Survivor season 47 kicks off with a two-hour premiere and first blindside it’s time for

Survivor host Jeff Probst to “go tally the votes” once again as the long-running reality competition returned for its 47th season on Sept. 18 with an action-packed two-hour premiere. This season introduces 18 new castaways, each vying for the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million prize.


For one contestant, however, the “adventure of a lifetime” came to an abrupt end. Jon Lovett, co-host of Pod Save Americaand former speechwriter for Barack Obama, was the first to be voted out by his Gata tribe. Lovett, 42, from Long Island, N.Y., saw his Survivor journey cut short as his tribemates banded together to send him home in the first tribal council of the season.


The season, filmed over 26 days in the tropical paradise of Fiji, promises a series of dramatic tribal councils, filled with unexpected blindsides as the remaining contestants scheme and strategize their way to the top. Among those still in the game are freelance writer Noah Jensen, 24, from Manahawkin, N.J., and esports commentator Jacob Reed, 30, from Corvallis, Ore., both competing as members of the Lavo tribe.


Meanwhile, Anika Dhar, 26, a marketing manager from Santa Rosa, Calif., remains in the Gata tribe after surviving the season’s first elimination. With alliances forming and tensions rising, this season of *Survivor* is shaping up to be another wild ride filled with backstabbing, bold moves, and the ultimate battle for survival.