3 A.M.

Aerial drone night-time footage captures furious seas churning below. Lightning. Thunder. Rain hammering in sideways. 

The Salona shelter bows and shakes under the assault. 

Inside, the tribe sleeps in a messy pile, until the left support beam gives a violent SNAP.

The shelter collapses, dumping nine people into the mud. 

Tara shrieks. 

Noah curses. 

Tommy yells for everyone to move. 

Leah sits up trembling, drenched head to toe in muck. 

The rest scramble to grab their things as the rain pours down relentlessly. 

Sariah shoots through the chaos, crawling across the wreckage to pull debris off Leah. 

Confessional: Tara Jones, Paralegal, Salona Tribe
“If she thinks she’s running this place, she’s got another thing coming.” eye roll into camera. “This is a group effort, and I don’t need her correcting my knots or assigning me ‘easy shifts.’ I’m not here to be managed. I’m here to win.” 

[Cut To:]

Tara earlier, giving the camera a fake smile as Sariah adjusts her shelter knot. 

 3:25 A.M.

The storm worsens. Rain slashes. The wind howls as the waves lap the beach furiously. 

Leah sits on the ground hugging her knees, her teeth chattering uncontrollably, rocking back and forth. Her whole body shakes as her shorts and t-shirt do little to protect her against the storm. Sariah is instantly beside her, pulling her close. 

“Lean into me. Come on.” 

Leah tries to resist pridefully, but another gust of icy wind breaks her resolve. She folds into Sariah’s arms. 

Across camp, Tara watches from the debris, expression unreadable. 

Confessional: Noah Evans, Police Officer, Salona
“Leah looked like she was gonna pass out. It was scary. You know they always say it on TV but you really don’t know what you’re getting into until you’re out here, you know…in the elements. Sariah just wrapped her up like it was instinct. It’s not a game for her sometimes…I don’t know, maybe it should be. But…I kind of respect her for it.” 

The storm eventually softens into a relentless drizzle. The tribe huddles in a miserable cluster under a cliff trying to maintain some semblance of warmth. Tommy mutters complaints under his breath. Tara stares with empty eyes at the ruined shelter. Noah tries again, futilely, to shield the sad scraps of firewood. 

Then Noah quietly stands, takes off his only dry-ish shirt, and drapes it over Leah’s shoulders without a word. He doesn’t brag, or say it’s for strategy, he just saw that she needed it. 

The camera zooms in on Sariah watching him. Her eyes glisten, one tear tracking through the mud caked on her cheek. Cut mid-breath to commercials for adult gummies that claim to help you sleep at night, be energized for work the next day, and even play with your kids. 

After commercials the screen is filled with a weak sun crawling through the heavy clouds. The Salona beach is wrecked. Snapped bamboo lies in disarray on the ground, the fire has long gone out, their thatched roof is just gone and all the remaining tribe members are stiff and irritable. 

Leah still shivers occasionally, while Tommy and Noah try to find a piece of wood that isn’t soaked. Sariah stays close to her, subtly shielding her from the wind. 

Tara and Caleb whisper at the water well. The mic picks up something about “pulling numbers” and “getting ahead.” Even though Tara looks wary, Caleb seems in high spirits at her approach to game-talk. 

Then a shout from the trees. “Salona! Gather your things!” 

The tribe freezes. It’s too early for Jack. Way too early.

Cut to Jack Preston entering their dismal camp. He looks fresh from the shower, hair blown back by wind or more likely a hair-dryer in his green room. He looks around their pitiful camp before speaking. 

“Salona…the storm last night was brutal. But the game doesn’t stop for the weather.” He cracks one of his million dollar dimpled grins, everyone else stiffens. His eyes briefly flick to Sariah, “Today…two people are going home.” He’s met with silence as the cameras zoom in on the shocked contestants' reactions. Leah’s breath catches in her throat, while Tara’s eyebrows shoot up. Caleb looks eager. 

Jack then pulls a bag from behind his back, holding wrapped packages. “But first…drop your buffs.”

After commercials for male performance enhancing supplements, and a Global Fitness gym ad, the cameras show the utter shock on the contestants faces as the other tribe is brought to their beach by boat. Leah’s hands fly to her mouth. Noah is heard muttering, “oh, you’ve gotta be kidding.” Meanwhile Caleb is visibly vibrating with excitement. 

Once the other players have joined the beach, they line up in a straight line as Jack walks the bag slowly down the line ordering them to keep their eyes closed as they pick. Even though the new buffs are wrapped, and nothing would be given away, this heightens the drama of it all. 

After everyone has a brown package in their palm, Jack steps back to eye the contestants.

“Leah, you look like you’re going to be sick?”

“Yeah, Jack. We just suffered through a horrible storm in the night, haven’t eaten anything but coconuts in 24 hours, and now we have to do this?! I think I am sick.” She grimaces at his delight. 

“Z, you look like you’re ready for a fight?”

“All I know Preston, is that I know who’s real and who’s fake. A swap ain’t changing that.” He flashed his blazing white teeth for the camera, some were caught rolling their eyes. 

“Alright…let’s reveal the new tribes.” 

Everyone began to tear into their brown packages, some seeing flashes of turquoise, others coral. Sariah and Leah look at each other and Leah goes pale. Sariah holds the color of Virei, while Leah will stay with Salona.

