Before we go into the merge tonight, let us look back at the pre-merge and see how I will rate it on a scale from 1 to 10 torches.

The Episodes:

I will briefly give my thoughts on each episode. If you want a more in-depth look at the episodes, read my past recaps.

The Premiere

I thought the premiere was one of the best ones we got in seasons. Everyone got a confessional and we got to know the whole cast. That is surprisingly rare in modern survivor. The challenges in this episode were hit and miss. I liked the immunity challenge especially the number puzzle since that puzzle was very unique. I personally was not a fan of the opening challenge. It gave the Davids too much of an advantage and made it seem like the producers wanted them to win the first challenge. The editing was on point, from Dan’s retroactive idol find to the medevac considering the accident happened while the cameras weren’t rolling. The cut back to the show was jarring and I feel that it made Pat leaving more impactful. While I’m happy Nick was not the first boot, I am sad Pat went out the way he did. Pat could have been a good character. I don’t think he was gonna win because of how some of the Davids perceived him but, he would have made it at least a few episodes. Overall, the premiere was excellent and a great way to start the season

Episode 2

After an excellent premiere, the show had to keep up the pace and I think that it did. Episode 2 is full of fun moments like, uh excuse me, playing in the sand, the first mention of Natalie Napalm, the first fight with Jeremy and many more. The challenge this episode was good. The Davids got absolutely destroyed in this challenge and made many people worry that this was gonna be a Malolo situation. I am fine with Jessica leaving at that point because it gave us more Lyrsa and Jessica was my least favorite going out of the premiere. The boot was well-edited by shown that Elizabeth was the one who flipped the vote even if the show refuses to admit it. In conclusion, this episode is good and set the standard of what an episode of David vs Goliath should be.

Episode 3

This episode is a great example of why swapping after two episodes is a bad idea. The Goliaths would have more likely stuck together if they did not go to tribal. The star of this episode was Natalie. Her fight with Jeremy without any music in the background was amazing and then she ends it by telling him to cut it and the episode actual cuts to commercial. Other great moments include, the destruction of Jeremy’s game, the foreshadowing of Bi’s quit and Christian discussing the logistics of Slamtown. I am happy Jeremy is gone because based on his post show interviews, he does not seem like a great person. Also, if he did not go we would have lost Natalie and that would have been a tragedy. Overall, th\is season keeps improving every episode.

Episode 4

The swap episode! this episode changed the whole course of the season due to one man: Alec Merlino. If Alec did not flip this episode we would be looking at a completely different game and a more boring game. So, thank you Alec for ruining your position so the show can be better. Other great moments are the initial meeting of what would become the Brochachos, more Natalie being Natalie and Carl finding the idol nullifier. The challenge was decent and probably the safest blindfold challenge ever. I am so happy Natalia left because she had a negative presence on the season and not in a fun way like Natalie. I am disappointed that Bi quits but, it did save us an episode of Bi being voted out for not contributing in challenges. Overall, while this episode is not as good as episode 3, the ending was worth it for the impact on the game.

Episode 5

Straight up, this is the best episode of the season so far and a classic episode for years to come. We got the egg situation and Jacketgate this episode. I don’t even need to describe the perfection of Jacketgate since everyone has meme’d it to high heavens. The other tribes do have their moments as well. Vuku had KBC and Tiva had the forming of the Brochachos. Natalie was one of the biggest characters of the season and I’m sad she is gone but, it was a matter of time. Natalie will be remembered as one of the all time greatest pre-merge contestants. Overall, this is one best Survivor episodes ever.

Episode 6

This episode is the calm before the storm. It is setting up threads for the merge like, Alison breaking out and Davie vs Elizabeth. This episode had a hard act to follow and it did it decently well. The immunity challenge is one of my favorites despite Jabeni falling apart during it. Lyrsa is one of my favorites so I was devastated that she was booted. Overall, this is the weakest of the pre-merge but it still was good.

The Editing

This is one of the best edited seasons in a long time. I feel like I know everyone and there is no obvious winner. The editors have made an effort to throw off typical Survivor editing. The editors took the complaints about Ghost Island to heart and are actively improving. Alison is the only one that is underedited compared to half the cast last season. Overall, the editing has really boosted in quality.

The Cast

I love this cast. No one is dead weight and everyone came to play. I love that the cast is willing to cross tribal lines for the benefit of their game. Some standouts include, Nick, Christian, Gabby, Alec, John, Natalie, Lyrsa, Kara, Davie, Elizabeth, Angelina, Mike and Dan. The fact I named more than half the cast as standouts tells you how excellent this group is. Overall, this is the best cast since Koah Rong.

The Theme

The theme has been less intrusive than most of us thought. The only moment it felt forced was at Pat’s medevac. The theme also gave us likable tribes on both sides. The theme took a backseat after the swap and that is fine. We don’t need to know if Gen X texts YOU or U. Overall, the theme has benefited the season.

Final Thoughts

This season had one of the greatest pre-merges in Survivor history. I hope the merge can keep up the momentum from the pre-merge. I give this pre-merge 9 out of 10 torches. It was close to getting a 10 but, I decided to give it a 9 due to an average final episode. This season has the potential to be a top 10 season in my opinion. I hope the merge is just as great. See you guys tomorrow for the merge recap!

Grab your stuff and head back to camp!