Somewhere in between the noise, I stumbled upon the Making the Merge podcast, known for covering the hit CBS reality TV show Survivor. This is not a unique pursuit, as there is an array of podcasters in the reality TV community, from Rob Has A Podcast (RHAP) to Survivor Now to the Purple Pants Podcast, to name a few. But while other podcasts focus on analysis and strategy, Making the Merge focuses on community.
In every episode’s intro is a quote by Season 46 contestant Bhanu Gopal: “I don’t want to win a million dollars, I just want to win a million hearts.” Well, I can say with utmost certainty that this podcast has won over mine. Making the Merge is hosted by four friends from the Carolinas – PD Bachmann, Chase Bridges, Jonathan Allen Wright, and Brandon Gray – who run a “fantasy football” type draft for each season of Survivor as they attempt to predict the season’s winner after watching two episodes. The reason that Making the Merge lured me in is their sense of intimacy and community. Listening to their podcast makes you feel like you’re hanging out with your best friends, talking about your favorite show. You get to know the co-hosts, rooting for them and their draft teams as you’re endeared to the rational PD, the hilarious Chase, the insane Jonathan, and nice-guy Bran. You feel their emotions alongside them, whether it’s Chase crashing out over Sol getting voted out in Survivor 47 (“Sol Nation, where is your anger?”) or Jonathan finally securing a win (primarily due to the help of his wife, Kristin Wright) in Season 48. Since the hosts all have personal stakes in the success of their players, they take you on an epic journey through their highs and lows.
The hosts were once described as “wannabe radio DJs”, and Making the Merge has taken this in stride. Firstly, its hilarious sound bites highlight the edit’s comedy through addictive earworms. During season 48, player Chrissy Sarnowsky was severely underedited and underrepresented until her last two episodes, where her words were the reason for her eventual vote out as she attempted to target the strong alliance that was running the game. Without missing a beat, the sound drop alarm “Chrissy Is Speaking” was introduced, and now I cannot think of the name Chrissy without hearing that audio in my head like a dopamine rush. In addition, all the hosts are extremely musically talented and have written several parody songs. Jonathan recently parodied “American Pie” by Don McLean about the snake bite that got Survivor 49 contestant Jake Latimer medically evacuated from the game. My favorite parody, however, is when PD’s favorite player and top draft pick Kamila Karthigesu loses the firemaking challenge during Season 48, so he parodied Katy Perry’s “Thinking of You” to capture his sadness. If these are wannabe radio DJs, then get me a radio station that only plays Making the Merge parody songs ASAP.
Beyond the commentary and comedy, my favorite part about Making the Merge is the dynamics between the hosts. In a world where it is so difficult to find and form community, the hosts are a breath of fresh air. They never try to be someone they’re not, instead bringing their authentic selves to every episode. Of course they rip on each other a lot, as friends do, but they are always respectful of each other and the contestants, playing off of each other’s strengths and hyping everyone up, whether it’s the players or one another. In contrast to a lot of criticism-based podcasts, Making the Merge simply enjoys Survivor and being together, bringing a much-needed beacon of positivity to the reality TV community, and, dare I say, the world.
Making the Merge releases three episodes per week. Firstly, Patreon members have access to “Fresh from Tribal”, a livestream directly after the show airs, where the episode’s immediate thoughts are discussed with a live chat. Then, on Thursday evenings, the main episode where they talk about the events of the show’s episode is released. Finally, “the Sanctuary.” “where good pods happen,” is released on Mondays, which is a lot more laid back, discussing reality TV events, exit interviews, rumors, and even Hot Guy Rankings. As the show has increased in popularity, they’ve also started featuring players from previous seasons of Survivor, such as Sol Yi and Mary Zheng. Making the Merge also uses Patreon to create a community for their listeners, participating in the live chat every Wednesday night alongside the episode. This season, Patreon members can “lock in” with one of the draft teams, joining either PD’s Journeys, Chase’s Fake Idols, Jonathan’s Flint and Steelers, or Bran’s Blindsides as they pick which host they think will win the draft. Personally, I’m on PD’s Journeys, but you can still join the Patreon and lock in any time before the Season 49 merge.
I’ve been a Survivor fan since I was twelve, and Making the Merge scratches not only the itch of being a superfan, but also the desire for community. As a Patreon member and longtime listener, I can confirm that PD, Chase, Jonathan, and Bran are some of the kindest, most down-to-earth men I have ever met, taking the time to get to know their fans and creating this incredible space in the Survivor community where everyone is welcome. I am forever grateful to call them friends, and I look forward to every new episode.