Everyone get flexible, because we’re in limbo! The castaways have just 10 minutes to gather all their belongings (and, in Bruce’s case, find an idol) before they board the boats to merge on one beach. Rick shares what it is like to experience the merge as a player and Jeff pulls back the curtain on producing this turning point in the game — it’s a HUGE lift, from timing the arrival of the boats to filming a dozen reactions all at once. And we can’t talk about the production of this episode without mentioning the colossal “Earn the Merge” challenge. Jeff explains how they designed, tested, and made these jaw-dropping structures come to life. The blue team went hard in the mud and rightfully earned their feast and safety, but our player of the week has to go to Kaleb — that guy has luck on his side. His larger-than-life social game leaves us wondering if it will help him or harm him in the long run. Watch the latest episode of Survivor every Wednesday on CBS and Paramount+ and then catch all-new episodes of “On Fire” right after the show. You can watch Survivor and more on Paramount+. Subscribe at paramountplus.com and use the code SURVIVOR45 by 12/20/23 and get your 1st month of Paramount+ on us. Must be age of majority to subscribe, US only. Payment method required. Terms and conditions apply. Visit pplus.legal/subscription for more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices