A Survivor Shopping Spree!

A Survivor Shopping Spree! is the first episode of  Survivor: Laos.

Challenges
Reward Challenge: Fired Up

The castaways will make a fire large enough to burn through a rope using flint, steel and a box of fire making supplies. The first castaway to completely burn through their rope will win.

Reward: Flint and steel for the winner's tribe.

Winner: Lan Xang

Immunity Challenge: Plunge, Pull, Pop

For this challenge, nine contestants from each will compete. Three had to go on a raft, while three will pull a rope, which will get the raft through the water to a platform. At the platform is an underground cage with bamboo running through it. On the bamboo are nine life preservers, in different parts of the cage. The castaways will have to go underwater and pull the bamboo to release the rings. Once all nine rings are collected, the three will be pulled back to shore on the rafts. The rings will then be used to be thrown on three poles, one ring per pole. The tribe who accomplishes this first wins.

Winner: TBA

Day 1
The scene opens up with a thin cloud blocking the audience's view of the vast Indian Ocean. Soon enough, it disperses and reveals the beautiful, blue, water as it surrounds the land above that is dotted with thick jungles and rainforests at every turn. A monkey swings from the canopy, squeaking and hollering as it goes from vine to vine. Dominant and commanding music starts in as we see a family of tapirs making their way across the wetlands together. After a few more nature shots are shown, the view focuses on a helicopter flying high up in the air, making its way towards the shores of the land that was just scoped by the cameras. Inside this helicopter is Jeff Probst, who is ready to unveil the next season of Survivor.

The view moves down to the waters below the helicopter where two boats are carrying the eighteen contestants playing in Survivor: Laos towards the shore as all of them are hyped and ready to get the game started. The camera focuses in on the purple boat, which is carrying members of the Lan Xang tribe, as a tough-looking, older, lady looks up to the sky as Probst's chopper flies above her teammates heads'.

The view then moves over to a nicely dressed man who seems somewhat distant and cold to the rest of the people around him.

The focus is then put onto the boat to the right of the Lan Xang boat, which is painted orange to signify that the competitors on this boat are a part of the Luang Prabang tribe. The camera hones in on a handsome, young, Latin man who is assessing his surroundings before giving off a wide smile.

"luangprabang"

- I've had to spend my entire life fighting in order to survive. I've had to fight through the pain of being poor and having barely any of the basic necessities in my possession. I've also had to fight in the ring because, well, that's my job.(Laughing) So when it comes to this game, I do believe I have the most experience out of anyone here and I won't stop fighting out here until I land that knockout punch.(Smiling)

A larger man with longer, flowing, hair is seen next as he looks over the side of the boat in awe as a crocodile passes along the side of the vessel.

"luangprabang"

- I'm very driven and focused in my everyday life, and I feel like that will translate well when it comes to playing Survivor. I'm a big fan of the show and I think that my resiliant nature will allow me to outhink and outmaneuver even the best thinkers that are here with me.

The camera then goes back to the chopper as Probst starts back in with his dialogue.

The view goes back to the orange boat as an athletic and determined African-American makes no attempt to hide his obvious judging and assessing of his tribe.

"luangprabang"

- To be perfectly honest, I like the group that I've been handed. Right off the bat, I can see we have some really strong people who are gonna pull their weight around camp and in challenges, myself included in that bunch. There are a few people I'm iffy on, AKA blondie and the older lady, but we'll see what happens when push comes to shove.

As DeNeal keeps looking over his tribemates, the lavishly dressed lady with bright, ginger, hair looks to her side and rolls her eyes. Obviously, she doesn't like what she sees when it comes to DeNeal.

"luangprabang"

- The younger guy in the middle is already giving me bad vibes. From the way he was looking at all of us, I felt like I was being stared down by a police interrogator or something. He seems way too intense and cocky for my liking, and I honestly don't see the two of us getting along at all!

The view is then panned over to the purple boat as the biggest man on the tribe observes the oddly dressed young lady to his left as she looks out to sea.

The young girl looks over in Marco's direction, fully knowing that she's being judged by him and a few other people on the boat. She, however, brushes it off her back and looks the other way.

