We’re about halfway through Survivor 50, and the game only continues to intensify. We’ve seen a blindside at nearly every Tribal Council, but now with the merge incoming, it’s nearly guaranteed that things are only going to get bigger and more exciting from here.
And, it's even more exciting considering Jeff Probst and Survivor have teased “the most unforgettable Tribal Council ever" in a new teaser trailer for episode 6, “The Blood Moon.” For the first time in maybe forever—I need to fact check, but the odds are high—the title of the show comes from something said by the beloved host rather than a contestant.
In the trailer, below, Probst goes on to say that Survivor will never be the same after this twist they have in store for our returning players.
"After tonight, the entire Survivor game will never be the same again," Probst tells the players.
Now, first things first, if you don’t know what a Blood Moon is, it’s a total lunar eclipse where the earth moves directly between the moon and the sun, causing the sun’s light to refract through the atmosphere and reflect off of the earth onto the moon in a dark red. Many cultures view this once-every-few-years event as ominous or representing the end of days.
That alone makes us wonder if this could be a mass elimination for our castaways, but there are a few more hints in the trailer that back up that claim.
At the top of the clip, you can see only players are walking into Tribal Council. Then a little ways in, you see players competing in a challenge titled “Chimney Sweeps.” But if you look closely, you’ll notice the original three tribe colors are still in effect with 5 players making up the original Kalo structures—implying that the other two colors probably are hosting 5 players as well.
The last time we saw this challenge was in Survivor 49’s legendary eighth episode, “Hot Grim Reaper,” where future winner Savannah Louie beat out Sophie Segreti to earn immunity and reward for her team before ultimately attending Tribal Council with the losing team and the ability to pocket her vote to play later.
If Jeff is teasing something big alongside a challenge that has recently divided up players for elimination, this could be the moment our merged players are divided to make Tribal Council an even bigger blood bath than it’s been in the last few episodes. Because if only 15 players—three groups of five—are competing in the challenge, that means two of our players are sitting out and may or may not have a say in the vote.
Based on everything we’re seeing, I’m guessing the merged 17 players will be drawing rocks to decide who gets to compete. Everyone will get a color except for two white rocks that will be sent to Exile Island, which we’ve already seen happen once this season. Those players are immune from the vote, but also won’t have a say in who is voted out, unable to help their alliance or make a move on their own.
And if we’re only seeing five players at a time attending Tribal Council, I bet one player from each colored challenge group will win immunity and be safe at Tribal Council, but all players are about to face Tribal Council in their new groups. This could mean we’re about to get a TRIPLE elimination. Maybe more depending on what happens at Exile Island. Because after Ozzy Lusth, Q Burdette, and Coach Wade were forced to compete for supplies there, the remaining two also had to buy their way off the island by either giving up their vote or giving up tribe supplies.
What if this time around, Exile Island is transformed into Redemption Island and of the two players sent there, only one will earn a spot back in the game?
The possibilities of what’s about to happen are endless, so I personally can’t wait to see exactly what a Survivor Blood Moon looks like when episode 6 airs tonight, Wednesday, April 1 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.