Episode 10: Pick a side already!

Survivor 49 Episode 10 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 27, 2025

As Episode 10 of Survivor 49 finally delivers on the promised postmerge power moves, Damnbueno recaps the action, from tipping tunnels to near toothpick impalement to fake idols as voting guides.

Episode 9: Alex vs. Rizo (reprise)

Survivor 49 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 23, 2025

So far, the allegedly 'bananas' postmerge of Survivor 49 has mostly been a series of peels on which various players have slipped, taking themselves out in the process. But Episode 9 at least had a plausible link to a contestant as the peel-placer, rather than the standard deus ex machina procedure of Jeff Probst's bag of rocks.

Episode 9: (Lack of) subtlety will get you nowhere

Survivor 49 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 20, 2025

Damnbueno examines the history of new era minority players sticking together, then recaps Episode 9 of Survivor 49, which featured a number of players either overtly or covertly playing both sides. Who achieved their goals (or failed to) most subtlely, vs. brazenly?

Episode 8: How to flip a vote without getting your (producer's) hands dirty

Survivor 49 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 15, 2025

Episode 8 of Survivor 49 gave the audience a feel-good, playing-from-the-bottom narrative, or at least it might have if the path to that outcome didn't feel like it had the heavy hand of production on the scales. An exploration of the many ways the outcome felt less contestant-driven, and more pre-ordained.

Episode 8: Wait for sundown, dammit!

Survivor 49 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 13, 2025

Damnbueno revisits the history of playing up from the bottom after being left out of the new era merge vote, then recaps the odd split-team reward/immunity challenge, Savannah's advantage, and the shifting dynamics of the random-drawn team vote in Episode 8 of Survivor 49.

Episode 7: Who's the monster now?

Survivor 49 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 10, 2025

The alleged "bananas" postmerge of Survivor 49 did not appear to start with the Episode 7 merge, but we did get to revisit the horror-movie monologue from the premiere, as the narrator flipped the script on his old allies. But is he the "monster," or is someone else?

Episode 7: You remind me of Edgardo

Survivor 49 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 6, 2025

It's finally the merge in Survivor 49, and Damnbueno evaluates everyone's games so far, then recaps the events of Episode 9, from advantage scrambles to back-to-back challenges, to a secret alliance, to shifting Tribal targets.

Episode 6: Should Tribal Council really be terrifying?

Survivor 49 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 2, 2025

Despite taking an incredibly risky gamble in delaying the merge by an episode - in favor of a swap to three tribes of four - Episode 6 of Survivor 49 managed to escape disaster, as two horrible possible outcomes slipped away in favor of a satisfying conclusion to a long-simmering storyline.

Episode 6: The (lack of) power struggle

Survivor 49 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 30, 2025

Damnbueno revisits past players who have avoided being perceived as the leader, as Episode 6 of Survivor 49 presents a surprise swap, and a blindside aided by one player letting another think she was in charge.

Episode 5: So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time

Survivor 49 Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: October 26, 2025

Episode 5 of Survivor 49 could have been an email. But it wasn't, and instead it focused on brute strength and strongarming still-unresolved stories into the episode's narrative. But hey, maybe things are looking up in the near term.

Episode 5: Surviving as a lone wolf

Survivor 49 Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 23, 2025

Damnbueno revisits lone wolves who survived swaps in Survivor history, then recaps Episode 5 of Survivor 49, in which contestants did a lot of heavy lifting, but not nearly as much as the editors, who created a decoy boot narrative to hide a lone wolf getting picked off.

Episode 4: For a brief moment, two tribes of seven

Survivor 49 Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: October 19, 2025

Jeff Pitman praises the decision to, for the first time in the new era, have two tribes of more than six people, in Episode 4 of Survivor 49. True, we didn't get to see the improved strategic possibilities on new Hina, but there's a decent chance for that on new Kele.

Episode 4: What not to do at a swap

Survivor 49 Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 16, 2025

It's finally time to swap to two tribes in Episode 4 of Survivor 49, and while the numbers didn't favor six contestants, Damnbueno finds some definite successes and failures in how those outnumbered players adapted to their new surroundings.

Episode 3: But is it fun?

Survivor 49 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: October 11, 2025

With the obviously-going-to-lose tribe predictably losing, and the guy who was on the bottom in the previous episode being voted out, mystery was in short supply in Episode 3 of Survivor 49. But at least it was fun getting there, right? Er, nope. Not really.

Episode 3: Why?

Survivor 49 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 9, 2025

Damnbueno has a lot of questions about Episode 3 of Survivor 49, although it's mostly one question, repeatedly, about sharing Beware idol clues, but also choices made about running the increasingly depleted Kele tribe into the ground.

Episode 2: A whole lot of nothing

Survivor 49 Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: October 4, 2025

The always three-tribes-of-six new era Survivor starting format has worn extremely thin, much like the Kele tribe's metabolic reserves, and Episode 2 of Survivor 49 showed just how depleted the new era game and the Kele tribe really were. A predictable loss, a predictable boot, and not a lot else, in a show that desperately needs another reboot.

Episode 2: How to make enemies and not influence people

Survivor 49 Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: October 2, 2025

Everything is hot in Episode 2 of Survivor 49, and Damnbueno is here with his hot-off-the-press observations on sensing tribal positioning, crabs, scabs, new post-journey jabs, and of course, idol-finders who blab.