Josh Pereira, host - Episode 1 Blog

Josh Pereira, here!

Much like Jeff Probst from CBS' Survivor, I will post a blog every week that deals with our new episode of Survivor Bush: Hidden Oaks. This blog will include insight and other treats! Also check for contestants Daniel and Rhino's blogs coming soon.

Ok. So starting off the season we really didn't know what to expect. We had done a season earlier that year, but bringing in 8 guys and 8 girls most of whom did not know each other... we knew it could get tough.

When we got everyone on that truck though you could tell that everyone was ready to play the game. Some seemed a bit more out of it than others... but ready to play nonetheless.

The first challenge was great for the crew. To see all of our survivors pitted against each other so early was great. Of course, athletic favorite Jay was first to the supplies. The only two castaways of note that didn't retrieve a single item were Zac and Brittany... wonder why? They weren't even the last ones to the pile...

When the tribes were set up I could tell some survivors were a bit uneasy right from the get-go... I guess I would be a tad uneasy if I was put against our veterans from last season that had already proven that they knew how to play the game.

The counting was great as well. Veronica's face showed the emotions perfectly... Everyone I believe at this point was pretty nervous LOL. I know I was. We had a lot to film that day...

Also, for anyone who doubts the authenticity of our show, speak no more. These people really were put out there with barely any supplies and they did sleep out there for 5 straight days. Just talk to them about it... they'll tell you.

Ok, so the castaways get to their camp. I can't tell you how angry I was with Adai's attitude towards their camp. They all complained about not having the good campsite... yeah, ok. I wish they could see the other campsite.

Rhino and Forrest, as veterans would do, start plotting literally when they arrive at camp. I’m filming this and I’m thinking "Oh god, veterans are going to come on too strong too early." But, at that point I really didn’t know how things would go.

Overall, I was impressed at how much Adai came together right away. This was all Rhino's doing really, which just shows how far strong leadership can go. But as Veronica said, "he is a threat" to the rest of the tribe. No one wants anyone to have too much power.

Tuscarora: totally different story. Their veteran, Daniel, took basically no leadership role and neither did their other alpha male, Jay. You could tell that they both wanted to stay under the radar at this point. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that tactic... you can tell that Tuscarora's tribe was a bit more scattered than the other.

However, Adai's strategy consisted of making alliances right away as opposed to Tuscarora's focusing on the weaker link. In Tuscarora, it was obvious even to the crew that Paige and Brittany didn't know exactly what they were doing out there...

And how can you forget Jackson? What a gem, even in the first episode. Throwing dirt on everyone... Praying for no cockroaches... Talking about his friend Harry the Pirate? The contestants and crew alike were astounded. Funny thing about Jackson though is even though he says some weird things every now and then, he's got this charm to him that makes you like him. I hope he sticks around.

The challenge in one word: epic. No one knew what we had in store for them at all. After my unusually long intro, challenge gets started. Girls did absolutely awful... I don’t know what was going on but the ball seemed to not move at all. However, you gotta love Rhino's bonehead move of throwing the ball to the wrong side of the pond resulting in Brittany scoring for Tuscarora. Ouch...

Then next point we get to see the guys. Not much better than the girls really... I was a tad disappointed with this challenge, but I suppose it's harder to maneuver than it looks. That second point was a great series of passes though, all beginning with Jackson spraying Rhino in the face with water... Haha, I don’t think Ive ever been more proud of him. Then when Zac slams Daniel... ouch... that had to have hurt. But Daniel recovered well and two passes later, Dillon scores and Tuscarora wins.

My personal favorite moment of Episode 1 happened next when Daniel chose Rhino for Exile, and Rhino did likewise. Their rivalry in Season One was apparent, and this proved that it would carry on to this season. I love when castaways feel they have a score to settle... Hehe.

When Adai had to figure out who was going next, I had a feeling at who would go but nothing was certain. The "four horsemen" alliance between the guys seemed like it was going to stay strong but they had trouble figuring out which girl was the weakest.

Kay's big mistake... The guys asked her which girl performed the worst in the challenge and instead of selling either Veronica or Maigan or Maury out, she didn't say anything. Baaaad decision, especially when your name is being thrown around.

At Tribal we had a surprise vote for Veronica coming from Michael... what happened with that? Did he not get the memo? I would be pretty weary at that point if no one made sure I knew what the majority was up to...

But we see Kay go. Sad to see, she did try to stay in the game, but I think she did it poorly and didn’t focus on where tribal lines had already been formed. And of course, Rhino saw to it that that happened very early so it would be hard for anyone to cross what he had already started.

For our first episode, at the time, I was feeling great. I knew that this was going to be a good season right from the get-go. Especially coming from people that aren't necessarily fans of Survivor, it was great to see human interaction be the same regardless of experience with the show.

Cannot wait for the next episode, stay posted, and check for new videos! See ya next week for even more shit-talkin on the survivors. ;)