‘Survivor’ Season 43 Episode 6 Preview: Is the Merge Fake?
The “new era” of Survivor comes with many twists and turns. But while seasons 41 and 42 were near mirror images of one another in terms of structure, producers changed the game for season 43. And with that comes unknown territory for the merge. Read on for a preview of Survivor Season 43 Episode 6, including our theory on the fake merge.
The promo for ‘Survivor’ Season 43 Episode 6 teases the merge
Following Geo Bustamante’s exit in Survivor Season 43 Episode 5, CBS showed the promo for episode 6, “Mergatory.” The video shows the Coco and Vesi tribes arriving on Baka’s beach. And Sami Layadi, doing a great job at making himself seem older, enthusiastically screams, “BYOB! Where’s the party at?”
It appears as if the three tribes think they have reached the merge. However, when the castaways go to their next challenge, host Jeff Probst reveals there is “one final twist.”
In separate confessionals, Sami says, “Somebody’s dream is going to end,” Cassidy Clark explains, “There’s nowhere to hide right now,” and Noelle Lambert expresses, “I’m scared to death at what’s coming next.”
The synopsis for “Mergatory” reads, “The game intensifies when the tribes meet each other at the same camp. Also, castaways must scramble and strategize before Tribal Council to avoid being the sixth person voted out.”
Why the merge is likely fake
We have no doubt in our minds that the merge isn’t happening in Survivor Season 43 Episode 6. And not just because the past two seasons also had fake merges.
The promotional pictures for the upcoming hour show the 13 remaining castaways mingling on what is assumingly Baka’s beach. However, none are wearing buffs — not their Baka, Vesi, Coco, or merge buffs.
Plus, the three tribes first gather at Baka’s camp before heading to the Immunity Challenge. Historically, the players learn of the merge when they go to a challenge, and Jeff Probst says, “Drop your buffs.” Then, they move in together at one of the tribe’s camps or head to a new location to build a new camp.
We also have to factor in the other two seasons in this “new era” of Survivor. In seasons 41 and 42, castaways believed they had merged when, in reality, producers split them into two new groups, and they then battled for immunity.
The Hourglass twist also came into play during this fake merge, where one person who sat out of the challenge went to exlie. They had the choice to revert the outcome of the Immunity Challenge and send the winners to Tribal Council instead of the losers. And as a perk, the chosen player would join the losing group who had immunity.
The name of the hour, “Mergatory,” also adds to our fake merge theory. The titles are usually quoted from castaways in the episode, and “Mergatory” sounds like merge and purgatory mashed together.
Our theory for the twist in ‘Survivor’ Season 43 Episode 6
Jeff Probst revealed that Survivor Season 43 wouldn’t feature the Hourglass twist, so fans don’t have to worry about that. However, it appears that producers will make the tribes believe they have merged before pulling the rug out from under them again. They will have to earn the merge.
The promo for episode 6 teases the Immunity Challenge and Probst promising there is one more twist. And it shows the 13 castaways next to each other with two mats in front of them — one blue and one red. A promotional picture depicts the host making the players pick something out of a bag. So they will likely be split into two groups, similar to a tribe swap. However, since there is an uneven amount of contestants, one will probably be left out.
We theorize that the two new groups will battle for immunity, and the winners will actually be safe from the next vote. The left-out castaway will head to exile, and the losers will go to Tribal Council. However, this is just a prediction, and we will have to wait until the episode airs to see what happens.
Survivor Season 43 Episode 6, “Mergatory,” airs on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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