Drop your buffs, the dreaded pre-Merge tribe swap has finally arrived on “Survivor 49”!
On most seasons of “Survivor,” whether they start with two tribes or three, production decides to shake things up by performing a tribe swap. For a player already on the outs, a reconfigured tribe can be the difference between surviving through to the Merge and getting their torch snuffed at the next Tribal Council. Alternatively, tribe swaps can destablizing dominating alliances, leaving players who were once at the top of the game now scrambling for purchase from the bottom.
The latest tribe swap was teased following the dramatic ending of last week’s October 8th episode, where both Jake Latimer and Jeremiah Ing’s “Survivor” journies came to a close – Latimer’s as the result of an “unprecedented” medical emergency, and Ing’s following a fairly straight-forward 2-1 vote. The results of the dramatic episode left the “disaster” Kele tribe with just two remaining members – Alex Moore and Sophi Balerdi – compared to the Hina and Uli tribes, both of which still retain all six of their original members respectively.
With just two players left, the Kele tribe will be dissolved in Episode 4 of Season 49, making way for two new tribes with seven players each. While fans got a glimpse at the recalibrated tribes in the first-look trailer, here’s a closer look at which castaways will end up on which tribe for the remainder of the pre-Merge game.
Meet the New Hina Tribe
On the new Hina Tribe, former Uli tribe members Savannah Louie, Rizo Velovic, Jawan Pitts and Nate Moore will have a 4-2 advantage over original Hina members Matt Williams and Jason Treul. Sophi B., one of the two remaining Kele members, will also make the switch to the new Hina tribe.
CBS/GettyWhile being the sole former Kele member could put Sophi in a tough spot, her status as a free agent could also work in her advantage if the old Uli members try to ally with her to execute a 3-2 split-vote against original Hina members Matt and Jason.
Meet the New Kele Tribe
Conversely, on the new Kele Tribe, former Hina members Sophie Segretti, Kristina Mills, Steven Ramm and MC Chukwukeju will hold the numbers following the swap. The quartet will be joined by two original Uli members – Sage Ahren-Nichols and Shannon Fairweather – as well as original Kele member Alex Moore.
CBS/GettyOnce again, barring in-fighting and blindsides within the four-strong Hina alliance, Alex could avoid elimination at a fourth-consecutive Tribal Council by allying with the majority to target Sage and Shannon with a 3-2 split vote.
Sneak peeks of next week’s episode similarly hint that, for the first time in “Survivor” new era history, the two new tribes will compete in an immunity challenge immediately after the swap occurs.
Will Episode 4 bring an end to the Kele tribe’s historic losing streak? Or will the new Kele tribe prove just as “disastrous” as its predecessor? Find out when “Survivor” returns to CBS on Wednesday, October 15 at 8:00pm ET.
