Everyone has made it to the merge! Who will rise to power and who will be targeted? With Extinction in the mix, who will be affected by the returning player.

Manu

Victoria – Victoria killed it last episode. She got Aubry out of the game with an idol and extra vote in her pocket. She also kept her alliance intact at the double tribal by getting rid of the outsider Wendy. Victoria is looking like a threat to win going into the merge as she is connected with the majority and has a solid three in Gavin and Eric. The one thing that could screw up her game is Aubry coming back for revenge basically. Overall, Victoria is a contender to win. Eric – Eric was the fake target of the Aubry vote and made tried to make inroads with David and Wardog at the double tribal. He has played well up to this point by sacrificing Wendy. He is a threat to win immunity down the line as soon as Joe is voted out. Overall, Eric might be targeted by the other side but he has the skill to win. Gavin – The quiet one of the New Manu Trio. He is in a good spot and I don’t think anyone is thinking about him currently, which is good now. The only Extinction player that hurts him is Aubry. Overall, Gavin is in a good spot and will go under the radar for a bit.

Lesu

Lauren – I put her here because she has an idol and is in good standing in her group. Lesu will probably be picked up for numbers in the battle of the Kama newbies vs Joe and Aurora. I think Lauren has some potential as long as she can get some food in her and she has Kelley and David in front of her. Overall, all the Lesu 4 is in a good spot as free number and Lauren could win as an underdog story. Kelley – Kelley has soared since leaving the Manu beach. She went from the main target to the safest person in that tribe. Going into the merge she may have some trouble from the returning extinction member but they won’t feel betrayed by her since they were targeting her and she stabbed them from the front. She also has a connecting with Joe that could guarantee her and her tribes safety. I think she can win but she has to overcome the anti returnee stigma. Overall, she can make final tribal but it will be a hard road to win. David – David in the course of one episode went from a dead man walking to being at least third in the Lesu tribe. David might have the most trouble from an extinction member since he betrayed all of them except Reem and Aubry. David does have the possible alliance with Eric but Kelley might want to be on the Joe side. Wardog – Wardog sucked last episode and would have been the boot if it was not a double tribal and Lesu lost. Wardog is last in his tribe because of last episode but in the merge, his weakness might be an advantage. Wardog is screwed if Chris specifically comes back since he caused Chris’s demise. He has the option of going with Eric but knowing Wardog he will stick with Kelley and goes with her and Joe. Wardog has a slim chance of winning and I mean slim. Overall, Wardog could be good for a while but he will not win.

Kama

Joe – Joe needed this merge. He is still a big target but he will most likely win immunity and he has a connection with Kelley that might give him the numbers. Joe will want Aubry to win the challenge but no one on extinction will hurt his game since he has never interacted with them. Joe could win but he has a hard road not only as a physical threat, but also as a returnee. Overall, Joe could be in a good spot at the merge but lets face it, he will win that first immunity challenge. Ron – Ron has a great social game so he could pick up numbers at the merge. Ron is kinda in the middle since he did think about keeping Joe. Extinction does not affect him unless Aubry comes back. Ron needs to make moves to win since he was on a tribe that kept winning so he needs to show that Joe did not carry an unworthy player to the merge. Overall, Ron could stick around for a bit but has a rough time getting a win. Aurora – If Joe’s side wins the first vote then she is safe for a while. Aurora benefits from Aubry returning as a number for her side but similar to Joe she does not suffer from any returning extinction member. Aurora could be targeted by the other side as Joe’s number one but she might be kept around as an easy person to beat. Aurora needs to shake the perception that she is Joe’s lap dog to win. Overall, Aurora is either in a great or horrible spot depending on which side wins. Julie – No one is targeting her at the merge as she poses not threat. Extinction does not affect her except if Aubry comes back. Julie will be a loyal number for the anti returnee side but nothing else. She could be a person to take to the end unless she steps it up. Overall, Julie is safe for now but I would not bet on her to win. Julia – Look who is finally in the show. That conversation about being a threat with Joe could be foreshadowing for her being the merge boot. Also, her spike in airtime might indicate that she is going soon. Julia is a bit in the middle since she is at least listening to Joe’s argument. Julia could be targeted as a person who is a physical threat that no one would play an idol on. Overall, I think Julia is going to Extinction soon.

Extinction

This is gonna be ranked by who will most likely win the challenge.

Chris – Even with the disadvantage I think he is the frontrunner to win. He is great in challenges and he has the practice kit. I want him to win because Reem and Keith will be so salty about it. Chris could be a revolving door situation if he comes back but he might integrate with the anti returnee side. Aubry – Aubry is decent at challenges and will slay a puzzle. Aubry has the best shot of staying in the game once she comes back since she is connected with Joe and could stay out of extinction for a while. Wendy – It has been emphasized by the show that Wendy is good at challenges so she definitely has a shot to get in and get voted out immediately after. Wendy is an easy merge boot if she comes back because she has no one but the chickens that New Manu probably ate when they got back from tribal. Rick – He is not in the best shape so he might struggle in the challenge but if he comes back he is up there with Aubry in terms of staying in the game. He has the whole Lesu tribe and they will be picked up for numbers. Rick has a good shot if he comes back. Keith – Keith will not win the challenge but I put him above Reem since he at least has the possibility of having a social game if he goes back in. Keith showed that he is willing to be aggressive so if he came back, he could improve his game. Reem – Dude, she is not winning the challenge. Reem wold be voted out right away if she by some miracle got back in since her social game is abysmal.

Overall, I see this merge not being Lesu vs Kama but as returnee supporters vs people against returnees. I am excited to see how this turns out.

Grab your stuff and head back to camp!