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Season 13 of Survivor begins with a controversial twist: the four tribes are separated by race. The tribes and players are:
AITU (the Hispanic tribe):
*Billy, 36, heavy metal guitarist, from New York City
*Cecilia, 29, technology risk consultant, from Oakland
*Cristina, 35, police officer, from Los Angeles
*J.P., 30, pro volleyball player, from Marina Del Ray, CA
*Ozzy, 25, waiter, from Venice, CA
HIKI (the African-American tribe):
*Nate, 26, retail sales, from Los Angeles
*Rebecca, 34, makeup artist, from Laurelton, NY
*Sekou, 45, jazz musician, from Los Angeles
*Stephannie, 35, nursing student, from Columbia, SC
*Sundra, 31, actress, from Los Angeles
PUKA (the Asian-American tribe):
*Becky, 28, attorney, from Washington D.C.
*Brad, 29, fashion director, from Los Angeles
*Cao Boi, 42, prelate for the Loyal Order of Moose, from Christiansburg, VA
*Jenny, 36, real-estate agent, from Lake Forest, IL
*Yul, 31, management consultant, from San Mateo, CA
RARO (the Caucasian tribe):
*Adam, 28, copier sales, from San Diego
*Candice, 23, pre-med student, from Fayetteville, NC
*Jessica (aka "Flica"), 27, roller girl, from Chico, CA
*Jonathan, 44, writer, from Los Angeles
*Parvati, 23, boxer, from Los Angeles
Host Jeff Probst greets the 20 players on the boat taking them to the island. He tells them they have two minutes to gather all the supplies they need and jump into their smaller tribal boat. During the ensuing scramble, Jonathan (from Raro) steals a chicken from Puka.
Players sound off about the racial-divide twist. Some feel a sense of community about being with members of their own ethnicity, while others are worried that the show might play up stereotypes.
As Aitu arrives at camp, Billy frustrates his tribemates by being unable to perform simple tasks like cutting bamboo. Ozzy proves to be much more adept, climbing up trees to fetch coconuts and collecting wood for shelter.
On Puka, the quirky Cao Boi tries to crack Asian jokes, which offends his tribemates. Cao Boi says that he feels a generational gap between himself and his four tribemates. Later, Brad suffers a headache, and Cao Boi cures him with an old Vietnamese remedy (a pinch that leaves a bright red dot above Brad's nose).
At Hiki, Sekou tries to step up as the leader, but isn't able to get much done. He tries unsuccessfully to start a fire, then annoys his tribe by taking a long break.
Over at Raro, Jonathan stores the tribe's two chickens under a crate. Soon after, an unwitting Jessica accidentally opens the crate, allowing the chickens to escape. Still, the tribe gets along well, and Adam is delighted by the number of attractive women.
The immunity challenge involves putting a boat together and then paddling to shore and solving another set of puzzles. Puka wins the challenge, followed by Aitu and Raro. Hiki finishes last and must go to tribal council. But first, they get to send someone from another tribe to Exile Island. Nate and Sekou decide to send Jonathan, as punishment for his stealing Puka's chicken.
As tribal council approaches, Stephannie notices that Sundra and Rebecca have bonded, as have Nate and Sekou. Stephannie realizes that she is the swing vote. Both pairs plead their case, but at tribal council, Stephannie sides with the women and votes off Sekou (while the men vote for Sundra). Sekou is the first victim of Cook Islands.