Welcome to Season 51’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.
We’re about halfway through the season, and it’s time for the merge! This is great news for Jelly and Devin, as they’ve been whittled down to just the two of them. In the sneak peek scene, Jelly shares how voting out Ori hit different, as if it was a “declaration that this is the last friend and ally we’re willing to say goodbye to.” The scene really cements Devin and Jelly’s conviction to play the game hard, which I think will translate into strategic moves to preserve their alliance when they merge.
Jelly and Devin will reunite with their original Toka tribemates, who now make up the majority, as well as Sharonda, whom they formed an alliance with on Day One. I predict Jelly and Devin will position themselves as numbers for others to use, going relatively under the radar for now for self-preservation, while letting other bigger personalities target one another.
The NTOS trailer splices together a bunch of scenes and soundbites of the players without very clear contexts, but I’ll try my best to write down what I think they might mean. First, we see Kristen, Brady, and Kilby in discussion. What stands out for me is that Kilby has probably burned some bridges on the Dina tribe after essentially forcing his tribemates his way to avoid a rock draw. It’s not surprising that he’s been seen plotting here with Brady, his former original Toka tribemate, and Kristin, whom he met back in the negotiation on day one. I think he’s trying to solidify new alliances quickly, since he knows he’ll be a target for Cristian, Sharonda, and even his buddy Eric.
Next, Maggie says “she’s the white whale,” suggesting someone is impossible to reach or potentially someone impossible to target. I guess she’s referring to Kristin, extending the portrayal of her as a Survivor superfan with the knowledge and skills that make her a dangerous player. I’d hate to see her targeted, but Kristin thriving at the various camps and in Exile is indeed a formidable presence that threatens the other players.
The other portion of the trailer that stood out to me was an angered Brady telling Maggie, “he’s a piece of garbage; he’s done!” I predict that Brady here is referring to Mike potentially flipping on the Toka tribe. This was alluded to explicitly in the last episode, with Mike considering options beyond sticking to his current alliance. With the merge opening up new possibilities and relationships, I think it’s inevitable that we’ll see him make inroads with others, which will definitely irk Brady, who throws tantrums when things don’t go exactly his way. I expect the next vote to center on Brady and his passionate convictions.
What do you think will happen in Episode 7? Leave your predictions in the comments!
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