A new episode of Survivor: Game Changers airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The episode begins with the Mana tribe returning to camp after tribal council. The tribe offers kind words to Tai for voting out Caleb. They knew it was hard for Tai to vote out his friend. Tai admits it was not easy to vote out Caleb, but he did that to prove his loyalty to the tribe. The morning afterwards, Hali and Debbie talk strategy. Hali wants to prove to Debbie that she could be an asset to her, and she discusses voting out Tai. Debbie seems receptive to what Halie is saying too. However, Debbie wants to keep the former Nuku tribe together. In her confessional, Debbie says it’s too soon to make Tai a target, and Hali has no options.
It’s time for the reward challenge. There are shocked reactions to Caleb’s ouster before Jeff explains the challenge. Only two people from each tribe will run the challenge. One person must have to go through an obstacle course while balancing a ball on a pole. Once they get to the end, the other tribe member will have to toss beanbags at targets on posts. The first two tribes to complete the challenge will win a coffee reward. The pairings are JT and Malcolm for Nuku, Ozzy and Troyzan for Tavau, and Tai and Brad for Mana. It’s a fairly even challenge as JT and Ozzy make their way through the challenge, but Tai is struggling on the balance beam. Malcolm and Troyzan are knocking down targets as Tai is still struggling getting through the obstacle course, but eventually Brad gets to start knocking down targets too. Malcolm knocks down the last target for his tribe. Nuku wins reward! Suddenly it’s a much closer challenge as Brad is doing very well knocking down the targets. Mana seemed out of the challenge, but Brad is making a huge comeback. He even manages to surpass Troyzan, and he knocks down the last target. Mana wins reward! In her confessional, Cirie expresses her frustration at Troyzan failing at the challenge. She says he was already the odd man out, and this certainly doesn’t help his position on the tribe.
At the Tavua tribe, they lament losing the challenge. Ozzy is unconcerned, and he “toots his own horn” at how valuable he thinks he is to the tribe. He’s available to catch fish for the tribe, and we see him catch a stingray and bring it back to camp. Troyzan and Andrea are especially impressed by Ozzy’s capability for providing for the tribe.
Over at Nuku, they enjoy their coffee reward. In her confessional, Sandra is happy about her position in the tribe. She says she’s the queen and everything is going exactly how she wants it too. However, JT and Malcolm talk alone and discuss how dangerous Sandra is. JT suggests taking out Sandra is they were to lose the next immunity challenge, and Malcolm seems to be on board with this plan.
It’s time for the immunity challenge! For this challenge, one person will be a caller while everyone else will be blindfolded and tethered together in pairs. They will have to find bags with the assistance of the caller. Once they get all the bags, they will use the balls inside the bags to solve a table maze. The first tribe to complete the challenge will win immunity. In addition, the other two tribes will both go to tribal council. The castaways are stunned to learn this.
The challenge begins with Brad, Cirie, and Varner as the callers. There’s confusion as the blindfolded pairs try to bring back bags, but Nuku manages to attain a big lead. Mana is unable to hear Brad and are struggling getting bags back to their station. However, they manage to finally bring some bags back. Nuku maintains their lead and are the first to begin the table maze (being done by JT). JT is still working on the table maze as Ozzy begins working on the maze for Tavua. Not too long afterwards, Sierra gets started on the maze for Mana. When one tribe member gets a ball into the center of the maze, another tribe member must switch out. It soon becomes a showdown between Tavua and Nuku, but Mana manages to finally get one ball into the center. However, it’s Varner vs Andrea for who wins immunity for their tribe. Varner drops the ball, and Andrea gets her ball into the slot. Tavua wins immunity! Jeff also informs Nuku and Mana that they will be going to tribal council together and will vote out one person. There’s a big reaction from the castaways when they learn this.
At the Nuku tribe, JT says everything should be okay since they have the majority over Mana. If everyone stays together, then Mana will be losing a tribe member. However, it’ll only take one person to flip to ruin it for everyone. Even though they all say they’re voting together, there is disagreement over whom to vote out. Sandra wants to vote for Sierra, but JT says that they should vote for Tai. He’s worried about someone having a hidden immunity idol, and JT says Tai is least likely to have one. Later, JT and Malcolm discuss the possibility of taking out Sandra instead. They bet that’s what the other tribe will be doing too.
And then we go to the Mana tribe, and Debbie says they should try to convince the other tribe to vote out Sandra. In her confessional, Hali is happy to have options. She’s on the bottom of the tribe, but has the option to flip. Back to the tribe discussion, there is talk about voting out Malcolm. They think this would be a much better opportunity to take out Malcolm instead of Sandra. Meanwhile, Tai goes looking for the hidden immunity idol. He does manage to find the clue, and eventually finds the idol. Tai has found the hidden immunity idol! He even chooses to tell his tribe members about this. They are all excited, and plan for the idol to be used so a big move will be made tonight.
It’s time for tribal council! Both Mana and Nuku take their seats as a large group, and Jeff asks Malcolm the first question. He asks him about the twist, and Malcolm says this is a tribal unlike any before. Jeff asks about the vote, and Brad says they have all their guns pointed at them and Sandra remarks they have all their guns pointed at them too. Debbie then brings up that they were close to JT too, and hopes he’ll side with them. Brad then brings up the fact that there are bigger threats on the other tribe, mentioning Sandra and Malcolm. Sandra says she’s not worried, and Malcolm says Brad is just saying that because he’s scared. There’s talk about potential flippers in Hali and JT, and Brad says Hali will be screwed if she flips. Hali says that’s not a good way to sway her vote. As Hali is talking, Sandra is believing that Hali wants Brad gone. Sandra is whispering to everyone on her tribe that they should vote for Brad. As they are all whispering, Debbie whispers to Brad to confirm plans and JT and Malcolm whisper that the other tribe is probably voting out Sandra. There’s even more whispering as people stand up and whisper to one another. JT stands up and whispers to Brad they’re voting for Sierra. It becomes a very crazy tribal council as people are standing up and whispering to each other. They go into little groups, whispering plans, with Brad telling Mana to stick with the original plan. Hali wanted to confirm plans with Sandra once more before voting, but Sandra says they’re good. Hali says she might regret that before she walks up to cast her vote. As they are voting, Michaela wonders about idols, but Sandra tells her she’s confident that no one on Mana has an idol.
It’s time for the vote. Before the votes are read, Tai stands up and gives the idol to Sierra.
The first vote is for…
Sierra
Sierra
Sierra
Sierra
Sierra
Sierra
Malcolm
Malcolm
Malcolm
Malcolm is the fourth person voted out of Survivor: Game Changers.
Malcolm is visibly upset to be taken out the game. And as the tribes return to camp, Michaela remarks how JT set them up by telling Mana who they were voting for.
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of Survivor! Thanks for reading, post your thoughts in the comments section below, and come back next week for another live recap.
