Survivor Season 49 week 7 recap: Alliances crumble as the merged tribe faces its first vote

The game-changer arrived this week on Survivor Season 49: the three remaining tribes, Uli, Hina, and Kele, finally merged into one.

In Episode 7, titled Blood Will Be Drawn, the castaways dropped their buffs and formed the single tribe that would carry them to the end.

The episode featured the season’s first individual Immunity Challenge and the first post-merge vote, where long-standing alliances fractured, advantages reshaped the balance of power, and one castaway’s game came to an end as the jury began to form.

Survivor Season 49: Merge, challenges, and unraveling alliances

Episode 7 marked a turning point in Survivor Season 49 as Jeff Probst delivered the long-awaited merge announcement.

A boat arrived at camp with a note telling the castaways to “drop your buffs,” signaling that the tribal divisions were officially over.

Players who had spent weeks fighting to keep their tribes afloat now had to realign under one flag — a moment of both relief and unease.

At Kele’s camp, the players were told that the others would be joining them, setting off a mix of excitement and anxiety.

The merge brought everyone together, but it also reignited old rivalries between the original Uli and Hina members.

Kele, the season’s underdogs after losing four members early on, hoped to use their outsider position to play the middle. As Jawan put it, 

“So far, the story has been Uli versus Hina. Uli’s been winning. Now, we’re flipping the script.”

For some players, it was the first time they’d experienced a true post-merge Tribal Council, and with new idols and shifting loyalties, it was clear that this new phase would be unpredictable.

The two-part immunity challenge

The merged tribe wasted no time diving into the action with a two-part challenge.

In the first stage, the players were split into two teams of five, with Sage sitting out after earning an advantage the day before.

The task required pushing a massive boulder through obstacles, cutting ropes with machetes, and completing a puzzle at the end.

The teams were as follows:

• Yellow Team: Nate, Steven, Sophie, Rizo, and Soph

• Blue Team: Jawan, Alex, Kristina, Savannah, and MC

Despite Blue Team’s early lead, the Yellow Team pulled off a comeback victory in the puzzle stage, winning both the merge feast and a chance to compete in the next round for individual immunity.

The second part of the challenge required contestants to balance on a narrow beam while holding a pole with a disc on top, keeping a ball from falling as they moved down to progressively smaller spaces.

The challenge tested both focus and endurance.

Rizo was the first to drop, and one by one, others followed until only Steven and Sophie remained.

After a tense final standoff, Steven’s ball fell — giving Sophie the first individual Immunity win of Survivor Season 49.

Advantage plays and hidden idols

Advantages have been central to Survivor Season 49, and this week proved no different.

Earlier in the episode, a locked treasure chest was delivered to camp with a note explaining that several keys were hidden around the island.

The player who found the right key would unlock an advantage in the Immunity Challenge. Sage was the lucky one to find it, giving her a strategic upper hand heading into the merge.

Meanwhile, MC was still dealing with her “Beware” Advantage.

She managed to locate the corresponding clue and later the key that unlocked her chest, earning her a Hidden Immunity Idol, and with it, the ability to vote at Tribal Council.

Back at camp, information about the advantages began to leak.

Savannah told Soph that she saw MC find her idol, unaware that Soph held the powerful “Knowledge Is Power” advantage — meaning she could take another player’s idol or advantage if she chose to.

With multiple players holding advantages and idols, the stage was set for a chaotic Tribal.

Rizo also announced to the tribe that he possessed an idol, declaring, “I have a Hidden Immunity Idol,” while hinting he might use it either for himself or for an ally.

Strategy and crumbling alliances

The merge feast brought temporary peace — but once the plates were cleared, the game began.

Sophie suggested targeting Rizo or Savannah, believing they were too close and too strong as a duo.

However, Rizo held an idol and was likely to use it, making Nate the safer option. Sage, meanwhile, had her own agenda: she wanted Savannah out.

MC and Savannah had an awkward exchange about possibly working together, though both admitted privately they didn’t trust each other.

On the other side, Jawan and Rizo discussed options, and Rizo’s confidence about not needing to play his idol sparked more paranoia.

Names began flying: Nate, Steven, Rizo, Savannah, and no one was truly safe.

Tribal council and vote-off

As torches were lit, the castaways faced the first merge Tribal Council of Survivor Season 49.

The conversation centered on fractured alliances and the ongoing tension between loyalty to old tribes versus new relationships formed through swaps.

When the votes were cast, Rizo ultimately decided not to play his idol, while MC used hers to protect herself.

Jeff read the results: with six votes, Nate was sent home, becoming the first juror of the season.

What comes next on Survivor Season 49 

The merge episode of Survivor Season 49 made one thing clear — the game has completely reset.

The old tribe lines no longer hold, and new alliances are already starting to take shape in their place.

Sophie’s immunity win gave her breathing room, while MC and Rizo now stand out as major threats with idols in their possession.

As the season moves forward, every vote will matter, and every alliance will be tested.

With the merge feast behind them and the jury phase officially underway, the battle for the title of Sole Survivor has entered its most unpredictable stage yet.

Stay tuned for more updates.