Survivor Island of the Idols episode 5 preview: Bad beat

It’s just about as much as can be shown before a tribe swap; the Survivor: Island of the Idols episode 5 preview shows us people dropping their buffs.

The Survivor: Island of the Idols episode 5 preview video shows the walk up to the moment the players drop their buffs and a bit of pre-amble before even retrieving new ones.

If you’re into edgic like me (sorry for the lack of write-ups!), you know that certain storylines at certain times are important in determining winner candidates early. Barring a Boston Rob win in Survivor: Redemption Island or Kim Spradlin in One World, there are early favorites that fall out of favor, just as there are surprise surges that come closer to the merge.

However, with the exception of someone who spent less than a third of the days on the island playing the game, there are key moments that make or break collective cases each season. As the Survivor: Island of the Idols episode 5 preview hints at, Elaine’s story of being on the outs and overcoming adversity shines through once again despite being on the backbench since the premiere.

I’m glad they’re finding neat, refreshing spots they can use for filming (it’s not a constantly-used spot), as this little paradise is a great spot for a tribe swap. With a challenge set up as either a decoy or a Reward Challenge possibility, Jason and Lauren were shocked to see Chelsea voted out at the last Tribal Council.

Dean was already grabbing to remove his buff before Jeff Probst even said “drop your buffs,” and other reactions saw Jamal fling his buff and Jack shove his smelly Vokai buff into Tommy’s face. The fact that Elaine said she felt on the outs before the tribe swap even happened is not fortuitous of a winning game, regardless of if the swap is good for her in the short-term. We’ll just have to wait and see if Elaine is truly lucky in Survivor (or not).