'Survivor: Blood vs. Water's loved ones tribe votes out Marissa Peterson in premiere

Survivor: Blood vs. Water's Tadhana newbies tribe voted Marissa Peterson -- a 21-year-old student from Chapel Hill, NC who is the niece of returning player Gervase Peterson -- out of their tribe during Wednesday night's premiere of the CBS reality series' 27th edition.


"I just got blindsided at Tribal. I came in thinking that [Katie Collins] is a go. No, Marissa was a go," Marissa said after she was voted out of her tribe, later adding she was "pissed off."

After being voted out at the season's first Tribal Council session, Marissa was taken -- courtesy of the return of the game's Redemption Island twist -- to Redemption Island, where she will battle other castaways in an attempt to eventually earn the right to rejoin the competition and resume competing for Survivor: Blood vs. Water's million dollar prize.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water's debut broadcast began with the season's 10 returning castaways and their 10 loved ones boating to an island in the Philippines where they'd begin playing a 39-day game.

The 10 returning Survivor castaways are Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Tocantins and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains), Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama -- Exile Island), Rupert Boneham (Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All-Stars), Candice Cody (formerly known as Candice Woodcock, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and Survivor: Cook Islands), Monica Culpepper (Survivor: One World), Colton Cumbie (Survivor: One World), Kat Edorsson (Survivor: One World), Laura Morett (Survivor: Samoa), Gervase Peterson (Survivor: Borneo), and Tina Wesson (Survivor: Australia and Survivor: All-Stars).


Monica, a 42-year-old former NFL wife and homemaker from Tampa, FL, returned to compete with her husband Brad Culpepper, a 44-year-old attorney and retired NFL player from Tampa, FL.

Colton, a 22-year-old student teacher from Collinsville, AL, will compete with fiance Caleb Bankston, a 26-year-old post office manager and farmer from Collinsville, AL.

Kat, a 23-year-old full-time student and saleswoman from Orlando, FL, will pair up with her boyfriend -- former Big Brother winner Hayden Moss, a 26-year-old in real estate from Springtown, TX.

Tyson, a 34-year-old former pro cyclist and shop manager from Provo, UT, will compete with girlfriend Rachel Foulger, a 33-year-old cocktail waitress and graphic designer from Provo, UT.

Aras, a 31-year-old musician from Santa Monica, CA, will compete with his brother Vytas Baskauskas, a 33-year-old yoga instructor and math professor from Santa Monica, CA.


Rupert, a 49-year-old mentor for troubled teens from Indianapolis, IN, will compete alongside wife Laura Boneham, a 44-year-old merchandiser from Indianapolis, IN.

Laura M., a 43-year-old co-owner of Morett Construction from Salem, OR, will be partnered with her daughter Ciera Eastin, a 24-year-old cosmetology student from Salem, OR.

Gervase, a 43-year-old cigar lounge owner from Philadelphia, PA, will pair up with his niece Marissa.

Candice, a 30-year-old physician and anesthesiology resident from Washington, D.C., will compete with husband John Cody, a 30-year-old physician and army orthopedic surgery resident from Washington, D.C.

Tina, a 52-year-old motivational speaker from Robbinsville, NC, will compete with her daughter Katie Collins, a 25-year-old who works in hedge fund support from New York, NY.


In a new twist dubbed "Day Zero," the pairs of loved ones spent the night in separate areas of the jungle. The short experience allowed the returning players to prepare their loved ones -- and newbie players of the game -- for what awaited them. There were no supplies, water or food handy -- just the comfort of having one another there.

The following day, everyone gathered on the beach and met with Survivor host Jeff Probst, who revealed the pairs would be playing against each other rather than with one another on the same tribe.

When asked who was happy about the news, over half the castaways surprisingly raised their hands -- including Kat and Monica. Brad admitted to the group he'd have a tough time separating his head versus his heart when playing against his wife, and his tribe of newbies stared at and eyed him down.

"Watching my wife walk over to the other tribe, it was a bit of a relief and a little bit of sadness at the same time. I didn't have to worry at all about writing my wife's name down, but then I also can't protect her," Rupert said.

Jeff announced the returning players' tribe would be called Galang, and the first-time castaways' tribe would be called Tadhana.


In yet another surprising twist, Jeff asked each tribe to immediately vote one of its members out. At this point in the game, first impressions were everything. Laura B. was voted out of the newbies' tribe with five votes in a row. 

"Watching my wife get voted out of her tribe about killed me. Why they would do that, it's a smack against me. Every one of those little scared newbies are saying, 'We've got to stop Rupert!'" Rupert told the cameras.

Candice was voted out of the returning players with five votes. Laura M. received three votes and Gervase earned himself a single vote.

However, Laura B. and Candice were not necessarily out of the game for good, as Jeff revealed they would be sent to Redemption Island, where they'll compete in a series of duels for a chance to get back in the game.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water was then put to its first real test. Jeff asked Rupert whether he'd like to take his wife's spot on Redemption Island, and in turn, she would join the returning players' tribe. He decided to take advantage of the opportunity, stating how he could win the duels on Redemption Island and come back.


Therefore, Laura B. joined Galang. Rupert's tribe was upset because he was going to be an asset to them, as he was skilled at building shelters and supplying food.