As both boats start to close in on the incoming beach, the scene is once again transitioned to Probst inside of the chopper.

As the music starts to intensify, a slow-motion shot of a young and beautiful Brazilian girl laughing at camp with her tribe is shown.

The focus hones back onto Jeff as views of all the castaways start to appear on the screen with energetic and loud music playing in the background.

A slow-motion shot of a rough and tumble bearded man is shown as he carries a very heavy piece of wood on his shoulders.

"luangprabang"

- I'm a lover of the outdoors, and this is basically as outdoor as you can get right here.(Laughing) I'm hopin' that my tribe will appreciate my work ethic around camp and not look at me for bein' the silly ol' dumbo that I kinda am.(Scratching his head as a sharp dong is heard in the background)

The camera shows one final shot of Probst in the helicopter shouting his famous lines to officially start the season before it shifts back towards the mainland and shows both boats full of players who are ready to start getting into the game.



The scene reopens as both of the boats holding all eighteen castaways dock at the shore of a beautiful Laotian beach. Once they are safely anchored down, the players start to disembark their respective boats and head for the mat that matches their tribe color. As they do so, the focus hones in on a giddy Meredith as she looks around at the goregous landscape and environment that she has found herself in whilst walking towards the purple mat.

Once everyone has gotten onto their respective tribe mat, Probst is seen standing a few feet in front of the castaways as he greets them with a big smile on his face.

Probst(Smiling): Welcome to Survivor: Laos.

A huge round of cheers and applause is heard throughout both groups as everyone is mutually excited and anxious to see what is in store for them out here.

Probst: As you can see, you've already been divided into two tribes. Purple tribe, your name is Lan Xang. Here are your buffs. Open up the bag and put 'em on.

Probst tosses the striking purple buff bag to Marco as he and the rest of his team open up the sack and start putting on their buffs.

Probst: Orange tribe, your name is Luang Prabang. Here are your buffs. Open the bag and put 'em on.

Probst tosses the bright orange buff bag to DeNeal as the football coach pulls open the bag and hands out the orange buffs to each of his fellow tribemates.

Rufus(To his tribe): That's gonna be hard to say.

A few laughs and giggles arise as Probst turns his attention to the Lan Xang tribe.

Probst: Tall guy with the blonde dreads.

Jonas(Grinning): My name is Jonas.

Probst: Jonas, what do you make of your tribe so far? This group of people that you don't know and that you're being forced to live with.

Jonas: It is hard to base everythin' off of appearance and body language. But, lookin' around, we've got some really strong guys and girls, and I think we also have some people who are gonna be more sociable and hard workers. So to sum it up, I think that we have a really awesome tribe from a first impressions standpoint, Jeff.

A few people on Jonas' tribe, namely Marco and Kel, grin at this while some of the people from Luang Prabang, namely DeNeal, seem to be less than pleased by Jonas' words.

Probst smirks a bit as he questions Jonas for a second time.

Probst: And what do you make of the other tribe?

Jonas: Well, I think they look like a pretty formidable group of people, but I think that we've still got a bit more spunk and strength than those guys over there.

Jada is seen giggling at this as the view shows DeNeal, who definitely has something to get off his chest by now.

Probst: Guy on the far right over here.

DeNeal(Smiling): DeNeal.

Probst: DeNeal, what do you think about Jonas' assessment of your tribe. Because from where I'm standing, you look you have something to say.

DeNeal(Biting his lip): It's interesting. Those are some pretty big words, but we'll see how everything pans out during the first challenge.

Cornelia giggles as she looks to Kacey and the two both exchange glances of "seriously?". Probst smiles, happy that a friendly little rivalry between the tribes has already started.

"luangprabang"

- I did not appreciate Jonas' answer one bit. His whole attitude seemed very "right in your face" and confrontational to me, and it's really starting to piss me off. I don't know who he thnks he is, but if he wants some competition, then he'll be getting a lot of freaking competition!

As everyone starts to calm down, Probst decides it's time to break the news to all of the eager castaways.

Probst: Well, I hate to disappoint all of you since you seem so excited to get to this first challenge, but it is not being played in teams.

A look of confusion sweeps through the group as they all don't know what Probst is talking about at this point.

