Appearances Are Deceiving

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Appearances Are Deceiving
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	David vs. Goliath
Episode Number	1/14 (542)
Original Release	September 26, 2018
Viewership (in Millions)	7.83
Ratings/Share (18-49)	1.7/7
Episode Chronology
Previous	"Reunion" (previous season)
Next	"The Chicken Has Flown the Coop"
Subpages

Appearances Are Deceiving is the season premiere of Survivor: David vs. Goliath.

Story

Day 1

Carried by two speedboats, two tribes of ten are being taken to a larger boat in the middle of Fiji to meet Jeff Probst and begin the game.

Wearing orange is the David tribe, comprised of those who had to overcome adversity their entire life, working hard to get where they are today.

	Christian	“	I've been interested in robots since I was a wee baby child, and everyone here is going to assume I am a huge nerd, which is not entirely incorrect. I'm not exactly the kinda guy who cruised by on his good looks throughout life. But now, I'm a robotics research scientist, and you might be surprised by what I can pull out.	”

	Elizabeth	“	There's eight kids in my family, and my mom home-schooled all of us, so we didn't have a whole lot. But, we earned it with blood, sweat and tears; I mean, I could throw a bale of hay higher than anybody when I was twelve.	”

On the other hand, wearing purple is the Goliath tribe, comprised of those who were born with advantages and are used to being on top of their chosen careers.

	Natalie	“	I've been amazing in business. Everything I touch turns to gold. I am a publisher and CEO of the largest black newspaper in the west coast. I'm a proven leader. I've had people who would literally take a bullet for me.	”

	Angelina	“	I've had a fairytale life. I studied at Stanford University, I got my MBA for Yale. There's so much about me that puts me at such an advantageous position, and I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with out here.	”

The Goliaths arrive and board the large boat first, followed by the Davids, and Angelina giggles upon seeing the tribe she is competing against.

	Angelina	“	As I'm on this boat to start Survivor, I look at everyone who's on the boat around me and I wonder, is this my tribe? We just look stacked. So much strength, so much beauty, some clear brains and as I look at the other tribe, I have the biggest smile on my face. The cards are just stacked completely in our favor and I want to take full advantage of that.	”

After introducing the theme of the season, Jeff officially opens the game with a Reward Challenge. Before explaining the rules of the challenge, Jeff asks the Goliath tribe to select who they perceive as the two weakest members of the David tribe, after which the Goliaths choose Christian and Lyrsa. Neither Christian nor Lyrsa is surprised by the decision. The Goliaths are then to choose two of their strongest members, after which they choose Alison and John. With the pairs of competitors decided, Jeff gives the David tribe the opportunity to tilt the situation in their favor by choosing the set of obstacles in the challenge each pair of representatives would have to go through. The Davids decide that the Goliath representatives would do the plank bridge, the net tube, and the 15-piece block puzzle, giving the beam over the water, the net crawl, and the 8-piece puzzle for themselves.

Christian and Lyrsa immediately take the lead, passing through the beam with ease, while Alison and John struggle to pass through the plank bridge. At the net crawl, Christian and Lyrsa begin to slow down, allowing Alison and John to catch up. Christian extends the lead for the Davids by finishing their puzzle within seconds, allowing Lyrsa to untie the bundle of lumber, winning it, and the challenge altogether for David. Jeff is amazed by Christian for solving the puzzle as quick as he did. Christian explains that the puzzle was child's play for him. After receiving maps to their camps, the tribes head out to their new homes.

The Goliath tribe arrives at their beach, where Dan shares his past as a fat kid who later extensively worked out to become a SWAT officer. Dan's story, which he used as currency to create alliances, brings most of the women close to him. He began to work with Kara, jokingly called her "his kryptonite".

	Kara	“	Dan is one of those people I immediately connected to. I can tell he's a genuine soul. In my life, I was an NFL cheerleader, I'm a real estate agent now, so it's part of me to be charming and it's clear that he's drawn to me.	”

The David tribe reaches their camp, ecstatic and expresses pride for their underdog background. Pat quickly stepped into a leadership position and volunteered to take the lead in making shelter.