Sariah’s throat tightens. She forces a shaky smile toward Leah, “you’ll be okay.” 

Leah nods, jaw trembling. 

The contestants are directed to their new mats, and the tribes shake out:

New Salona (Coral): 
Leah Rose (original)
Cadence Davis
Tommy Fisher (original)
Tara Jones (original)
“Z” 
Josh Uptown
Crystal Tucker (original)
Wren Robinson
Constance Michaels

New Virei (Turquoise):
Sariah Vale
Philly Bob (original)
Delilah Noris
Ashley Kingsley (original)
Junie Humphry
Caleb Gossett
Noah Evans
Annie Mae Smith (original)
Phillip Brown (original)

After the shock wears off, and a brief commercial break for a local car dealership with holiday deals, Jack raises his hand. 

“Okay gang, neither tribe will return to camp. Instead you will each go straight to Tribal Council…and vote someone out right now.” 

Double elimination. No time to strategize. No shelters. No whispers. 

Tara’s eyes flick from Caleb’s widening grin to Sariah, calculating. Leah actually looks green. Phillip puts a steadying hand on her shoulder. Sariah is staring at the ground, processing. Her mind is running and spinning with possibilities. 

Then she breathes out hard, “okay…game on.” 

Another quick commercial break, this time for the local news station’s 11 o’clock segment, we cut to a familiar scene of Tribal Council, only we are here during the day. The heat coming from the torches lit behind the contestants shimmers against the bright blue sky. Virei will go second, but sits on the sidelines watching the fate of the new Salona tribe. 

Sariah and the rest of her tribe watch as the new Salona volley’s back and forth about strategy for challenges, who is annoying who already this early in the game, alliances that have been fractured during this surprise swap, and their shock. Leah is quiet the entire time, briefly flicking her gaze to Sariah periodically. 

Z’s voice is the first to really cut through the chaos, “Some of us are working hard, even if we came from the other tribe, it’s obvious. Some of us are trying to be in charge. I only know what I've seen from challenges, but we need strength over strategy right now, Jack.” Some nods and murmurs of agreement. 

Tara jumps in instantly, “You don’t even know the first thing about Salona, and you think you can just come in here and get us to vote with you?” her voice is shrill, she has also been left without her closest ally. Sariah grins inwardly, hoping she will continue to take heat off of Leah. 

The others start to join in on the fight again, before Jack stops them. “Alright, it is…time to vote. Leah, you’re up first.” 

Everyone watches as they go single file into the voting booth before returning. Jack reads the votes, three votes Z, a stray vote on Leah, and five votes on Tara.

“Tara, that’s five, that’s enough. Bring me your torch.” Her jaw is slack, Noah gasps from the sidelines. Sariah smiles softly, glad that Leah made it through this vote. “Alright, Salona, I have nothing for you, head back to camp and get to know each other.” 

Commercials for puppy grooming and kid toys play, and then the new Virei tribe is now sitting where Salona just was. They look equally as fidgety and nervous. 

Jack begins his line of questioning, “Virei you just watched Salona implode. Some were your allies, others you probably sat back and enjoyed the show. Philly Bob, what’s your response.” 

“Honestly, these new kids have no idea what can happen out here. I’m not surprised a bit, Jack. Keep ‘em comin’” He grins, adjusting his green Eagles cap. 

Delilah snorts, rolling her eyes before Ashley comes in Philly Bob’s defense. Sariah grins because old Salona has the numbers. She side-eyes Caleb, who has a wild gleam in his eyes. Noah still looks shell shocked, and Junie and Delilah are now both fighting Ashley. 

Jack looks directly at Sariah, “Sariah, you’ve been quiet…that’s not like you.” 

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Her words laced with venom cuts, Jack doesn’t flinch. “I’m not surprised that Ashley would defend Bob, nor Annie Mae or Phillip. They are the minority and they know it. If we stay ‘Salona strong’ one of them is going home, and they know it.” Caleb looks at her then, realization dawning on his features. 

“What do you think of that, Ashley? Old Salona staying strong?” Jack breaks his gaze from Sariah, and the heat that was crackling between them fizzles out.

“Well, we all heard the last tribe. And I think they did the right thing, keeping strength OVER strategy.” She looks directly at Sariah, who is still staring at Jack. 

“I think that means it’s time to vote…Philly Bob, you’re up first.” 

The longest commercials of your life play, advertising roofing companies, new menu items at Queen Burger, a new sitcom that will air the first episode after tonight’s Stranded and of course, that same kitty litter ad. 

Jack holds the votes, ticking them off: “Philly Bob, Sariah, Sariah, Philly Bob, Sariah, Philly Bob, Philly Bob, Sariah…” his eyes read the final vote, the one that will break the tie. He looks up at Sariah, his gaze burning into hers as he flips the last vote, “The fourth person voted out of Stranded, Philly Bob. The tribe has spoken, bring me your torch.” 

The camera follows Bob as he wishes his former teammates luck, before walking down the path. 

“I guess tonight the new Virei tribe has picked strategy. Grab your torches and head back to camp. Goodnight.” 

He watches Sariah grab her torch and lead the newly formed tribe to their beach, where their shelter still stands as if the storm hadn’t touched their side of the island. 

The cameras pull back, showing glimpses of next week’s episode: Leah hugging Tommy through tears, Sariah and Caleb plotting by the water well. Confessionals hinting at new alliances that cross tribal lines.