John was then given the chance to switch places with Candice. He decided Candice was "a tough woman" and certainly capable of living on Redemption Island and competing in the duels against Rupert. Therefore, John remained with the Tadhana tribe.

"Watching Candice walk off literally felt like my heart was being torn out of my chest, like the second I saw her walking off, I was like, 'There's nothing that's going to be harder than not doing everything I can to save my wife's butt in this game,'" John noted in tears. "Now I have the opportunity to show all those dumbasses how big of a mistake they made."

Later that Day, on Day 1, the Galang tribe was getting settled at camp and had begun building their shelter. Gervase hadn't played in 13 years but was ready for everything. He didn't, however, want to play with Rupert's wife Laura B. Meanwhile, Laura B. was intimidated by her tribe because she was working with experts. She felt pressure and needed to show how valuable she could be to the tribe.

Within 15 minutes, the returning players had fire, water boiling, and they were eating rice already. They were pretty comfortable in their new surroundings. Monica also asked Colton if they could move on from the drama of Survivor: One World and try to get along this time around. He had stabbed her in the back before, and Colton also wanted to bury the hatchet.

Over at Tadhana's camp, the guys were quick to form an alliance with Brad trying to be the ringleader. Brad got John and the other three male castaways on his tribe -- Caleb, Hayden and Vytas -- all onboard with the plan. Brad also made Caleb his "number one" guy and the pair shook on it. Caleb wasn't really buying Brad's Final 2 promise but agreed just to "shut him up."


Afterward, Vytas opened up to some of his tribemates how his relationship with his brother Aras wasn't fully mended. Aras had apparently always been the "golden child" and Vytas was a former convict and heroin addict. Vytas wanted to show everyone he had become a different man and was ready to put his all into the game both socially and physically.

On Night 1, Colton admitted to his tribe he had been very insecure when he first played the game. He cried about how he had acted and explained his difficult history with his family. His tribemates were sympathetic to him, and some of the castaways actually believed Colton was ready to turn over a new leaf and express a positive attitude in the game.

On Day 2, Candice was working hard on Redemption Island while Rupert was resting. Candice told the cameras she was really annoyed because she was doing everything around camp while Rupert just slept and ate. She found it "infuriating."

However, Rupert admitted to the cameras his apparent laziness was a strategy. He was hoping Candice would burn herself doing chores and he'd go into the first duel strong and well-rested. The more energy she put into camp life, the weaker Rupert thought she'd be.

On Day 3, both tribes met Jeff again for Survivor: Blood vs. Water's first Immunity Challenge.

Six members of each team were instructed to race over a series of obstacles to a boat, untie the boat and then paddle it back to shore. On the boat was a chest full of puzzle pieces. Three tribemates must then use those puzzle pieces to assemble a ship wheel. Once assembled, each tribe was required to spin the week and raise its flag. In addition to immunity, the tribes were playing for Reward in the form of flint to start a fire.


The newbie Tadhana tribe announced they had a fire going, but they were just bluffing and really needed the flint.

During the challenge, Gervase struggled moving quickly and swimming in the water, and Aras tried to help him. The new players had a strong lead for most of the challenge but lost their advantage during the puzzle phase. In the end, Galang won. It was bittersweet for the tribe because they were declared safe but were also putting their loved ones in jeopardy.

Colton cried when his tribe won but Gervase cheered aloud and kind of rubbed it in his opponents' faces, including his own niece.

"Gervase, for him to kind of jump up and down and like 'in your face,' I was like, 'Hey bozo, your loved one may go home! While you're cheering about that, it's great, you guys beat us. But it's like, you're beating your own," Brad explained.

Later that day, Tadhana began discussing whom they should vote out. Marissa announced to the group she was surprised and disappointed in how Gervase reacted to his tribe's victory. Brad wanted to go after Marissa to get revenge on Gervase for bragging.

However, Ciera, Katie and Caleb were the players who failed to solve the puzzle during the challenge. All three castaways worried for their safety. Caleb said Katie was just the extra cook in the kitchen during that puzzle and she didn't really contribute any help. The vote therefore seemed to come down to Marissa or Katie, and the guys wondered whose vote-off would most affect the Galang tribe down the road.


Vytas, although a part of the majority male alliance, found it important to keep his alliances strong with the girls as well. It was becoming obvious the guys were working together, so he wanted to also establish personal connections with the girls to not become their target.

That night, the Tadhana tribe arrived for their first Tribal Council session of the season.

John struggled with the thought of his wife Candice thinking he had let her down and didn't stand up for her. The tribe also admitted Gervase's reaction added fuel to the fire and Marissa felt vulnerable because of that. Marissa was disappointed the returning castaways didn't handle their victory with grace, yet she asked her tribemates to judge her on her own actions, performance and character rather than her uncle's.

Marissa asked her fellow castaways to wait until the merge to judge her for Gervase's behavior. She wanted them to do what was best for the tribe and not make a decision based on something personal.

Jeff then revealed the votes. Marissa voted for Katie and five votes were revealed for Marissa. Marissa's torch was then extinguished and she was sent to Redemption Island to join Rupert and Candice.

At the end of Tribal Council, the newbies tribe received a flint.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski