In the opening scenes of Survivor Panama: Exile Island, in addition to shots of gorgeous tropical scenery and the new castaways, there were a number of shots of local residents: snake, hawk, birds of prey, shark, scorpions, yellow frog, and a spider. During the episode, a dead sea turtle, a howler monkey and a pelican appeared. We'll learn more about these forms of wildlife as we continue...
The four new tribes (see page 3) met on Exile Island, where host Jeff Probst explained the rules of the game, and an immediate Reward Challenge determined which three tribes won the award, flint for making fires, and which team would have to choose a member to be the first to stay overnight on the island while the others went to their beaches and set up camp. The exile-ee would spend the night alone, with meager supplies and a bucket of water which needed boiling before being drinkable. Since the losing tribe would have no flint to make fire, the water was useless.
The reward was a race to break skulls, retrieve an amulet hidden in one, and race back to the meeting spot. The older men, with Terry Deitz finding the first amulet, came in first. The young men, with Austin Carty breaking skulls, was second. Ruth Marie Milliman led the older women in third and Danielle DiLorenzo , who had nominated herself for her athletic ability, came in last.
This meant that someone from the Bayoneta tribe of younger women was the first exile-ee. After debate, it wasn’t Danielle who stayed behind, but Misty Giles .
Four boats left carrying the tribes to their camps, leaving behind Jeff and Misty. Jeff gave her some tips for surviving the night and a clue to the hidden idol. As soon as Jeff left, Misty started looking for the idol.
Meanwhile, the four tribes began their first day as castaways. With flint, the Casaya tribe of older women had no trouble, after sharing a moment of prayer, when Tina Scheer used her skills to make a fire and spearhead the shelter making efforts. They used palm fronds and bamboo to build a shelter. Searching for firewood and leaves to cushion their beds in the woods, Cirie Fields mentioned her fear of leaves and was very reluctant to shuffle under them for fear of what she might find. Tina made light of her fears, which angered Cirie. Melinda Hyder and Ruth-Marie elected themselves the worker bees.
In the Viveros camp of older men, Dan Barry and Terry revealed their backgrounds, and formed the first alliance, citing their career training for team work. Bruce Kanegai issued instructions to all for creating shelter, while Shane Powers bemoaned the lack of cigarettes and his enforced detox program. The men soon had a blazing fire going and a shelter underway, using bamboo and fronds.
The younger women of Bayoneta, with no flint to start a fire, walked about to choose a camp, and came across a dead sea turtle on the beach. With discussion of the symbolism of turtles and mother earth, the three women continued on. Even as dusk came, they had no shelter.
The young men of La Mina, Aras Baskauskas, Bobby Mason and Nick Stanbury and Austin immediately set up a ball game on the beach with little or no thought to providing shelter. Aras led two others in a meditation ritual while Nick scoffed. They tried building their fire in a metal pot, and after building their shelter, pronounced it the “sorriest” looking shelter and hoped it wouldn’t rain.
It did.
Returning for the Immunity Challenge, which would have three Idols for the three winning teams, Misty acted mysterious when asked about the hidden idol and agreed it had been difficult and lonely on Exile Island. Even though she was hungry and thirsty, Misty and her tribe overcame the obstacles of the challenge and came in first. The men came in second and third, with the older women, last. That meant someone from their tribe would be voted out in Tribal Council.
Tina, who had lost her only son several months previously, sat apart on the beach grieving while Cirie began a campaign to vote her out. Even after Tina had made fire, overseen the shelter buidling, and on her way back from the beach found a live fish and brought it back for dinner, Cirie who acknowledged she was less athletic and had no outdoors experience in addition to being fearful of leaves, managed to get the other two women to vote out Tina. Melinda and Ruth-Marie resented Tina's take charge attitude and her perception that she was doing all the work.
Voting Tina out seems like a huge error in judgement. She's the one with the survival skills for the outdoors and the can-do attitude. Will the other three manage to do what she did effortlessly?
However, Cirie, quite unknown to anyone in her group, was right to fear leaves. Snakes hide in the dry leaves.
Read page 2 for information on some of Panama's snakes, poisonous or not.
