The new era of the “greatest social experiment” on television is back! Survivor 42’s premiere episode showcased more of the complicated twists from last season, along with a shocking early medical removal by host Jeff Probst. The show still proceeded with a tribal council, though, so another contestant quickly went out the proverbial door. The eliminated player broke down the situation recently – but did they also just hint at who’s likely to be voted off next?
Survivor 42 Cast Member Names Some Names
Thanks in part to the post-COVID competitions being shortened by nearly two weeks and all the new advantages needing explaining, the pace has increased. Which means a lot less makes it to airtime. Zach Wurtenberger, who was the first official vote-off from Season 42, shared one of those unaired moments with Entertainment Weekly, and it kinda sorta sounds like Drea Wheeler is in trouble. He said:
So this isn't something they showed on the show, but Drea's lie when she came back from the island was, ‘Okay guys, they had this big hike. We walked all the way up the hike. And then we went all the way down the hike. And that was it.’ [Laughing] Yeah, that was the big opening episode twist. And then she was like, ‘But I know some information now. There is something hidden on this island.’ And I was like, ‘That's just Survivor! That's not a twist. That's just how the game works.’ So based on the quality of that lie, we were pretty certain she had some type of advantage.
He is in fact referring to Drea Wheeler making the prisoner’s dilemma hike (an unprecedented move) with two castaways from other tribes. (And she did ultimately get the suspected advantage of an extra vote out of it.) Her lie being so readily obvious to everyone (except the audience) doesn’t bode well for her standing next week. Their Ika tribe is easily the physically weakest one of the bunch, so they will probably (save a miracle) be voting someone out again soon. Tori Meehan has already proven that she isn’t going anywhere without a fight and, if we learned anything from Season 41, it’s that those with known advantages can take precedent over tribe strength in the early stages.
Survivor 42’s Next Tribal Council Could Get Interesting
There's also the distinct possibility that Romeo Escobar could be on the chopping block next week, based on what ousted Zach Wurtenberger revealed. The two were supposed to be in the “skinny guy alliance” within the bigger alliance of them and the other youngsters (Swati Goel and Tori Meehan). However, the 22-year-old eliminated contestant told the outlet that Escobar’s lies were also obvious to the remaining group, saying:
It became clear very quickly on day three that we were not pulling Romeo over. I remember we were walking out, the three young kids, walking away, and Romeo was going to follow us. And I just saw Romeo talking with Drea and being like, ‘What do I do?’ And I was like, 'Oh, okay, so that's what Romeo is doing right now.' So we then had to pivot.
In other words, Ika has two prime strategic threats right in their purview. Romeo Escobar has the added disadvantage of being the self-proclaimed “skinny guy.” Technically, he and Drea Wheeler both are in the “majority” main alliance with Rocksroy Bailey – but that means all it would take is for Bailey to flip the vote. And as I said, I’m expecting as much to happen in this new era of Survivor.
As always, though, there are several unknown variables at play, and that could shake things up. Perhaps Drea Wheeler uses her hard-won extra vote advantage in the event of a betrayal? Perhaps the Ika tribe wins the next immunity challenge, making one of the other groups scramble? So many questions, but we’ll have to wait until the next episode on CBS – Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on the 2022 TV schedule – before we get the full answers.
