Survivor Blog 1

Episode 1
This first episode shows the introduction of the competitors and their first nights in Nicaragua. The groups of couples are quickly assembled and divided into two different groups splitting up the couples between the two separate tribes. They are immediately thrown into a challenge that will result in the losing member being banned to Exile Island. The producers are immediately playing on a key concept of social group dynamics, the formation, by sending a member to the island on the first night they are isolating them from the first real social interaction between the group members. This will prevent them from being able to establish themselves in the groups as well as help with the all-important facet of alliance formation, without being able to meet her group mates and make friends she runs the risk of being ostracized from her entire team which will give her a severe disadvantage in the games to come.

After the conclusion of the first challenge groups are sent back to their camps and begin to establish themselves both as a team and as survivalist. Coyopa (Orange) group was immediately separated by age, they immediately began their storming phase attempting to create fire for their tribe, however their age separation left them divided unintentionally, however it provided them two different routes to fire generation that lead to their early success in fire generation. Their oldest member AKA Dad, was successful at starting a fire and earned his way back into the main fold of the group, he was motivated intrinsic to start fire, so much so that he broke his glasses in half to help attain his group’s goal. He was motivated intrinsically by his need for group acceptance in order to succeed in the game which leads to his extrinsic motivation to win the prize money.