“The Merge”
Apologies for the delay, as it has been a chaotic couple of weeks. It has also been chaotic over the last three episodes of Survivor: Game Changers.
The tribes have finally merged into one, and it took no time at all for the castaways’ individual game plans to come to light.
Sierra kickstarted the argument against Hali, as she believed that she had a hidden immunity idol. With that, the two targets heading into Tribal Council were Hali and Micaela. Cirie decided to take Micaela under her wing in order to form an alliance and take some of the pressure off of Micaela.
Ultimately, the tribe decided to go against Hali instead of Micaela, and with that, Hali became the first member of the Jury.
The next day, things got interesting. Zeke did not like where he fit in with the alliance of Andrea and Cirie. He decided to mention Sierra’s name, which infuriated Andrea.
Things took another turn while some of the castaways enjoyed the reward of a day at a spa. While Zeke wanted to target either Cirie or Andrea, Debbie had other ideas. When they returned to camp, Debbie began to target Ozzy, given his physical, and survival strengths.
One way or another, Debbie managed to get her way after Ozzy fell just short of winning immunity. With the help of her extra vote, she was successfully able to get Ozzy out of the game and onto the jury, much to the disappointment of many fans.
Similar to her game play on her previous season (Survivor Kaoh Rong), Debbie started making similar mistakes. She had made a big move, which was good for her. However, she let that get to her head, and Aubry, who was also on Kaoh Rong, knew it almost immediately. While Debbie was planning her next big move, Aubry called out Debbie to the tribemates for her overconfidence and cockiness.
The rest of the tribe listened to what Aubry had to say, as they blindsided Debbie and made her the third member of the jury. While Debbie was shocked, many fans were not.
Let’s Break Things Down
Normally this section is for the week’s “Strongest Survivor” and the castaway that is “Soon to Be Snuffed”. Because this is a combination of weeks, the breakdown will be a little different this time. Let’s break down the three voted off castaways who now make up the jury and the reaction to their exits.
Hali:
This was a little bit of a shocker. It was no secret that she was on the bottom, as she has been there since the original days of Mana and Nuku. It was a little surprising to see everyone decide to target her the way they did. From a fan’s standpoint, Hali was kind of in the middle. Nobody really disliked her, but she wasn’t exactly a fan favorite either. It wasn’t that she was bad, she just didn’t seem to do quite as much as others to stand out.
Ozzy:
This one was a bummer. It’s not to say people didn’t think it will happen, but Ozzy has been a fan favorite in each of the seasons he has played. It was never any secret that Ozzy is a huge threat in challenges, but also back at camp. His survival skills are among the best of anyone in the tribe. One of Ozzy’s big strengths is his swimming and ability to catch fish. Ozzy even alluded to it as he was voted out when he wished the tribe good luck eating without him.
Debbie:
Debbie, Debbie, Debbie. Both seasons she has been on Survivor, she was pretty much the same. She is out there, and quite frankly a little nutty at times. Sure some of it is for the sake of gameplay, as she showed during the merge feast when she pretended – at least according to her – to be drunk. Sometimes, it was hard to tell though.
At the end of the day, she made the same mistakes she made in her previous season that led to her being voted out. Naturally, a player will get a high of sorts when they make a big move. However, Debbie once again lets it get to her and became way overconfident. There’s nothing wrong with confidence, but it can be a funny thing in Survivor. In this case, it created a false sense of security for Debbie, and as a result, she is now a member of the jury.
Next week, the original format returns as the tribe shrinks by one more castaway. Naturally, alliances will crumble and alliances will form.
Survivor: Game Changers airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on CBS.