Q's journey alliance was always doomed and has no shot at working in Survivor 46

Survivor 46 has finally entered the merge stage of the game. In episode 6, titled "Cancel Christmas," the players were thrown together on one beach with no new buffs or merge feast. The players were aware no merge had taken place yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't start playing the game.

For the Nami tribe, it was the first time they really had to play the game since they had not gone to tribal council yet. Their only loss of a member was when Randen was pulled due to medical reasons.

In the previous episode, Q went on a journey with Tim and Hunter and suggested they each pull in one other trusted member, and the six of them could work together under the radar after the merge. Hunter and Tim seemed down with the plan and Tim offered Maria as his closest ally, and Hunter named Tevin. Q stated that Tiffany was his number one.

In theory, this plan sounded as if it could work. If there was a pair from each tribe working together without anyone knowing about, it could be an effective strategy. But this is Survivor, and it is hard to get everyone on the same page.

Why Q's Journey Alliance was ill-fated from the beginning

Back at their respective camps, Tiffany seemed on board, as did Tevin. Problems started to arise after the three tribes were thrown together in episode 6. Q wanted to see if the "Journey Alliance" was strong. When he broached the subject with Maria, he found out Tim had not mentioned it to her.

As it turned out, Tim really didn't want to commit fully to the alliance, and so he failed to discuss it with Maria. They need all six to be aligned, which highlights another reason why this alliance is doomed. Maria and Tim are close, but not that close. Maria is also playing her own game and doesn't consider Tim her top ally in the game right now. That would be Charlie.

Q is certainly trying to play the game, but the Yanu members are far ahead of Siga and Nami. They've lost so many immunity challenges and have been forced to be fully immersed in the game since day one while the other two tribes have been coasting along.

In truth, while the thought behind the journey alliance is sound, the reality is another thing. Maria obviously wasn't happy that Tim spoke for her, and from the preview of episode 7, Tiffany won't be on board for long either.

Tim and Maria also aren't too eager to sacrifice other Siga members for the benefit of the journey alliance.

Trying to make coalitions between tribes prior to the merge on Survivor is nearly impossible. Once the players don those new buffs, it becomes a personal game. Players tend to only make alliances, usually tenuously, when it suits their purposes.

It was a good idea, but the journey alliance was doomed from the get-go.