Survivor’s undeniable appeal is due, in part, to the series’ lasting ability to force people from different walks of life to work together in pursuit of the $1 million grand prize.
It appears that Survivor 51’s Ana Sani and Carter Krull are the latest unlikely duo to succumb to the show’s magic.
In a scene shared exclusively with Us that did not make the Wednesday, September 30, episode, Ana —a voice actor from Toronto — and Carter— a livestock farmer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota — appear to form a game-changing bond.
“Carter and I are like a big sister, little brother duo,” Ana, 34, says in a confessional. “We could not be more opposite in our lives. He’s a farmer and he has a 600-acre farm with his family. Meanwhile, me, I’m a city girl living in a 380-square-foot apartment with my little Pomeranian, walking around doing voiceovers in movies.”
She added, “I tell him everything and I think he’s telling me everything. We have such a great bond.”
It appears to be genuine for Carter as well.
“The relationship I have with Ana is organic,” the farmer, 24, tells the camera. “I can’t even tell you how it happened. It was one of those deals where we just feel like we’re on the same page.”
He also cited a recent dominant Survivor duo as a model for the relationship he foresees with Ana.
“When I came out here, I wanted a Kyle-Kamilla situation and I just hit it off with Ana,” he said, referring to Survivor 48 winner Kyle Fraser and his close ally, Kamilla Karthigesu. “I was like that’s who I want to play this game with at all costs. In this game you need to have somebody who you can trust or you’re toast. She’s my go-to and I trust her with everything.”
In the clip, the pair is alone together on the beach, where Ana chastises Carter for safety risks he’s taking on the island, begging him not to be “med-evaced.”
“Can you, like, be safe a little bit?” she asks him. “Because I need you.”
The two also talk about going to the end of the game together, each saying they are each other’s “No. 1.”
“I’ll probably win, you’ll get second,” Carter jokes before quickly adding, “Or vice versa.”
Through 51 seasons, Survivor has evolved with twists, format shakeups and more, but the need for close allies remains. With the so-called Open Era beginning with the current season, in which every twist the show has ever introduced is on the table, having one fellow tribemate to trust is as important as ever.
Survivor airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
