Strong alliances are forming, while some are unexpectedly fracturing after episode 3 of Survivor South Africa: Island of Secrets.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for episode 3 of Survivor SA: Islands of Secrets
The level of strategy is beginning to pick up in season 7 of Survivor: South Africa, but Ting Ting was right with her final words. Overthinking a situation can seriously affect your decision process, and we saw that firsthand in yesterday’s episode. Here are three key takeaways from the episode.
Jacques is saved by the tribe swap
Entering episode 3, Jacques was in a perfect position. He was respected by everyone, had a solid four-person alliance going and possessed an idol and advantage that no one knew about. That all changed dramatically in one single episode.
After establishing a great plan to play his idol for Ting Ting that would shock the rest of the tribe, Jacques got nervous and played the idol incorrectly for himself. Jacques lost an idol, had to say bye to his closest ally, and he proved himself untrustworthy to the rest of his tribe.
Thankfully for Jacques, an upcoming tribe swap might be the only twist that can save him. I’m no expert on Survivor SA editing, but Jacques has been receiving a strong edit and plenty of airtime early by US standards. The tribe switch will definitely build on Jacques’ case to make a deep run in this season.
Nathan isn’t leaving anytime soon
The previous episode teased viewers with Nathan being the easy vote because of his injury. However, the Amigos alliance viewed trust with greater importance than challenge performance. Following yesterday’s episode, it looks like their tribe: Sa’ula actually received both.
Nathan showed no signs of limping at all. During the challenge, he threw himself around the obstacles and brought his tribe to victory. He’s not only a nice guy with the ability to make genuine relationships at a swap, but he has the physical ability to carry a tribe to Immunity wins.
There’s an interesting mix of old and new school strategies
A tribe swap is a perfect opportunity to see where loyalties lie, and what type of season will unfold. The interesting trend with Island of Secrets is the variety of playing styles. After voting out Paul, the green tribe feels united and completely loyal to each other. They are definitely an old school type of tribe that values honesty, and I can’t see them voting against each other.
Next, there’s the far less united orange tribe: Laumei. There appears to be two distinct alliances, but even the members within them including Rose-Lee and Mmaba are searching for better options. Finally, we have the purple tribe Ta’alo. They initially seemed to be on the same page, but Jacques is clearly playing a different, more aggressive game. It will be exciting to see if each castaways’ style of play will change when they are forced to deal with new players.