Well, that just happened. Fans have been excited to see the return of the historic reality series Survivor, CBS’s groundbreaking reality show that has astounded viewers for more than two decades by putting random casts of strangers together to fight it out for a $1,000,000 grand prize. Created by Charlie Parsons, the program has just premiered its historic 47th season, and along with offering all the cutthroat intensity the series is known for, this episode was something that nobody could have expected: utterly hilarious. This is for a variety of reasons; possibly it is the desire to “play the game” that is driving them to make huge mistakes on day one. Maybe it’s a castaway’s anxiety creating one of the most shocking confessions this show has ever seen.
Survivor 47 has already offered countless scenes for audiences to laugh (and slightly cringe) about. Yet the funniest moment came from the episode’s ending when viewers saw someone who the series had been touting as this season’s crown jewel. He was able to violate every rule they had pre-season and given special privileges, only to see him get sent home first in a shocking twist of fate. While every episode of a season is essential to telling that installment’s narrative, the premiere often defines the energy of the installment going forward. And with Jon Lovett, Survivor’s “Golden Contestant” going home first, this premier may have just hinted at the most ironic, funniest season audiences have ever seen.
Survivor’s #1 Rule: Keep Things Hush Hush
Survivor has attempted many twists over the years to keep audiences entertained, with one of the classic ways it loves to spice things up being a reality television favorite: stunt casting. Picking someone for a season’s cast who the producers know already has some level of fame outside the show. The series has done this many times over its 47 seasons, recruiting both beloved stars and infamously controversial figures in an attempt to not only further complicate the already complex game but hopefully draw in fans interested in how this celebrity will do in such a harsh setting. This tactic has seen varying success. For every fan-favorite, like Mike White, who made it far in the game, there’s a bitter John Rocker who is remembered more for his rudeness on the show than for actually contributing to the season. The series’ “new era” (seasons 41-47) has largely eased off on the stunt casting, with only the occasional Olympian or indie musician making the cut in casts of mostly ordinary people. Yet this season seemed intent on including known personalities to excite fans even more, with the biggest among them being the accomplished podcast host, Jon Lovett.
Lovett is a prime example of the niche celebrity that Survivor would want to recruit, with the man’s history as both a speech-writer and host of the successful “Pod Save America” podcast making him known among many of the show’s fans. And the program was clearly excited to have him on because they broke the many rules that all contestants must abide by to let him do the one thing players are absolutely not supposed to do: talk about being on the show before it’s even out. Audiences may not know how much trouble a contestant can get in by telling people they’re on a Survivor season before it airs, the casting process including dozens of NDAs and various legalese that threaten both legal action and the revoking of any prize money they win if they spill about their casting too early. Yet Jon has not only been open about his involvement this season, he’s literally gone on talk shows to speak about how excited he was for the experience and even had Jeff Probst calling him out as a great player. It was the series’ supreme act of favoritism, ignoring all the rules your typical contestant would face to let this celebrity talk about his involvement everywhere — which is what makes it so ironically hilarious that he was voted out first.
Winning Survivor Requires Some Luck
While Survivor is never easy for anyone, this first episode was a particularly difficult one for Lovett. He found himself placed on the Gata tribe, and while the anxious Andy Rueda immediately singled him out as an ally, the man struggled to connect with a group of people who were all younger than him and not that familiar with his wealth of work. His luck only worsened when, after two days of struggling mentally and feeling like his tribe didn’t like him, Andy decided to use the tribe losing an immunity challenge to rant about how he felt like he was on the bottom. It was an emotional, surprising confession — that became only more shocking when Andy confessed that he’d been thinking about throwing Lovett under the bus to save himself. Yet despite this, Lovett recognized that Andy was his only ally and decided to try and concoct a plan that would keep both of them safe…but it was already too late. Realizing that while Andy was messy, Jon’s lack of physical prowess and strategic mind could prove a huge issue later on, the other four members of his tribe all decided to vote the podcast host out. Even worse, the ally who Jon had worked to forgive decided to go back on their plan and also throw in a vote to get him out 5-1.
And with that, Jon Lovett is the first boot of Survivor 47, not only starting the season by eliminating its most famous player but leaving viewers giggling at just what an ironic situation this all was. The show had made allowances for Jon that it never had in its 24 years on the air. It amplified him as this amazing narrator for the season, utilizing his fame as free promotion to such a degree that many fans were scared the entire installment’s editing would be focused on his experience. Well, they learned quickly that wouldn’t be the case as this person who was being sold as the “next big player” was, in fact, just one more on a list of 46 people whose time on the show was cut far too short. It left both viewers and Jon himself laughing, as in his goodbye message he invited the torrent of critiques and memes about that a superfan like himself knew were sure to come. Jon’s entire experience with the franchise poses some important questions about things like contestant equity and whether stunt casting can work in this modern age of the show, but above all else, this elimination was one thing: very, very funny.
Jon Lovett Made Survivor History
While it may seem unfair that Survivor was so lenient with Jon before the season premiered, it’s understandable why the series would do as such. Yes, they’ve had celebrities before, but few were as tapped into their core audience as this podcaster, who had access to some of the biggest platforms in the world. From a marketing standpoint, it would be a failure to not let him use those pulpits as a chance to talk up the season and ensure people tune in. That is all completely valid, yet it’s also undeniable how this approach makes Jon’s status as first boot that much more comical. It colors all of the press around him in a much more sarcastic tone, making audiences chortle at the times both Lovett and Probst spoke as though he’d had this unmatched impact on the installment. Jon was a decent player and in many ways, his elimination was due to just pure bad luck, but he should feel good knowing that his time on Survivor gave the show it’s funniest, most ironic first elimination ever. Survivor is available to watch on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
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