Survivor Bloomsburg Season 3 kicked off Tuesday September 9th! All the castaways crowded outside the Kehr Union’s ballroom anxiously waiting for the game to begin. But, in a way, the game had already begun.
Conversations have sprouted in clumps around the waiting room. The large circle of couches holds the largest and loudest group. There’s another lounging by the piano, but they aren’t nearly as talkative. Of course, there’s other groups who stand wherever they can find space. These range anywhere from two to six castaways.
It’s at this moment where you can feel the tension. Everyone is making friends. Friends lead to alliances and, therefore, security in the game. You don’t want to be left out or be alone. Some conversations almost feel forced while others just click. What you’re looking for is comfortability.
But even when things seem comfortable the nerves make you question everything.
Should I stay in my clump or introduce myself to another group? What if I talk to too many people? What if I talk to too few? What are the challenges going to look like? The tribes? What if I mess up in a challenge? What if they don’t like me? . . . what if I’m voted out first?
One of these questions has snaked their way into each player’s mind. If not now, then at some point during the night. Which, after much anticipation, finally begins as the ballroom doors open and the castaways line up to enter.
Thirty-five contestants now sit on the tribal council bleachers as the head producer, GK, explains the rules of the season. It runs similar to the CBS Survivor show, but there’s two important things to note. The first being the absence of three players. The cast for this season was originally supposed to be thirty-eight, but those who could not attend the premier episode were immediately eliminated from the game.
The second being the introduction to Husky Island! Each episode, the castaways who are voted out will have the option to participate in a redemption challenge on Husky Island. If they manage to win this challenge, they secure their spot back in the game. It makes for an interesting twist on the season. However, the location, appearance, and other information about the island were left as a mystery.
After GK’s speech, the host of season three takes the stage. Josiah reiterates some of the points previously mentioned as well as respect towards the production staff. Seasons one and two were made possible with all the time and effort they poured into the competition. I hope all players will treat them with respect and appreciation. They make it all possible.
Maybe thirty seconds after Josiah takes the stage, he describes the first challenge. You can see the crowd’s posture perk up as he explains that everyone would need to find a hoola hoop scattered in the center of the ballroom. There would only be three people per hoop. Those who did not find a hoop in time would not be eligible to participate in the next challenge.
“3”
Murmurs have grown as the castaways eye the hoola hoops.
“2”
Feet and legs twitch in anticipation. How far should I run for a hoop? Should I bolt for a closer one or chance it for a further one?
“1”
Those on the bottom of the bleachers already have a foot or two on the carpet. Those on the last row are deciding how to hop off without trampling the person in front of them.
“Go”
The swarm takes off! Some easily find a home in the nearest ring. Others are pushed out, frantically scrambling to the next, and the next. There are some players like myself, who dart for aim only for the farthest ones. A risky move that pays off for some. In less than ten seconds, the groups are determined.
Everyone, but the two who couldn’t find a hoop, breath a sigh of relief. There are now eleven trios who are given temporary buffs. Each trio holds a different color as the second challenge of the night quickly kicks off. “The Bamboo Stick Circle Drop and Catch Challenge!”
This challenge will focus on your reflexes. The thirty-three castaways are put into a large circle, each holding a bamboo stick with one finger. On the host’s ‘go!’ everyone will drop their stick and catch the falling stick to their left. If you fail to catch a stick, you are eliminated from the challenge. The last person remaining wins for their trio.
Of course, when a player falls it leaves a gap in the circle, making it difficult for the person behind you. Given that the trio is set in a line, if you fail to catch your stick, you’ll likely hurt your team in the process. This fact became more evident when the gap grew wider and wider and more teams became eliminated.
When the gap was too big, the production staff would alter the circle to make things fair. By the end of the challenge, navy blue was left with two players while lime green had one. On the final drop, Haydn G was the only one who managed to catch the bamboo stick, securing the win for navy.
This achievement allowed navy to form the first tribe of the season, Gibbon. They were given yellow buffs and hats and were told to pick three other trios that would join them on Gibbon. They decided on light blue, lime green, and dark blue. This tribe did not have to participate in the next challenge and were safe from the first tribal council.
As a member of this tribe, I can say this acted as good momentum for our team. As the second challenge started it allowed us to become acquainted and learn one another’s names early on. Along with that, it reduced our stress knowing we would be safe from a tribal council.
However, the other trios continued to fight their way to earn a slot on a tribe. They had to participate in the “Word Sequence Agility Challenge!” Trios would have to make their way through an agility ladder and then guess at the word puzzle. If it was incorrect they would be sent back to the start where the next person in their trio would take a stab at ladder and puzzle.
