Season 2, Episode 7 - "The Merge"

“Tonight, will new strategies and new friendships be born as the two tribes merge into one? Who will be the first person voted out of the new tribe?” - Probst

It has been a while since the blog has been in the Australian Outback. A global pandemic, statewide shutdown, and an overthrow of all things normal has caused the hiatus. Oh, and my computer took a crap too. But, the good news is, the blog is back, new computer in lap, and ready to continue the journey. It’s good to be back. Feels normal again.

Let’s pick back up on Night 18 with the Kucha Tribe…

“We have been through so much together” - Elisabeth.

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The Kucha tribe is united and talks strategy, but a 5 v. 5 merge leaves open questions. How does one tribe get an advantage? If they go to Tribal Council and vote down tribal lines, who is out? Well, if the Mitchell ousting taught us anything, it’s that having votes previously cast against you is a way out of this game. Jeff mentions the idea of Ogakor knowing that Jeff had a vote cast against him via Kimmi and it may be the only play that either of these tribes has. Kucha went through an emotionally scarring yet uniting medical evacuation with Mike and seem more united than ever and Ogakor seems distraught because they are left in the dark. They don’t know anything about what happened at Kucha. This also is a uniting event for them. The only other strategy seems to be getting someone to flip and vote with the other tribe.

So, what happens? Jerri is 100% the most likely to do that from Ogakor, but does that help her long term? Do you try to sway a vote from the other side? Do you try to get knowledge of previous tribal votes and target that person? Will both tribes learn from Pagong’s mistakes?

Treemail - Boys Night Out/Girls Night Out

In a clever twist, the boys at Ogakor are sent to Kucha, and the girls from Kucha sent to Ogakor for dinner and dancing. Well, maybe just an awkward night of trying to siphon information from the other tribe before fully living together. Any advantage counts.

“It’s important to get information of who’s got votes cast against them!” - Tina. Jerri and Keith have votes cast against them at Ogakor and Jeff has votes cast against him at Kucha. The teams both know that is the main play in the game.

Ultimately, the twist lands a heavy punch becuase both teams thought the same sex of people were going to come to one another’s camp. In the game, tribes try to limit surprises as much as possible, but the treemail provides quite the surprise and a moment of icebreaking connection.

When Alicia and Elisabeth get to Ogakor, “Girls Night Out” really happens when they are able to share the dirt on what actually happened to Mike. There is an opportunity to connect but Tina recognizes that this made it a tie ballgame. New twists are fun and sharing stories of what happened matters, but the stratetgy of the game trumps all.

The guys at Kucha saved their last chicken for the "girls” they thought were coming. Jeff really has his head in the game. He’s analyzing Colby and Keith hard. Keith and Colby are doing the same. Rodger seems to have a general perspective of but doesn’t seem to be the strategizer. Lastly, Nick may as well not even be there. He doesn’t have much of a presence in the edit. At Ogakor, the girls are all sharing info about themselves and fantasizing about food.

Boys Night Out. Hulu.

The mini adventure ends with a 15 minute pack up and hike to an all new camp site. Tribes won’t be deciding which camp to live at, but rather a third camp site and new orange flag greets them. The merge also brings cheese, crackers, fruit, wine, new life, new beginnings, but the same old game. “We weren’t together 15 minutes and it started” (Jeff) brings the viewer back to center narrating that the old Ogakor is back to scheming. Though the new “Bearmundi” tribe has the distraction of a pending Immunity Challenge, the “honeymoon” phase won’t last very long.

Immunity Challenge

Simple challenge, perch yourself on a wooden pole and stand there. Last one standing wins. Nick “felt a little dizzy” and decided to exit the challenge to get some rest. Followed shortly after is Colby. Colby’s strategy was to draw attention away from Keith and Jerri. Colby wants the votes to be put on him and not Keith and Jerri. It could be the difference between who gets voted out and who doesn’t.

Four hours in, Jeff comes out with peanut butter and offers it to Colby and Nick and whoever wants to join them. Rodger jumps off immediately. Jeff gets persuaded to exit the challenge as well. Peanut butter was all it took.

After 6hours and 47 minutes, Jeff offers ice cream and hot chocolate. Off goes Amber and Jerri immediately.

“Maybe those are the people who feel most vulnerable” - Jeff.

Jeff comes out around the 9 hour mark to light some torches out on the water. The 4 remaining are Elisabeth, Keith, Alicia, and Tina. Elisabeth bails out after negotiating a boat ride to camp.

After 10 hours, Jeff comes with hot chocolate and hot coffee and a boat ride in. Alicia gives in. Keith turns to Tina and says, “I need this one”. Tina, has to make the TOUGH DECISION. After 10 hours she gives up, ends the challenge, and allow Keith to be off the table at the vote. Tina makes the biggest move of the game for her tribe and the future of their tribe in the game. BIG MOVE!

TRIBAL COUNCIL

First merged Tribal Council. Hulu.

