Jeff Probst greeted 18 new survivors on the beaches of Fiji to kick off a new season of “Survivor.” Hosting his 49th season, Probst emphasized the innovation of the game comes from its players.

“‘Survivor’ evolves because of you, the player,” Probst said. “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.”

As is standard for the “new era” of “Survivor,” we begin with three tribes of six.

The blue Kele tribe is made up of Alex Moore, Kimberly “Annie” Davis, Jake Latimer, Jeremiah Ing, Nicole Mazullo and Sophi Balerdi.

The red Uli tribe is made up of Jawan Pitts, Nate Moore, Rizo Velovic, Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Savannah Louie and Shannon Fairweather.

The yellow Hina tribe is made up of Jason Treul, Kristina Mills, Matt Williams, Michelle “M.C.” Chuckwujekwu, Sophie Segreti and Steven Ramm.

Treul and Chuckwujekyu were alternates who joined the cast the day before filming began due to two players violating rules put in place by production prior to the start of the game. 

The first challenge — known as the marooning challenge — determines which tribe starts with a pot, machete and flint. 

In the challenge, tribes gather heavy crates from the jungle and ocean to solve a cube puzzle. Upon completion, one member must stand on the crates to hit a bell, signaling the end of the challenge.

Hina started in the lead with Chuckwujekyu and Williams being the first pair to return with their crates. Latimer made a strong effort as the first to return but was slowed down by Davis, the last player to emerge from the jungle.

Despite Hina’s lead going into the water, Uli arrived on shore first thanks to Fairweather and Louie. Treul and Mills completed the puzzle quickly for Hina, leaving Chuckwujekwu to ring the bell.

With their loss in the marooning challenge, Kele and Uli sent Alex Moore and Velovic to face off in a competition for supplies. Velovic seemed hesitant to participate in the challenge.

“I mean, if someone has to go, I’ll go,” Velovic said. “But if it’s a puzzle, we’re cooked.”

Alex Moore was quick to step up on behalf of Kele, sparking admiration in Latimer.

“When Alex said, ‘I’ll go and do this one,’ right away, I knew that was gonna be my guy. It shows he wants to take care of his peers and partners,” Latimer said.

To start the challenge Alex Moore and Velovic located puzzle pieces hidden in 10 coconuts scattered across the beach. Alex Moore pulled ahead, citing his everyday elliptical usage as the reason behind his success. While Alex Moore raced across the beach and quickly completed his puzzle, Velovic struggled to find his footing. 

Alex Moore began to dig in the sand, while Velovic looked at Alex Moore’s puzzle, realizing he never opened his tenth coconut. Now equipped with all of his puzzle pieces, Velovic solved it and began to dig.

“All I thought was, ‘Rizo, dig the fastest you can dig. No matter how you dig this hole, whether it’s your feet, your arms or your damn face,” Velovic said. “Dig this hole and find this ship wheel. And as I’m digging, I strike something hard.” 

Despite Alex Moore’s sizable lead and Velovic’s struggle with puzzles, Velovic won. He earned supplies for Uli and Alex Moore returned to Kele with nothing.

Although he returned empty-handed, Latimer’s admiration for Alex Moore saved him in the eyes of the tribe. While Alex Moore was gone, Latimer was hard at work forming an alliance with Balerdi. He was quick to recommend Alex Moore as a member of their alliance.

“We have a bromance going already, and we haven’t even talked,” Latimer said.

Latimer was also hard at work stealing shoes.

“My name’s Jake, also known as … the shoe bandit. Yesterday, I seen a shoe. I’m like, ‘I’m gonna hide that shoe.’ So I hid it five, ten meters away, just under a log. So I’ve just decided that every day, I’m gonna hide a left shoe,” Latimer said.

On the Uli tribe, Pitts, Louie and Fairweather formed an alliance at the water well. 

“We got a good thing, us three right now,” Pitts said. “We just need one more, because in a tribe of six, you need a majority of four. But we just have to choose the right person.”

Worried about being labeled the “dad” of the tribe and being on the outs, Nate Moore seeked to form an alliance with Louie. He recommended Fairweather and Velovic as the other two members of the alliance. Louie and Fairweather are likely to gain power in the tribe as they dip their toes into two alliances.

Hina’s win in the marooning challenge left them feeling confident. 

“Morale at Hina is very high,” Segreti said. “We are happy to keep this camaraderie, this all-for-one mentality. And that, honestly, is a huge mental lift. I’m not questioning things that I say to people because I’m not worried that they’re about to stab me in the back.” 

The first immunity challenge of the season involved pairs completing a muddy obstacle course to retrieve three long cloth snakes. Once all three were placed on the course, the tribes had to navigate a ball through a maze.

Hina was the first to collect their snakes, giving them a head start on the maze. However, they dropped their ball, making it anyone’s challenge as Uli and Kele start the maze. Despite the setback, Hina won immunity. Kele’s frustrations caused their ball to drop, opening second place for Uli.

Alex Moore, Latimer, Balerdi and Ing formed an alliance of four on Kele, leaving Mazullo and Davis on the outs. The four decided to target Mazullo, telling her they were voting for Davis. Davis attempted to form an alliance with Balerdi, suggesting eventually voting out Alex Moore and Latimer. Feeling uneasy about Davis, the four had a choice to make.

Seemingly aware they were on the chopping block, both Mazullo and Davis arrived at tribal council not wearing blue.

Ultimately, Mazullo was unanimously voted out, with her vote going toward Davis.

It is clear Kele’s lack of supplies is continuing to weigh on them, while Hina’s consistent wins are only increasing their camaraderie. Meanwhile, Uli sits comfortably in their mediocrity. Viewers will have to wait until next week to see if Kele can earn their flint.