Because life is too short to watch all the clips CBS posts each week, I’m here to let you know which ones are worth your time (because apparently, my life is not too short). In addition, I’ll offer analysis of what these extra insights might mean for the game.

Lots of “fascinating” videos about turtles and mac and cheese this week, so feel free to skip most of those. What may be worth watching for instead is trying to read between the lines and parse where everyone’s loyalties lie heading into the merge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ESFMnvAt8

Worried About Joe

Will expresses his worry about Joe’s status after the immunity challenge.

Analysis: Like I mentioned last week, watching Will’s bonus scenes erases any doubt about where his loyalties lie. He’s fully bought into the no collar tribe and cares for these people. In this video, he talks about genuine concern for Joe’s status as a person and calls him a great guy. In another, he calls Jenn “Michael Jordan” and speaks in awe. Those four (Will, Joe, Jenn, and Hali) are the tightest group left in the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly1WmFBu6X4

This Is My Game

Dan goes through the brilliant plan of throwing the challenge and just who was in on it.

Analysis: From this video, it shows pretty clearly that Mike, Rodney, Dan, and Sierra were all in on the challenge throw plan. Of course, Dan decided that he had to win his match to make it look legit, because who could ever believe that Dan could be defeated? It is his game, after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnc_YQqBR38

We’re Going To Stick Together

Kelly talks about Mike’s challenge throw and how it toughens her resolve to be blue collar all the way.

Analysis: Kelly is as tight with Mike and Dan as Will is with Jenn, Joe and Hali. And she, like Dan, is counting Rodney and Sierra as part of her numbers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1dGgFlHlDQ

They All Need Me

Sierra talks about her options in the upcoming vote.

Analysis: The episode set this up as a choice between Joaquin and Joe (who were the two to receive votes). But Sierra never even brings up Joe here. There’s a weird edit in the video that makes it a little confusing, but ultimately, I think it’s pretty clear that she was pretty solidly with Mike and Dan (even if she doesn’t like them, as she reiterates) and she got to decide between Joaquin and Rodney. She chose Joaquin because Rodney is not a threat. I was really hoping there’d be a video that would shine some light on her relationship with Joe, but alas, there is none. But if you’re wondering who Sierra likes less between Dan and Rodney, it’s definitely Rodney. All of Dan’s grovelling has worked!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAdFA5hz6_M

Role Reversal Plan

Rodney explains his reasoning behind throwing the challenge.

Analysis: One of the big questions heading into the merge is what is Rodney going to do now that they sent his bae home? This video is obviously before all that, but in it he does talk about getting “rid of the red, get[ting] rid of the white” then they can have 5 blues. So at least at one point, he was good to have an alliance of all five blue collars and eliminating a white collar. I’m guessing that white collar person was supposed to be Tyler in his mind, but ultimately, it may not be impossible for him to reunite with the blue collars following the blindside, since he ended up getting part of the result he wanted anyway.

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Andy is an aficionado of mac and cheese, as KD is a national delicacy where he lives. You can follow him on twitter at @andy_sayers to get the shortest snippets of his opinions possible.