With only three episodes left of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, it’s all about making big moves without becoming too much of a target.
We’re starting to get down to the nitty-gritty in season 38 of Survivor, but considering how fluid the gameplay is, a good move can still be the wrong move if not timed correctly. None of the remaining castaways are challenge beasts, so they have to do more than rely on winning Individual Immunity. Here are a few stories to watch as the Final Seven try to make their way to Day 39.
Warning: This piece will touch on promos for episode 12 of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, which includes footage of tomorrow night’s episode.
1) Real and fake advantages coming into play
There actually hasn’t been too many advantages so far compared to more recent seasons. At the moment, Aurora holds the only advantage in her Extra Vote. It was an interesting and risky strategy when she let Ron possess the Extra Vote in case she went home. Ron decided to return the advantage but after that situation, who knows what she’ll do with her Extra Vote moving forward.
With only seven people remaining, there’s a chance we could see a four to three vote, which would be a perfect time for an extra vote. Since Ron knows about it, I’m sure that if he sees the benefit of playing it, he will push Aurora to do so.
That isn’t the only advantage Ron is involved with. As teased by this week’s promos, Ron is determined to give his expired Advantage Menu to Rick. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but there is a chance Devens could attempt to use this red herring, resulting in the episode title quote “Awkward” being mentioned. Or this gutsy move could just blow up in Ron’s face!
2) Can Rick survive without winning Immunity?
If Devens could make it to Day 39, I couldn’t see anyone else winning than him. He’s won immunities, he has earned his way back from the Edge of Extinction, and he possesses a likable personality without embittering anyone on the jury. The only problem is he’s the biggest threat remaining.
As teased in the press photos for tomorrow’s episode, production is bringing back a classic Immunity Challenge that Coach made infamous. Yes, it’s the one where castaways have to stand on painfully narrow foot pedestals between two walls. This definitely doesn’t sound like a type of challenge Rick would win even with an advantage from the Edge of Extinction.
That means the biggest threat in the game has to survive a Tribal Council without the protection of a necklace or an idol. If he can figure out that Ron’s Advantage Menu is fake before it’s too late, he might be able to throw the target on Ron instead.
3) The women fight for a winning edit
If Rick and Ron both get voted out before Final Tribal (which will probably happen), it’s up to one of the girls to make a case for the title of Sole Survivor. Due to returning players hogging confessionals and the entire Edge of Extinction twist, the edit has been wonky, to say the least.
At this point, no female player has a true “winner’s edit.” Julie has been the closest, so she has a legitimate shot of becoming the champ. Victoria started strong, but her edit has tailed off since the merge despite her superior gameplay.
Lauren and even Aurora have been coming on strong in the last couple of episodes despite their slow start. This week’s episode will be a big help in determining which women still have a chance at winning the million.