Survivor recap: the merge brings feasting and scheming

_Stephen Fishbach was the runner-up on_ Survivor: Tocantins _and a member of the jury on_ Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance. _He has been blogging about_ Survivor _strategy for PEOPLE since

2009. Follow him on Twitter @stephenfishbach._ “SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME PEOPLE PROMISE TOP 6 IT DOESN’T WORK OUT.” — SPENCER BLEDSOE, _SURVIVOR: CAGAYAN_ The _Survivor_ merge is always the

season’s best episode. We finally get to see who are the biggest players, which are the best alliances, and whose facts are the real facts. The Goliaths start off with a 7-6 advantage. There

was a time when a slight edge like that might mean the Davids were doomed. But in 2018, cross-tribal alliances can take control of the game. The Fishy goes to Alec, who works with Mike and

Alison to pull together a group of six – with Christian, Gabby, and Nick. “You’re naïve to think going into a merge that things are going to stay David and Goliath,” Alec says. “So, it’s

like ‘Keep doing your thing and think you’re Goliath strong.’ I’ll jump on board with the Davids. I’ll forge those connections.” You could criticize Alec for being _too_ proactive here – for

running up and down the beach befriending Christian, making plans with Gabby. But I think there’s a huge benefit to being the guy who pulls together the big merge alliance. If you’re seen

as the person behind the power group, you’ve got a great speech for the final tribal. If you’re viewed as a foot soldier, it’s harder to make the case you deserve the win. RELATED VIDEO:

_SURVIVOR_ SEASON 36 WINNER WENDELL HOLLAND OPENS UP ABOUT HIS BIG WIN There’s no question that Alec gets the credit. “I’d call it a first strike, because Alec is ready to move,” says

Christian. “A lot of people talk about David and Goliath being over. But Alec walked the walk.” Alec is a stellar strategist all episode. When Elizabeth comes to him and suggests

backstabbing Dan, Alec does a fantastic job of both hearing her out and turning her down. “I would just be the oddball out with a bunch of Davids,” he says. “It’s hard with so many people

right now.” The general rule on _Survivor _is that you’re supposed to say yes to every plan. But consider Alec’s position. If he agrees to Elizabeth’s scheme, then maybe she goes back to

Gabby and Christian and tells them that she’s got Alec on her side. Then they start to worry about _their _relationship. Is Alec just making alliances with everyone? And what will the Dan

think, if word gets back to him? When there are a lot of players left, you have to hedge what you say. People have loose lips. Indeed, witness how Alec himself then immediately turns around

and takes Elizabeth’s plan to Dan and Kara. It sets Dan off on a warpath. It also has the ancillary benefit, later, of putting Dan and Angelina at odds. Alec couldn’t have predicted _that_

conflict – but the whole point of making people paranoid is to get them to act erratically. You skew their judgment and wait for the explosion. When Angelina momentarily switches the vote to

Christian, Alec does a superb job of turning it back. As he notes, if he blindsides Christian, he loses a lot of credibility with his new David allies. How could the Davids ever trust him

again? But Alec doesn’t try to shove his idea down the Goliath’s throats. He just casually brings up how _dangerous _Elizabeth is. “I’m going to stick with you guys,” he tells John, Dan, and

Alison. “It just makes me nervous. The unpredictable nature of Elizabeth.” Future _Survivor _players take note. This is a surefire strategy. Talk about how scared you are by what a big,

irrational player your target is. Then let fear and paranoia do their work. JOHN While Alec does a great job of making a name for himself, John excels at fading into the background.

_Survivor _strategy is always situational. While it’s a good idea for Alec to stand out, John was the biggest, most recognizable person walking into the show. So how does he avoid being a

huge target? First, he’s never the one proposing names – always the one agreeing. When the Goliaths target Elizabeth, he says, “I’m with you 100% on that one.” When Angelina switches it up

for Christian, he says, “In the context of this game, it makes sense.” He’s up for anything. He’s also the tribe peacemaker. When the group needs somebody to talk to Angelina and make things

okay, John is the guy who walks her down the beach. Nobody’s worried that John is going off to scheme and strategize. They trust him. Of course, stealth can only work for so long. At some

point, John has to strike. But I suspect that given his profession, he’s aware of that. ANGELINA Angelina may be the first truly great _Survivor_ villain of our current era. She’s like a

press release. She says all the right things – rah rah team spirit – and yet can’t hide what she really wants. “Tonight I’m really depending on six other Goliaths to execute my vision,” she

says, and then catches herself – “_our vision._” She even has her own ‘alternative facts’ moment, when says to Elizabeth, “Her facts and my facts are different facts.” Angelina is right, by

the way. Christian _is_ the better target – assuming the Goliaths want to stick together. Elizabeth is isolated with no allies. Christian is everybody’s friend, and scarily good at puzzles.

I know firsthand how frustrating it is on _Survivor_ when you know the right move, yet can’t convince people to act on it. One of my (many) tears confessionals in _Cambodia _was about

literally that thing – feeling like the game was going to pass me by, because my allies were making horrible choices. (“Horrible” of course means that they were making choices that benefited

themselves, not me.) Angelina’s problem is reading the room. She gets too fixated on her plan. Watch that first scene, when she’s pitching Christian as the vote. Nobody meets her eyes. She

needs to pick up on that body language, rather than be so focused on using the right military jargon to motivate people in the right way. Then, when the plan changes, rather than just roll

with the group, she vents, “Now I don’t even feel safe in my own home!” I was genuinely shocked when Angelina told Elizabeth about the tribe’s plan. It’s one of the most dangerous things you

can do. It gives the person an opportunity to scramble, maybe to play an idol. It also risks exactly what happened – word circling back, and then suddenly you’re a target. Was Angelina’s

moment with Elizabeth a genuine human moment? Was she sabotaging her allies? Was it grubbing for jury votes? Was it giving someone who she respected a chance to save herself? It was likely a

combination of all those things. That’s what makes Angelina such a fantastic character. She’s a schemer and she’s vulnerable. How touching was that scene when she was teary-eyed by the

trees, psyching herself up. “I got this.” At Tribal Council, when Elizabeth calls her out, I thought Angelina’s argument was stellar. “They’re just trying to fracture us,” she says. She

doesn’t debate the specifics. She undermines the motivation. Angelina will be in hot water next week. And I’m looking forward to seeing her scramble out of it. _Survivor_ airs Wednesdays (8

p.m. ET) on CBS.