Survivor 42 Episode 2 Recap: Vegan Discrimination & A Surprise Romance

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Zach Wurtenberger was voted out in episode 1 of Survivor 42, and there's no Edge of Extinction or Redemption Island. According to conventional Survivor logic, we should only hear his name uttered once during episode 2, when Jeff Probst reveals to the other tribes who was voted out at the last Tribal Council. Zach had prepared himself for such a fate, scribbling in his journal before the season that it's ok if he goes out first; at least he got to play.

Improbably, the young superfan was a main character in episode 2, despite being on Ponderosa for the entirety of it. Romeo Escobar reflected on their #SkinnyGuys alliance. Tori Meehan felt jealous of Zach and the immediate comfort he received after getting voted out. “Why isn’t that me?" she wondered. Tori, what?!? It's only been three days!!!

And then there's Maryanne Oketch, who came into the game wanting to win it for the weirdos, but as soon as she saw who was the first person voted out, her priorities changed. Omar consoled Maryanne, who told Jeff, “Zach is like every type of white guy that I have a crush on, so there goes that.” This isn't some one-off comment. It's an episode-long storyline that continues until Tribal Council. (I don't know what it is about second episodes and unexpected crushes.) Maryanne tells Jeff she's been rejected by 100 percent of the guys she's liked, which is very sad. But also, she's still young, so it's not that sad. As great of TV as Maryanne is — and truly, she is one of the best television characters in Survivor history — a small part of me was hoping she would self-eliminate so she could pursue a relationship with the white guy of her dreams, Zach, who was probably face deep in an 18-inch meat-lovers pizza on Ponderosa as she was