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Nobody likes when people quit anything, but it’s downright annoying to watch people quit “Survivor.”  It happens too much and we saw another person opt for the easy way out on tonight’s episode of “Survivor: Cagayan.”  There’s not much more to be said about it and to be quite frank about it, Lindsey will be hardly missed, because she was hardly shown.  Now we know why.

In case you missed the episode, be sure to get caught up by watching Survivor: Cagayan Episode 6 , and then be sure to read my weekly Episode Recap before continuing on to this “Bonus Analysis” coverage.

Instead of lingering on Lindsey’s quit or the blindside that saw Alexis sent packing, the most exciting part of tonight’s episode was the teaser for next week.  Yes, the merge is already upon us as of next week!  With only 11 players remaining in the game, it looks like police officer Sarah is firmly in the middle of two pretty firm alliances of five.  Let’s look at what might happen, but first…we have got to talk about Tony!

Man has Tony Vlachos made the season thus far.  To me, he comes across as a slightly less diabolical version of Russell Hantz, whom I loved watching during his seasons.  Tony is not only playing the game hard like Russell, he’s making it fun to watch and is providing loads of entertainment value.  He has an Idol in his possession and tonight, came up with a lie that put Jeremiah on the outs with his tribe and nearly got him booted from the game.  But Tony’s web of lies may be about to unravel now that everyone is about to be sharing the same beach.

So is Sarah really going to be in the middle?  Well we know one thing:  Spencer, Tasha and Kass are a tight alliance that sees no signs of breaking.  They now have Morgan on their side, who should be loyal moving forward because she doesn’t really have any other options.  Then there is Jeremiah, who seems to be distrusted by nearly everyone remaining in the game.  But because of that, he too has no real choice other than to attach to the Brains.

On the other side of things, LJ and Jefra could be the wild cards.  Yes, they currently are aligned with Tony, Trish and Woo, but for how long is the question?

Tony has already raised some red flags with the others, namely LJ.  Sarah – who we assumed would be his tight “blue-blooded” ally – now seems to have serious issues with how Tony chanted “Final Five!” following that last challenge.  Then there’s Jeremiah, who can now expose Tony’s lie about the Idol clue if he so chooses.  So Tony is shaping up to be a massive lightning rod.  And that’s another reason why he reminds me of Hantz.

Just because the focus is on Tony doesn’t mean that he can’t outlast it.

If we are to believe the preview and Sarah does end up having to choose which alliance of five to cling to, I think there is a massive advantage going for Tony and LJ’s side of things.  First, Sarah and Tony do share the cop bond, which can possibly be repaired quite quickly.  Then, there’s the business of both LJ and Tony having immunity Idols.  These five (plus Sarah) may target not Jeremiah, but one of the three Brains in order to break up their tight bond…which could mean that Spencer’s days are numbered, since he probably appears to be the biggest threat amongst them.

If Sarah goes the other way, the Brains alliance may very well target Tony or LJ, who again both have an Idol that could be played, all but assuring that Spencer is in trouble next week unless he were to win the Immunity Challenge.

Looking ahead, I feel that there are a few players getting lost in the shuffle.  One of which is Woo, a likeable, laid-back guy who appears on absolutely nobody’s threat-to-win-the-game radar.  Funny thing is, he may have a great chance.

What do you think will happen?  How will things shake out after next week’s merge?  Post your comments below!

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