“Survivor: China” premiered on Thursday. Although the locale was lush and beautiful – this marked the popular reality TV series’ franchise’s first endeavor in Mainland China – the contestants did more of the same stupid stuff that we’ve come to expect from them.

For example, Chicken, the chicken farmer, opted not to take a leadership role. He knew how to build a shelter, but didn’t share the information with his tribe when they needed it. He started giving suggestions before folks were ready to listen. As a result, he withheld it when they wanted it. That’s a big no-no. It was a major reason why he got eliminated first.

Then, there was Leslie. She’s a Christian radio host. The lady was told by host Jeff Probst that the Buddhist ceremony was not religious in nature. Buddhists do not have a deity. They don’t worship a ‘god’. Rather, they seek to understand life, death and all the other big questions using didactic tools such as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

The ceremony was a show of respect. Leslie left mid-ceremony because she couldn’t ‘bow down to any god but Jesus Christ.’ Ugh! She obviously didn’t get the point of the exercise. She showed extreme disrespect to the monks who are the castaways’ hosts for the next 39 days. The monks were asking folks to engage in a shedding worldy possessions activity. It was mean to purify and prepare them for the journey ahead.

Jeff seemed disgusted when she walked out of the temple as did we.

Courtney, a 20 something waitress from New York, proved that the social game might not be her forte. She kvetched to the camera about how stupid and rural her tribe mates were. She found their chatter “insipid.” She also found the Buddhist ceremony to be far too long and repetitive. We think she may have a bit of the princess mentality and might not be the most hard-working contestant of the bunch. However, if she can ally with someone stronger or more well-liked quick, she’ll be fine.

Jean-Robert Bellande, a professional poker player, may have played his hand too quickly. He told Todd that the jig was up. Bellande knows that Todd is stronger than others might perceive him to be. Todd admitted it, but will the hefty poker pro be more of an asset or a liability to the young man? If folks know he’s a poker pro, will they also perceive him to be on the show for publicity and not the money? They might think he doesn’t need the cash and throw him out soon.

Ashley, a pro wrestler with WWE, didn’t make many friends on last night’s episode. The strong and sassy lady got physically ill and was perceived as being really lazy by her fellow tribe mates. Her name was tossed around as being a potential to go home. If she doesn’t change people’s perceptions of her, she could be next.

Peih-Gee, a 29 year old jewelry designer, has roots in China. She was born in Hong Kong, which has now reverted back to Chinese rule. She proved herself to be bossy. She called out other players for not doing more work, which is not working in her favor. Peih-Gee may have decided too soon to take a leadership role. This could be her undoing.

So far the competition is too new to tell with any certainty who the standouts will be. We can’t wait for next week to see if we get more insight into these new castaways. Maybe our opinions on the ones we mentioned above will change. Who knows? What’s your take?