It’s also important to note that Abbey and Noah, the two who failed to find a hoop, were allowed to join one of the trios. Noah chose to be dark green while Abbey chose pink.
The winner of this challenge was brown who formed the Bonobo tribe. They chose the purple, white, and dark green from the group of remaining trios. Bonobo was also safe from the first tribal council of the night, which also boosted their morale.
This left three unchosen groups: pink, teal, and orange team. These three groups formed the last tribe known as Uakari. This tribe would go to tribal council to send the first person to Husky Island.
One thing that many people overlooked was the number of people per tribe. Because three castaways failed to attend the first episode, it left Uakira to have only ten members. This is a slight disadvantage when compared to Gibbon with twelve and Bonobo with thirteen.
Uakira’s number grew to nine after the first tribal. Although one vote went to Talyor, it was a unanimous decision to vote out Hadden T.
The first vote is always a difficult one. It makes you feel like a toxic person. You know these people for a few hours, in Uakira’s case, less than that. Most players feel bad after the first vote, because you don’t want to hurt the other person. We’re all here for the fun of the game, not to hurt people in the process.
After Hadden’s vote, many players from the various tribes went to comfort him. Remember, he still has hope of coming back with the addition of Husky Island.
The last challenge of the night was an eight-legged relay. Every player would need to participate in one of the legs. With as many stations as there were, many of the teams needed time to comprehend and strategize which player they wanted where.
The first leg of the challenge was ‘Stuff A Monkey.’ This is essentially the same as Stuff a Critter, a popular event held here at Bloomsburg. Only, it took the players longer than anticipated due to the required amount of stuffing needed to fill the monkey.
The monkey that was stuffed would become the tribe’s mascot. For the next few episodes, tribes will be able to steal these monkeys from one another. By doing so, they can give their team an advantage or disadvantage in the next challenge. None of this was seen in this episode, but it’s important for the players to remember moving forward.
From the second stage on, players at each station needed to wear a monkey mask and hold one either the stuffed monkey or banana. At station two, three castaways would sort slices of pool noodles on a rod. The best way this can be described is by referencing those mobile game ads where you’re supposed to sort colored balls in different tubes by moving one at a time.
At station three, a single castaway would use an inflated monkey tail to collect a series of hooped objects on the ground. This was arguably the most difficult since they were holding two objects in their hand with a monkey mask on their head. It was also very awkward to watch. I don’t think anyone necessarily wanted to participate in this leg of the challenge. So, shout out to the people who managed it!
The next station required to castaways to maneuver a hoola hoop through a set of agility poles. The catch was they could only use their hands at the start. They had to hold it between their stomachs. Perhaps a little awkward, but with communication, most teams managed it without much of a problem.
Station five required a player to run to fetch a jumble of cut-out letters. The other player would then piece them together to form three words. One word had to be three letters, another six, and the last nine. The whole tribe was allowed to chip in with any assistance, they just could touch the letters.
At six, one player had to hook a barrel of monkeys only using one hand. The best way I can describe it is those little toy monkeys you might’ve played with as a kid.
At station seven, two players were in charge of a lock, while the other players looked around the room to find clues on how to crack it. Once it was cracked, they would open up a popsicle puzzle. The first two teams to complete this relay would win immunity.
Bonobo and Gibbon had the lead at various points. Uakira struggled a bit with their lack of numbers but managed to pull second place while Bonobo earned first. Gibbon had been the first to the lock. While their team did find the right code, the two players on the lock failed to type it in correctly. This mistake sent Gibbon to the second tribal of the night.
As a player on this team, I can say that it was no easy vote. There wasn’t a single person who I wanted to vote. I thought everyone on our team preformed well. For a while it was difficult for anyone to say a name. However, since Wyatt was on the lock section of the relay, he was ultimately sent home. The votes stood as: Wyatt—10 Dane—1 Michael—1.
Huskey island will give both Wyatt and Hadden T. a chance to return to the game. Next episode might give us more details on what happens at the island and what it looks like.
Most players, at this point, are relieved to survive night one. Tribes like Uakira and Gibbon have experience tribal council now and know what it takes to be vote out a castaway. Bonobo has yet to go. Can they keep up their winning streak? Time will tell.
Author’s Note: The writer of this article is an active participant in Survivor Bloomsburg Season 3 and was a member of the Gibbon tribe during the events described. While the facts and viewpoints presented in this recap have been verified for accuracy, readers should be aware that the author’s direct involvement in the competition may result in inherent bias in perspective and interpretation of events. This firsthand account aims to provide an insider’s view while maintaining objectivity where possible.
