Survivor Winners at War episode 5 promo: Ex-pectations

Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Outside connections are going to benefit the right castaways, but the Survivor: Winners at War episode 5 promo shows that ex-lovers have a bridge to cross.

The Survivor: Winners at War episode 5 promo video will showcase several moments from the tribe swap show that will air next week, including two people on one of the new-look tribes.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. That might not be the case when $2 million is on the line for a show where you have to vote of players in a social, tribal setting based on undefined parameters, and an ex of yours is now part of that dynamic. Such is the case for Michele Fitzgerald, where as far as melon-scratchers go, “What do you do with an ex-boyfriend on your tribe?” is a honey doodle.

The Survivor: Winners at War episode 5 promo follows the lead from the “Next Time On” preview at the end of this week’s show, as it does a good job of not letting you know too much about how the tribes swapped while still throwing a bone for the audience. The bone is Wendell Holland re-entering Michele Fitzgerald’s life, apparently, as the two are seen together with sheepish grins aplenty.

You should take note of how each of the Survivor castaways is reacting to this tribe swap as an indication of how this flip of the script changes their game. Boston Rob alluded to always hating this part of the game in the show preview (he’s got nobody to protect Amber in the game this time), but Parvati is “nervous,” Sophie “feels the game slipping through her fingers,” and Adam notes this could be “catastrophic” to his game.

Again, these are clips of soundbites from the players across multiple iterations of confessionals and moments throughout Survivor: Winners at War. It could be construed as a positive reaction from Michele if she and Wendell are on good terms, and Adam might swap into a good position after making a fuss about a catastrophic swap to which he benefits. Perception is reality, especially on reality television, when producers and editors call the shots.