Blood Vs Water Episode 1: The Hard Goodbye

Tyson, literally carrying his family on his back

Ten pairs of castaways are dropped off in Luzon, each at a separate location. Marissa, Katie and Vytas in particular are all looking to beat their loved one, but for Kat, it's her that feels inferior since her boyfriend is already a reality show winner. The castaways then learn they're expected to spend the night together with just the two of them, and Gervase's bravado about being a veteran quickly disappears.

The following morning, the Bonehams are the first to emerge on the beach to greet Jeff in their matching tie-dye, and the other couples soon follow. They're all smiles right now, but when Jeff tells them they will be competing against eachother, the mood drops. Asked for his reaction to the split, Brad (who Jeff is calling "Culpepper" for some reason) shoots himself in the foot right away by saying he would let his wife have a tarp if he felt she needed it.

With the tribes now set, Jeff drops another bomb on them...both tribes are voting somebody out right away. Colton thinks his reputation precedes him and it's going to be him for sure. We get to the newbies votes first, and the tribe swiftly declare Laura the weak link. That wasn't unexpected. On the returnees side, Candice has voted for her Laura, and so have Tyson and Rupert. But the votes of Tina, Kat, Colton, Monica and Laura are enough to ensure that Candice is the one taking a walk. As a late addition to the cast, she really was dead on arrival.

Candice and John debate what to do

Then Jeff gives them some good news for a change - they're not out of the game. Redemption Island is in play, and that's where they're going next. He then offers Rupert an interesting proposal - does he want to make the heroic sacrifice and switch places with his wife? Despite Tina telling him not to, he does, saying his wife deserves a chance to play. John is given the same option, but Candice thinks she can beat Rupert, so he declines. Candice and Rupert walk off to Redemption Island, and a teary-eyed John explains how difficult it was to watch. But he's also feeling rage, and wants to "show those dumbasses what a mistake they made".

Aras coaches the rookie through the coconut chop

The veterans arrive at their camp, and Mrs Rupert feels very out of place. Trying to prove her worth, she chops a coconut and almost cuts her fingers off. Tyson turns out to be the firestarter in the end, allowing them boiled water and rice. Monica tries to make up with Colton, but is wary because she doesn't want to get backstabbed by him again.

Was he this reckless in the NFL?

The Tadhana camp is a lot more disorganized, as no-one really knows what they're doing. Brad apologises for his comments back at the beach and tries to form an all-guys alliance to keep the tribe strong. John and Caleb are pretty wary of him, and he may end up overplaying himself out of the game if he keeps trying to take charge. Seeing him struggling to count to five in his confessional explaining his plan really said a lot.

Well, the tribe doesn't have fire, so it's time for Ciera and Vytas to swap life stories. Ciera disgraced her mother by getting pregnant as a teenager, but that's nothing compared to some of the stuff Vytas admits to - drug addiction, theft and doing time. He's hoping opening up will help people trust him, rather than show people what an asshole he is. Colton is also pouring his heart out over on the other tribe, trying to explain why he is the way he is. He's not taking being separated from Caleb well.

Colton gets a rare sympathetic moment

Time to check in on the odd couple to end all odd couples at Redemption Island. Candice is chopping up a coconut, and naming a person who voted her out with each chop. Rupert is...actually not doing anything, which infuriates Candice. But he has a strategic reason for it - he wants to conserve his energy so that he has a better shot at beating Candice in the duel.

The tribes meet up at the immunity challenge and Tyson reveals his firestarting heroics. Not wanting to be upstaged, Brad and Vytas pretend that they have fire too. Haha. Anyway, the immunity challenge is to race out into the water and bring back a boat containing a box. The box contains a ship's wheel puzzle that tribemates will have to assemble. At stake is not just immunity, but flint too - so the newbies really need to win.

13 years on, Gervase still hasn't learned to swim

The newbies get off to a pretty solid start, particularly when Gervase struggles in the water and tires out. Both tribes get in their boats and Galang's paddling is terrible - Colton even threatens to give Kat a paddling of her own. The comeback doesn't begin until the puzzle segment. Katie and Ciera take on their mothers, and it's the veterans that win out and win the challenge. Gervase celebrates obnoxiously. C'mon dude, you had nothing to do with that win.

Back at camp, it seems pretty clear the guys will stick together after all. Caleb wants to vote out Katie for blowing the challenge, but Brad thinks sending out Marissa would be a nice message to Gervase not to be so cocky.

Tadhana arrive at tribal council, which is a really cool set this year. Ciera admits that the experience isn't quite what her mom advertised. Jeff asks Brad about the tribe's struggles and calls him Culpepper once again. Knock it off, Probst! He's not even the only Culpepper on this season. John cries again when Jeff revisits the Candice situation. Marissa starts to get worried when Vytas brings up Gervase, and tells the tribe she wants to be judged on her own merits.

The first cut is the deepest

By a unanimous vote, Marissa is voted out first and it's a completely silent goodbye from all parties. She definitely wasn't happy about it, but now she's joining a pissed-off Rupert and Candice on Redemption Island to make it a bitter party of three. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this season has got very emotional very quickly.

STAR OF THE WEEK: VYTAS BASKAUSKAS

The Yoga dude got some great character development and I think he's probably in the best position on his tribe right now. Everyone trusts him and he showed he was willing to cover all his bases by keeping his connections with the girls open.