Even an immunity idol won’t save you from Episode 1 spoilers if you continue reading this article. There are plenty of ways to watch Season 47 of Survivor if you haven't tuned in yet though!
When Survivor kicked off Season 47 on the 2024 TV schedule last week, we were introduced to yet another cast of characters who are mostly well under 40. There were some outliers to this in Jon Lovett and Solomon ‘Sol’ Yi, who are both in their early forties, and Sue Smey, who is the oldest cast member at 59 this season. Among them, I immediately felt a connection with Pod Save America host Lovett as he talked about being young when the show first kicked off and it being a "surprise" when he found himself feeling old amidst a (mostly) Gen Z and younger Millennial cast. Unfortunately, he was ousted in the first episode, but his exit interview has stuck with me in the last week, and I’m super bummed I won’t be able to see more of him.
I’m sure it can be tough to get it wrong and put all your eggs in the Andy Rueda basket during Day 1, as Lovett seemingly didn’t gel with anyone else in particular on his tribe. He then made a miscalculation thinking he, Rachel and Andy were friendly when, in fact, Rachel was not a huge thumbs up on Andy and later he had a meltdown over a coconut.
Ultimately, he made a big calculation with a target on his back and tried to get out ahead of the vote, telling TV Line he just wasn’t as plugged in as he thought he was, though he was aware he might be the vote night of. He shared his "hope and expectation" when making his big move, which ultimately didn't pan out.
Now, my hope and expectation was that there really was a natural connection with me, Anika, Rachel and Andy. I did not know how much Andy had alienated Rachel from the beginning there. I obviously didn’t have Rachel’s perspective on it so I couldn’t have been aware of that. But because of how things were, I hadn’t really talked to Anika since the first day and I felt like she and Rachel had been moving towards Sierra, but that Sam and Sierra were more of a unit. So there was a way to pull them, with Andy, to vote for Anika. I thought Rachel was honestly just too levelheaded and on her game to be moving around this way. By the time we’re getting to kind of wrangling, I was aware that Rachel was not going along with Andy and because Anika was with Rachel, it was gonna be hard to get Anika. So it was really just process of elimination.
Whomp whomp. It does really go to show you how sometimes having one to two pieces of key information can help you make a move, but it seems like Jon’s credibility may have come into question when he and Andy gelled early on and Andy had a meltdown in the challenge. Then, he tried to make a big move with too little information and his fate was sealed.
Having said this, I was devastated. Lovett was one of two or three Survivor cast members this season (so far) that I personally got excited about right away. And his exit interview really shows why he’s such a level-headed player and good TV when the cameras are rolling. It's no wonder he's already pitching himself for another chance at bat.
Right now, it’s not like I have some profound regret of how I screwed up the experience. I feel like I didn’t have the experience. It was enjoyable. I learned a lot. It was fascinating. But yeah. Why not? Why wouldn’t you have me back? And by the way, I wouldn’t just be doing it for me, I’d be doing it for Survivor itself. They were denied the full experience of me.
I personally would like to see Lovett come back and get another round on the island, as he seems like a sharp guy, a person who expresses himself well on camera and someone who had some interesting strategy in the short time he was a part of the iconic series. Sure, this might also tie a bit into part of me also just wanting a better variety of ages and more older people on the show. Mostly though, I think as a viewer I really just liked him.
Ultimately, Lovett will probably go down as one of the Survivor players who should have gotten further in their seasons, though I guess in some ways it’s a compliment that Lovett was kicked out early and seen as a threat. Regardless, would I have liked to have seen him stay and Andy go home after his meltdown, particularly given there's a theory this was a calculated move on Andy's part? Yes, yes I would have.