Youth Is Served
A battle between the youngsters and the young at heart is underway.
The 12th season of "Survivor" kicked off with a pair of new twists: a deserted island used for solitary confinement and four tribes categorized by age and gender.
"Survivor: Panama – Exile Island" lived up to its name as host Jeff Probst wasted no time in grouping the 16 contestants and giving them a challenge.
The tribes; Casaya (older women), La Mina (older men), Bayoneta (younger women) and Viveros (younger men), each chose one member for the competition -- a race to find an amulet encased in a pile of skulls –- with the first three tribes back winning a piece of flint for fire. The losing tribe would have to choose a member to stay behind, alone, on Exile Island.
Age seemed nothing but a number as both the older groups breezed through the challenge, and the young women, led by Danielle DiLorenzo, a 24-year-old medical sales representative from Pompano Beach, Fla., faltered and finished last. By process of elimination, the unlucky lady to stay behind was Misty Giles, 24, a missile engineer from Dallas.
As the tribes departed for their respective islands, Probst told the crews that there was one good thing to be had on Exile Island: an immunity idol. The prospective "stay on the show free" card adds a new dimension of possibility and deception despite the fact that anyone sent to Exile is in a vulnerable position.
Probst perhaps offered the frightened Misty a cryptic hint on the idol's whereabouts before he left her deserted with the question: "Why did fate leave you behind?"
Once on their own islands, the tribes instantly took on their own personalities. The two older groups worked harmoniously amongst themselves, and easily built fires and set up camps. Meanwhile, the young men erected a flimsy, flaccid hut and the young women were rife with indecision as they dithered over choosing a spot for the camp.
Neither young group seemed to have camping experience as they struggled to start fires.
Of course, the older groups were not free of drama. Subtle bickering ran through the Casaya camp. Tina Scheer, a 45-year-old, self-described "Lumber Jill" from Hayward, Wis., a seemingly extremely valuable member because of her logging skills, slightly piqued her tribemates with her tireless work ethic.
Over at the La Mina camp, Los Angelino Shane Powers, 35 and a marketing executive, quietly griped about being grouped with the old fogies. (Though, Shane's ire might also stem from his three-pack-a-day cigarette addiction dwindling to cold turkey.)
Also, two flyboys from La Mina made a secret alliance. Retired Navy pilot Terry Dietz, 46, and former astronaut Dan Barry, 52, each revealed their so-called top secret occupations to each other and vowed to look after one another.
Back on Exile Island, Misty tossed and trembled during her first night alone. She didn't idle around in fear, however, and spent most of the time scouring the island for the coveted idol.
Probst, the gleeful host, later called all the tribes together for a second challenge, this one forcing the losing tribe to hold a tribal council where one unlucky member would be bounced from the game.
The challenge, a convoluted test of diving, rafting and brain-teasing, again seemed to favor the older, wiser competitors. (The Viveros struggled mightily to unhinge their raft from an underwater hook.)
When the sand settled, the young men and older women scrambled for third place and, in the end, the Viveros prevailed, leaving the Casaya to decide the game's first castoff.
Afterwards, the three women's uneasiness with Tina accelerated when she sat alone on the shore. Yet the group clearly misunderstood Tina's intentions. Tina recently lost her 16-year-old son, Charlie, in a car accident. She tearfully scrawled his name in the sand and said she just wanted a place where she could talk with him from during her time on the island.
Miffed nonetheless, when it mattered, the Casaya voted 3-1 to banish Tina from Panama.
Look for details from Tina about her opening episode exit as she gives speaks with The Early Show Friday.