What does a viewer want to see on a reality competition show? Suspense is one of the key components. Drama is another important aspect. Fans want to develop a connection with the contestants, so they have an invested interest in who will win. You want viewers to have a reason to keep coming back each week and Survivor definitely accomplishes that.

As a show with a historic place in the reality television landscape, Survivor is legendary. Survivor 48 recently premiered, and it was filled with memorable moments fans are already invested in. From shocking injuries to bitter rivalries, the season premiere was definitely an indicator of what is to come. Host Jeff Probst feels the same way and recently teased what fans of the show could expect.

Jeff And The Latest Contestants Teased Fans Prior To The Premiere Of Survivor 48

Jeff Probst has revealed some secrets about Survivor 48. In an interview with TV Insider, Jeff and the other cast members spoke about the new season and what fans could expect. One of the things Jeff said will come this season is small alliances. He also said that not every cast member is confident in their ability to win. “Will something out there show them that they’re as good as they thought they might be?” Jeff asked.

The two-hour season premiere of the hit reality competition show aired on February 26. All episodes will be 90 minutes going forward. Jeff further elaborated on the fact that this latest season will be “dominated by partnerships.”

“Some of the partnerships are very public. Other partnerships are so secretive, they barely know they’re in a partnership, and the question always becomes, when do I take you out?” Jeff teased.

While alliances have always served contestants best on these shows, it seems that larger groups are doing better in Survivor lately than just two people. Despite this, fans expect the latest season of Survivor to have more one-on-one alliances than larger groups. Viewers will have to tune in to see how it turns out.

Thomas, a contestant on this new season, detailed his strategy by saying, “I want everybody to not know that I’m a threat, and then when it’s too late, I will be standing on the battlefield.” Jeff said, “The one trait that I see in everybody is there’s a fire in their belly.” It certainly sounds like Thomas has the fire Jeff is talking about, but it remains to be seen if it will serve the contestant well.

When talking to the outlet, Jeff also teased that every contestant answered the “call to adventure,” as he worded it. “When you hear it, you’ve got to respond because it’s going to just keep knocking,” Jeff said.

We’re talking about a bunch of contestants all competing in the most extreme conditions to win $1 million. Fans no doubt want drama and suspense in this latest season. If this preview is anything to go by, it certainly looks like those expectations will be met and then some.

Survivor 48 Premiered With An Episode Filled With Painful Injuries And Sneaky Alliances

The season premiere of Survivor 48 ended with a monologue by Jeff Probst where he gave fans a sense of what was to come. “The call can come a lot of different ways, a lot of different times, and stirring up a lot of different emotions,” Jeff began. “The result is you’re all now here, literally standing at the threshold of your adventure. And, from this point forward, every step you take, every action you make, will define your journey. This is where fear starts to arise. You gotta make a big decision philosophically. Am I going to commit and attack this game? Or am I going to hesitate?”

Jeff then described the mindset contestants were required to have going into the competition in order to be successful. “Let’s just use the ocean as an analogy for Survivor,” he said. “Beautiful, mesmerizing. But the ocean is also dangerous, just like Survivor. And those waves get big. They can swallow you up, just like this game. But if you’re a surfer, the big wave is what you want! That’s why you got on the board in the first place. You lean into that big wave, because each big wave gets you closer to the next big wave. And maybe, just maybe, the greatest ride of your life. But if you fear the big wave, if you’re timid, that ocean will consume you.”

Of course, even without the monologue, fans would still expect a season filled with unexpected twists and turns. In the very first episode, there was an injury that delayed a contestant’s participation. Kevin Leung actually dislocated his shoulder during the first challenge and the medical staff had to pop it back in on set.

The season premiere followed the first three days of the competition, and it only got more dramatic from there. However, there weren’t all pitfalls for the contestants. Even though his injury set Kevin back for a bit, he followed up by winning a challenge against Kyle Fraser. Viewers were probably not shocked to see alliances and rivalries already forming in the very first episode. Sai Hughley obtained the game’s first idol as she looked around the jungle for clues to solve a codex.

Sai then had a memorable fight with Stephanie Berger at Tribal Council. Parade called it “one of the most contentious first TCs we’ve seen in at least 25 seasons, if ever.” Stephanie followed it up by playing her Shot in the Dark. Stephanie’s shot didn’t land and Sai’s shot against her did. Therefore, Stephanie was voted out first.

Jeff Opened Up About Kevin’s Injury And Sai’s Victory Over Stephanie In The Season Premiere

Following the season premiere, Jeff spoke to Parade where he said Survivor 48 was one of the best season premieres in recent memory.

“It’s hard to explain and define,” Jeff said. “A player would say, ‘Listen to their gut.’ It’s a gut feeling. So you’ll see when this season’s over if my gut was right. But this has felt electric from the beginning.”

Jeff was asked about the conflict between Sai and Stephanie. He said that Sai had what it took to beat the competition and provoked Stephanie to her advantage. “It kind of came out of nowhere,” he said. “And [Sai] was implying that some people were enjoying being in the jungle, and [Stephanie] didn’t like that. And I thought it was interesting from her standpoint, but also an interesting move early in the game to make such a broad statement about something that I’m guessing most people would say, ‘Hey, Sai, I’m still playing. I’m just looking at the sky. It’s not that big a deal.’ But she really locked onto it.”

Jeff continued, “It also mirrors something she said after the Immunity Challenge, where she said, ‘Look, I want to win. I’m here to win,’ implying that somebody here doesn’t want to win. And I think she was probably talking about Stephanie, given that that’s how the vote went. So, I think Sai is going to be a force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t back off.”

Kevin’s shoulder injury was another stand-out moment from the episode. Jeff was asked about his reaction to that moment, particularly how he switched from reality host to concerned human.

“The shift is seamless,” he said. “Because you do learn working on Survivor after a while that anything could happen. So you just let go of expectations. So instead of, ‘Oh, I wonder if there’ll be an injury,’ you’re not even thinking about an injury, because an injury is always possible. So when I saw Kevin working on his shoulder, it was like, ‘Alright, let’s clear out. Medical come in. Is this going to be catastrophic? Will it be just a minor thing? We don’t know. Dr. Will, walk us through it.’ And he did.”

Jeff continued, “It was really interesting. We saw something we’d never seen. He gave him this green whistle, I even was like, ‘Wait a minute. We didn’t talk about a green whistle!’ And he goes, ‘No, it just reduces the pain for about 60 seconds so that I can just pop it in.’ Yeah, great. He popped it in. Everything was fine. And as we saw today, Kevin seems like he’s okay. But what it reminds every player in the audience is Survivor is real. And I think you heard players say it Tribal. Cedrek said, ‘You can watch all you want. Until you get out here, you don’t realize that’s a real jungle. That’s real hunger. That’s a real fire I’m trying to make. This is a real Tribal Council. I’m going to vote somebody out.’ And so I think when someone like Kevin gets injured, it’s dramatic. But it also reminds a person at home, don’t come out here unless you’re ready for that.”