We're just one week away from finding out who the ultimate "Survivor" is and with seven contestants remaining - Spencer, Jeremy, Tasha, Kelley, Abi, Keith and Kimmi - it has everybody wondering what the Tribal Councils will be like. Will there be a double elimination during tonight's hour-long episode? Will somebody get sent home unexpectedl, or will there somehow just be six people going into the two-hour finale next week, leaving three to get ready of before the final jury?
Only time will tell, but it looks like there could be another medical situation during tonight's episode that could possibly have something to do with a surprising elimination.
Last week we saw Joe, who later got eliminated, collapse during the Immunity Challenge after he pushed himself too hard in the Cambodia heat, and the medical team had to rush to his side. While it was a scary moment, he ended up being okay. During the preview for tonight's episode, it looks like the challenge is going to be another painful one where medical assistance could be needed again for an injury. In the preview, you see Tasha struggling in the water and telling host Jeff Probst that she needs help as the contestants all stop what they're doing to see what's going on. You also see Spencer slam his head onto one of the wooden platforms and several other people hit the water pretty hard.
"Plus, another scary situation," Probst told Entertainment Weekly about this week's episode. "And another Survivor in trouble."
At this point in the game, it's hard to tell who will be going home next and which three players will be going to the finale as the game is constantly shifting. There are no clear alliances at this point and over the last several weeks, every Tribal Council has been a blindside so it's hard to tell who trusts who in this game. Kimmi is trying to get together an all-girls alliance and Kelley and Abi are all about it, but Tasha is having a hard time agreeing as she is also close with Jeremy and Spencer, who are the only two that seem to have somewhat of a strong alliance. Tasha has remained pretty loyal to Jeremy and Spencer, and many think they could be the three in the finale, which would make for an epic final three as they all deserve to be there after the smart way they played the game their second time around.
"With the end in sight, castaways scramble to solidify a plan for the final three," the press release for tonight's episode reads. "Also, a frightening incident at the immunity challenge sends shockwaves through the entire tribe."
One thing is for sure, these "Second Chance" players truly came to win and they have been playing this game like pros. "It makes me sad that this season is winding down because as all 'Survivor' fans know, each season is a new adventure and I really hate to let this one go," Probst continued to tell Entertainment Weekly about tonight's episode. "Next week is a pivotal episode. Seven players left. It's do or die. The vote here is critical. You are deciding whom you will go toe to toe with in that final week."
Last week, all-star player Joe went home and though it was sad to see him go, it was a move that had to be made because of how big of a threat he had become. Even Stephen Fishbach, who was eliminated the week before and wanted Joe out from the start, knew how hard it must have been on Joe to get voted out as he wanted to win it so bad. Fishbach was all for voting Joe out every week simply because he was a threat, but he had a lot of respect for the way he played the game that you never saw on screen.
"In a way, Joe played himself out of the game. He is so uniquely good at 'Survivor' challenges that he can't help but be a massive threat," Fishbach wrote in his blog for People Magazine. "Joe may in fact be the best all-around challenge competitor in the show's history. He broke the record for 'most days immune' on the island. For the first 29 days of the game, he was never up for elimination, and he won every reward that he competed in except two. The fact that he literally played so hard his body gave out is a testament to his commitment to the game...Joe was right to play as hard as he could, ever second of the way. We were rivals in the game, but I have so much respect for him."
Even Joe agrees that voting him off was probably the smartest move they could have made for themselves to stay in the game.
"I think so," he told She Knows when asked if he thinks they made the right choice. "I think everyone, for the most part, made a pretty good decision. In terms of the threat analysis at this time in the game, I have a lot of pull with people on the jury and people in the game. I think I am a threat to win challenges...I think, for the most part, looking back, if I saw somebody out there giving that much effort, then yeah, they need to go."
While he may have been good at challenges, many argue that he lacked strategy, but Joe reveals just how hard this game is, especially this season.
"What's hard about this game is there's so much. There were so many levels of interpersonal relationships, alliances and end-game relationships that developed," he explained. "Then you have the switch-ups. The levels of gameplay, strategy, lying, manipulation and deceiving was so great. There was just so much. You just don't see 98 percent of it. We all have our own strategies. Sometimes we're not aware of our surroundings as much as the next person. We might get a little tunnel vision and lose sight of the bigger picture. If I get to the end, I'm confident in myself to make an argument for myself to win. But you've gotta get to the end first. You can't win unless you get to the end. Period. You might as well go to the end and lose. At least get to the end and give yourself a chance."
"Survivor: Second Chance" airs Wednesday Dec. 9 on CBS at 8/9c.