Probst: It all fits into our new twist for the season. It's called the Survivor Bazaar.

DeNeal's eyes go wide as Meredith and Sophie's jaws drop right to the floor at this new revelation. The camera focuses on Allan as he, like many of the others, is surprised but curious to learn what this new twist is about.

"luangprabang"

- Being a long-time viewer of this show, I've seen a whole bunch of twists come and go throughout the seasons. So when Probst announced that the one for this season was brand new, I was definitely excited to hear what's gonna be thrown at us. It's just another part of this game that I love and that I can't wait to experience.(Smiling)

Probst: How the Bazaar works is that before every immunity challenge and every Tribal Council, you guys will have the opportunity to visit the Bazaar. This is a shop that contains all sorts of varying items that will all have an impact on the game. From buying yourself immunity, to removing half your votes, this could save or kill your game at the drop of a hat.

Fernando nods, excited about this new set of rules as all of the other castaways seem to be taking the news in various different ways.

Probst: The only way to get anything from the Bazaar, however, is to have points in your possession. How do you earn points, you might ask? Well, you can look behind me at the challenge that's been set up for all eighteen of you to compete in as the reward challenges this season won't just be about Tribal reward, but about your own personal gain as well as the better you do in the reward challenge, the more points you'll earn.

A few of the stronger competitors, like Marco, seem to be in favor of this, happy that that challenges now are playing a bigger role with everyone's individual strategy.

Probst: All other potential twists are being removed in favor of the Bazaar. No idols, no tribe switches, no nothing. All of the twists and turns that happen from this season will come strictly from the hands of all of you.

The focus highlights Fran as she appears to be pleased with that perspective of this fresh concept, excited that all of them as players have a bit more control over what happens within the structure of the game.

"luangprabang"

- I'm really digging this Bazaar twist to be honest. It kind of forces all of as players to step it up a bit more as we all have potential control over all the twists that could happen for the duration of the game. So I think this is gonna really emphasize playing a good all-around physical, strategic, and social game because one wrong move or one bad relationship with another person could get you sent home in a heartbeat.

The view moves back to Probst, as he now starts to go into details about the challenge.

Probst: Now, with all of that at stake, are you guys ready to get to your first reward challenge?

Though a lot of people are still dazed and confused by the mountain of information that Probst just sputtered out, they still all nod their heads in affirmation to Probst's question.

Probst: Alright, like I said before, you will all compete individually. For the first challenge, it is only fitting that we test your ability on one of the most crucial survival skills there is, and that is making fire.

Kel's eyes light up, ecstatic about the concept for the challenge as Probst goes on.

Probst: Here is one more incentive before we start though. The person that comes in first in this challenge not only gets the most points but will also win reward for their tribe in the form of flint.

As Probst holds up the flint, the gleam in a lot of people's eyes show how important getting first place can be.

Probst: Okay, we'll draw for spots and then get started.

The anxiety level increases among the eighteen castaways as they had no idea this was the way that they would be starting the game as the camera rapidly zooms in and the back out again to show all of them now at their respective fire-making stations, ready to begin the challenge. Probst raises his arm in the air, giving his famous line, signalling all of the contestants to begin. Immediately, with the go-ahead from Jeff, everyone grabs as much kindling as they can before getting started on trying to successfully make fire. The sounds of the knife being whacked against the flint starts to ring throughout the air as everyone profusely and eagerly tries to get a fire going. Minutes in, Marco's kindling lights and he immediately starts setting up a little tipi to build the fire up to the rope. Being a marine, this comes very naturally to him and he springs into the lead as everyone else is still trying to get their sparks to light. Marco's singular success is short-lived, however, as both Fernando and Aaron get a flame going as well, allowing them to start catching up to him. As the three of them continue to progress, Charlotte and Kel also get their kindling lit, putting them back in the market as well. Marco's fire, however, is still the strongest as it inches its way closer and closer to the rope. This doesn't stop Fernando and Kel, though, as the two of them are quick and efficient in building a structure with their material so that the fire builds towards the rope. Their approach seems to work better as they start to gain some ground on the marine, who stays calm nonetheless. As Marco uses the last of his kindling, DeNeal also gets into the mix as he finally gets a little baby fire going at his station. Meanwhile, the other twelve competitors can just sit and watch the others as they cannot get a fire started to save their lives. Marco remains the front-runner, only a few more inches away from burning through his rope, but Fernando his right on his tail. Soon enough, both guys' fires are now coming in contact with the rope, producing steam and smoke as it burns through the material. It comes down to the fire, but in the end, Marco's rope breaks first, winning him first place and the reward for the Lan Xang tribe.

