Jeff Probst says there is 'more blood to spill' in the Survivor 46 finale

The penultimate episode of Survivor 46 ended with the dramatic breakup of the season’s biggest power duo in Charlie Davis and Maria Shrime Gonzalez. Both were gunning for each other, and, in the end, Maria was exposed after her blindside attempt on her biggest ally came up short and Q Burdette was instead voted out of the game. It was a dramatic conclusion to a fascinating arc of island BFFs both trying to separate at the same time. And when the three-hour Survivor 46 finale and after-show begins Wednesday, May 22 on CBS, that is exactly where things pick up.

“The finale starts in the aftermath of Maria’s attempted blindside of Charlie,” host and showrunner Jeff Probst tells Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive pre-finale interview. “How do you recover when your plan fails? They have been loyal alliance members for most of the game, but have become each other’s number one target. But with three other players still in the game, there are many ways this could play out.”

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That is true in that the end result seems relatively wide open. While Charlie and Maria have been the big power players all season — controlling the vote while also winning the majority of challenges — they are up against the powerful social games of Kenzie Petty and Ben Katzman, likable players who have made strong bonds with the jury members who ultimately hold the keys to the million-dollar prize. And jurors could also respect the culinary and digestive difficulties Liz Wilcox endured throughout her time on the island and choose to reward her for having overcome more than anyone else in the game, including a disturbing lack of Applebee’s.

That means the difficulty for the final five is not just getting to the end, but figuring out whom they want to sit next to (and hopefully beat) when they get there. “This sets up a finale where every player will be assessing and reassessing their options and working overtime to manage their alliances,” says Probst.

Of course, the closer we get to day 26, the bigger the stakes become, and — as we saw last season — the bigger stakes will lead to bigger intensity. “There will definitely be some emotion in the finale,” teases the host. “It’s inevitable. There are five players left and only three spots in the finale.” 

And while this has been a fivesome that has generally gotten along quite well over the first 23 days, the players will be in take-no-prisoners mode from here on out as the fight to become the newest Sole Survivor kicks into overdrive. “It will be a battle just to get to the end,” says Probst. “Which means there is more Survivor blood to spill.”

They can spill all the blood they want, but in the end, the decision will come from the jury — six members of which are already there, with two more to come. So what kind of questions and comments can we expect from the folks that will hold all the power at final Tribal Council? “In regards to the jury, I anticipate most members will come into the final Tribal Council undecided,” says Probst. “This seems to be a hallmark of the juries in the new era Survivor. They come in open-minded and they are rarely influenced by group think. The criteria for picking a winner can be as individual as the jury member making the decision.”

And only one individual will ultimately be crowned champion of Survivor 46.