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The entirety of Survivor Season 41 has been unpredictable so far. It could go down as one of the most surprising games in Survivor history because of the new advantages and shocking blindsides. And one giant question mark that loomed over the season is the uncertainty of the merge. When will it happen? Will the merge be different in any way? Thanks to leaks and clues from the episodes, some Survivor fans seem to think they know when the merge will occur.

[Spoiler Alert: The following article may contain spoilers from Survivor Season 41.]

'Survivor' Season 41 host Jeff Probst wears a dark brown button up shirt and a 'Survivor' baseball cap.
Jeff Probst | Photo by Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images

‘Survivor’ Season 41 is unlike any season that came before it

At the beginning of Survivor Season 41, Jeff Probst promised the castaways that this would be a new era of the game. And so far, he has made good on his promise.

The game is more intense than ever due to its 26-day structure. In previous seasons, castaways had to survive the elements and each other over the course of 39 days. But thanks to coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols, the Survivor producers had to shorten the season. Now, fans have less food given to them by the show, and there aren’t separate reward challenges. Everything is faster-paced in Survivor Season 41.

Also, the producers introduced a few new twists and advantages to the game this season. Two notable ones are the “Beware Advantage” and “Shot in the Dark.” Both twists have the ability to change the game severely.

When will the merge happen?

Per a Reddit thread, some Survivor Season 41 fans are speculating over when the merge will occur. One Reddit user said before episode 5 aired, “I think that it will happen the episode after (two episodes from now), meaning a merge at 12. However, that’s nine jury members, and production doesn’t want a 3-3-3 tie, so my theory is that the merge boot doesn’t make jury. So merge at 12, jury at 11.”

Another Reddit user replied, “It’s following the same format as [Survivor Season] 35. Merge at 12, jury starts at 2nd vote out.”

So, it’s entirely possible that the castaways will merge when they get down to 12 people left. However, the preview for Survivor Season 41 Episode 6 might tell a different story.

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‘Survivor’ Season 41: Fans Speculate That 1 Contestant Will Be Medevaced in an Upcoming Episode

Will the merge happen in ‘Survivor’ Season 41 Episode 6?

Per the preview of Survivor Season 41 Episode 6, some sort of merge or tribal swap will take place. And, according to Evvie, it’s unlike anything that the show has done before.

In a different Reddit thread, fans dissected the video and predicted what might happen in episode 6. A Reddit user speculated, “From my guess, it’s similar to the twist in [Survivor] Season 14 Fiji, where the tribes ‘merge’ but they separate into two teams of six, and the losing team has to go to [Tribal Council].”

As mentioned before, this season of Survivor is wildly different than previous installments. And since the castaways express their shock at the “merge” twist in the preview, we think that many fans will also be surprised when watching the next episode.

Survivor Season 41 Episode 6 airs on Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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