Without any formal alliances established on the Hina tribe in the Survivor 49 premiere, it only makes sense that the next chapter of the game would see our yellow tribe making a few moves at camp to see where people's heads are at and figure out a safe space should their winning streak end. But trust has to be earned and alliances aren't always what they appear to be.
The first episode set up Hina as the tribe to beat this season, but in a game as fragile as Survivor, all it takes is one wrong word for the camaraderie to quickly unravel. And in a new sneak peek at episode 2, "Cinema," that word was exchanged between Matt Williams and Michelle "MC" Chukwujekwu.
Watch a sneak peek of Survivor 49 episode 2, below.
Last episode, we saw Steven Ramm working the Hina beach to build social relationships with all of his tribe mates, hoping to secure himself a spot in the majority alliance while he was slightly paranoid he was on the bottom. And in an exclusive new look, it appears he's officially formed a tight three with Matt and Kristina Mills.
Matt decides to take the initiative to bring in MC as the fourth, as she's a strong player and clearly someone good to have on your side. But MC's not just a great physical player, she's also smart and strategic and asked the right questions, leading Matt to reveal where he ranks her within the majority alliance.
"We have a three person thing going already, and we're looking for a fourth," the 52-year-old airport ramp agent told MC at the water well, which she didn't take as the warm invite Matt thought he presented it as.
She goes on to disclose that of course she's going to play along and "join" the alliance—that's the name of the game—but she's going to keep her guard up around Matt until he proves he actually wants to work with her, and she isn't just an afterthought to make sure they have the numbers.
Of course, if Hina wins immunity again, MC won't have to worry about whether she fully trusts her new alliance just yet. But should they wind up at Tribal Council, Matt may have just snuffed his own torch.
See what happens next in the new episode of Survivor 49 this Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 8 pm ET on CBS and Paramount +.