As the many promos have indicated, episode 9 of Survivor: Edge of Extinction is shaping up to be the craziest and most unpredictable one of the season.
Trying to predict the events of tonight’s episode is like a five-year-old boy eating ice cream blindfolded; it’s going to be messy! As my co-writer said in his Survivor: Edge of Extinction power rankings for this week, there are so many different ways this episode can go.
The first two votes after the merge have both been surprising blindsides. There has been quite a bit of flipping on alliances already, creating fluid gameplay with several power shifts. With the promos teasing a crazy Tribal Council, this could be the most memorable episode of the season. Here are three storylines to watch for.
1) It’s time for the idols to come out
If you thought David vs. Goliath took awhile for an idol to get played, think again! Eight episodes have gone by, including a tribe swap, two post-merge Tribal Councils and still nothing.
What’s even more amazing is that the players that found an idol have kept that knowledge so secure that no one else knows about it. Only Wentworth and Lauren know that they both have their own. Usually, the longer players keep their idols, the more entertaining Tribal Councils will be down the stretch.
With there being so many different little alliances, unexpected voting blocs can form fast. Even though Lauren and Wentworth have done an incredible job of not flinching with their idols, there’s a good chance we’re going to see them tonight! We also can’t sleep on Rick and David’s two halves as well.
2) Can Rick and David work together again?
Early on in this season, Rick and David became a strong pairing that masterfully controlled the Manu tribe. It just so happened that every vote someone else would mess things up for them, forcing the pair to concede their plans of blindsiding Wentworth in favor of taking the more popular and safe route.
With Rick feeling betrayed by Wentworth, Lauren and Wardog voting his way at the merge, he decided to try to board the sinking Kama alliance. Although Rick and David ended last week’s episode on the wrong foot, I can see them recovering their relationship, as hinted in the CBS sneak peek for tonight.
Rick is the type of person who can humble himself and realize where he went wrong, and that a partnership with David is still in his best interests. Plus, David is the type of player that always wants a number one ally to strategize with. Combine this powerful duo with their two halves of an idol and we could see Rick and David take control of this game once again.
3) Individual Immunity is crucial tonight
Usually this early into the merge, winning immunity is only necessary for the big physical threats or the one or two vulnerable players. At this point, with so many different alliances and relationships forming over the past few episodes, anything can happen.
This is shaping up to be an unpredictable and entertaining Tribal Council. So really anyone that isn’t immune is vulnerable, especially if idols are played and someone goes home with just a couple of votes thrown their way. These factors make tonight’s Immunity Challenge a significant one.