From first impressions, I’m really excited for the coming episode because we see the jury taken aback by something that’s going to happen during tribal council. Leading up to it, both preview trailers are also packed with snappy soundbites spliced together from the chaotic discussion around camp. No doubt, some lines are probably out of context and meant to throw us off, but overall, they collectively signal some pretty intense strategising coming up that we can look forward to.
Since the trailers are somewhat complicated to follow this week, I’ll be breaking them down before I get to my predictions.
Next Time On Survivor:
-Devens and David discuss who gets custody over the immunity idol.
-Julie shot next to Julia, and cut to Aurora next to Ron and Victoria: “Are we going for David?”
-Lauren to Julia: “Ron.”
-Wentworth to Wardog: “Julia.”
-Victoria: “Vote for Kelley.”
-A confessional from Julia: “They’re trying to bamboozle us.”
Shot of the jury, Jeff Probst: “Wow I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Preview Trailer:
-Opening sequence of Eric on the Edge of Extinction.
-A confessional from Julie: “There’s no one watching out for me.”
-Ron, next to Julie, Julia and Victoria (and I assume, Aurora): “I don’t feel like y’all trust me. I don’t want to go home.”
-As the players walk to tribal council, Gavin(?): “I have no idea what’s going on.”
-Wentworth: “Y’all making me crazy.” (also the title of Episode 9)
-Voiceovers edited together:
??: “I don’t have control.”
Ron: “…was saying your name.”
Wardog: “Give me a name…”
Devens: “Who voted with you guys?”
Either Julie or Julia (I can’t tell): “I’m ready to jump ship.”
Shot of the jury, Jeff Probst: “One of the craziest tribals I have ever been witness to.”
As you can tell, I’m not 100% sure who speaks each line in the trailer, but let’s cut to the chase and try to decipher the voting plans of the remaining 11 contestants.
I feel like alliances from last week aren’t fixed – we have Aurora as a self-declared free agent and plenty of players who have shown to be flexible with their position. After being blindsided at the last tribal council, I think Ron and Julie are scrambling to regroup with their former tribemates – this would be the scene of Julie, Julia, Victoria, Ron and Aurora sitting on the beach in both trailers.
From the sequences, it seems like the original Kama members plan to vote out a former Lesu member, probably a returnee since David and Kelley are the names thrown out by Aurora and Victoria respectively. Throughout the season, the anti-returnee sentiment has been strong with this group; thus I won’t be surprised if they want to split up the remaining two returnees who voted together at the last tribal.
On the Lesu side of things, foremost, I’m quite sure all signs point towards Lauren and Wentworth remaining a tight pair. However, I feel like even though Wardog has been continuously grouped with them, his position in the game is more flexible and shifting than we assume. Piecing together a few of the lines said in the trailer, I’m predicting that perhaps the Wentworth, Lauren and David trio want to take out Julia (explains Wentworth to Wardog: “Julia”), but they’re using Ron’s name as a decoy (explains Lauren to Julia: “Ron”).
From last week, I feel like Wardog would want to work with Julia, and so he spills the Lesu plan, tipping her off (explains Julia’s confessional: “They’re trying to bamboozle us.”). Of course, this is just me attempting a prediction using the bits we have from the Next Time On Survivor preview. I don’t have an answer to why Julia, nor do I know how the Wentworth trio finds the numbers to vote out Julia. As with all trailers, we’re only shown the tip of the iceberg to keep us guessing.
Another big part of the Next Time On… preview was the rift between Devens and David, complicating the use of the half-idols that they each have from Deven’s advantage he was gifted after returning from the Edge. I don’t think they’ll come to a consensus, as David continues to work with the rest of Lesu, while Devens remains strongly against them. Interestingly, I think neither can leverage the information to other players without exposing that they possess a part of the advantage. As such, I feel like this battle for custody will only surface openly during tribal council, where perhaps some deals will be made in front of everyone and the jury. In any case, I predict that the chaos of “one of the craziest tribals” will involve an ostentatious spectacle of this half-idol custody issue, and also one or both of Wentworth and Lauren’s hidden immunity idols being played.
I didn’t touch on every single aspect of the trailer, mostly because they are too many variable unknowns to form anything coherent right now. The purpose of this bricolage is really to signify the pandemonium and open-endedness that we should expect, and I think it does well to prime us for this week’s episode!
To sum up, I think the Lesu alliance has advantages and networks to save themselves this week, so someone from original Kama will go home. As with my prediction last week, I’m guessing it’ll be Ron heading to Extinction.
What do you make of the trailers? Leave a comment below!
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This is a great analysis of the previews! I hadn’t thought of Wardog’s desire to work with Julia before throwing her to the bottom of my power rankings (also assuming a Kama will go due to Lesu advs) so now I’m thinking that the scene is perhaps Kelley proposing that Julia is the one they need to side with them – backed up by Lauren telling her the plan to vote for Ron, and I think it’s her who says “I’m ready to jump ship”. Her comment of “they’re trying to bamboozle” us could be aimed at Ron & Julie who are gonna be scramble-mania and Julia already seems offside with them for the whole “loved one visit” brainwashing. idk idk idk. So excited for this episode!
When is the 39 cast or theme going to be posted?
Cant wait for next episode
Seems pretty likely to me! Good analysis!
I predict that all the idols cause no one to get any votes. I think that this means that it goes to rocks.
Enjoyed your blog! Will keep in mind while watching tonight.