Survivor 43 episode 6 spills trust at the merge over prior gameplay
Survivor 43 episode 6 was in short: Phenomenal! The new era of Survivor saw another merge episode where the entire tribe came together and then split into two tribes to compete for immunity and an official spot in the merge. The losing tribe would head to tribal council, and if lucky to survive the vote, those castaways would officially make the merge.
On top of knowing what was at stake, this Survivor immunity challenge was incredible to watch. Heavy bags had to be lifted up and carried off of a giant wooden sled. Players then had to stack large crates on top of that sled, pulling it along an obstacle course before building a set of stairs with them. Plus, before they attempt a massive puzzle, they have to climb up a steep wall with nets at the very top to grab onto.
In this challenge, Karla hurt her hand, leading Jeff Probst to say, “You know you’re in Survivor when you got blood.” Fans might’ve wondered, how is someone with a massively injured hand supposed to climb up that gigantic wall? Answer: Ryan Medrano. Despite Ryan learning in last week’s episode that he’s not in charge of his tribe, he’s been outstanding in challenges, proving it again in the merge episode.
Ryan hangs onto the net with his right hand, while helping people up with his left. When Karla couldn’t hang on, he literally wrapped his feet within the net, hung upside down and then helped pull her up; plus, we can’t forget Gabler’s assist to his teammates by helping push them up from behind. It was an amazing team effort where they came from behind to earn the win.
How does prior gameplay affect the merge in Survivor 43 episode 6?
Gabler has known that his bag was searched earlier in the season. Elie and Jeanine made a choice to go through his bag to verify how long his temporary idol lasted for. Plus, Elie tried to convince Gabler his idol was invalid when it was still in play for another vote at tribal council. The trust was broken once Gabler found out and he carried that distrust through each episode. So, when the winning tribe sat down together to eat, he shared this bag information with the other players – throwing out Elie’s name as a potential vote.
Did Elie go through his bag? No, but her decision to do it with Jeanine is what matters. This action tied them together and ultimately led Gabler to know he couldn’t trust them. Plus, Elie was playing an aggressive game where she was trying to call the shots. Survivor 43 episode 6 highlighted Elie’s attempts to join forces with the members of the Vesi tribe to go after James and Cassidy of the Coco tribe.
In her efforts to do so, she attempts to convince James and Cassidy to go after Cody (from the Vesi tribe). Perhaps it’s not the best move to try to throw out a player’s name when you’re trying to work with said player; it’s especially true when James senses that something is not right with it and knows Elie is “wheeling and dealing.”
Despite the fact Elie didn’t technically go through Gabler’s bag herself, she was there and wanted it to happen. Gabler telling everyone she did, plus everyone seeing Elie trying to work some plan into action, led almost everyone to believe in some shape or form, “We need to get her out.” Survivor 43 episode 6 is a prime example of showing fans, if they want to play one day, your actions might come back to haunt you.
Are you surprised Elie went home tonight? Did Survivor 43 episode 6 live up to prior seasons’ merge episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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