Hey guys, it’s time for this week’s Next Time on Survivor. Before I jump into looking at the previews for Episode 9, I wanted to check out the outcome of the predictions I made for the previous episode.
Previously on Survivor…
I think last week’s episode was probably my favorite so far this season because it was a complete comedy and I was living for it. With the cast that we have this season, I wish there were more episodes like it. Also, I was pretty confused at how Cole thought it wouldn’t be suspicious that spaghetti was served on a towel.
When it came to my predictions, I said that there would be an advantage under the flag and I was wrong. I’ll even quote a conversation I had with Martin the day before the episode:
Martin – “I wonder if the thing they’re digging for is another idol. And the advantage is separate. Because none of the other advantages have been buried, right?
Me – “The description for the episode said someone finds a secret advantage.”
I was pretty persistent in thinking the advantage was under the flag. From now on I should just ask Martin what he thinks about the preview before I finish writing these articles.
Fear the Unknown
Looking at the preview for this week’s episode, Ryan seems to be the center of attention, but I don’t believe he is a target. In the ‘Next Time’ preview, there’s a scene where Ben is telling Devon that Ryan has an idol. During the preview after the episode, it looked as if Ryan was emerging to become a possible target but if you look at the preview released on YouTube, there is a scene at 0:16 that matches the same scene with Ben talking to Devon. But in this clip, Ben is telling Devon “this game just got fun.”
Ryan is going around telling Devon and Ben about the idol he found under the tribe flag, and Chrissy was there when Ryan found it. I think Devon believes he was the only one Ryan told because also in the preview at 0:12, Ryan tells Devon about the idol and Devon says “and no one even knows.” Maybe this is why Devon looks so shocked when Ben tells him that he also knows about the idol. Devon probably believed he was the only one Ryan had told and didn’t realize Ben was so close to Ryan as well. So right now, three people know about the idol and Ben is the only one who knows about Lauren’s advantage. Ben is basically aware of everything going on for the most part and I don’t think anyone realizes it except for Joe.
Going back to the last tribal council, Lauren’s vote was missing, and the only person who knew about it was Ben. It doesn’t look like anybody noticed, but if someone did realize there was a missing vote, I think Joe or Mike would be the ones to figure it out and possibly start talking about it in this next episode.
Go Big or Go Home
In the preview, at 0:03, Mike says “It’s go big or go home time.” Could this mean he may go big and play the idol before he goes home? Mike hasn’t been a target so far this game, but with that comment, I think he may consider playing the idol for someone like Joe or Cole to give himself better odds to go farther. Hopefully Mike wakes up and tries to make a move because the other alliance has plans to pick them all off.
As for Joe, it looks like he knows he is on borrowed time because he is messing with Ashley. He tells her she would be the perfect goat to take to the end. I assume he is telling her she would be the ideal goat to bring to the end if she keeps working with Ben and Chrissy. He may be trying to get her on his side so that people realize Ben is a threat, but he isn’t that good when he talks to people he doesn’t like.
Joe reminds me a bit of Russell Hantz. In my opinion, if Joe made it to the end, I think he would just pull another Russell. I don’t think he has good jury management at all. He protects his alliance, but when it comes to talking to anyone else, he treats them poorly. I think the only way he could win is if the Final 3 is Joe, JP, and Cole. But I won’t deny that besides jury management, he is a decent player.
Predictions
Who will win immunity?
Looking at the immunity challenge from the press photos, I think the biggest contenders will be people with muscle and balance. I actually think Cole may win this one, but overall the biggest contenders will probably be Cole, JP, Devon, Ashley, and maybe even Joe.
Who’s on the chopping block?
Continuing with the trend, Joe and Cole are still on the hot seats. If Mike does play his idol correctly, I think Joe, Mike, and Cole would vote for Ben, but I don’t see those plans going through.
Will an advantage or idol be played?
Lauren used half of her advantage last week and can still play an extra vote at a future tribal. I don’t think she will play an extra vote in this next episode, but I think there’s a big chance Mike may use his idol.
Winner Prediction After Episode 8
After watching Episode 8, I got the feeling Ben wasn’t a contender to win anymore. But I started to look at confessional counts based on winners and Final 3 castaways from past seasons.
Ben had a spike of confessionals in Episode 8 with eight confessionals in total. If you look at past seasons, all winners, or the Final 3 in general, skyrocket in confessional count around episodes 8-10.
Game Changers – Sarah got 11 confessionals in Episode 10.
Millennials vs. Gen-X – Adam got 10 confessionals in Episode 8.
Kaoh Rong – Michele did not have a spike in confessionals in episodes 8-10; instead, Aubry got 10 during Episode 9.
Cambodia – Jeremy got 9 Confessionals during Episode 9.
Worlds Apart – Mike got 8 confessionals during Episode 8.
I’m not saying people like Chrissy, Ryan, or Devon aren’t contender-worthy. I’m just defending my reason on why I think Ben may win.
Who do you think will win? Drop your winner predictions into the comments below!
OTHER SURVIVOR CONTENT
Redmond’s Episode 8 Recap at Yahoo TV
Episode 9 Press Photos
Episode 8 Edgic
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For me the main Contenders are Ben, Ryan and Cole
I’m definitely inclined to think Ben will win, but I don’t want him to. I just don’t find him very likable. I think the only serious winner contender besides him is Ryan and potentially Chrissy. Devon could do it in a Fabio-lite fashion, for sure, but Ben and Ryan are definitely at the top of the ladder for winner chances, like maybe 90% one of those two, 9% Devon or Chrissy, and 1% Joe. JP is as interesting as wet paint, Ashley’s faded into obscurity, Cole is way too negative, and Lauren and Mike are just secondary characters. If Mike does an idol play, I could see JP (the runner up to Cole last challenge) getting blindsided, but if it fails, I want to say Mike goes home by drawing too much attention to himself, true to the “go big or go home” statement he made.
I grew to like Ben after the first episodes but now currently in the season I’m not that big of a fan anymore. Ryan and Chrissy have always been 2 of my favorites to win (even if I hated them for getting out Ali and Roark).
My pick from day one has been Chrissy with Ryan and Ben as possibilities, so I think I’m on the right track…
Very interesting stats on the confessional counts (spikes) . I can see Ben winning this season, if everyone is silly enough to let him get there.
[…] Hey guys, it’s time for this week’s Next Time on Survivor. Before I jump into looking at the previews for this week, I wanted to check out the outcome of the predictions I made for the previous episode. […]