WATCH: ‘Survivor 42’ Sneak Peek Hints at Hourglass Return

CBS Host Jeff Probst in "Survivor 41."

As many viewers of “Survivor 41” will remember, the infamous “Hourglass twist” was implemented in episode 6 of the season, when eventual winner Erika Casupanan was offered a chance to “turn back time” and reverse the outcome of the previous immunity challenge, granting immunity to herself and five contestants who had lost immunity in the last challenge before the merge.

Although this twist proved to be controversial among both fans and contestants of the game alike – one of whom reamed host Jeff Probst on the island for essentially lying to them – it seems, based on sneak previews of Wednesday night’s episode, that the twist will be returning again on “Survivor 42.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Probst Tells Contestants They Must ‘Earn’ Their Way Into the Merge

A new sneak peek of “Survivor 42,” episode 6 released by CBS Friday shows an extended version of the next episode preview showed at the end of episode 5, in which Probst told the 12 remaining contestants (coincidentally, four of each tribe) that the game has “become individual,” followed by the iconic “drop your buffs,” hinting at a merge. However, when contestant Mike Turner asks him to confirm it is a merge, Probst responded, “not exactly.”

The new trailer shows an extended version of that scene, in which Probst continues, much to the contestants’ dismay:

In fact, you are not merged. You will not be officially merged until after the next Tribal Council. Like everything else in this game, you are going to earn your way into the merge. So right now, you are without a buff, and you are without a tribe.

This is, of course, very similar to what Probst told the “Survivor 41” contestants last season, and given that the format of “42” has so far largely mirrored that of “41,” the same twists and advantages which occurred last season are likely to be carried on in this one. It remains to be seen who will be given the choice to smash the hourglass, and whether they will indeed choose to do so.

Given that the upcoming episode is a two-hour special, we will likely get to see not only the hour of the Hourglass twist, but also the subsequent hour in which the twist is revealed to the remaining contestants, those left vulnerable will compete for immunity, and someone will be sent home at Tribal Council.

Mike Will ‘Never Trust Chanelle Ever Again’

Another sneak peek of the upcoming episode shows the four remaining Vati members coming back from their Tribal Council in episode 5. Chanelle Howard’s surprise vote for Mike Turner is coming back to haunt her, and becomes the subject of vigorous discussion (and argument) back at camp.

Despite Chanelle’s attempts to rationalize her vote to Mike, and despite’s Mike’s claims that “I’m not mad; it’s gameplay, it’s cool,” Mike reveals privately that he will “never trust Chanelle ever again.”

Although many fans have questioned why Chanelle voted for Mike instead of Daniel, she explained in a confessional in the preview that she did so to prevent herself from going home in the event of Daniel successfully playing his Shot in the Dark advantage. However, given how Mike voted for Chanelle in the first round, the result in this case would have turned out to be a tie between Mike and Chanelle, in which case Chanelle almost certainly would have been sent home on the revote. As a result, Chanelle essentially painted a target on her back for virtually no reason.

The “Survivor 42” merge (or fake merge) will naturally see three very fractured tribes coming together as one. On Ika, Tori Meehan declared her intent to “jump ship” as soon as she had the chance, and on Taku, Jonathan Young has become ostracized from his female tribemates in recent days, given that he finds them to be “annoying.” As a result of these dynamics, as well as the various advantages that the contestants have, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out – and who stays loyal to who – once it is time to vote.

“Survivor 42” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CBS. Be sure to watch the two-hour special “merge” episode tomorrow; the three-hour finale airs Wednesday, May 25, 2022.