This season of Survivor has seen quite a few advantages in play—especially after last season saw basically one—but none of them so far have actually had any influence on the game's trajectory. Our Survivor 49 castaways have collectively found eight advantages over the last 21 days, and only three of them are still in play: Rizo Velovic's immunity idol, Sophi Balerdi's knowledge is power, and Steven Ramm's block-a-vote.
But we watched at Jawan Pitts won a disadvantage advantage at the first journey, played it on Hina at the next immunity challenge, and they still won. After Jake Latimer's emergency medical evacuation, Kele was down to 3 players and Alex Moore played his hidden immunity idol despite Sophi voting with him. Then the first merged vote had a nervous MC Chukwujekwu playing her hidden immunity idol without receiving any votes only to go home the following week.
Only a few days later her ally Kristina Mills played a hidden immunity idol on Steven, though he received no votes to block. And at that same Tribal Council, Savannah Louie used her extra vote on Jawan Pitts though it ultimately wasn't necessary as Hina's split vote plan on Savannah and Rizo meant 4 was enough to send Jawan home.
But now in a sneak peek of episode 12, "The Die Is Cast," (below) a plans that has been voiced into the ether for a few weeks now might finally be coming to fruition.
In the clip, Sophi approaches Kristina about her concerns over the tight duo of Rizo and Savannah. Where previously conversations surrounding the idea of Sophi turning on her closest allies came about when others have broached the subject of their uneasiness about the pair, and she spoke up in agreement, this is the first time she is really the one leading the charge.
She voices that it's time to make a big move and with only 6 players left in the game, she's not wrong. And after last episode's Tribal Council—even with everyone coming together to vote unanimously for the first time—there was no question where Kristina's loyalties are when it comes to Savannah: there are none. She is ready to get her out and is willing to follow whatever lead someone else needs to take to make it happen.
This one thing Sophi needs to stay vigilant of is how much of this move she's actually leading. While in the end she needs to be able to take full credit for it, while it's being enacted, she needs everyone else to think they were the ones who planned it out so that as soon as Savannah and Rizo are gone she isn't the next target as their third alliance member.
It's a tricky place to be and she needs to approach it all very cautiously, but she's played a great game so far—the only remaining Kele player left—and it's possible that she can make it work as long as Savannah doesn't catch wind of the plan. Because as we've seen, as soon as Savannah knows you're against her, you're out.
Watch Survivor 49 episode 12 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and Paramount+!