It will not be this Dawg talking you out of anything, KB. I've been saying for the longest time that Ep. 5 looked like the ideal time for whatever merge/swap/livetogether happens. And everything I see just convinces me more and more of it.

Apologies in advance if I repeat something already posted. I didn't carefully read the entire thread.

Of the possibilities:
1) Merge - While I have yet to see anything that truly excludes the possibility, a full merge is the least likely scenario at this time. MB has never shown any inclination to have an early merge. HOWEVER, a Jenna/Dave meeting could be a forerunner of such a thing AND those split pics on TDT could also be misleading us into thinking there are still two tribes. But overall, merge is doubtful at this time.

2) Swap - More likely. However, the question then becomes "What exactly ARE Jenna and Dave having a meeting about?" The swaps in Survivors 3 and 4 were not preceded by meetings. However, S1, S2 (boys & girls nights out), S4, and S5 (lookee-see at the others' campsites after the painting game) all had pre-merge meetings.

3) Live together, but not merged. The main reason I like this idea is because Shawna and Dave bootings fit better in this scenario. And there's nothing to exclude it, either (or am I wrong on this?)

Okay, rip it apart, and I apologize again if I've repeated something already covered.

Contradictions don't exist. If you are faced with a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged