Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode ofSurvivor 41.
Because there was no merge.
Well, there kinda was.
Jeff Probst and the Yase tribe on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
And there kinda wasn’t.
Allow us to explain.
Ah, but it turns out that automatic entry to the merge was less than automatic.
Jeff Probst on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets
We’ll have to wait until next week to see what decision Erika ultimately makes.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s start with a moment of silence for the dearly departed.
The cast is stacked with great personalities, and you’ve lost a few of them already.
Jeff Probst on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
So I am a bit amped up!
They rocked it so hard!
The sold-out house was on fire!
I was really impressed.
There is no doubt about it, rock is alive and well!
So with that in mind, let me transition intoSurvivor…
This first question is aSurvivorSophie’s choice, and I can’t bear the thought.
I told you, I love this group of players.
I have no favorites.
I hated every Tribal.
If they win,one of themwill ultimately earn their way back into the game.
So they choose the player they think will most help them win the challenge.
Then, one last twist to complicate matters.
If they lose, then the player they chose to help them… is out of the game.
One of the big initial thoughts was that we wanted players to have to work harder around camp.
That led to no food, loss of flint, smaller tribes, and only a few reward challenges.
Once you reach this phase, you earn the chance to compete to “make the merge.”
That was the big idea.
We then started exploring the idea of making the game play much more “dangerous.”
Thechange historyhas been an idea we’ve kicked around for years.
We’ve always loved it but it never felt right until this season.
And once we talked about it, we knew we were going to commit to it.
For future players, I can’t scream this loudly enough… the game is a monster.
This isn’t just a catchy phrase, it’s a metaphor.
You cannot waste time being frustrated because you don’t like a twist.
It’s wasted and misplaced energy.
You must continue to assess and adapt to everything that happens in the game.
From changing alliances to bad weather to lack of food and historic twists.
Every minute of every day.
If you don’t, the monster will devour you.
Will we do this exact thing or something like it again?
Let me say it again… the game is a monster and it’s only getting hungrier.
Let’s go back and play another round of my favorite game: What Would Probst Do?
Any chance you do NOT smash that hourglass?
Because I’m smashing that sucker as soon as you hand it to me.
In Erika’s situation, going into the challenge she feels like on the outs with her tribe.
They sent her to Exile, and now she has power in the game.
So her decision will be based on that specific set of circumstances.
Does she feel she can recover with her tribe by protecting them?
But imagine it was Danny and DeShawn who drew the rocks.
One of them gets to stay, one of them has to go to Exile.
Now maybe the decision for who to send to Exile isn’t as easy.
So let’s say they play rock, paper, scissors and Danny loses and is sent to Exile.
Now it’s Danny who is in charge of thechange historydecision, but it’s a very different situation.
This idea started as a different idea that came from my buddy Doug Larson.
We took that idea and merged it with our theme ofSurvivor 41being about “dangerous fun!”
But I’m worried about your voice, Jeff.
Have you been digging deep into some herbal tea and honey to help protect the pipes?
Yeah, this is embarrassing.
I think myANNOYING YELLING!!
!is simply the result of me being away fromSurvivorfor too long during COVID.
I forgot how to yell properly.
It’s that simple.
It is possible to be excited and full of adrenaline and still not lose your voice.
I blame only myself.
We’re halfway through the season and heading into what seems like a REAL merge.
What can you tease in terms of what to expect in the next phase of the game?
The back half of this season is just as strong as the first half!
It’s a boring answer… but more of the same.
Great game play from strong players and definitely not the last big twist!
