Survivor Edge of Extinction: Three stories to watch in episode 10

Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Tonight’s episode of Survivor: Edge of Extinction will jam two Tribal Councils into 60 minutes, which will tell us a lot about where everybody stands.

After so much time was spent on last week’s crazy Tribal Council, it’s going to be an adjustment to tonight’s pace of two squished eliminations. Our hope is for the editors to spend less time on the Edge of Extinction and at challenges, so we can still get enough of the social dynamics we love on Survivor. Regardless of the pace, two eliminations will definitely help to iron out the path of this unpredictable post-merge game. Here are a few storylines to watch:

1) Will the voting blocs finally turn into alliances?

For the past three Tribal Councils since the merge, shifting voting blocs have determined the votes instead of majority alliances. First, the young guns from the Kama crew decided to pull a fast one on Joe. In the following Tribal, Julia approved of Wardog’s plan and teamed up to blindside Eric. Finally, just last week, Rick and company were able to create mass confusion, eventually leading to Julia’s elimination.

All three of these votes confirm that there isn’t a set majority alliance in place yet. There are smaller alliances including the Lesu 3 and David with Rick, but each Tribal Council sees them working with a new set of people. It feels like this episode will finally draw the lines and feature the rise of a majority alliance.

Maybe Julie will join forces with Lesu to create a majority. Or maybe David and Rick will team up with Kama to blindside Wentworth. Either way, there’s a good chance that we will come out of this episode with a better understanding of where the players stand.

2) Are we finally going to hear “Wentworth, does not count”?

Both Lauren and Kelley have displayed remarkable guts by holding onto their idols for so long. Even though they have been in the minority for basically the entire game and have received nine votes each, the duo has boldly kept their idols in their pockets.

Anything can happen in this season, but at this point, Wentworth appears to be the bigger target. With two castaways getting their torches snuffed tonight, the odds are high for Kelley’s name to come up. We’ll find out if her spidey senses are still there, but looking at her gameplay so far, I think we’re going to hear more “Wentworth, will not count” comments by Jeff.

3) Victoria is the Kama wild card

With three Kama eliminations in a row, you can feel the momentum swaying to Rick, David and the Lesu 3. However, there’s still one Kama member that can make a big difference in this game. Victoria has proven her ability to play a strong strategic game without letting her confidence or threat level get the best of her.

In the past few episodes, she has acted as the Kama voice of reason and knew when to abandon her plans in order to prevent herself from being exposed by the majority. She has already played a key role in blindsiding Aubry and Joe, and tonight she might be able to slay her third returning player. If David and Kelley still can’t work together, Victoria will be there to take advantage of that opportunity.