Survivor: Is the final Edge of Extinction player coming back in episode 13?

Barring a typo, the recent press release from CBS indicates that Survivor: Edge of Extinction episode 13 will see someone return from the edge.

When the extra vote advantage was first introduced in Survivor: Edge of Extinction, it included some precise verbiage that was highlighted in the episode in which it was revealed. This specific extra vote would only last until the Final Seven; beyond that Tribal Council, it would not have any powers whatsoever.

As we’ve seen with the Advantage Menu, the end dates have meaning within the game, as it lasted precisely as many Tribal Councils there were before the tribe swap. Ever since hearing that the extra vote only lasts until the Final Seven, I had suspected it’s possible that after six players left in the game, the last Edge of Extinction player would return to the game.

Though it’s unclear, we could be expecting that very scenario next week. Here is the full  descriptive text of the Survivor: Edge of Extinction episode 13 press release for “Idol or Bust.” I have removed the unnecessary filler concerning the regular Wednesday 8 p.m. ET air date.

"Spirits are lifted when castaways living “on the edge” read letters that they wrote to themselves before starting this adventure. Also, the final seven castaways battle for immunity during a tough puzzle challenge…"

Interesting to note is that it lists the “final seven castaways” battling for immunity, not the final six that are in the game at this stage. That would mean Aurora, Gavin, Julie, Lauren, Rick and Victoria would have a seventh player from the Edge of Extinction challenge their way back into the game.

The reason I think it’s possible this is just a typo is that we’d need to see Rick’s idol hunt shenanigans, an Edge of Extinction letters segment, an Edge of Extinction challenge, a Reward Challenge, an Immunity Challenge, a camp strategy segment and Tribal Council all within an hour.

However, if that does end up happening, in the finale we’d start with a Final Five, watch an Edge of Extinction challenge, reach six players left in the game, play three individual immunity challenges, run through three more Tribal Councils, go through the fire-making Final Four challenge and run the gamut of 13 jurors commenting on three players at the Final Tribal Council.

No matter what ends up happening, seeing how we just completed Night 31 in episode 12, there’s an extraordinary amount of Survivor left to cover over only two “episodes” of the show. Four eliminations and a Final Tribal Council over next week, the finale and the reunion show us exactly why this season’s theme has become a logistical nightmare.