	Pat	“	Being on the David tribe most certainly fits me. I'm self-made, I've struggled my whole life. I'm a blue-collar guy. I didn't come up with money and being brought up the way I was, it seasoned me.	”

Pat's verbose tenacity immediately resonates with his tribemates as being bumptious. Later, Pat makes crude jokes, to which the women do not appreciate.

	Christian	“	Pat can be a bit directive at times the way he wants people to do. In engineering and science, there are people with strong personalities, but man, I don't think I've ever had my name shouted out like that in a professional setting. I got the sense of other people felt a little bit bossed around by Pat. I think that people were dealing with it and also willing to put up with it, as long as we're getting a shelter built. If we're not succeeding in the shelter, he would be in big trouble.	”

Back at Goliath camp, Natalie is frustrated by her tribe's indecision as to how they should build their shelter while the weather is increasingly deteriorating. Natalia, an industrial engineer by profession, notices Natalie's bossy demeanor and was immediately put off by it.

	Natalie	“	It's an adjustment out here because I'm older; I'm 57, they're 25! I have young people who work for me, so similarly with these younger people on the tribe, I put out what I think, cause I am accustomed to being in charge.	”

	Natalia	“	We have Natalie who's very strong and she really likes to give orders, and she's not afraid to tell you what she is thinking. Clearly barking orders at me and our other tribe members, she immediately put a target on her back.	”

Back at David beach, as the shelter starts to come together, Jessica tries to hide the fact that she is the youngest member of the tribe at 19 years old. She quickly forms an alliance with Carl, who later pulls Davie aside, where the latter vents his frustrations about Pat's overbearing personality. Carl notices the tribe is starting to break off into multiple groups, believing everyone is already playing the game.

	Carl	“	I came to this game thinking that I was just gonna be laid-back, but I see everyone else approaching people, so that kinda lets me know that the David team is here to play this game.	”

Meanwhile, Lyrsa and Elizabeth form an alliance, knowing nobody would suspect them to be in one because of their different backgrounds.

	Lyrsa	“	The strongest connection I have right now is Elizabeth, and that kind of surprised me because we're so different. I mean, she's a cowgirl, I'm a punk rocker lesbian. We're so different but at the same time I think we're connected on the same loyalty and trust, and honesty and respect for the game.	”

Also forming an alliance are Christian and Gabby because of their similar personality traits.

	Gabby	“	I feel Christian and I are kindred spirits. I love that guy. I'm a technical writer, which means that I write documentation for software, so I consider myself the nerd whisperer. I love intelligent people, I love nerdy people, so I definitely was drawn to Christian.	”

Back at Goliath, John tells Mike about an American wrestling gimmick he does in Mexico. As a wrestler, John is known by many nicknames, such as "Johnny Mundo", "The Mayor of Slamtown" and "The Monday-Night Delight", but on Survivor, he wants to be himself.

	John	“	None of those characters I play in the wrestling ring are gonna win the game of Survivor. I'm playing as John. I'm playing as me.	”

While working on getting their camp done, everyone questions Natalie's work ethic, as she barks orders but has not done much herself. Meanwhile, Mike sneaks off into the jungle to look for the Hidden Immunity Idol, believing it would be a big moment for him on his Survivor experience. Contrary to what he thought, everyone at camp quickly notices Mike's absence, rightfully worried he may be searching for an idol. Upon finding Mike, Natalie warns him about his actions.

	Mike	“	I found out I put a target on my back when I ran into Natalie. She said, "You got a target on your back, Mike. You've been gone too long. Everyone knows you're looking for an idol". I made a rookie mistake. But I feel like I went for the Immunity Idol not because I felt like I needed it, but because I wanted it. I just got caught up in the excitement of it, and then ended up being hoisted by my own petard.	”

Day 2

Battered by the rains the Davids work quickly to get the roof of the shelter done to protect themselves for the next night. Elizabeth notices how much of a toll the rain took on them.

	Elizabeth	“	We had a rough first night with all the rain. It was terrible. We've got the royal treatment from the island as far as the weather goes; there is no initiation with this. And I think sometimes the struggle is what makes someone who they are. In a David, you care about each other way more than Goliaths care about each other. When you've been in a struggle, you tend to empathize and care deeply about those that are around you; it is inbred into a David to care about the other Davids.	”

While everyone is working, Nick is subtly trying to avoid work, having no interest in putting the shelter up. Wanting to play the game, he tries to build alliances with everybody, most notably Christian and Elizabeth, even naming the alliances for fun.