Probst: MARCO COMES IN FIRST, WINNING REWARD FOR HIS TRIBE!!!!!!!! The rest of you are still in it! Remember, the better the placement, the more points you get!

As Marco wildly celebrates his close victory, Fernando's rope breaks only a few seconds shy of first place, but he seems to be very satisified with second, as he knows it is beneficial for the Bazaar. This leaves Kel, DeNeal, Aaron, and Charlotte as the only people left competing who have fire. Kel's fire continues to move closer to her rope as Aaron and DeNeal are right behind her. As she starts to burn through her rope, Jonas, Rufus, and Janice are all able to get a flame going after a long while of trying. As they do so, Kel's rope breaks, earning her third place. Aaron comes right behind her, burning through his rope and getting fourth while DeNeal takes fifth place. By this time, Rufus' fire has gone out while Allan, Fran, and Sophie have also been able to get a fire going as well. Charlotte remains in the lead, thanks to getting her fire started earlier, ans she easily takes sixth. This leaves Jonas, Fran, Sophie, Allan, and Janice with fire going. Now that he's finally got his flame, getting it up to the rope seems to be a piece of cake for Jonas as he does it without even batting an eye, finishing him in seventh place. Allan finishes right after him, and Janice after Allan, putting them at eighth and ninth place respectively. Meanwhile, Rufus finally gets his flame going again after several more failed attempts. Taking a different approach, Rufus makes a tipi like Marco did, allowing him to get back in it and pass up Sophie. He finishes in eleventh though, as Fran still maintains her lead and takes tenth place just a second or two before he finishes. Probst starts to put pressure on the remaining castaways, as Sophie is still the only one with a fire going, stating that this is a basic survival skill they should all know. However, no one can get their fire to light before Sophie's rope breaks, giving her twelfth place, and leaving only six people left in the challenge.

Probst: And we're down to the bottom six. Terry, Meredith, Cornelia, Jada, Zed, and Kacey all without any flame for this entire time. You've got to get a move on if you don't want to get last!

A few more minutes go by as no one gets anything, but then, out of the blue, Terry's kindling lights up and he's back in it. His luck is not good for long, however, as Kacey sparks a fire as well. As the two of them keep on building their fires up, trying not to put them up, Meredith finally gets a spark to stick as well, relieving her as she does like Marco and Rufus and builds a little tipi. Despite Terry getting it first, Kacey's strategy ends up being more effective as she breaks her rope before him, earning her thirteenth place while Terry takes fourteenth. A few of the top-placing castaways look on with bored and almost annoyed expressions at seeing the remaining four struggling so much to get fire. And despite her taking so long, no one else gets fire before Meredit burns through her rope, finishing her in fifteenth. As only three are left, it is becoming increasingly clear that fire is not gonna come easy to any of these three. As she frustratingly chops at her flint, Jada accidently brushes the knife across her finger, cutting it a bit.

Jada(In pain): Goddamnit!

This doesn't help her, as she now has to deal with an injury on top of making a fire. And after a long struggle, both Cornelia and Zed finally spark fire after DeNeal and Fernando instruct them how to do it from their own stations, as this is not against the rules. Marco drills Jada as well, which works as she finally uses the right technique and gets a spark as well. In the end, it all went to which fire burned fastest, and Cornelia and Zed's luck came in as they burned through their ropes and got sixteenth and seventeenth respectively and put Jada in dead last.

Probst: WITH THAT, THIS CHALLENGE IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETE!!!!!!!

Kel hugs Marco on a job well done as many of his other tribemates are in awe of how fast he got his fire going. Jada, on the other hand, is extremely frustrated and disappointed at her performance as Meredith consoles her and pats her on the back to help comfort her.

