
Score: 8.00

D 9. Not from money, college drop-out, zoo keeper. She knows this money can change her life.

S 8. She does things her own way.

J 6. She may not see how what she says and does affects the others.

P 9. At one job she had to canoe to work!



Danni
Score: 8.00

D 6. Lives comfortably, but is competitive.

S 8. Comes from a large family, former beauty pageant contestant.

J 9. As a talk show host she deals with all sorts of people.

P 9. She runs marathons.



Judd
Score: 7.75

D 9. He's a doorman who lives in New Jersey. He sees extreme wealth every day and returns to his modest home. He wants to win bad.

S 8. He's a family oriented guy; large extended family.

J 8. In New York City you have to be a quick judge of people.

P 6. I wouldn't say he's a jock and opening and closing doors isn't very physical.



Brooke
Score: 7.00

D 7. Her poli-sci degree probably doesn't have her rolling in money.

S 7. She marches to her own drummer.

J 8. She has done volunteer work that exposed her to all types of people.

P 6. I wouldn't say she's an athlete.



Gary
Score: 7.00

D 6. Lives comfortably, but is competitive.

S 8. His age (46) has probably made him wise.

J 7. I'm not sure an NFL career and real estate development requires a lot of assessing people.

P 7. His family has said he has trouble golfing, but he's still a former pro athlete.



Amy
Score: 6.25

D 3. I think she's out to prove women can do anything physically.

S 8. To become a pro football player and a police officer she must know herself well.

J 5. However she's too concerned about proving herself.

P 9. Did I mention that she played pro football?

Note: I'm concerned she may be too bossy, too soon, and be one of the first voted off.



Blake
Score: 6.25

D 6. This seems like just another "challenge" for him.

S 5. He doesn't go deeper than the mirror.

J 5. There are other people on this planet?

P 9. He seems in shape, but I'm not sure if he's Survivor tough; I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.



Jamie
Score: 6.25

D 5. An aspiring actor, he's in this for the exposure.

S 6. I don't think he knows what he wants to do.

J 6. He's too concerned with himself.

P 8. This water ski instructor doesn't seem too buff



Margaret
Score: 6.00

D 5. Comfortable life.

S 6. More outgoing than introspective.

J 8. As an emergency room nurse she deals with all sorts of people daily.

P 5. She's 43 years old and not too active



Rafe
Score: 6.00

D 6. Survivor is just another thing to do to occupy his time.

S 5. Told he's a Mormon, sees no need to search for himself any further.

J 5. Probably has a lot of superficial friendships; doesn't get to really know people.

P 8. Young (22), strong and has some outdoor skills.



Brianna
Score: 5.50

D 3. I bet she sees this as furthering her "career."

S 5. I bet she can't even decide which pair of shoes is her favorite.

J 8. She's in sales & a make-up artist.

P 6. One of the weaker young people.



Lydia
Score: 5.50

D 8. She's divorced, a fish monger, and she knows the value of a dollar and she could really use some more of them.

S 5. She's older (42) but lived a military life where knowing yourself is not a high priority.

J 5. (see above, substitute "knowing yourself" with "judging others.")

D 4. She doesn't seem to be very active.



Brian
Score: 5.25

D 4. To him the prize money is more of a theoretical concept than anything else.

S 5. There was that humanities class one time . . .

J 5. Has encountered very few people not like himself.

P 7. He is still young and strong.



Jim
Score: 5.00

D 5. He's in it for the challenge and experience more than the money.

S 4. Work, duty, honor are more important to him than who he is and how he fits into society.

J 5. Judges others by work, duty and honor; not very tolerant.

P 6. Seems scrappy for a retired guy.



Morgan
Score: 4.50

D 3. She's just another aspiring actor.

S 4. Young (21) and immature.

J 7. As a waitress she deals with a lot of people.

P 4. Is she even aware that she may break a nail out there?

Survivor This Thursday!

Survivor Guatemala, the eleventh edition of the popular reality series, starts this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET / PT.

While you were out . . .
If you have been out of the Survivor-loop since Survivor Palau, here's a quick recap of what happened this summer.

Survivor Guatemala was shot from June to early August in Yaxha, northeastern Guatemala near the Belize border. The Survivors lived amongst ancient Mayan ruins. Reports are that it was very demanding physically for the contestants. More about Guatemala: About Guatemala , more about the Mayans: Civilization of the Mayans .

The Survivor's who are getting the early attention are Gary, a former NFL quarterback, and Danni, a former beauty contestant and sports talk show host. Several online betting sites make one of these two the favorite to win it all. For my preview of the cast check out Cast Revealed! .

The Big Rumor
The big rumor of the summer is that Stephenie and Bobby Jon from Survivor Palau will be involved in some way with Survivor Guatemala. It looks like this rumor will turn out to be true.

In other Survivor news
Tom Westman, winner of Survivor Palau, did a cameo on Bold and the Beautiful (he played a fireman) and became a spokesperson for Caribbean Joe, a clothing manufacturer. Katie Gallagher, also from Survivor Palau, was arrested earlier this month for DUI in her hometown of Modesto, CA. Richard Hatch, winner of the first Survivor, is still in tax trouble for failing to report his winnings. He was in court again recently.

Outdoor Life Network is airing past seasons of Survivor. They are currently showing Survivor Africa. Also several former Survivors are on Battle of the Network Reality Stars on Bravo. Kill Reality, on E! Entertainment, follows the making of a horror movie using just former reality stars as actors, several former Survivors are involved.

What's next?
Tuesday. I'll handicap the Survivors and tell you which players I think have the best chance of winning the 1 million dollars.

Wednesday. My first episode preview.

Thursday. After the first episode airs, I'll post my review (usually it's posted 2-3 hours after the show ends on the east coast).

Friday (or Saturday). My recap / review of Survivor Live, the official CBS online talk show (assuming there will be one again this season).