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.