Survivor: David vs. Goliath premiere: One tribe suffers a devastating loss

On the Survivor: David vs. Goliath premiere, “Appearances Are Deceiving,” two new tribes embark take part in the ultimate social experiment.

It’s time for another season of Survivor, which means the long-running reality series has come up with a new gimmick, aka “social experiment,” as its theme. This time around it’s 10 “underdogs” who have had to overcome obstacles and battling adversity.

The “Davids” are comprised of the following: Christian, a robotics scientist and self-proclaimed nerd; Elizabeth, a cowgirl who comes from a humble background; Nick, a trailer-park kid who learned self-reliance at an early age and was the first person in his family to go to college; and Pat, a property manager, whose family lived paycheck to paycheck.

The “Goliaths” are used to winning and have capitalized on their assets to get ahead. This group includes Natalie, the C.E.O. and publisher of the largest black newspaper on the West Coast; Angelina, an Ivy-League educated financial consultant; John, a pro wrestler, and Alison, a physician with an upper-middle-class background.

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Both groups are going to battle the elements and each other on the island of … Fiji (when is Survivor going to leave the beach and head back to Australia, Africa or China?).

Jeff Probst gathers the two tribes together to explain one group is considered the favorites, while the others, well, not so much. But in the game of Survivor, there is so much that is unknown (arguably after 36 seasons) it’s hard to know what skills will be integral. According to Probst, it’s not “who has the advantage, but what is the advantage?”

For the Goliaths, their advantages are visible. For the Davids, they’re under the surface. Who will be able to turn each situation to their advantage?

Probst asks the Goliaths to choose who they think the weakest man and woman are on the David tribe. The choose Lyrsa and Christian (who they call “The Big Bang Theory”). This doesn’t surprise Lyrsa who is tiny, a bit overweight, from Puerto Rico and used to being underestimated.

Next, Goliath has to choose their strongest male and female. They pick Alison and John.

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The whole point of this is to introduce the first challenge. There are two paths comprised of a series of obstacles. The Davids get to choose what path they take and what path the Goliaths take.

The goal is to make it as difficult for the Goliaths as possible. The winners get everything they need to make a shelter. The Goliaths struggle with their puzzle, and this means victory for the Davids.

Both tribes head to their camps. We meet David White, a filmmaker/writer/actor who is the scribe of such films as School of Rock and Nacho Libre.

There’s also Dan, a S.W.A.T. officer. Dan wasn’t born the chiseled hunk he is today. He makes it known to his tribemates that he used to struggle with his weight.

There’s already a possible showmance brewing between Dan and Kara — a former NFL cheerleader turned real estate agent.

It doesn’t take long for other personalities to clash on the Goliath beach. Natalie, who is used to having twentysomethings answer to her, struggles to adjust to go-getter and industrial engineer, Natalia. Natalie is all about standing around and giving orders.

Mike mistakenly believes that everyone is so caught up in their social game, they won’t notice when he sneaks off to look for the Immunity Idol. He’s wrong.

Jeremy, an attorney, already considers Mike — who also appeared on The Amazing Race — a target because he’s got money. Mike running off just gives everyone a good reason to vote him out.

Survivor’s a bit sluggish about introducing the castaways, so these are the remaining members of Goliath: Jeremy, an attorney, and Alec, a bartender.

At the David camp, we slowly get acquainted with more of the castaways: Gabby, a technical writer; Jessica, 19, a waitress; Carl, a truck driver; Bi, an MMA fighter (how did she wind up on the David tribe?), and Davie, a social media manager.

Pat is taking control of building the shelter, and some other members of his tribe find Pat’s management style and demeanor a bit off-putting. Nick isn’t particularly interested in helping out at camp which puts him on Carl’s radar as a possible target. Nick is all about the scheming, immediately singling out Elizabeth as a possible ally.

Other twosomes who hit it off are Gabby and Christian and Elizabeth and Lyrsa.

The entire Goliath tribes turn their attention to finding the idol. Nobody even pretends to be doing otherwise. It’s Dan who finds the coveted trinket. Dan shares this with Natalia and Kara. Women may be Dan’s downfall (he seems to think he’s on The Bachelor as opposed to Survivor).

The first two days are rainy and Jessica is the first to crack. Jessica shares with the group the news her mother was involved in a toxic, abusive relationship, leaving her to act as the parent.

Bi reveals she was also abused by a former boyfriend. Bi came to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee (hope she doesn’t get deported once she returns home).

Nick has his own story. His mother was a drug addict who apparently died as a result of her drug abuse.

The rain doesn’t let up for the first Immunity Challenge. It’s a typical Survivor fare — an obstacle course with a puzzle. The winners get fire and safety, and the losers go to Tribal Council.

The Goliaths win the first Immunity Challenge. On the way back to their camp, the Davids suffer another setback. The seas are rough, and Pat gets injured after their boat slams down on one of the waves. The medics suspect Pat may have fractured his back. He’s in a great deal of pain, and Pat is pulled from the game to assess the severity of his condition.

The tribe of underdogs face a huge obstacle right out of the gate. They take the loss of Pat hard. The only silver lining is the Davids don’t have to go to Tribal Council. Will the Davids buck the odds? Only time will tell.

Cam the David tribe beat the odds? What do you think of this season’s theme? Let us know in the comments section below.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS. Tune in to see who is voted out next.