Welcome to Season 44’s Next Time On Survivor weekly feature on the Inside Survivor site! If you’re new around here, this is a tiny space where I give my best attempts at understanding preview trailers and make my predictions for the next episodes of the show. Let’s jump right in!
This week’s NTOS preview begins with Jaime saying, “Every single day is a brand new game. The era of alliances is over,” over stoic visuals of Carson, Frannie, and herself, one player from each starting pre-merge tribe. I thought this was an expected remark from her after the original Soka and Ratu alliances clashed last tribal council and resulted in Kane, an original Ratu member, leaving the game. Jaime and Lauren can’t afford to stick to these alliances as they’ll be in the minority with only two of them left. This sequence doesn’t reveal much but is nonetheless a nice preview of the game inevitably switching up.
Indeed, it does look like the alliance lines are blurring in the next episode. We see Lauren agreeing with Danny as he says, “We have an opportunity to strike; let’s strike.” I think Ratu and Soka will consider working together to take out a player from Tika.
In the last episode, Frannie correctly identified that Tika was playing the middle, a strategic move to ensure their survival. Instead of taking each other out, it makes sense for Ratu and Soka to vote together and target Carolyn, Yam Yam, or Carson. In this case, I feel that Danny will target Carolyn as she seems like an easy target with her unconventional personality, and I can’t imagine her warming up towards Danny and wanting to work closely with him.
At the same time, there are other plans brewing. Heidi mentions in the NTOS preview, “Danny and I are close, but I’m here to play the game.” She’s been aligned with Danny ever since the beginning, but perhaps it’s time she breaks away to blindside him. He’s definitely a threat in challenges and has pulled off impressive moves like blindsiding Josh with his hidden immunity idol. He’s also perceived as someone leading the charge and direction of votes.
I think it’s clear that Danny’s not getting to the end of the game, as people will want him gone sooner than later. Perhaps Heidi would like to take a stab at Danny using the hidden immunity idol she found in the last episode. In this case, she’ll undoubtedly have the support of players like Carolyn, who have expressed her desire to vote Danny out for a few episodes now.
Another key part of the previews is the three Tika stooges, made up of Carolyn, Yam Yam, and Carson. In a confessional, Carolyn expresses that “Something’s not right; they’re stupid.” However, the way it’s spliced, she could be referring to just about anyone in the game. Perhaps she’s reflecting on a discussion she had with her Tika allies, as the three of them haven’t always been on the same page despite ultimately sticking together for plans.
This may be related to another confessional in the NTOS trailer, where Carson says, “I just have to decide who I am betraying.” I believe he’s deciding whether to betray his fellow stooges or Danny and the Soka folks with whom Carson was aligned before. Looking beyond the previews for the upcoming episode, I predict that the three stooges will be sticking together. In a season of chaos and unexpected twists, there’s value in their stability as a trio that can work together. I see them going far into the game with each other.
To sum up, my guess for the episode is that Danny and Carolyn will be the two main targets, finally concluding the hinted conflict since the journey feast encounter they shared. The rest of the players will be roughly split into two fresh alliances. Carolyn will be targeted by the likes of Frannie and Danny, who are tired of Tika getting by votes unscathed, whereas Danny will be targeted by Heidi, Carolyn, and those who want to push for a move to take out a threat. Working backwards as I think the season has set up the remaining Tika players going far, so my prediction is that Danny is voted out.
What do you think will happen in the next episode? Leave your predictions in the comments below!
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I agree that I think sadly it will be Danny going this week but I don’t think Heidi will flip it would not be good for her game at final 8, seems to soon. Maybe she is told the plan is Danny and is thinking if she should save him with her idol. I think the only way Danny makes it past this vote is winning immunity. I could even see Soka and Ratu working together to vote Carolyn and her idoling up.
I think it will be Danny but hope it is Lauren.
Best case scenario for me would be Danny wins immunity, Soka and Ratu vote Carolyn, Tika vote Heidi, both ladies uses idols and Lauren goes in rocks