“This challenge felt like it was going to go on forever” - Alicia

“I’m a team player. I know Keith needed this” - Tina

This vote is particularly interesting because the person voted out will be the last person to leave and not be there until the end. The rest will make it to the end as a finalist or jury member. Tough place to end your journey on Survivor.

Rodger - COLBY

“I really like the guy but he’s from the Ogakor tribe and they all got to go!”

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Tina - ???

“You seem like a really great guy but this is 100 percent a strategic vote.”

Jeff - COLBY

“Cause everything’s bigger in Texas, this lone star’s got to go!”

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Votes

Jeff - 5, Colby - 5 TIE

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Hulu.

Jeff and Colby both are given a chance to plead their case before a second vote takes place. They both don’t make much of a case. Jeff acknowledges the unlikelihood of him changing anyone’s mind and Colby reaffirms his one way of playing the game. In the end, there is only one choice, one play. Ogakor sticks to their votes. The vote is a tie again and whoever has more votes cast against them is out. Colby had zero and Jeff had one. One vote from a previous Kucha Tribal Council spells the end for Jeff. That vote was from Kimmi when she was voted off 6-1.

Obviously, Kimmi’s vote has major ripple effects. Kucha is now down 5-4 and in the weak position. However, Kimmi’s vote isn’t the only reason that Jeff is leaving. The key piece of this elimination was INFORMATION. In Survivor, information can be as valuable as having immunity. Ogakor had knowledge of who received a vote at a previous tribal. Oh, and Tina’s decision at the Immunity Challenge had a little something to do with it too.

PROBST’S CLOSING THOUGHT

“I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that over the next few days, new friendships are going to emerge, new voting patterns will form.”

He’s right. Inevitably, the merge will take a greater effect but it’s hard to imagine the old Ogakor not sticking together.

Jeff’s Exit Interview

“I knew this was gonna happen because of a…very…large…mouth, of a former tribe member in Kucha, Ogakor knew I had this vote.” - Jeff

Really tough exit for anyone. Jeff was a major threat in the long term future of the game. I understand him him placing blame toward Kimmi and how Ogakor knew he had the vote against him, but it isn’t solely on her. If Jeff knew this was going to happen, then I have one question.

Why did you take yourself out of the Immunity Challenge?

I hope that heaping helping of peanut butter was worth potentially one million dollars. Keith knew his neck would have been on the line had he bowed out. Tina knew that Keith, and Ogakor, needed that individual immunity to go to Keith. One of the aspects of the game of Survivor is OUTWIT. I think Jeff and Kucha, though they thought they were so much better and stronger than Ogakor and maybe they were, in this episode they proved that they weren’t as strong and strategic as they thought. Ogakor outwitted them big time and as a result, the scale of the game is tipping in their favor.

Now for the awards…

1 - Biggest Move

No question here. Tina’s decision to let Keith win and end the Immunity Challenge. Saved Keith, helped eliminate Jeff, and a huge “team” move to get a stranglehold on the game.

2 - Biggest Mistake

Jeff taking the peanut butter. I get it. You have been in the middle of nowhere in Australia for 18+ days. You have not had an indulgence quite like a half a jar of peanut butter, but that one indulgence can get you eliminated. For Jeff, it was.

3 - Challenge Corner

No reward challenge because of the merge, but a whole lot of rewards were gained. The standing challenge was actually pretty entertaining. First individual immunity, people out early, people taking Probst’s bribes, and 10+ hours before finally Keith wins.

4 - Trending Up

Tina and Keith. They have had a bond since they were battling to get Mitchell out and continue to show they are together. Together they won the individual immunity for Keith but for Ogakor. The game is 5 to 4 and they have the advantage going forward because of they were able to outplay the old Kucha.

5 - Trending Down

Could say all of Kucha because of the numbers advantage being in favor of the former Ogakor, but I’m going to go more specifically with Nick. He hardly gets any air time in the edit of the show and he was the first to bow out of the Immunity Challenge. It would be impossible for him to win.

6 - Hatch Award (Strategy)

How bout an award for the producers. The boys night out/girls night out treemail that caught everyone off guard. Got to give credit to a surprising twist for the castaways. It played well on the rewatch for sure.

7 - Best Screenshot

Hulu.

When the tribe merges and shares the only moment of unity!

8 - Best Quote

“It was really kind of interesting. In the middle of all this celebrating this game is still being played. Every minute of every day.” - Alicia

“We weren’t together 15 minutes and it already started!” - Jeff

Both of these quotes pierce through the screen and straight to you previous 6 1/2 episode brain. As the newly merged tribe “celebrates” the game very much rages on. The viewer can’t help but feel like pouring their own glass of wine to cheers the accomplishment, but then quickly be jolted back to the harsh reality and grind of the game that had been temporarily pushed aside.

9 - Who won the episode?

It has to be Tina. At the merge Tina tells us “It’s nice starting all over, starting on equal ground and it was important to listen more than you talked. Find out what you’re up against.” She is a real player. In another confessional she reveals the Ogakor voting strategy for Jeff because he has the vote against him. Lastly, she makes the move to give Keith the Immunity Challenge win and the Ogakor tribe a leg up in the game.

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