Survivor Edge of Extinction episode 8 preview: Challenge in progress

We’re taking a look at the first post-merge Reward Challenge in our Survivor: Edge of Extinction episode 8 preview, which can become an important moment.

When it comes to Survivor, I am not a big fan of Reward Challenges. Well, I’m not a fan of them in the pre-merge phase. I know that one tribe can become overpowered early if a tribe that wins immunity also wins a reward, but it means putting more focus on informing the viewers of what’s going on with all these new characters.

However, I absolutely love and appreciate the need for Reward Challenges in the post-merge, as often players are split into unnatural, random teams to compete for a prize that can lead to new alliances and changes to the social dynamics of the game. Who can forget the many alliances formed on reward, especially when they start to cannibalize each other?

That’s why I’m looking forward to the next episode of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, as our episode 8 preview video shows two groups in yellow and blue competing for Chinese takeout and sodas (as seen in the press photos). Lauren, Julie, Kelley, Gavin, David and Ron are on the yellow team, while Aurora, Rick, Wardog, Eric, Victoria and Julia are on the blue team.

What makes this preview video a bit different is that we see the very beginning of the actual Reward Challenge phase, including the first main portions of the challenge, before hearing the rundown from Jeff Probst. The viewers also don’t know if the reward is “worth playing for,” either, although outside contextual clues suggest yes, Chinese food and strategy talk is worth it.

There is a Kama majority on both groups, meaning that the opportunity for Lesu players to work their way through the majority and find a crack is a very real opportunity in Survivor: Edge of Extinction episode 8.