kraut--

You said--

>Old Boran is now in control
>of both new tribes. Delaying
>the merge any further will
>only strengthen Old Boran's position
>and make the post-merge game
>that much more predictable. MB
>does not want that. Merge
>in EP7.
>

Old Boran will also be in control of the merged tribe. Why is it any less predictable post-merge if the merge happens in E7? Either way, it is pretty predictable, and at least without a merge we have to guess which tribe wins immunity. It also screws with the players' heads and gives 3 more days of inter-tribe bonding.

>In addition, having the recap episode
>fall just after the merge
>makes sense, because it is
>a natural breaking point anyway.
>That way when we come
>back to the show everyone
>is competing for individual rewards
>and individual immunity. It becomes
>the next chapter of the
>story...

Why is that any more of a natural break than right before the merge? If there is a merge E7, then there would be individual IC in E7, an episode before the break. If there is a merge E8, individual ICs will begin right after the break. In S2, the break was between E8 and E9, after 2 individual IC episodes. The natural break theory does not seem to be very significant.

P.S. Take a look at the new VidCap thread I started and tell me if you think the picture of Clarence carrying the idol affects your thinking.