Survivor

Survivor is definitely like a scary movie.

In act one of a horror film, you're just trying to survive.

You're just trying to make it day by day.

You're running from the monster.

But act two?

That's when you can flip the script.

And now...

you are the monster.

It's time to tear this game up.

Looking around, these people have nothing on me.

I was one of the youngest

communications directors in history on Capitol Hill.

And one of my favorite pastimes

is kissing butt.

I will do whatever it takes

to put a smile on someone's face

'cause that gets you far.

The reporting world is all about connections.

It's basically a huge social game, when you're a reporter.

It's about who you know

and what they're gonna be able to tell you

before they tell their competition.

Very similar toSurvivor.

So this is destiny for me.

This is gonna be the easiest million I will ever make.

I used to work for, uh, the Sydney Hotshots.

It's, uh, basically Chippendales of Australia.

Oh, it's terrible.

You know, you got a thousand women screaming your name

every single night when you're on stage.

It's just... you don't want that.

I can charm a woman. I know how they work.

I know what to say, what not to say.

And it could help me out onSurvivor.

Real-life Magic Mike.

When you compare me to other 25-year-olds,

I've accomplished a lot.

When I was 14 years old,

I helped my parents file their taxes.

I was the first one in my entire family

to attend and graduate college.

And now,

I am the first person of Albanian descent

to ever play Survivor in 49 seasons.

I'm the first one.

R-I-Z-G-O-D,

RizGod, baby, is here.

And I want to stamp myself as one of

the best players to ever play this game.

These 18 strangers will be

abandoned in the islands of Fiji.

I'm a rocket scientist,

and we just got to let this rocket burn, baby.

They must learn to adapt, or they'll be voted out.

Usually I'm flying business class,

I'm staying in five-star hotels, I'm maxing out my credit cards.

Like, I have no outdoor skills.

In the end,

only one will remain to claim the million-dollar prize.

The manipulation, the blindsides,

the lying, the backstabbing...

that's what I want to bring to this game.

And I'm excited to do it.

Who will have what it takes

to outwit, outplay and outlast all the rest?

This is Survivor 49.

Ha-ha!

Welcome.

Come join me.

Aah!

I'm bugging out.

What am I about to get myself into?

But I was so excited to get the game going.

And I'm, like, sizing up my tribe.

I'm thinking,

"Okay, are they the loud one?

"Do they want to be the strongest one?

Like, do they think they're the funny one?"

Let's go!

The energy level is ten out of ten.

Electric. Fire.

Now we can actually

unleash all the anxieties,

all the fears.

Like, we're here.

That's a tribe entrance right there.

All right, I like the energy.

Let me officially say

welcome to Survivor49.

All right, let me understand this excitement.

Woman in the middle, in the front.

You were so excited.

How do you describe that energy you're feeling now?

My name's Kristina. I am...

- - Kristina!

Um, this is just a very long time in the making,

and it just feels like we can finally just, like,

explode and say, "Aah! We're here!"

Let's go.

Guy in the front left, what's your name?

- Front left? Yeah, you.

Oh, that's me. I'm Jason.

- Hello. - Hello, Jason.

Yeah. Yeah. -

Talk to me about the excitement,

because you ran up with a lot of energy.

Jeff, I...

I don't know if I'm allowed

to peel the curtain back a little bit,

but I'm, like, the male alternate for this season.

- I didn't know... - Mm.

I was gonna be on this show

till 30 minutes before I went to bed last night.

So the thing about being the alternate is,

you have to be ready for anything.

I packed three shirts...

a red one, a blue one and a yellow one.

So I'm adjusting,

and I am on Survivor49 with all of you.

- - Yeah, you are, bro. Let's go.

Let's go over here.

In the middle, in the back, in the purple.

- Yeah. - Uh, no.

- What's your name?

I'm Sage.

Tell me about the feeling you have right now,

that it's finally happening.

You are literally in the sand in Fiji.

Yeah, uh, something happens when I'm excited and nervous.

I pee a lot.

I've peed three times just trying

to get here today off the back of the boat.

So I apologize for anyone who saw a full moon today.

It's more of a half-moon.

I've got my mom's hips, but...

- Guy in the back, what's your name? Hey, Jeff, I'm Jake.

I'm from, uh, your northern friend, Canada,

uh, from a place called Edmonton.

So, how long have you been watching Survivor?

Uh, since season one, Jeff.

When I was a kid, um,

Mom and Dad would put me and my brother down

on a Wednesday night before we had to go to bed.

We'd watch the show.

Survivor'sbeen a staple of the family.

We still talk about it to this day.

But now, fast-forward into season 49, um...

Sorry. Um...

My dad's got diagnosed with a condition called glaucoma.

And he's gonna be completely blind by the end of this year.

So this is the last season of Survivor

he'll... he's gonna be able to see.

And I just want to make my dad proud one more time, visually,

- so... Sorry. -

Sorry to hear that.

Sorry.

Guy in the middle, in the back.

Introduce yourself.

My name's Steven. I'm from Denver, Colorado.

And I am excited to be here.

Okay, this is not The Price Is Right.

That would be a great answer for that show.

Steven, talk to me about the moment you decided,

"I'm gonna dedicate myself to getting on Survivor."

A hundred percent.

So, my journey began with the Pearl Islands.

When I first saw all of the different contestants

from all different walks of life,

and they were so vulnerable.

And I think as you get older,

you kind of run out of first-time experiences,

and Survivoris just jam-packed

of first-time experiences.

They're gonna help you get outside your comfort zone

and give you a chance to be vulnerable.

Yes.

Never heard it put that way. Great answer.

All right.

Well, if there's one thing that's very clear

over 24 years and 48 seasons, it's this.

Survivoris always evolving.

And it's not because of the twists or advantages.

Survivorevolves

because of you, the player.

Everybody who has played this game before you

has impacted the game in some way.

And in doing so,

they've elevated the game.

Their pursuit of greatness laid the foundation

that you're standing on right now.

And each of you have your own reasons for being here...

your own drive, your own dreams,

your own story to write.

What complicates Survivoris, the minute the game starts,

all of your individual ideas collide,

because Survivor is a zero-sum game.