Survivor 49 is officially in full swing, with twelve players remaining in the game. The merge will come soon, which will bring all of the remaining players onto the same beach. While the merge is where the game gets intense, pre-merge games are important as well. With two tribe swaps this season, the pre-merge has been more eventful than usual. Players have had the opportunity to connect with more competitors than usual, which has had a significant impact on their individual games.
Several Survivor 49 players have made strong impressions in the pre-merge
Out of the twelve remaining players, five have played particularly strong games in the pre-merge. These five players have also had significantly more screen time, which could hint at them making it far into the game. While the game is still anyone’s to win, these five players have an excellent shot at earning the million.
Sophi Balerdi
Sophi Balerdi started the season off on the disastrous Kele tribe. Kele lost every immunity challenge and was sent to the first three Tribal Councils. Sophi ended up being one of the last two Kele players standing, and was later swapped onto the new Hina tribe. While Sophi isn’t the strongest in challenges, her social game is excellent. Sophi quickly earned the trust of the former Uli members on her new tribe and has been voting with them. If Sophi continues playing a great social game at the merge, she could potentially get to the end and win.
Alex Moore
Like Sophi, Alex Moore survived the original Kele tribe. Alex survived his last Tribal Council with Kele by having an idol, which he used to form an alliance with Sophi. After the tribe swap, Alex became a member of the new Kele tribe. Luckily for Alex, new Kele has avoided Tribal Council by winning both of the immunity challenges. Alex is a well-rounded player who performs well in challenges while also maintaining a good social position. He’s also strategic, which was showcased when he found the beware advantage and idol. If Alex continues to play like he is now in the merge, he could have a shot at winning.
MC Chukwujekwu
MC Chukwujekwu is one of the original Hina members, who was later swapped onto new Kele. So far, MC has helped her tribe significantly with winning every challenge. MC is quite the challenge beast, and could easily win several individual immunities after the merge. Apart from her challenge skills, MC is also strategic. She has formed a solid alliance with Steven Ramm and also found the beware advantage on the old Hina beach. MC is playing a well-rounded game, which will give her an impressive resume if she makes Final Tribal Council.
Rizo Velovic
Rizo Velovic has played an interesting game in the pre-merge this season. During the premiere, Rizo won the camp supplies challenge for his team. While he doesn’t excel at challenges, he isn’t a weaker link during them either. Rizo’s real charm is his quirky personality, which has helped him to play a great social game. On both his original Uli and new Hina tribes, Rizo has made solid connections and alliances. Rizo also found the beware advantage on the Uli beach, and now has an idol. If Rizo can keep his name from being written at Tribal Council, he could make it all the way to Final Tribal Council.
Savannah Louie
Savannah Louie has become a prominent character in the Survivor 49 pre-merge. On the original Uli tribe, Savannah took on a leadership position and helped to form a solid four alliance. The majority of that alliance transferred to Savannah’s new Hina tribe, where she’s also allied with Sophi. Savannah has a strong influence over her allies, which could help her to pull off big moves after the merge. In addition to social dominance, Savannah is also a strong challenge performer. As long as she doesn’t get a target on her back, Savannah could make it far into the game and possibly even win.
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