Survivor Edge of Extinction: Three takeaways from episode 4

The first tribe switch on Survivor: Edge of Extinction leads to similar dynamics but offers increased opportunities.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for episode 4 of Survivor: Edge of Extinction.

If you thought the tribe swap in David vs. Goliath produced crazy results think again. Despite splitting from two tribes to three in episode 4 of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, the only castaway who’s playing with different people is Wendy. That’s it. Unfortunately for viewers, when Wentworth and David’s tribe lost again, we got stuck with the same people for the fourth straight Tribal Council. However, there were still a few interesting trends in this episode. Here are three of them:

1) Kama is unstoppable, but Joe might not be

It looks like it’s impossible for Kama to lose an Immunity Challenge no matter who’s on the tribe. With Joe’s physical ability and Ron as a puzzle master, it’s hard for them to go wrong, especially if they can be safe by finishing in second place.

Although they might survive to the merge unscathed, there’s always a chance that they could lose. If that were to happen, Joe would be in serious trouble. With Ron’s brilliant plan to search Joe’s bag, they now know that he doesn’t have an idol. This fact just fuels the idea to blindside Joe, especially with the merge looming.

2) The returnees up their social game

Although the efforts of the four returning players didn’t produce the same results, all of them have one thing in common. They were all focusing on their social game, which is crucial on a tribe with only four other people.

For the second straight episode, Wentworth’s relationships are paying off as the Wardog voted with her to send Rick to Extinction Island. Although David just lost his closest ally, his name, once again, wasn’t even mentioned at all for the vote. Even as a returning player, his low-key and calm attitude had enabled him to float under the radar.

Aubry also looks like she’s improving her social game, becoming less of a mandatory target. While the Kama newbies of the tribe are already irritated with Wendy, Aubry noticed the value in bringing her in as a number. With the promo teasing Victoria wanting to work with Aubry, she might be able to take out a big threat in Eric, and keep her idol in her pocket until the merge. Even Joe focused on his social game by trying to lock in Ron, although that didn’t work as well.

3) Wendy is a true wild card

Almost every season of Survivor has one of those polarizing characters, and in Edge of Extinction, that’s definitely Wendy! She went beyond hiding the flint during this episode, as she actually let the chickens free during the night.

The best part about Wendy is that she’s genuine. She isn’t acting deliberately to annoy her tribe members, and it doesn’t even feel like she’s simply trying to gain publicity. You get the feeling that Wendy genuinely feels bad for the chickens. It’s within her character to react the way she did.

That doesn’t make her a good Survivor player, but it does give us an entertaining personality to watch that isn’t forced, as we never know what she will do!