Why That First Tribal Council Vote Truly Hurts

Jeff Probst giveth, and Jeff Probst taketh away.

“Survivor 50” is finally here, and along with its XXL-sized, three-hour premiere came one tragic Tribal Council. 

After a brutal immunity challenge that had the tribes crawling through mud and climbing up a wall, “Survivor 48” winner Kyle Fraser found himself with a ruptured Achilles tendon — ouch! The Vatu tribe still had what it took to get their injured teammate up the wall and after a puzzle showdown, Team Orange (Cila) was sent to Tribal Council where they unanimously decided to vote out… Jenna Lewis Dougherty, the season’s only “Survivor: Borneo” castaway. 

And that is truly devastating. 

The other options on the table weren’t ideal either. Cirie massively botched the challenge’s monkey’s fist portion and to be fair, the episode’s edit was generous, to say the least. While out on location, myself and other members of the press stood right next to the five-time fan favorite as she tried and tried again to land that shot, and seeing her look so defeated was rough to watch. I’d guesstimate that it may have taken her 15 minutes, maybe more, to sink the shot and drop the wall. What you didn’t see was the toss she nailed that popped out after she pulled the rope too hard — even more heartbreak for our girl Cirie. (Aubry also had a toss hit the bullseye and bounce out. Rough stuff. The tribes also had to pull all of the rope out of their rope gate, but that was also cut for time.) 

Along with Cirie, Ozzy’s name was (briefly) on the table, thanks to Emily Flippen waking up on Day 3 and choosing violence. It was no secret though. Everyone on the beach figured out that Cirie and Ozzy were likely working as a pair. Ozzy went (too?) hard to defend his No. 1, which raised the entire tribe’s eyebrows. Joe Hunter even noted that he had just been duped by a secret duo, and he didn’t want to go down that same path again. But in the end, Jenna was the one who was eliminated after floating Cirie’s name countless times. Based on challenge performance alone, voting Cirie wasn’t such a crazy idea. The problem? Jenna was targeting Cirie even before the tribes competed for immunity, and her aggressive social gameplay seemed off-putting to everyone else. Even Season 49 winner Savannah Louie didn’t catch a single stray, even after she told her tribe that she won her season. 

When the cast for “Survivor 50” was first announced, some in the reality TV fandom were a bit surprised by how new era-heavy the list of 24 castaways was. But Jenna, who first played in Season 1 and later returned in Season 8 for “All-Stars,” was one of roster’s shining lights. Not only did she play one hell of a game her second time out (coming in third place after losing an endurance challenge to Boston Rob), but she returned with a fire inside her. A woman who had learned the game in Season 1 in a trial by fire worked hard to fight her way to the top while backstabbing a few friends in the process. 

In our pre-game interview out in Fiji, Jenna was spicy, and I felt that fire that she still had burning inside her. Of her second showing in the game, she said, “I think I did a great heel turn, so I think it showed [producers] that I can adapt my game. If people think just because this is new school that I can’t adapt my game again, that’s ridiculous. I’ve already shown you people that I know how to play. It’s the social connections. I hit the ground in ‘All-Stars’ and sprinted the entire way, and that’s what I’ll do again.” (Read the rest of that interview here.) Jenna made no bones about being ready to take on the new era players, faster pace and abundance of advantages, be damned. She was ready. Did she play too hard, too fast? You betcha. (If you’re going to shoot your shot at Cirie, you simply cannot miss.) But I was so incredibly enthused to see what this woman would do back in the game. 

It’s the bummer of all bummers to see her walk out of Tribal Council first, especially considering she was the only representative from the “Borneo” season. Jeff Probst has called this season a “celebration” of the game’s 25 years on the air, and what better way to honor that legacy than with someone who was there from the very beginning. Someone who played the game before anyone even fully understood what it was. Didn’t you feel something watching those early “Borneo” clips in that opening montage? Jenna was a part of TV history and she’ll forever be a true OG. If I had a coconut to crack right now, I’d pour out the tiniest bit of coconut water in her honor. 

Alas, someone must be the Francesca Hogi of the season. Let Jenna’s ousting be a wake-up call to us all: It’s a returning players season and there are going to be tough losses each and every week. It’s gonna get gnarly, people! Welcome back, “Survivor.” And game on.

Were you sad that Jenna was the first person eliminated from “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans”? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to hit TVLine Thursday afternoon for the first of many Season 50 exit interviews to come!