Welcome to Season 46’s Next Time On Survivor weekly feature on the Inside Survivor site! If you’re new around here, I’m Steph from sunny, tropical, humid Singapore. This is a tiny space where I give my best attempts at understanding preview trailers and make my predictions for the show’s next episodes.
The NTOS preview predictably opens with Charlie and Q hunting for an idol or advantage. After Hunter and Tiffany’s blindsides with their idols in their pockets, it’s almost certain that at least one has been rehidden. And as Charlie rightly mentions, “An idol at this point in the game changes everything.”
My wild prediction is that either Charlie or Maria finds it. I just have a feeling that they’re going to accumulate much power in the game, and by the time others really want to focus on splitting this power duo up, it’ll be too late.
Individually, though, Maria and Charlie aren’t going unnoticed. In the preview, Venus laments, “Damn it, Maria. She went from being a hero to a villain real quick.” This is likely in response to the last episode’s tribal council. It was supposed to be a vote for Q, but Maria deftly managed to pull off the blindside of Tiffany by bringing together Charlie, Q, Liz, and Ben.
In another sneak preview, Kenzie is upset about being left out of this blindside, but what stood out to me was that she was upset she didn’t get to pull off this move despite wanting to eventually and that now the credit goes to Maria. These two responses from Venus and Kenzie lead me to think that Maria will get targeted next. They may feel Maria’s getting too much social capital and control over other players, and perhaps even by Ben, who may (and should) be realizing that it’s not so much a Siga alliance but a tight Maria and Charlie duo.
In fact, in a separate scene, we see Charlie saying a generic, “We all know what needs to be done,” probably strategising with Maria again. This has happened every episode – one of the few things that has been constant amidst the season’s chaos. While it seems Maria will be targeted, I don’t think the players will be able to put together a blindside against her at the moment. She has Charlie and Q on her side, three out of seven remaining players. It would require great trust among the rag-tag crew of Kenzie, Ben, Venus, and Liz, all agreeing that Maria is an immediate priority before it can be pulled off.
Next in the previews, Liz states, “He’s a jerk,” followed by a cut to Q in a confessional laughing something off, saying, “I don’t feel guilty at all.” There’s a slight possibility that Liz isn’t referring to Q, and it’s just the way the sequence is cut, but the description nonetheless is very befitting of the portrayal of Q so far. This relationship between Liz and Q is definitely something to consider and may shape the next episode’s happenings. After what happened at the reward challenge – Q denying Liz her Applebee’s, and Liz blowing up on Q – it would be foolish of us to think the last vote permanently erases any friction between them.
We also hear a soundbite from Kenzie: “He’s evil and self-centred and selfish.” Q’s been the decoy vote for a few episodes now. As the numbers dwindle further, the players are going to want him out before it’s too late. Q’s an unreliable chaos that’ll mess up their game plans, and he may be a goat that others prefer to take to the end over them. We’re all aware of this, and I’m pretty bored his story is dragging on week after week.
However, it seems too on the nose that Q will be voted out. I find that it’s more likely he will be the name everyone’s talking about again, annoying the heck out of everyone at the start of the episode, but somehow manages to evade the shots fired at him by tribal council. No credit to him though; I’d like to deny Q’s main character syndrome and believe that there are just more important priorities. He may even be the cause of Jeff saying: “46 seasons, I’ve never seen a moment like this, ever.”
Something’s shocking about to happen at the challenge again, and I won’t be surprised if it’s another Q antic brutally rejecting another player with his self-indulgent behaviour.
To sum up, I don’t think I’ve gathered enough from the preview trailers to conclude what will happen next episode. I believe Maria and Q will be potential targets, but I don’t see them leaving the game. I would throw a guess at either Venus or Ben being eliminated, as a quiet, unceremonious collateral damage while bigger drama unfolds.
What do you think will happen in Episode 11? Leave a comment with your predictions!
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I think either everyone finally gets sick of Q and vote him out together or I also wouldn’t be surprised if he wins immunity and everyone takes out Venus. I think Ben and Liz are both too focused on Q to try and take out Maria. And I think Kenzie finds the Idol and tries to lay low and save the idol to guarantee 5 or 4
Stop with the obnoxious Q hate. It’s gotten old from the players on the cast, and now it’s getting old from people like you. Q has absolutely done nothing wrong, yet you treat him like he’s evil and the most vile player ever. It’s embarrassing. The poor dude literally goes to hang out on his own at the start of the episode, and you claim that he’s ‘annoying everybody right away’. He rightly doesn’t pick Liz for her reward, and you angrily claim Q is being ‘indulgent’ and has ‘main character syndrome’ and other nonsense. Seriously, Miss Lauw, grow up.
Sounds like someone is a Q fan. It’s fine to root for a contestant of your choice but don’t call others immature for stating their opinion. And besides, this platform is meant to be fun yet you’ve decided to be as negative as possible. Maybe you should be the one growing up. Goodness.
They need to get kenzie out now she is telling everyone what to do and who to vote out she needs to be voted off asap