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Missy does claim that she simply wanted to flush the idol in order to protect her daughter. She adds that had Keith been in the same position, he would have chosen the same option. Keith looks at her the same way that people look at lobster right before they have it removed from the fish tank and served to them with butter and lemon. If there is a merge and Wes can provide his dad with numbers, Keith will hunt Missy for sport. Maybe literally.

Keith states that his opponents do not have to lie. He is absolutely correct, and the visual backs him up on the point. There are five members of the tribe. Four of them are standing or sitting in the same six-foot radius. He is across the way, distant and alone. We suspect that if they had told Keith the plan in advance, he would have a lot more respect for everybody. This issue could be a sticking point for Jon later if he tries to navigate a bro-lliance.

Day 16 Tree Mail reinforces what the ads have already indicated. There is a merger this week. With a dozen players remaining, we are probably looking at a three-player final vote with nine jury members. The seven players of this tribe should be discussing ways that they can orchestrate the elimination of an opposing player.

Instead, Jeremy celebrates his liberation from being under the thumb of Josh and Reed. Simultaneously, Alec mentions that he should still be able to get Jeremy eliminated at the next vote. Alec sounds clueless as he states, “Time to run the game.” That’s almost exactly what his idiot brother said in the hours leading up to his (emphatic) elimination.

The merge numbers are interesting. Out of the original 18 players, four competitors have lost their blood allies. That leaves four remaining duos, including a pair of couples as well as mother/daughter and father/son tandems. Wes and Keith are the only tandem that may not line up on every vote. Jon seems to do whatever Jaclyn says while the same is true of Reed with Josh, the savviest player thus far this season. And Missy and Baylor share the same brain, with Baylor apparently getting the larger portion.

The Survivors are especially thrilled by the presence of a feast. After all, over half of them just had to beg for rice a couple of days ago. While Jeremy had the wrong logic about that situation, hindsight proved his side of the argument to be the right one. Hunahpu only needed to win one reward challenge and go hungry for a day prior to the merger.

Doubling down on long odds, Jeremy reveals the underlying mechanics of his post-merge strategy. His game is predicated upon the loyalty of Natalie and Julie plus the manipulation of a pair of couples to his alliance. He targets Jon and Jaclyn and Missy and Baylor, pulling the football player aside to discuss the matter. He notes that Josh is running everything, which is correct, and adds that with Reed and Alec following him, their numbers are powerful. Throw in Wes and Keith, and that is a five-person alliance in a 12-player game.

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