Survivor Edge of Extinction: Three Stories to watch for in episode 7

With Kama’s overwhelming advantage, and a castaway ready to return, Survivor: Edge of Extinction is poised to deliver a drama-filled merge.

In seasons with a slow start like Edge of Extinction, you just can’t wait for the merge to spice things up. Last week’s back to back episode definitely whet our appetites, and it looks like tonight’s hour of Survivor will not only bring us interesting social dynamics, but also a resolution to this season’s theme. Well, partially at least. Here are three storylines to watch:

1) Extinction Island questions finally answered

After six episodes, there is still a ton of uncertainty with the Edge of Extinction twist. Thankfully, we’ll get some answers tonight. We’ll finally figure out what this “difficult” challenge is to get back into the game, and we’ll see which castaway gets to return. One detail that I’m eager to find out is if the player coming back in the game will be given Individual Immunity for the first Tribal Council.

By the end of tonight’s episode, we should know if the Edge of Extinction twist will continue past the merge. If it does, we could see another person re-entering the game at around the Final Six, which would nearly echo the Redemption Island twist. We’ll still have to figure out how the jury will work, and whether or not the castaways eliminated pre-merge will still remain on Extinction Island.

2) Kama Strong

Back to the meat of this Survivor season, we unfortunately have the set up for a Pagonging. Not considering the returning castaway from Extinction Island, the original Kama tribe has a significant majority sitting at eight to four. As powerful as Kama may seem, I can’t see this season being a straight out blowout.

Lauren and Wentworth both have an idol, which can easily twist a Tribal Council on its head. With Kama having double the amount of original Manu members, I’m sure there will be suggestions to split the votes in case of an idol. Then all Manu needs is one person to flip in order to switch the final outcome.

Kama has a few players who would be willing to make a big move and betray their original alliance. Chief among them is Victoria, who has been vocal about separating the game from real life. She has orchestrated a major blindside and would be eager to make another big move. Eric, Julie and Gavin have all been keen on getting rid of Joe, so if he loses Immunity at any point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they vote for him.

3) Who will find idol number four?

The merge means one more idol is being put into play. It might not be discovered in tonight’s episode, but chances are there will be some type of clue at the merge feast. With two idols in play for the current minority alliance, an idol at this point seems like it won’t be of immediate benefit.

Two out of the three idols in this season have been found by returnees, so it might be David’s turn. That wouldn’t be a shocker since he has a nose for idols, finding two in Millennials vs. Gen X. It would be huge for Joe to come across his first Hidden Immunity Idol as well, but I can’t see it happening.