âDouble Episodesâ seem to happen at least once or twice every season on Survivor, usually during the very first night and then again sometimes post-merge. In seasons past, the âdouble-episodeâ seemed like a way for the producers to fly through what might otherwise be thought of as a boring episode, or a predictable Tribal Council. During Season 33, I ate my words in this regard, as we were given two of the best, most memorable Tribals of that season (forgive me for not remembering them off-hand, but look it upâŚI remember it as being awesome) during a back-to-back episode night.
Tonightâs latest two episodes of Survivor: Game Changers didnât disappoint and things were far from predictable. But before we gather our troops and prepare to go to war, please be warned that there are spoilers to follow, as we will be discussing in detail the events that took place during tonightâs double-episode of Survivor: Game Changers.
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With tonightâs two-hours of Survivor being single back-to-back episodes, thereâs a lot to discuss. And for those keeping score at home, just a friendly reminder that this is more of a âreactionaryâ columnâŚIâm coming from a place where Iâm assuming weâve all seen the show (and again if you havenât, please do before reading this). I donât find it necessary to go through each episode moment-by-moment. Yes, Iâll recap and highlight the big events, but itâs much more interesting and fulfilling to me to discuss the show on a gut level, and to break down the strategies and game-play that we see unfold. I like trying to make sense of what just happened, analyze what was really going on and just bask in the glory that is Survivor. This season is ripe for the picking when it comes to talking strategy, because we really do have a cast of Game Changers who are all playing the game at an extremely high level.
The shock and awe following last weekâs emotionally-charged episode was still lingering as tonightâs first episode began, where Varner outed Zeke as being transgender in a desperate attempt at Tribal to somehow make Zeke look deceitful. But Zeke himself gave us a nice pivot during tonightâs opening minutes when he said, âLetâs just get back to it.â In his honor, letâs follow those words.
First off, the major development tonight was of course the #Merge. It came with a twist, where both Tai and Culpepper volunteered to sit out of the traditional merge feast, because they had to in order for the others to eat. I liked this twist, because choice is always good. And it paid dividends. Culpepper reasoned that itâs what his wife Monica would have done (leading CBS to flash the #WWMD hashtag), but Cirie took it as a calculated game move.  Tai, well heâs just TaiâŚbeing selfless is sort of what he does.
The merge â and the first few Tribals that follow â are always an exciting part of the game, because it is during this crucial time period where the endgame is set in motion. The idea that Survivor is an individual game for a million dollars comes quickly into focus, and quite often we can trace a winnerâs path to a huge move that was made at or just following the merge. As I predicted earlier in my Preview article (which Iâm sure everybody readâŚ), Michaela was quickly singled out as a target. She hasnât been shown as having too many allies, sheâs a physical threat and she also hasnât been fitting in socially. For many, this made her a target, but she found an amazing ally tonight in Cirie. For those that may have forgotten let me say it clearly and in all caps: CIRIE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER IN THE GAME. As I also pointed out earlier today, Cirie was also the only person who miraculously had not been to a single Tribal Council this season until tonight. We havenât had a chance to see her really play, and sheâs been able to spend her first twenty-some days in the game focusing on nothing but relationship building.
In Michaela, Cirie saw someone she could relate to, whom she genuinely liked, but as Cirie herself said earlier in the episode: Everything that happens in the game of Survivor is calculated. Cirie sees Michaela as a loyal soldier, and after saving her ass during tonightâs first Tribal Council, a loyal soldier is exactly what Michaela became. But there was benefit in it too for MichaelaâŚnot only did she stay in the game, but sheâs learning first-hand wisdom from one of the true greats to ever play the game (socially and mentallyâŚCirie is not exactly what you would call a physical threat).
As most merge episodes do, there was a lot of time spent tonight showing bonds forming between the different players. It emerged that there are basically two factions, each with a pretty solid core alliance. On one hand, you have Team Brad/Sierra, who seem to have Tai, Deb and Troyzan firmly on their side. The other side would be Team Cirie/Andrea, followed by Aubry, Michaela and Ozzy (voted out). With Hali now gone as well (becoming the first member of the jury), that leaves Sarah and Zeke in the middleâŚand Sarah seemed at least for the moment to have sided with Brad, Sierra and company. I say âfor the momentâ because the preview for next weekâs ep shows that Sarah is really just on Team Sarah and isnât afraid to shift her loyalties to further her own game.
It was incredibly interesting to me tonight to watch just how strong many of the remaining players are. There are way too many cooks in the kitchen right now, or too many Generals and not enough soldiers. You have Andrea and Cirie who are trying to control the game, and this rubs Zeke the wrong way because Zeke wants total control. So he tries to take the reigns and tells Sierra that Andrea and Cirie mentioned her name. But Sierra is too strong-willed of a player and wants to control the game herself! She doesnât buy Zekeâs story, so she tries to take the game into her own hands by going across enemy lines to Cirie, telling her about Zeke. Elsewhere, Zeke tries recruiting Deb to vote out Andrea, but Deb is nobodyâs soldier either, so what does she do? She throws out Ozzyâs name and eventually gets her way. It was like a weird domino effect of independent-minded playersâŚlike watching bumper cars ricochet off one another. Right now these players are all dead-locked, but we know that something has to give.
Ultimately Hali had to go, and she did. I must say that Hali continued to impress me for her boldness during the Tribal Councils, but unfortunately she just must not have the social skills back at camp, as she was never really able to connect with anybody else. She of course was the poster-child this season for being an âundeservedâ Game Changer, and while she definitely showed a bit more than her first season, Hali never really did anything this time around either to make us think she belonged here. She was definitely spirited at Tribals, but she never had a true ally. Her final pitch â in her parting words â was that the others were dumb not to take out bigger threats? That may be true, but the idea that even Hali thinks Hali isnât a big threat is exactly the reason why I say she never really belonged this season, and was not the same caliber of contestant.
