Let the Battle Begin, Starting Six Weeks Ago

Season 22 of survivor has been underway for the last month and a half, and no matter how many times they load this show up, I fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Why is it so captivating? We may never know.

If you've never watched the show, this season's appeal might be lost on you without the proper back story. Here's what you need to know: Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano and Russell "Pure Evil" Hantz are the two most famous players in Survivor history, have played multiple times, and are strategic powerhouses. They played together for the first time two seasons ago, during "Heroes vs. Villains" where Russell famously flipped the Villains tribe against Rob, voted him out, and sparked the heated "Who's the best Survivor player ever?" debate.

"Redemption Island" is genius insofar as it provides a battleground to help answer this question. The first episode opened as most first episodes do, two teams being helicoptered in to meet with Jeff Probst on the beach before setting off for camp. But wait! A second helicopter descends dropping off Rob and Russell, complete with glowing introductions from Rob's man crush, Probst. They're each assigned to a tribe, and the rematch is on.

On top of that, the game's format is changed with the introduction of Redemption Island, a halfway house between tribal council and home. Instead of going straight home after being voted out, players make a pit stop at Redemption Island. (I know, the cheese on Survivor knows no limit. It feels like a title that should only be pronounced by Gob Bluth). Here players wait for the next person to be voted out and then face off in a challenge to stay alive in the game. At first, the show made it sound like they'd be cage-fighting shirtless, or at least doing some sort of American Gladiator-esque feat of strength like platform jousting. Alas, the challenges are just knot tying competitions and domino building. What a shame.

I'm planning on recapping each episode for the rest of the season, starting with retroactive diaries for the first six episodes. So watch for those if you haven't been following the season and then check back each week for episode analysis.