	Nick	“	It's very easy to get people to trust you on Survivor. It's almost too easy.	”

With the shelter finished, Nick's laziness does not go unnoticed by Carl, who values people who pull their weight; while Pat's personality annoyed him, he praised his work ethic compared to Nick's.

	Carl	“	Being a truck driver, there were times I couldn't stop to get food, I mean, I had to get that load to where it needed to be, so I can't stand lazy ass people.	”

At Goliath, the rain is hitting just as hard. While filling their water canteens at the well, Angelina and Alison discuss the fact that men seem to find idols more commonly than women do, as women tend to do more work around camp. They decide to team up and find it together, in order to "boost their idol stat up". Later, everyone scatters around camp to search. The Goliaths look through every hole, every branch, every rock, every piece of fabric, but Dan just sits back and laughs, as it turns out he already found it. Dan reveals that he found the idol under a rock with tribe-colored string around it while searching with Kara and Natalia. Dan tells Kara and Natalia this and decides to keep it a secret between the three of them.

	Dan	“	Finding this idol is a Goliath moment for me. Y'know, I set myself with a goal with an idol, and I found it. I am becoming the person I want to be in my life. I mean, I found an idol with the most beautiful girls in this whole entire game right now. It cannot get any better.	”

While hunting for food at David beach, Davie manages to catch an octopus, to his excitement. Bringing it back to camp, the tribe celebrates and eat the meal together.

	Davie	“	I love Survivor, so to be sitting here on an island in Fiji... I'm still slapping myself in my mind because, is this real?	”

Soon afterward, rain begins to fall once again, and the Davids huddle up in the shelter. Jessica begins to break down and shares how the situation reminds her of how she wants to help people who feel like her, people who have nowhere to go, and one of those people was her mother, for she was in an unhealthy relationship. Bi tries to make her feel better by sharing her story too, where she used to be in an abusive relationship herself, claiming Jessica's mother is lucky to have her daughter with her. As everybody shares their sad stories, Nick feels hesitant about sharing his, but he eventually decides to tell them the truth: his mother used to be a regular drug user, and three years ago she overdosed, and he lost her. He breaks down, explaining he didn't want to make his mother look like a bad person, and the others comfort him. Nick realizes he has to build genuine relationships soon.

	Nick	“	Since I have shared my story, it really feels like there's a weight off me. You know, I really need to talk about my personal struggles as well. I do, because, y'know, I never really cry anymore and I think it's cause my mom isn't here, cause she's always the person I would call, and being able to open up to my tribe mates, she would've been proud of me for that.	”

Day 3

Still raining, the tribes arrive at their first Immunity Challenge. The challenge begins with two tribes getting mixed in the obstacle course, and Pat, John, and Davie get into a brief scuffle. The tribes get everyone through at almost the same time, and Carl and Alec begin to dig through the sandpit, each with a different approach. Alec easily makes it under the log, but Carl gets stuck, allowing Alec to get the machete and chop the rope holding the ladder. As the Goliaths climb the ladder, Carl struggles to get through the sandpit, and by the time he finally makes it through, he is exhausted, and the Goliaths had already begun the pole vault. Carl quickly unties the ropes and the Davids climb the ladder, just as the Goliaths finish their pole vaulting. The Goliaths start working on their puzzle, with Alison as their caller, but they stumble when trying to figure out how it worked. The Davids manage to catch up, and they begin to work on their puzzle, with Christian as their caller. The goal is to list the numbers from one to twenty-five, pushing a row of numbers, vertically or horizontally, until the number at the end of the row falls off the board, and replace the empty spot with another number that was pushed off. Both tribes opt to only push the rows vertically. The Davids communicate well, Christian calmly telling his tribe mates what to do, while the Goliaths are all yelling at each other. It's a neck and neck race for the two tribes, but despite their arguing the Goliaths solve the puzzle first, winning immunity and fire. As the Goliath tribe leaves, Jeff asks Pat what it feels like knowing one of the Davids is going home tonight, and Pat responds by saying the tribe grew really close, like one big heart, and losing a tribe member is like losing an artery to that heart, but despite that, the David tribe will stay strong. With that, the David tribe prepares to head back to camp, and Lyrsa begins to think of who the most likely person to vote out would be.

