Back to the Beach

Back to the Beach is the season premiere of .
==Story==
===Day 1===
Sixteen Americans embark on a journey of a lifetime. Stranded in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, they will face a Survivor first, competing without any given food rations at the beginning of the game. Unknown to the castaways, their supply crates only contain a pair of machetes, three pans, a fillet knife, two water containers, and a magnifying glass, but no food. The sixteen castaways have already been divided into two rival tribes, Maraamu and Rotu (Tahitian words for "southern wind" and "rain" respectively). After a long ferry ride aboard the fishing vessel Amaryllis, the two tribes jump off to paddle two miles to their respective encampments.
At the yellow-colored Maraamu tribe, while getting close to shore, Sean Rector gets irked that one of his tribemates, Sarah Jones, is just sitting on top of their raft while the rest are paddling.
Claiming that he has never seen a beach in his entire life, Sean reveals that he does not swim often.
Upon reaching the shore, Sean lays down on the shoreline, extremely tired. Thinking that it was a miracle that the tribe managed to row to shore, Sean adds that he believes that they were only able to do so with the help of God.
Over at the blue Rotu tribe, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien frantically leads the tribe to create fire. The tribe further struggles when clouds continually shield the sun. While their attempts to make fire are futile, Kathy wastes no time by barking orders at her tribemates to at least have shelter before nighttime.
Back at Maraamu, realizing that their supply crate does not have any food, Hunter Ellis expresses that creating fire is the most important task, with his leadership already earning the admiration of Gina Crews.
Eventually, Peter Harkey's yoga-style, deep-breathing technique ignites a spark for Maraamu. That night, Sarah cuddles with Rob Mariano for warmth.
===Day 2===
The Rotu tribe awakes realizing that they have to locate their water source. Much to their surprise, their water source is none other than a waterfall. As they fill their water tanks, they go to take a bath, though Kathy is skeptical of the find when she learns that the waterfall contained brackish water, thus needing to boil the water before they can drink it.
Maraamu, on the other hand, is struggling to find food. Right after locating a fruit-bearing tree, Rob hears an unfamiliar sound, a chicken. As soon as Rob sees the clucking chicken, a chase down the jungle ensues, though Rob fails to catch it. An exasperated and disappointed Rob declares that he stood no chance of catching the chicken once it flew off.
Things are not as jovial on Rotu when Kathy's iron fist style of leadership continues to rub her tribemates the wrong way.
After a heated argument between Kathy and John Carroll, John becomes determined to be the one to start a fire.
Despite the brewing conflicts, the Rotu tribe finally manages to start fire. By nighttime, Kathy's hard exterior becomes warmer after having fire.
===Day 3===
Upon receiving their first Tree Mail, the two competing tribes convene for their first Immunity Challenge, where host Jeff Probst reveals that there will be no further assistance coming to the castaways. During the challenge, Outrigger Fire Quest, Maraamu makes a fatal mistake by accidentally dropping their torch at the sea, bagging an easy win for Rotu.
Upon returning to camp, the defeated Maraamu tribe must decide whom to vote out.
Peter targets Patricia Jackson for the boot for being the eldest female. Feeling vulnerable herself, Patricia declares that though she might not be young as her tribemates, she has the willpower to endure.
Others flirt with the idea of getting rid of Sarah, after the "Cleopatra" incident. In the end, Peter is considered as playing the game too early for targeting Patricia, and for his kooky demeanor. Therefore, at Tribal Council, the bowling alley manager was first to be voted out in a 5-2-1 vote.
==Challenges==
Immunity Challenge: Outrigger Fire QuestCarrying an outrigger canoe outfitted with two torches, the tribes must swim with the canoe out into the ocean, light the torches from a fire cauldron, then race back to shore while lighting a series of torches along the way. The first tribe to have successfully lit all of their torches and cross the finish line wins.Winner: 
==Tribal Council==
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VotedAgainst	Voter
 	
 	
 	
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===Voting Confessionals===
===Final Words===
===Still in the Running===
							
							
==Trivia==
* This episode marked the first time that the first castaway eliminated from a season was a man.
* While Peter Harkey's final words were airing during the credits, Patricia Jackson's vote was not shown with the rest of the Maraamu tribe. However, while reading the votes at Tribal Council, Jeff revealed Patricia's vote against Peter as the seventh vote he read.
===Episode Title===
* The title of the episode is a reference to this season being the first in a beach location since .
==References==
Category:Episodes
Category:Marquesas Episodes
Category:Season Premieres
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Episodes
Category:Survivor: Marquesas