Survivor 42 episode 6 brings back hourglass twist again

Survivor 42 episode 6 is the moment all players hope to reach: the Merge! Well, sort of. Like season 41, the merge episode comes with one of the biggest twists in Survivor history. It gives one player a tremendous amount of power and it’s a surreal twist to see play out on TV.

Erika Casupanan faced the same choice last season before ultimately making her way to the season 41 finale and winning. After being sent to an island in isolation, Rocksroy Bailey had to make the exact same decision. Despite it seeming like an obvious decision, let’s take a look at what the mechanics of this twist look like and what it meant for this group of contestants.

Survivor 42 episode 6 turns back time (again)

Survivor 42 gave us a two-hour episode for its merge episode. After last week’s episode with a down-to-the-wire challenge, this felt like a down-to-the-wire vote stemming from a massive twist in the game.

What is this big twist and what’s the big deal? The season started with its contestants split into three tribes. There weren’t any swaps and each tribe made it to this point with four players each. In enters Survivor 42 episode 6 and everyone drops their buffs.

Host Jeff Probst immediately informs them of their quandary. The group will be divided into two tribes, with the exception of two players, and then they will compete for group immunity. They’ll also win a massive feast from Applebee’s. Plus, the winning tribe will decide the fate of the two players who didn’t compete, while the losing tribe will later compete for individual immunity.

When the challenge is completed, the winning tribe brings in one to the “winning” side and then the other gets sent away. Although it appeared to be bad news for Rocksroy, this twist gave him power to undo everything. This twist comes in the form of an actual hourglass and a handmade hammer. If you want the results of the challenge to remain the same, he does nothing. If he wants to switch the results, he smashes the hourglass.

Not only does he get to switch the game on its head, changing the outcome would also give him immunity with the switched tribe. It’s a big deal to take away immunity from players in Survivor, but it’s not surprising to see the decision Rocksroy made. He was either going to have to compete for individual immunity and face possible elimination if he didn’t win, or guarantee himself safety by switching the outcome and being granted safety.

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He smashed the hourglass! This move isn’t surprising, but the outcome of tribal council is still a punch to the gut. This is what makes Survivor magical. Fans get attached to players and then have to watch as their favorites get voted out. This episode isn’t different from most as the latest player received the boot: Lydia Meredith.

This is the second time a player has been sent home after the hourglass twist and there isn’t anything Lydia could’ve done to prevent Rocksroy’s decision. Once the hourglass was smashed, Lydia became an option to go home after not winning individual immunity. It’s a harsh reality for this reality TV show, but Survivor 42 episode 6 gave us another heartbreaker with this monumental twist.

Do you like the hourglass twist in Survivor? Were you sad to see Lydia go home or shocked to see who voted for her? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! For more Survivor coverage, follow the Hidden Remote Reality TV page.