	Lyrsa	“	It sucks to lose. Now we have to vote someone out, and I don't trust Nick. I have not seen him perform in the group, and in the camp, and it's not only me; that's the consensus of the tribe.	”

During the trip back to camp on the speedboat used by the show crew, the David tribe run into rough waters because of the storm. The boat slams into one of the waves, with Pat being injured from the impact. The boat immediately docks to a beach to have Pat checked by the medics. Gabby describes it as hearing a cracking sound. Jeff rushes to the scene and asks Dr. Joe for a diagnosis. Dr. Joe states that Pat may have fractured his back because of the accident, and for someone as big and strong as Pat to be writhing in pain, he provides no alternative but to pull him from the game, much to Pat's disapproval. Jeff invites the other survivors over to give their goodbyes before airlifting Pat off the beach. The Davids find themselves demoralized after losing their physically strongest member.

	Gabby	“	As Pat left, I felt a sense of guilt in a way, because I think I really misjudged him. I thought he was gonna be this bossy jerk guy from New York, and I couldn't have been more wrong. He organized how to build the shelter. He was the leader from Day 1. He was the center of camp. And that's just a huge loss.	”

	Elizabeth	“	Today was probably one of the most draining days of my life. It's just been crazy, and testing you right out the gate, one disaster after the next. This is typical of what a David has to go through to accomplish anything in life. But this ain't my first time I've been knocked down, you know, and so I think that that is something that the Davids have going for them. We will keep fighting.	”

Jeff walks to the remaining Davids to inform them that due to Pat's accident, there will be no Tribal Council and provides them flint.

In the epilogue at the end of Pat's final words states that he has received treatment and fully recovered after production concluded.

Challenges

• Reward
• Reward/Immunity

Challenge: Open
Before the challenge, the Goliath tribe will select two members from each tribe who will compete for the challenge based on first impressions (i.e. whoever they selected are assumed to be David's weakest and Goliath's strongest members). In turn, the David tribe chooses the set of obstacles the Goliath pair will run through. The choices of obstacles are: 1) a balance beam over water, plank bridge, or two person balance, 2) a net crawl, net tunnel, or rope tunnel, 3) transfer 30 sandbags from one platform to another, solve an 8-piece slide puzzle, or assemble a 15-piece cube puzzle. Once they are done, one member of the pair must climb out to untie a bundle of shelter-making supplies. The first tribe to drop their bundle at sea wins.
Reward: Pre-cut lumber and additional supplies to help set up camp
Winner: David

Challenge: Matchbox 25
Each tribe will have to sprint through an obstacle to a sand pit, where one person from each tribe must to dig under a log. The person from the first tribe to get through the log will then grab a machete and chop a rope to release a set of ladders. The person from the second tribe will have to untie knots instead. They will then pole vault onto another platform. Once everyone is across the pole vault, they will then need to solve a number puzzle. The first tribe to finish their puzzle wins.
Reward: Flint
Winner: Goliath

Tribal Council

Removed from Camp
EVACUATED: Pat Cusack

Final Words

	Pat	“	(voiceover) To be out of the game not by a vote, but by pure accident, it's gut-wrenching. But my life and my health is bigger than this game. And ultimately, I will pick myself up off the beach, dust the sand off, and get back on my horse. As a David, it's what I've done for 41 years; it's the story of my life.	”

Still in the Running

Pat 20th	Alec Goliath	Alison Goliath	Angelina Goliath	Bi David	Carl David	Christian David	Dan Goliath	Davie David	Elizabeth David
Gabby David	Jeremy Goliath	Jessica David	John Goliath	Kara Goliath	Lyrsa David	Mike Goliath	Natalia Goliath	Natalie Goliath	Nick David

Trivia

Secret Scene

• Tough Times at Goliath

Other

• The episode's title comes from a line said by Christian Hubicki after being deemed by the Goliath tribe as the weakest male of the David tribe.
• The name for the Reward/Immunity Challenge, Matchbox 25, references the American rock band Matchbox Twenty.