Earn the Merge | Survivor 45

Everyone get flexible, because we’re in limbo! The castaways have just 10 minutes to gather all their belongings (and, in Bruce’s case, find an idol) before they board the boats to merge on one beach. Rick shares what it is like to experience the merge as a player and Jeff pulls back the curtain on producing this turning point in the game — it’s a HUGE lift, from timing the arrival of the boats to filming a dozen reactions all at once. And we can’t talk about the production of this episode without mentioning the colossal “Earn the Merge” challenge. Jeff explains how they designed, tested, and made these jaw-dropping structures come to life. The blue team went hard in the mud and rightfully earned their feast and safety, but our player of the week has to go to Kaleb — that guy has luck on his side. His larger-than-life social game leaves us wondering if it will help him or harm him in the long run.

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