With a tribe swap confirmed, it looks like Survivor season 35 episode 4 will also have a huge Tribal Council that seems to throw voting plans out the window.
There’s very little that CBS can do to promote an episode of Survivor heading into a tribe swap or a merge. If they show a certain player in a buff that they don’t own in the previous episode, it would show where they swap to. If a certain character is shown in an argument or overtly pleasant, depending on their situation it could tease they’re in a better/worse position. To tease Survivor season 35 episode 4, however, we get a reveal that someone unexpectedly goes home.
That caps off the preview video for Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers episode 4, “I Don’t Like Having Snakes Around,” as Jeff Probst gives viewers a hell of a stinger. “One of the great truths about Survivor, you can have all the plans you want; Survivor gods don’t care!” The rest of the preview commercial is just various reactions to a tribe swap.
There are a few options as to what exactly this could mean. Obviously, someone who was thought to be staying is going home, but how exactly do we come to that conclusion by the end of Survivor season 35 episode 4? One way this could be done is that a blindside vote sees a person in a position of weakness turn things around and takes out a big player.
In the preview, you can see close-up shots of Lauren, Alan, Ryan, Ben and Ali as Jeff Probst cuts that teaser. One of them going home at this point would certainly be a major blow, as they all seem primed to go far in this game before a tribe swap.
Another thing that could cause a “shocking Tribal Council” is that an Idol is used. If Joe (or someone who finds an Idol) uses it at tribal council in order to take out one of those players instead of convincing a flip, it would certainly be chalked up to the Survivor gods not caring about best-laid plans.
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We’ll find out on Wednesday, as “I Don’t Like Having Snakes Around” airs on October 18 at 8 p.m. ET.