Survivor Edge of Extinction episode 1: Breaking down every alliance

Sometimes in Survivor, alliances formed on Day 1 can last all the way to the end of the game. Here’s a look at the alliances formed in Edge of Extinction’s premiere.

Even with a short season premiere, there was still enough time to watch alliances form on both tribes. At this point, none of them looked very strong, but there’s always the potential for them to grow as Survivor: Edge of Extinction progresses. Here are the alliances we picked out after the first episode.

Manu Tribe (Blue)

Manu tribe majority alliance (Rick, Lauren, Wardog, Chris, Wentworth, David) 

It didn’t take long for a rift to develop in the Kama tribe. While Reem, Wendy, and Keith isolated themselves, the rest of the tribe decided to band to together and systematically vote out the outcasts. Rick also mentioned how the three that spent the most time together are probably the ones they wanted to get rid of anyways. But this alliance can change fast if the newbies decide to flip on the returnees as teased in the second episode’s preview.

Wentworth and David

Even in his pre-game interviews, David was determined to work with Kelley out of the gate. We did get a chance to watch a conversation with two returnees about having a hard time trusting anyone. It does look like they both want to stick together early on, but it will be interesting to see how far their bond goes if the newbies plan to blindside one of them.

Wentworth and Lauren

Out of all the alliances, I think that this is one that could last deep into the season. Yes, Wentworth has a huge target and both of these players already have seen their name on parchment. However, how many times to do we see a castaway survive a tough first vote and then make it all the way. It just happened in David vs. Goliath with Nick! The genuine relationship that Wentworth built with Lauren might have the strength to eventually take control of the game.

David and Wardog

This is more of a borderline alliance as opposed to the last one. We got to watch David and “Wardog” Dan make a social call with Wendy, and even decide on the vote together. It does look like David is just sitting back, letting his tribemates come to him, but there is a chance this could develop into a legitimate alliance down the line.

Kama Tribe (Yellow)

Joe and Aurora

One of the first confessionals we got to see on the Kama tribe was Aurora praising Joe for his survival skills. The two quickly formed a bond, and it seems that Aurora is satisfied with having a returning player as her number one ally. However, I’ve yet to see if Joe wants to align with her as well.

Eric and Gavin

This is the type of strategic pairing I’m excited to see develop early, just as Gabby and Christian paired up in Survivor: David vs. Golaith. Eric surprisingly emerged as a strong strategic player, as he was quick to pursue a returnee blindside, but wanted to keep Joe as a shield. Being a true student of the game, Gavin agreed with the plan and showed interest in executing it. That being said, it doesn’t always go well for newbies who target returning players early. If this alliance does backfire, I could see Eric taking the brunt of it while Gavin might be able to escape unharmed.

Joe and Aubry

We only got to see one short conversation between this odd returnee pairing. Joe was talking about how he’s getting good vibes from the tribe and feels that they are in a good position. I’m excited to see how this duo develops. If Aubry is going to be targeted as the promos teased, will Joe attempt to protect her?