Somehow a thread was never actually started for this. Anyway, I'm extremely excited. On paper, it looks like it should be one of the best seasons ever.

Abi-Maria (35) Philippines
Andrew (51) Pearl Islands
Ciera (26) Blood vs. Water
Jeff (49) Australian Outback
Jeremy (37) San Juan del Sur
Joe (26) Worlds Apart
Kass (43) Cagayan
Keith (54) San Juan del Sur
Kelley (29) San Juan del Sur
Kelly (37) Borneo
Kimmi (42) Australian Outback
Monica (30) Samoa
Peih-Gee (37) China
Shirin (32) Worlds Apart
Spencer (22) Cagayan
Stephen (36) Tocantins
Tasha (39) Cagayan
Terry (55) Panama
Vytas (35) Blood vs. Water
Woo (31) Cagayan

This show and Big Brother. How can anyone still watch those two shows. It's the same formula ever year. Alliances and backstabbing. Does this not get old for you?

This also reminds me of a couple friends who used to watch The Real World and then would watch all the spin off shows that cast offs from The Real World would end up on. They eventually came to their senses and moved on.

There are different personalities and twists that make it interesting.

I enjoyed that gif Libs.

So it looks like Abi-Maria will still be a bitch this season.

Vytas was a whatever choice to vote off, however. I don't see how he was that annoying.

Stray thoughts as I watched this:

The first 15 minutes, already: yasssssss.

Is this season a record for Probst calling people by their last names?

LMAO @ Abi's pledge to "control my temper this season" followed immediately by non-stop whining about her missing bag. Never change, psycho!

Poor Stephen might be picked off early. They could very well recognize him as a superb strategist who also doesn't appear to fit in really tight with his tribe.

Savage telling that story about his daughters calling Joe "perfect" was code for him actually saying that, right?

Still LOLing @ Abi giving Peih-Gee "the benefit of the doubt" while passive aggressively icing her out.

Kelley snatching the idol while no one saw (apparently) was badass. I had a slight girl crush on her in San Juan del Sur before she was voted out early, I hope that continues.

I also liked the tribe's unequivocal support for Kelly Wiglesworth. I feel like people have too much respect for her as "the original" to even consider voting her out this early.

I'd guess the vote is going to be Abi vs. Vytas. And I really hope Vytas goes first. Abi's psychosis is too entertaining to lose this early. LOL @ Spencer: "We have a tribe with Abi-Maria, Jeff Varner and all the crazies under the sun."

Abi is safe another week and lives to terrify us some more. Vytas is just kind of sleazy so I'm not broken up about this.

That was such a good premiere episode. I'm buckled in and ready for the insanity of this season.

I'm glad Vytas was voted off. Though Abi needs to go soon (in the next 2 tribals or she will become too annoying). Good premiere. And I liked where they hid the immunity idol. Finally it's not on a tree, or under a tree.

Tonight's episode was hard to watch. It must have been so ridiculously devastating for Spencer and especially Shirin. Just shows one tiny mistake can ruin a player's game.

Savage is probably my favorite.

Really? After that ridiculous self-righteous outrage at Stephen for bringing up idols? I did like that that scene featured Kass trying to understand and comprehend these things called emotions, though.

Overall, that was a fascinating episode.

I loved Shirin last season, of course, but a lot of that had to do with her kooky underdog appeal. Her and Spencer in power together may have been insufferable. I do feel bad that she finally found a total BFF to play the game with and it blew up in her face immediately. Can't say I would've expected to end this episode with tears from both of them, but here we are.

The moral of the story is? Don't piss off Abi. That lunatic's wrath is mighty. The scene where she just laughed in Shirin's face was like something out of a horror movie. lmao.

Good on Terry for snapping her up like that. Jeff Varner is entertaining the hell out of me this season.

OMG @ a tribe switchup into 3 tribes happening next week already! Yassss! I love the 3 tribe structure.

Jeff Varner is a national treasure. He's been killing it in the entertainment department.

Oh my gosh I got Savage and Terry mixed up. I meant Terry was my favorite.

Did David stop watching this?

I've been enjoying this season so far. Switching the two tribes up into three was a good twist.

NOOOOOO. Curse this horrible-perfoming tribe that Jeff Varner found himself on (though to be fair - he in no way benefited their performance).

I don't see how their tribe can get out of this tribal council spiral they've found themselves in. No food, no energy - they'll just keep going back until the merge.

I was both saddened and legitimately shocked Varner got the boot. I figured it was going to be Woo, because the main theme of this season so far is that anyone who incurs Psycho Abi's wrath...immediately leaves the game.

I'm shocked to see Varner go this early. With the edit he was getting, I figured he was at least going to make the merge.

They were grilling Woo awfully hard for someone they didn't want to vote off.

This season is a bit boring IMHO.

To me, it is fine, but nothing more. Easy to watch with a few colorful moments, but no conflict or twist has blown me away yet, and I am not particularly rooting for anyone.

Pretty great blindside plan on Kimmi's part tonight. Monica was genuinely surprised and definitely didn't see that one coming.

The blindside was literally so obvious. Monica must be really stupid to be so surprised.

It was only so obvious to the audience because it was telegraphed to us by the editing. One can see why Monica was actually surprised.

Monica's big mistake was blabbing about her plans to Kimmi, who is well-known in Survivor history for having such a big mouth that she ruined her entire tribe's chances at the merge in Australia.

For what it's worth, the pre-merge of this season has been very entertaining to me.

Finally a good episode. Loved the blindside. Don't think it should've been obvious to Monica.