I am – Hercules!!


A few notes on “Survivor” 15.1:

. The first thing Jeff Probst does is usher everybody inside a 16th-century Buddhist temple for a welcoming ceremony. Denise, the middle-aged lunch lady from Massachusetts, is way into it. Courtney, the hot Gwen Stefani-lookin’ waitress from New York, is not.

. As the monks chant, ring bells and bow before giant Buddha, the Christian talk show lady, Leslie, has a freak-out, even though Probst assured her going in that it was not a worship ceremony. I think she thought Probst was trying to trick her into worshiping not-Jesus!

. The contestants are sent off to their respective islands in the clothes they wore to the monastery. This causes one of the women some concern about underwear.

. The tribes don’t start paddling toward their new island homes until ten minutes into the episode.

. The grave digger looks more like a grave digger/male model if you’re asking me.

. This corner of China looks rainy, gloomy, muddy, muggy, buggy and thoroughly unpleasant.

. The complex first immunity/reward challenge involves obstacle courses, puzzles, a locked gate, a drawbridge and two of those long multi-person serpent mascots one so often sees at Chinese parades.

. The new immunity idol looks to me like a kneeling Chinese warlord.

. There is no outcast island (at least in the first episode).

. Though CBS assures us that reward challenges will allow a tribe to “kidnap” players from the opposing tribe, no one is kidnapped this first week.

. Though CBS assures us immunity idols are "hidden in plain sight" at both camps, no one learns this week that any hidden immunity idols exist.

. For the first time in my experience CBS provided a “Survivor” screener that actually revealed the first player voted out! I’m not allowed to say who, even in invisotext, but I can say the loser visibly startled his or her tribesmates (and, candidly, me) with his or her reaction to the bad news.

Fighting Tiger, clad in yellow, are:

DAVE CRUSER, 37
Simi Valley, Calif.
Former Model

JAIME DUGAN, 22
Columbia, S.C. (originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
Student

ERIK HUFFMAN, 26
Nashville, Tenn. (originally from Greenville, S.C.)
Musician

PEIH-GEE LAW, 29
Marina Del Rey, Calif. (born in Hong Kong)
Jeweler

SHEREA LLOYD, 26
Atlanta (originally from Pontiac, Mich.)
Elementary Teacher

ASHLEY MASSARO, 28
East Northport, N.Y.
Professional WWE Wrestler

CHICKEN MORRIS, 47
Marion, Va.
Chicken Farmer

FROSTI ZERNOW, 20
Chicago (originally from Traverse City , Mich.)
Parkour Athlete/Student

Flying Dragon, clad in red, are:

JEAN-ROBERT BELLANDE, 36
Las Vegas (originally from Long Island , N.Y. )
Professional Poker Player

JAMES CLEMENT, 30
Lafayette, La.
Grave Digger

TODD HERZOG, 22
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Flight Attendant

AMANDA KIMMEL, 23
Los Angeles (originally from Kalispell, Mont.)
Hiking Guide

DENISE MARTIN, 40
Douglas, Mass. (originally from Revere, Mass.)
School Lunch Lady

LESLIE NEASE, 38
Tega Cay, S.C.
Christian Radio Talk Show Host

AARON REISBERGER, 32
Venice , Calif. (originally from Belmont County, Ohio)
Surfing Instructor

COURTNEY YATES, 26
New York City (originally from Boston)
Waitress

Discover what the contestants look like here.

8 p.m. Thursday. CBS.

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