Historically in the new era, the merge has come at episode 6, so it’s no surprise at all that the Survivor 50 merge is officially here. What is surprising, though, is the fact that there are 17 players going into it.
Based on who is still in the game at the start of episode 6, “Blood Moon,” our merged tribe will consist of: Aubry Bracco, Chrissy Hofbeck, Christian Hubicki, Cirie Fields, Coach Wade, Colby Donaldson, Dee Valladares, Emily Flippen. Genevieve Mushaluk, Joe Hunter, Jonathan Young, Kamilla Karthigesu, Ozzy Lusth, Rick Devens, Rizo Velovic, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, and Tiffany Ervin.
And in a new sneak peek for the episode, we get to witness the moment all of our players are told “drop your buffs” for the second time this season. Watch below.
In the clip, Rizo at Cila and Tiffany at Kalo read off treemail to their tribes, informing them they have 10 minutes to grab everything and head to their new home. Based on who’s not reading treemail, we can assume that the merged tribe will be living at Vatu beach moving forward. This means that the first time players learn Angelina Keeley was voted out will most likely be when they arrive for the merge.
But the most exciting part of the clip is seeing both Dee and Tiffany get confessionals discussing what the merge means. This is the point in the game where a winner is made, and considering both women are two of the three remaining players with the least amount of confessionals this season, we’re hoping this could be the moment that turns things around and brings both hardcore strategists into the Survivor 50 light.
As the only winner left in the bunch, Dee is thrilled to have made it to this moment on such a milestone season, but she also voices that the thought of having 17 players merge is nerve-wracking. But it’s also a chance for her to play harder and really make some big moves to prove herself as a player.
Based on last week’s blindside that she basically instigated, I don’t think she should be worried about showing off but more so about blending in. Dee has a huge target on her back and is going up against 16 players who watched her win only a few years ago.
So while this is going to be a very defining moment for all our players, Dee needs to secure her place in the merge properly in order to keep herself safe moving forward.