Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2: Alec gains a personality

Alec Merlino; Goliath tribe chef? The Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2 secret scene is a slow, quiet moment on a tribe that was boiling over that day.

We all know why Alec has been basically a ghost throughout the first two episodes of Survivor: David vs. Goliath. That is, I’m sure I’ve harped about his overt NDA breach ever since it happened in May before his season was made official, and how he’s not going to be at the reunion in December because of it.

As such, he’s been reduced to just one confessional in each of the first two episodes, and both are about what others are doing at camp. We have no idea what Alec is all about, why he’s a Goliath or why he’s playing the game. Now we finally have a bit of flair for what makes Alec tick, and it’s in making others feel good when they’re about to eat.

Chef Alec Merlino is the focus of the Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2 secret scene, marking the second-straight episode where the “cut for time” moment comes at the detriment of the Goliath tribe. Here, we see Alec messing around with the recipe for making rice, giving everyone at the Goliath camp something to laugh about as they eat their meager portions of food.

That’s it. The entirety of Alec’s contribution to this game, in and out of the secret scene, is that he describes things in a slightly comical fashion and helps others prepare for the mentality required to eat the same little spoon of rice over and over again for 30 or so more days. Not everyone will suffer for that long, though, as the edit so far seems to point him to being cut either before the merge or say little until the end.

At the very least, Alec has gotten the chance to shine during a moment of Survivor: David vs. Goliath. It’s understandable why this was cut regardless of Alec’s outside influence; I’d rather see Natalie Cole’s meltdown that happened this same day over people small-talking around a pot of rice.