The Mariana Islands in the South Pacific.

These 15 volcanic summits form a crescent-shaped archipelago ranging from Guam in the South to Japan in the North. In 1521, they were named “Las Islas de los Ladrones”, or The Islands of the Thieves by legendary Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan due to tense relations with the indigenous peoples, before being renamed for Spanish Queen Mariana in 1668. Historians believe that these islands have been inhabited since 1500 BC, with a heavy reliance on the abundance of fish supplied by limestone coral reefs.

For 25 weeks in 2018, these lush green forests, stark black volcanic cliffs, and stunning blue beaches will play home to 24 Canadians, each vying for the title of Sole Survivor. The game of Survivor Hamilton will test them with time-based challenges, but the toughest tests will be personal, as each week they will come together to vote out one of their own. Friendships will be strained, risks will be weighed, and ultimately, the winner will be decided by a jury of those left behind along the way.

But that’s week 25. And here we are, only on Day 1. Let’s meet this season’s 2 Tribes. Fuego, wearing orange buffs, symbolizes Fire, and will be comprised of Bryan, Chris, Claudia, Graham, Iain, Jon, Jordan, Luke, Meg, Peter, Rebecca, and Stevie. Hielo, wearing blue buffs and symbolizing Ice, features Alex, Cait, Chelsea, Cowin, David, Elliott, Greg, Jonathan, Paul, Silas, Stef, and Tyler.
Arriving on a barge, fully stocked with fruits and vegetables, chickens, tools, tarps, and fishing and building supplies, each tribe will have only 2 minutes to grab what they can, load it into their tribe’s rowboat, and row to the beach. There they will work together to move huge blocks into the shape of stairs that will lead to a bag of rice. With many different strengths, weaknesses, and personalities present on both tribes, this will be the first chance to build momentum in the game. Only the first tribe to reach the bag of rice will get to keep any supplies they gather. The other tribe will go to their beach empty handed.

And with that introduction out of the way, the game starts NOW!

Immediately there was utter mania. All of the castaways started by running in different directions and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on, but soon two different plans took shape. Fuego started by chucking their supplies overboard into the water, with Bryan jumping in first to try and get floating (and sinking!) items into their boat. Claudia grabbed a machete and some firewood. Meg wrestled some rope from Paul’s grasp. Soon Jordan and Jon began urging the rest of the team to take what they had and get out to an early start on the boats. So Chris grabbed two wooden cages with chickens and jumped into the water, while Peter pulled them into the boat. Stevie threw a last basket of fruits to Luke in the boat and a banana hit him in his eye. Soon enough, they were all aboard and on their way to the beach.

In all the madness on the barge, Hielo kept their wits about them, relying on good teamwork and direction from Stef and Silas, and eventually filled their boat with many valuable supplies. Cowin piled himself up with everything he could find, while David ran around frantically throwing everything over his shoulder towards where the boats were docked. A coconut conked Elliott on the head and he stumbled into Tyler’s arms. Steadied, they worked together with Alex to lift a huge chest full of supplies. Soon after, and maybe too late, Greg noticed that everyone from the other team was together and they were beginning to row away!

So he and Chelsea began yelling for everyone to hurry and get into their boat. Soon everyone was ready to row, but Jonathan had gotten tangled in rope and Cait had to go and help him escape. This would have been a big issue if Fuego’s boat had left at the same time, but it was a disaster because boy, does the Fuego tribe know how to row! Rebecca was standing on the front of the boat cheering on the rowers, keeping them in rhythm, and with the lighter boat, in no time they were at the beach and assessing the gigantic blocks in front of them.

Due to the size of the blocks, a successful tribe would need most of the tribe to move them, and at least 2 to bark orders and ensure the patterns on the sides lined up. The physical strength of Fuego was immediately apparent, however the organization and teamwork appeared to be lacking. With Iain and Claudia trying to solve the side patterns from a distance, Fuego was only starting to make progress before Hielo made it to the beach with their boat and far more supplies.

Rowing had been smooth, but the boat was heavy, so Hielo was looking exhausted. However, when they reached the puzzle, everything started coming together. Chelsea, Paul, and Jonathan really appeared to understand the way the patterns fit, while Cait and Greg organized the tribe around one huge block at a time which made rolling them back and forth much more organized and speedy.
With Fuego’s headstart, and Hielo’s excellent teamwork, it was hard to tell who would be able to get their blocks in place and climb first. Would Fuego’s head start be enough? Or would Hielo’s apparent puzzle ability pull them all the way back to win? Well, just as Cowin and David were lifting the last block, Chris and Graham got their top block in place, allowing Bryan to scramble up freely, but Greg leaped and caught his ankle!! There was an ensuing struggle, with many others getting involved, until Chelsea clambered over the pile of bodies and latched onto the hanging bag of rice!

Hielo wins REWARD in the form of food and many other supplies that will surely help them continue to build on their great start!

Ultimately, Hielo pulled this one out, but this was not an immunity challenge, and nobody has been eliminated yet. The real challenges will begin shortly… So anyway, after the challenge, Hielo was instructed to follow their map to their beach, and so they went with beans, fruit and veg, some tools, and two chickens, and one big bag of rice, feeling excellent, while Fuego followed their map to a long day and an even longer night.

And now, on to some of this Challenge’s top performers! This time, and this time only, we will not highlight the bottom performers. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Hielo:
    

Fuego:
    

Go to the Immunity Challenge