Plus: Everything that went down at Tribal Council you didnt see on TV.
This is where great Survivors are made.
This is where legends are made.
David Jelinsky on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
Jelinsky is a legend.
Jelinsky
Hes not wrong, people.
Because aSurvivorlegend was indeed just born before our very eyes.
Jeff Probst and the ‘Survivor 46’ contestants.Robert Voets/CBS
Forged through the fire of a tribe that was so inept they never won fire.
And that man is David Jelinsky.
He volunteered to do the sweat challenge… and then quit the sweat challenge.
David Jelinsky, Kenzie Veurink, Bhanu Gopal, Tiffany Ervin, Q Burdette, and Jess Chong on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
Im pretty sure the only thing Jelinsky didnotquit in three days ofSurvivorwas referring to himself in the third person.
And thank goodness for that.
Was Jelinsky aSurvivordisaster ofJacob Derwinianproportions?
Tim Spicer, Ben Katzman, Moriah Gaynor, Charlie Davis, and Jem Hussain-Adams on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
HE GOT VOTED OUT OF THE GAME FIRST UNANIMOUSLY WITHOUT EVER EVEN CASTING A SINGLE VOTE!
I mean… thats not good.
However, Jelinsky achieved exactly what he sat out to obtain legendary status.
Soda Thompson, Hunter McKnight, Tevin Davis, Liz Wilcox, Randen Montalvo, and Venus Vafa on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
Maybe not in the way he intended, but legendary nonetheless.
There was no sit-back-and-blend-in in Jelinskys game, and at the very least, I salute him for that.
But maybe itshouldmean seven.
Moriah Gaynor, Tim Spicer, Maria Gonzalez, Charlie Davis, Jem Hussain-Adams, and Ben Katzman on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
After all, the words do sound similar.
Just sayin…
You ask me, and Jelinsky delivered.
Oh, not for his tribe, mind you.
The Siga and Nami tribes on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
But he absolutely delivered for viewers.
And he is the first indication that perhaps my expectations that this would be an A+Survivorcastwill be fulfilled.
Now, before we all go all Simpsons Comic Book Guy and predict the Best.
Tiffany Ervin, Jess Chong, David Jelinsky, Q Burdette, and Bhanu Gopal on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
So there are no guarantees, is what Im saying here.
But so far so great, right?
Bonus intel, people!
Jeff Probst on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
And awaaaaaaay we go!
(Not the first, wont be the last.)
When your very first words onSurvivorare Wait up!
Jess Chong on ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
Such a tease, that Jeff Probst!
from the Hostmaster General.
What I didnt like about it was the simple fact that it was on land.
The cast of ‘Survivor 46’.Robert Voets/CBS
Ive always been a sucker for pretty much anything at sea challenges, maroonings, challengesatmaroonings, etc.
And because we had two hours for the premiere, it was a lot.
(Pace yourself, dear reader.)
You better bet you’re gonna sweat
Probst preaches about the monster in this game.
Jelinsky is the monster.
Im guessing they were maybe not allowed to do that.)
So the monster wasnt making an ally, he waslosingone, and in just a matter of hours.
I couldnt help but wonder: Why did they cast this person?
You have to be a good talker to get on this show.
And this woman could not talk.
How did she make it through the gauntlet of casting rounds?
Sleep deprivation is a bea-yotch.
Ill be curious to see if Jess can rebound, because she is in a tough spot right now.
Finding her water bottle would probably be a good start.
On the flip side, Kenzie and Tiffany seem to be in the best spot.
Kenzie is aligned with everyone, and Tiffany found the Beware Advantage immunity idol.
Once Jess gets her hands on some melatonin, I will reevaluate her place in the game.
So What; 4.The Sick, The Dying… and the Dead).
But I dont think thats going to happen, even if they did fail at the Savvy task.
Holy cow, Ben is fun though.
Well find out in due time.
Orange you glad to see them?
For one thing, they seemed like the perfect people to go and leave Liz behind on a boat.
But they were also arguably the two biggest and brightest personalities in the entire cast.
We saw it withCarolynandYam Yamon season 44, and were seeing it here again with Soda and Tevin.
The great thing about that, however, is that either way we, as viewers, win!
So goofy and so great.
Hold ‘em or fold ‘em?
Ive never been a big fan ofSurvivorjourneys.
These arentBen Bombsbeing detonated.
Its just different math, and math that viewers often have trouble remembering.
And this game was pretty great.
Maria, Tevin, and Jelinsky each had to pick a card.
One was a skull, one was a vote, and one was a torch.
Maria pulled the torch and had to reveal it.
Then, it was up to Tevin and Jelinsky to try and convince her they had the vote card.
And he did so.
Its only day two, and here she is threatening to completely blow up Jelinskys game.
And Tevin would likely go back and tell his tribe the same thing.
Of course, logically, nobody should hold any of this against Jelinsky.
He drew the skull card, which dictated that, not unlike poker, he wassupposedto bluff.
ButSurvivoris often not a logical game.
It doesnt really matter that he was not doing anything malicious or untoward in the game.
Perception is reality onSurvivor.
But dont overlook Maria, who expertly played off of Jelinskys fears to get him to cave.
That was a baller move.
As Probst said to her just one day prior: That is how you do it onSurvivor!
But why there were not Geico logos all over this weeks immunity challenge is beyond me.
But those things were no joke.
It took Siga and Yanuforeverto get their geckos over the obstacle.
Two other things I want to point out about this challenge.
Sodas move has essentially been running in a continuous loop in my brain ever since.
As has Venus reaction.
Im not shouting, Im motivating!
This is for Seb!
This is for Leo!
This is for Juju!
he called out, naming Marias three children as she worked to complete the puzzle.
It was actually really cool to see.
(Just one of the many reasons I personally would never play this game.)
I wish you all could have gotten a little snippet of that.
Probst 3.0
Oh, hes back, people.
And then when the player continued to not own it, Probst called him out on that as well.
This was so refreshing to see.
Players have just become too comfortable at Tribal.
He meant in the form of aflurry of twists and turns.
He even gave it a name, calling it the Monster.
But that wasnt the Monster.
And Jelinsky is not the Monster.
JEFF PROBST IS THE MOTHERFREAKING MONSTER!
At least whenSurvivoris at its best, he is.
Love seeing a little of that edge back.
(Hey, better than asking Jelinsky!)
Jess is not the only one who lost her water bottle.
So did… wait for it… Jelinsky.
There were plenty of other moments of Jess being completely out of it that didnt make the final cut.
Jess asked her to explain it again, Tiffany did, and Jessstilldidnt get it.
He explained how his mom was an addict and how important it was seeingCarolyn on season 44.
Its so cool how many people and players Carolyn touched with her story.
Yes, the Jelinsky exit was as silent and awkward as it played on TV.
He also happened to forget his bag, making things evermoreuncomfortable.
Apparently, they disagreed.
But thankfully, Ive at least done better of late.
(Do zero-vote finalists count as damn close?
They do in my book.).
Incredible social skills, performs well in challenges, seems to understand the nuances of the game.
There is nothing to not like about Tevin.
Would they telegraph the outcome that much?
The game of cat and mouse continues!
But if not Tevin, then who?
I absolutely love the vibe that Ben is bringing to this game.
That guy can get along with anybody.
No wonder I went 23 seasons in a row without tasting glory.
Ill make it Tevin.
As it is, Ill just have to remain cautiously optimistic.
Okay, if anyone besides my poor editor is actually still around, I owe you a Milwaukees Best.
(it’s possible for you to also find links on my Twitter@DaltonRoss.)