Ozzy on the other hand, is a bona fide Survivor legend, but watching him this season was like watching an aging boxer fighting a fight late in his career. Sure he still can hang with the big boys, but heâs lost a little spring in his step, heâs just a little less tough, a little bit slower, than he once was. That was evident tonight when he lost the âGet A Gripâ Immunity Challenge for the first timeâŚa challenge he had previously won two other times. Ozzy doesnât lose that challenge in Ozzyâs prime. And is there anything more old-school than thinking that youâre valuable because you know how to fish and provide for your camp-mates? Itâs clear that Ozzy is a fan-favorite, otherwise he wouldnât have been asked back for this, his fourth season. But even though he now holds the record for most days played in Survivor â 128 â the title of Sole Survivor remains elusive for him.
Ozzyâs demise is obviously a blow for Team Cirie/Andrea, but man would I be scared of Cirie if I were any of the others. Did I mention that CIRIE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PLAYER IN THE GAME? Her in-game awareness and social skills were evident tonight, and even though she lost Ozzy, she eerily seemed in total control throughout both episodes. I mean, Ozzy gets voted out and Cirie votes for Sierra, announcing as she writes the vote that sheâs just doing it to âspice things up a bitâ? This throw-away vote could be a way for Cirie to keep Zeke close, because she can now say to him that she didnât try to vote him out. She may have seen the writing-on-the-wall with Ozzy and decided not to burn that bridge with Zeke. Zeke â who was just gunning for Cirie and Andrea â may ironically end up needing Cirie since he doesnât have an alliance anymoreâŚand Cirie may just need him to replace Ozzy, her fallen soldier.
Episode Take-Away: The lines have now been drawn and it seems clear that we have Sarah and Zeke somewhere in the middle of two warring factions. The reasons they are both there though, are totally opposite from one another. Zeke has put himself out on an island, where neither tribe has faith in him anymoreâŚitâs a serious blow to Zeke who just had seemed galvanized with his tribe following last weekâs events. Sarah is in the middle by designâŚshe is playing a great game, and donât forget she had forged a secret alliance with Troyzan a few weeks back. Troyzan of course still has an Idol, and he also once stated that heâs only with Brad out of necessity, because they were the only two men at his tribe. Sarah is in a great position of power but like Zeke, sheâll need to be careful not to overplay her hand.
We were also given a reminder that Sierra still has the Legacy Advantage, and because she didnât use it at 13 players she can now only use it at six. Deb used her âdouble voteâ advantage earned on the Exile Yacht, and while it didnât seem to be necessary, it did hedge Debâs bet a bitâŚhad Cirie voted for Zeke like was expected and had Sarah chosen to go against him as well instead of for Ozzy, then Debâs vote would have been entirely necessary.
Tonight we saw a sign of things to come and one thing that was evident to me was that several players are going to have to make big moves down the stretchâŚotherwise their resumes will not be impressive enough to win jury votes. Troyzan for example, is currently seen as a tag-along. And as much as I love her, what has Aubry done? And in a season full of big moves and impending blindsides, could Tai be poised for an upset win? The dude just outlasted Ozzy to win an Immunity Necklace, and with 11 left in the game he still has two Idols in his possession and surely wonât be the target of anyone anytime soon.
Strategic Move of the Week: Deb saw a great opportunity to switch things up and vote out Ozzy, but for me the subtle game-play from Cirie tonight has to be commended. First she pulls in Michaela and saves her game, earning a loyal ally in the process. And to have strong enough relationships across enemy lines, like with Sierra who came to Cirie to tell her about Zeke flipping, thatâs a sign of a powerful, rock-solid social game. Cirie even went on to compare her tribe-mates to her kids, after losing the challenge and telling them that she is heart-broken that she couldnât provide for her âchildren.â With Ciera Eastin out of the game, thereâs nobody left that would ever vote out their mom, right?
Voted out this week: Hali and Ozzy
Won Immunity: Â Andrea (first challenge) and Tai (second challenge)
Vote #1: No Idol Played. 7 â Hali (Sierra, Brad, Troyzan, Deb, Ozzy, Aubry, Tai), 4 â Michaela (Cirie, Sarah, Zeke, Andrea), 2 â Zeke (Hali, Michaela)
Vote #2: No Idol Played, Deb cast her âextra voteâ advantage. 7 â Ozzy (Sarah, Tai, Brad, Sierra, Troyzan, Deb, Deb), 4 â Zeke (Andrea, Aubry, Michaela, Ozzy), 1 â Sierra (Cirie), 1 â Aubry (Zeke)
Next Weekâs Episode: The âgloves are offâ and the Team Brad/Sierra alliance looks invincibleâŚthat is, until Sarah reveals to Zeke that she may have other plans.
Important Note! Remember to return right here to RealityTea for my FilmSurvivor Podcast Thursday, where you can listen to my full exit interview with both Hali and Ozzy. Last but not least, I encourage you to check out my weekly movie reviews. And as always, the easiest way to get all of my Survivor coverage and movie reviews is to follow me on Twitter â @tomsantilli â or on Facebook.
TELL US â WHAT DID YOU THINK OF TONIGHTâS EPISODE? WHO IS IN THE BEST POSITION TO WIN RIGHT NOW? AND CAN ZEKE MANAGE TO GO DEEP IN THE GAME NOW THAT HE HAS BURNED HIS CLOSEST ALLIES?
Photo Credit: CBS/Monty Brinton/Robert Voets/Timothy Kuratek/Jeffrey Neira
