Survivor: Edge of Extinction - Episode One Recap - It Smells Like Success

Mickie McLeod

It's that time again. Survivor is back! Season 38, SURVIVOR: EDGE OF EXTINCTION, premiered just last night with brand new twists and challenges you've never seen before.

With a whole new cast full of whimsy, adventurous and die-hard fans of the game, this season of Survivor is bound to be interesting. And in this roster among the 18 new castaways, you may have recognized a few of them already. That's because SURVIVOR: EDGE OF EXTINCTION brought back four returning players from previous Survivor seasons - including players who are now on their third attempt to Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast the rest.

These four Survivor alums are ready to redeem themselves and tackle the new challenges season 38 is about to bring. The Survivor alums include:

• Kelly Wentworth - Previous seasons:  Second Chance, San Juan del Sur.
• David Wright - Previous season: Millenials vs. Gen-X.
• Joe Anglim - Previous season: Worlds Apart, Second Chance.
• Aubry Bracco - Previous seasons: Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers.

As a super fan of the show (since watching the first season at just eight years old) I'll tell ya', having previous players within a Survivor season definitely brings a lot more to the table. These people have played the game before, and they know their strengths; they know their weaknesses. And, they (might) know some Survivor advantages in the game. But their biggest disadvantage of being a Survivor alum? Well, it's that all of that doesn't matter when you're playing with an entirely new tribe.

Now, you may be wondering why this season is titled: SURVIVOR: EDGE OF EXTINCTION. Well, that's what the 18 castaways are wondering too. The castaways won't know until their game ends -- but we as viewers get to see where the "edge of extinction" lays. As an entirely new plot of the game, the "Edge of Extinction" begins once your torch gets snuffed at Tribal Council. That's right. The game isn't over yet for voted out castaways.

Here's what went down just on last night's premiere...

MANU

As the 18 castaways divided, the MANU tribe adopted two of the previous alums, Kelley and David. Kelley is all about making genuine relationships and connecting with people deeper this time around. She claims that failing to communicate deeply with people has been her downfall in her previous seasons. David hasn't played as much as Kelley but is keeping in mind that they both have targets on their backs. He's aware that staying the least threatening in the game of Survivor is vital to survive longer.

Among the MANU tribe, some castaways stood out right away. Including a lady named Wendy, 25, from Los Angeles. She's very peculiar. Quirky to say the least -- and others notice it too. In this first episode, she makes a big first impression, as she's been aligning herself with two other stand-out players, a young 19-year-old guy named Keith, and a middle-aged woman named Reem.

These three are getting pretty close due to the fact Reem seems to be very motherly amongst the tribe. One example is she's picking up people's wet clothes and laying them out in the sun (as moms tend to enjoy taking care of others). Well, this doesn't sit well with most of the tribe. But since Wendy and Keith are on the younger side and claim they are close to their mothers, the three of them are getting along great. The rest of the tribe, however, aren't fans of having a mom figure around.

KAMA

Meanwhile, on the KAMA tribe, Joe and Aubrey are the alums that are experiencing those same feelings of apprehension due to the same targets on their back. They're aware that they must remain unthreatening, but it can get difficult when they have a lot to offer these new players.

A few castaways that are onto Joe and Aubrey's status are Eric and Gavin. Eric, 34, is Firefighter from Chicago, and Gavin 23, is a YMCA Program Director from Tennesse. These two clicked right away as they bonded over the fact that they'd like to see Joe or Aubrey get out of the game soon since they have the previous history in playing Survivor. They're appreciative for the wisdom Joe and Aubrey bring to the tribe, but they just want to learn the necessities of Survivor through their own experiences.

One other major standout on this tribe is Ron, a middle-aged man from North Carolina. He stood out because before departing to camp at the beginning of the episode, he found the first "Secret Advantage" on the ship. The advantage said that he must dig near their tree mail at camp. What he found was an exclusive Advantage "Menu." The menu had options of advantages that Ron can use in the game. But there's a catch -- he can only use it within the next few Tribal Councils, or else the advantage expires.

Immunity Challenge and Tribal Council

It's no surprise that the first Immunity Challenge of the season is complex and well, full of challenging obstacles. The two tribes battled it out so hard through this physical challenge; at one point, Kelley Wentworth hit her head so hard, she started to bleed.

Survivor doesn't mess around.

Well, through maneuvering through ropes, balance beams, and solving a giant slide puzzle, it was the Manu tribe who were in the lead for most of this challenge. Kama was falling behind, and couldn't pick up the speed. Manu won the first Immunity Challenge, which means that Kama was heading to the first Tribal Council of the season.

At Tribal, everyone is in jeopardy. As Wentworth said, there's very little wiggle room when approaching the first Tribal Council. So anything you say or do on the first day or two can cause you to get sent home. As mentioned earlier, it was Wendy and Reem who stood out the most among the tribe. Wendy being very outspoken soon developed a target on her back due to others not getting along with her stubbornness. There's also Reem who was on the chopping block because her tribe claimed that she was a bit "too much" to handle. Well, it was Reem who did indeed prove what the tribe meant by a little "too much."

At Tribal, Reem was pretty defensive but was also apologetic towards moving other people's clothing and being too motherly right away. This one mistake led to Reem being the first person voted off this season... or did it?

Edge of Extinction

Yes. It's here. The true, "edge of extinction" starts now for the voted out castaway, Reem. After getting her torch snuffed by Host, Jeff Probst, Reem walked down the trail and was faced with a roadblock that said she could either go down a path and quit the game or go down a path and fight to keep playing. Well, needless to say, she is still playing, and it's certainly not glamorous.

The "Edge of Extinction" is everything you dream of it being. Spooky, mysterious, cold and lonely. Reem is now on a secluded island by herself, in the rain, with no shelter and with basically -- nothing.

Will she last on the Edge of Extinction?

(End Scene).

Now THAT was a cliffhanger on Survivor!

Haven't watched Survivor? Well now's your time. There's a reason it has been on for 18+ years. Now with this new twist of redemption and pushing castaways to their limits on the Edge of Extinction, this is a season you don't want to miss!

Don't miss Survivor: Edge of Extinction, Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS!

Tweet me @mickcloudy and let's talk Survivor!

Don't miss  Survivor: Edge of Extinction! Wednesday's at 8/7c on CBS and don't miss my recaps every week!