Survivor 48: Alliances Form Fast As The Merge Kicks The Game Into High Gear
In Wednesday's episode of Survivor, the game reaches a huge milestone: It's time to drop buffs once again and earn that merge!
But first: Is anyone else starting to feel a wee bit drained by Sai? After returning back to camp from Tribal Council, she tells the group she's open to speaking to everyone except Cedrek, who she says continues to lie. The Sai/Ced relationship seems to forever ebb and flow, and honestly, you just have to laugh, right on through to Sai's first merge vote of (you guessed it!) Cedrek. I am amused. I am entertained. I am (still) rooting for Ceddy.
Sai wins herself an advantage in the first merge(-ish) immunity challenge, which allows her to skip the very grueling first part of the challenge. However, she can't touch Kyle, who proves himself to be a balance-a-ball-on-a-long-handled-platform professional. So heading into the first vote, 12 people will be up for grabs, but one of them will not be Kyle. (And no hourglasses will require smashing — praise the Survivor Gods!)
Alliances of all types start to form. While all six original Civas still remain in the game, not all of them 100% trust Charity. And while Joe and Eva continue to be each other's number ones, they decide to link up with other strong and honest players in the game — like David, Shauhin and Kyle. The challenge beast-types decide they're tired of meat shields being used, abused and taken out of the game, vowing that three of them will make it to the game's final seats. It could happen! But Kyle's partnership with his super-secret bestie Kamilla does threaten to stand in the way of that.
After Kyle wins the highly coveted first immunity necklace, Charity and Sai's names are the most floated around camp. While some (like Sai) want to flush Eva and her idol out of the game (and break up the powerful Joe/Eva dynamic), everyone claims to want an "easy" vote before the war really gets going. "A likable personality thrives on Survivor," says Charity, throwing a healthy amount of shade Sai's way. But Shauhin is clocking Charity's "loud" playing. Plus, while he doesn't think the original Civas are working together, he doesn't want to give them the opportunity to do so either.
When Tribal Council begins, David compares their situation to a house party, while Mary says they're all like different sized dogs at a dog park. Then, Jeff gives us a little two-step before segueing into the robot and the bossa nova. (Totally normal Tribal Council here — nothing to see here, folks!) Then in a conversation about creating a new family out on the island, Star says you don't have to like your Grandma Titi or your Auntie Nicole, but they're still your family. OK! (Jeff confirms that he does, indeed, love his middle brother. Shoutout to Brent!)
For a big merge episode, there aren't too many fireworks, comparatively speaking. Or any fireworks whatsoever. No idols or advantages are played. When the vote comes in, Sai catches a sizable five votes, but Charity's name is written down seven times, and she becomes the sixth person voted out of Survivor 48.
OTHER JUNGLE HAPS:
* I admittedly cringed when Sai began to rattle off all of the delicious foods she ate while at the merge feast, right in front of poor Mitch and Charity. And Shauhin. And Eva. Shouldn't this be Survivor 101 by now? Stop talking about the food you just inhaled around the starving people who lost!
* Didn't you love Star's pep talk to Cedrek after he struggled during the challenge? She told him he was great and that he was "doing the damn thing!" We'd all be so lucky to have a cheerleader like that. We haven't seen much of Star yet, but I'm looking forward to learning more about her — especially after her solid challenge showing.
So what say you, Survivor fans? Thoughts on 48's merge episode? Do what Probst would do and go full tilt boogie in the comments below!