After 22 years, it's challenging to keep viewers on their toes, but Survivor continues to do so, and season 43, episode 6's twists may make for a wild tribal council. Adding new advantages and other elements has kept the series fresh, as it adapts to its ever-changing audience. With the upcoming episode, "Mergatory," fast approaching, there is a lot to look forward to.
With 5 episodes of cast members collecting hidden immunity idols, and so much more, Survivor 43 is scheduled to air its most unpredictable episode yet. Based on episode 5's "Next Time on Survivor" segment, as per the Tribe Has Spoken channel at YouTube, it seems like three tribes will be converging in some capacity. Whether that means a full-on merge, or merely a trio of tribes living on one beach, remains to be seen. However, the arrival of fresh faces, and a pivotal tribal council, will surely cause panic among the castaways.
Survivor 43's Mike Gabler Still Has An Immunity Idol
A multitude of advantages and idols are scattered across the three tribes, as Cody Assenmacher, Jeanine Zheng, and Karla Cruz Godoy all found hidden immunity idols by collecting tribemates' beads. Mike Gabler continues to hold an idol that he risked his vote to obtain, for the next tribal council he attends. Noelle Lambert remains the only castaway with an advantage, a "steal-a-vote" she earned by risking her vote in episode 4, "Show No Mercy." Geo Bustamante was targeted, and voted off due to his possession of the Knowledge Is Power advantage in episode 5, "Stop With All the Niceness." Jeanine and Jesse Lopez both risked (and lost) their votes at the next tribal council they attend, which could prove costly, should they be in trouble in the upcoming episode.
How Twists & Advantages Have Changed Survivor 43 Gameplay
Not only do the castaways need to contend with each other, but they also need to adapt to any twists that Jeff Probst throws their way. The preview for this week's episode alludes to a game-changing twist, where Sami Layadi says, "someone's dream is going to end." While there have been numerous twists in past seasons, the Survivor hourglass twist proved a creative failure in seasons 41 and 42. Audiences and castaways panned the twist for being overpowered and unfair. Hopefully, a potential Survivor 43 merge twist doesn't suffer the same fate.
With so many variables for the castaways to deal with, it's impossible to predict what could happen at the next tribal council. Gone are the days of simple social politicking, and work ethic issues around camp. Deciding who to vote out is now complex. Modern Survivor has provided new and exciting ways to keep a castaway safe, via advantages and idols, with the risk of losing their vote looming as punishment. This change is evidenced by past castaways' later interviews, such as Chanelle Howell thinking that fire doesn't matter in the series' new era. Regardless of how these variables change the game, episode 6 will prove to be a pivotal watch, which sets up the Survivor 43 endgame.
Survivor 43 episode 6 ("Mergatory") airs Wednesday, October 26 at 8/7c on CBS.