Probst: Marco, congratulations. Not only have you earned the most points from the challenge, but you've also won flint and steel for your tribe. Which, just by looking at that challenge, should be getting you fire immediately.

Marco smiles and nods as the Lan Xang tribe cheers at the fact that they now have fire in the form of flint. Cornelia rolls her eyes at this while DeNeal has a look of defeat on his face. Probst also hands them a map to where there camp is located.

Probst: Luang Prabang, I personally don't have anything for you guys, but you all now have points at your disposal just as Lan Xang. What you decide to do with those points is all up to you. Here's a map to your guys' camp. You can head on out to the left. Good luck!

Both tribes head in opposite directions as Marco holding the reward of flint that he won for his tribe is focused on.

The camera rapidly zooms out as both tribes are seen starting to hike to their respective camps before the view cuts to black and goes to a commercial break.

Lan Xang
Beautiful, serene, music starts in as we pick up with a view of the purple Lan Xang tribe making their way along their beach and to their camp, big and wide smiles on all of their faces from their "victory" at the first challenge and just the pure fact that they are all on Survivor.

As they all arrive at the flag that marks their camp, a symphony of celebration and hugs break out as everyone is happy to have finally arrived at camp, knowing full well that the game has now been set into motion. Immediately after the excitement and conversations start to die down a bit, Marco speaks out.

Marco(Grinning): Well, now that everyone seems to be settling in a bit, why don't we get a start on setting up camp for the night?

Everone nods, agreeing that making camp is the best plan of action.

Marco: So, I don't know about you guys, but I personally like to work within a democratic environment, so when it comes to who does what, I was thinking that we all just decide what we want to work and then just go from there.

Charlotte raises and eyebrow as a few other tribe members seem to be very happy and pleased with Marco's approach.

Marco: So, just right out of the gate, who wants to work on digging us a firepit and getting some fire going?

After a few seconds, Jonas and Meredith both raise their hands, and Marco enthusiastically passes the flint he won for the tribe to Jonas. After some more of this same type of questioning, it is decided that Terry and Sophie will look for food and water sources, Jada and Charlotte will weave the palm fronds, and Marco, Aaron, Terry, and Kel will be in charge of collecting materials to build the actual shelter.

Marco(Smiling): Well, now that everyone has a task, let's get on it!

With a quick bout of team spirit and cheering, the castaways all disperse to start working on the chores and jobs that Marco so shrewdly assigned.

The camera then proceeds to show various shots of all the Lan Xang tribe members working around camp. Aaron and Terry carry a long piece of bamboo through the forest, Jada weaves a palm frond back at camp, and Marco takes a few whacks at a tall bamboo tree before it comes toppling to the ground. The view finally focuses in on Jonas and Meredith as they have already finished gathering wood and digging a pit for the fire by this time, and now Jonas is attempting to get a spark out of the flint.

Jonas(As he strikes the flint): C'mon, I just got you to work a minute ago.

Meredith(Encouraging him): Just keep going, you've almost got it. I can feel a flame coming any minute now.

Jonas keeps at it for a bit more before the flint finally gives in, erupting in a tiny fire that sparks the kindling. Meredith, ecstatic about seeing the little flame, blows on it to try and keep it alive as Jonas starts to form a tipi of twigs and sticks to ignite the flame. It works, and the entire structure catches fire, causing the two of them to cheer and celebrate very loudly, attracting the attention of Jada and Charlotte.

Jada(Hopeful): Did you guys get something?

Jonas(Gleeful): We sure did! Fire, in all of its glory!

Jada jumps up and claps, happy to see her tribe get fire within the first ten minutes of arriving on the beach. She walks over to Jonas as she and Meredith both compliment him and praise him for getting the fire started.

Meredith: You did an amazing job. I knew you'd get it quickly!

Jonas(A bit embarrassed): Aw, it was nothin'. I mean, it was my second time today.

Both Jada and Meredith refute his claim, saying that it is a big deal and he should be very happy with himself. The three of them keep on talking excitedly for a bit as the view focuses in on Jonas as he smiles and nods at the other two women.

Jada(Dancing and cheering): Go Jonas! Go Jonas!

