On last night's episode of "Survivor: Second Chance," we saw a merge very early on in the season and the largest tribal council in the history of "Survivor." The merge came just a week after the tribes were switched back to two, and none of the contestants really saw it coming this early on. With them all being returning players, they had to think fast on whether this merge meant it would be better to stick to their original alliances, or form completely new ones. With 13 castaways eventually battling it out over who should be sent home, there was a lot of chaos at tribal council.
After last week's blindside and the quick elimination of Woo that devastated fans, this week was the farthest thing from a blindside. It all came down to a very obvious elimination of either Kass, Tasha or Ciera, and in the end, Chaos Kass was sent home, making her the first member of the jury.
With now 12 castaways remaining, and it being exactly half-way through the season, it's hard to see where things are going to go from here because as "Survivor" proves season after season, literally anything can happen. And as Spencer said last night, today is today and you never know what tomorrow may bring. Host Jeff Probst decided to do a merge with so many people remaining as a way to catch these players, who knows the game better than anyone, off guard.
"We wanted to keep as many players in the game until the end. This is why we also have our largest jury ever," Probst told Entertainment Weekly. "Everybody worked so hard to get these people back out on the island and we anticipated the game being played very hard, so it made sense to let as many possible have a say in who ultimately wins the game."
Probst finds it hard to talk about the specific player who has shocked him the most so far. "I hate these questions because unless I list all 20, there will be people mad at me," he said. "Then again, I've had people mad at me for 16 years, what's another few months?" And with that, he shared his honest opinions on each of the 12 remaining castaways.
When it comes to Joe and Spencer, he thinks they're both doing a "good job" on their own terms. "Joe is doing a good job of working within a system that doesn't play to his strengths," Probst says of the player who is the biggest threat. "People tend to want guys like him out, but he's maneuvering while he can." Last night, Joe won the first individual immunity, and if he can keep this up, he has a good shot of remaining the best in the game before others get the chance to vote him out. As for Spencer, Probst believes he's proving to people that his intentions are different this time around. "Whether it's an authentic desire or just game play is irrelevant if it's working," he added.
Jeremy is another contestant that Probst thinks is up there as someone to watch out for. "I like the game Jeremy is playing," he admitted. "He's really just trying to pick up where he left off. His second chance isn't so much about changing as it is playing without the burden of a loved one." Wentworth is also playing a good game, and Probst is "impressed" by her actions and the fact that she's doing it on her own this time around. As for the social aspect of the game, Ciera's got that one in the bag. "It's really subtle," he explained. "But she could be deadly if the merge works in her favor."
Keith is one of the few who doesn't really have a desire to play the game any differently this time. He tries to stay out of all the chaos and drama, and this is just what works for him. "It can work all the way to the end because Keith is a likable person," Probst said. "He stays out of the way, contributes at camp, bleeds at challenges and then says, 'Who do you want me to vote for?' It works because he's easy."
As for Tasha, she's finally being a little more patient and trying not to push anyone around. She wants people to make mistakes so she can then point them out. Savage, on the other hand, is playing a hard game, a game that's very similar to the one he played in his previous season. While he is all about loyalty, Probst just hopes he knows who to be loyal to. "If he picks the right people that loyalty is invaluable," he said. Fishbach is too focused on strictly just getting the biggest threat, Joe, out of the game and Probst doesn't think he should be dwelling on this so much. "I question if that's his smartest move," he admitted.
It's been a while since we've seen Kimmy and Wiglesworth on "Survivor," so they've had the most time to grow. Kimmi is involved in strategy and has no shame in speaking her mind, which is something we never even got the chance to see in her first season because she didn't last very long. "At this point she's surprised me in a positive way," Probst revealed. Wiglesworth, on the other hand, is playing the game her way and nobody elses. "She has her own set of rules, she is not influenced by page, and rarely influenced by other opinions," Probst said of the original runner-up. He knows this is not the way he would ever play the game, but it seemed to work just fine for her the first time around, so something has to be working.
And then it all comes down to Abi. Abi has this way about her that makes you always wonder what she's up to. Probst can see this himself, and in his eyes, she has failed at trying to play the game differently this time. "But that doesn't mean she's a failure," Probst made sure to add. "She keeps the game interesting and the deeper the game goes, the more valuable her vote becomes."
Next week, it looks like the merge will really start affecting the way people are playing the game. "The unexpected merge sends people into a true scramble and the game enters its next phase," Probst said of the next episode. "The evolution will now slowly begin."