Meredith joins in with Jada's peppy cheer as Jonas just laughs at the two of them acting so energetic and quirky. However, as they continue to chat for a bit and have fun, the camera moves to the left of them to show Charlotte, who is sitting and weaving palm fronds by herself. She looks over and sighs, seeing the appeal of being alone much more than dancing around and being loud.

As they break apart, Jada and Meredith head over and ask Charlotte if they can help with the palm fronds, which she happily obliges to. The scene then transitions over to the jungle where we see Kel and Marco together as the latter chops down another bamboo tree.

Kel(Impressed): Nice one!

Marco(Smiling): Thanks.

The focus hones in on Kel as Marco goes to retrieve the fallen stick of bamboo so that the two of them can lug it back to camp for the shelter.

As Marco picks up the long piece of bamboo, Kel speaks up.

Kel: Hold up for one sec.

Marco looks a bit confused, but he does as she asks and drops the bamboo before walking back over to where the navy recruiter.

Marco: What's up?

Kel: Okay, so here's what I wanted to bring up. I just want to come out and say that I really respected the way you totally took control of this tribe like you did when we got here. You've got some mad logic skills, man.

Marco(Smiling): Oh, well, thank you. Just doing what I do best.

Kel(Keeping it going): I also think that the two of us have the same type of mentality when it comes to working hard and getting it done. I think that if you and me paired up and stuck together, we could go really far in this game.

Marco nods, agreeing with Kel on her points.

Marco: I can't say I don't like the sound of that. To be honest, I wanted to get all the strong people together for an alliance and you definitely seem like one of the strongest people we have here on this team. Plus we've got that military blood running as well.

Kel(Nodding): Oh, for sure. I'm down with that. Who else were thinking as far as alliances go?

Marco: Aaron really struck me as a strong and honest guy. I think that if we linked up with him, he'd be loyal to us until the bitter end.

Kel nods once again, stating that she gets good vibes from Aaron and agrees that bringing him in as a third would be beneficial for their theoretical alliance.

The conversation between the two military people continues for a bit before Marco goes to a more fortuitous topic.

Marco: Just throwing this out there, but where's your head at in terms of who you think should leave first if we did have to go to Tribal Council?

Kel(Biting her lip): I know it's still really early, but I'd say Charlotte. That girl is like second-hand smoke with the negativity. It just seems to latch onto you.

Marco(Nodding): I agree. She rubbed me the wrong way from the start. I just think she's gonna be very rebellious and over-the-top.

The view shows a quick shot of Charlotte drinking from her canteen by herself before it goes back to the two of Marco and Kel.

Kel: I mean, like I said, it's still early.

Marco: Yeah, I know. Besides, I'd rather put my focus into pulling Aaron and some other people in before we think about who to boot first.

Kel nods in agreement as the two of them persist in chatting about potential options for their pact while they begin to pull the bamboo back to camp.

The view transitions to a shot of all of the tribe now working on the shelter together cohesively as the camera pan sback to show Marco and Aaron a bit more isolated as they, along with everyone else, are taking a short break.

Marco(Quietly): So here's what's going down.

Aaron leans in a bit, curious as to what Marco has to say.

Marco: Coming in, I wanted to bring all of the strong people together so we could all look out for each other and make sure the weaker players don't try and gang up on us.

Aaron(Raising an eyebrow): Yeah, okay?

Marco: To me, the three strongest people here are me, you, and Kel. I've already talked to her, and she's down with being in a pact together. I was wondering if you were interested as well.

Aaron(Shrugging his shoulders): I mean, why not? You seem like a real, solid, dude and I like how you're leading the tribe so far. And I think Kel's a cool lady too.

Marco(Satisfied): Alright, cool. I'm just letting you know that when I give my word like I am right now, I mean it. None of this "fingers crossed behind my back" type of thing.

Marco holds up both of his palms as Aaron chuckles a bit.

Aaron(Smiling): Me too, man.

The two shake hands briefly before getting back to work with the rest of their tribe as the focus goes to Aaron.

The view goes and hones in on Marco for one last time as he is hammering into one of the pieces of bamboo.

Quick shots of Aaron, Kel, and Marco are shown before the scene is switched over to the rivaling Luang Prabang camp.