Survivor 34 Game Changers Finale Recap and Live Blog

The season finale of Survivor: Game Changers airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap, and join the discussion here.

The episode begins with Jeff Probst greeting us from the live studio audience. We see a shot of this season’s contestants, and Jeff gives a shoutout to Sandra, Tony, and Malcolm. He says the game is not over yet, especially with multiple people in the game with a hidden immunity idol. Afterwards, we see a recap of the season, including all the memorable game play. Only six castaways remain, and a Jeff voice-over gives a rundown of them. Jeff calls Sarah an aggressive player, and he says Troyzan has been playing from the bottom. He says Tai is great at finding idols, and he still has two in his possession. Brad had a strong social game early on, but he’s lately been on the wrong side of numbers and may have to rely on challenges to get to the end. He says Aubry is a strategic force that has experienced highs and lows. As for Cirie, she has relied on social relationships and savvy game play. Will she finally win the game on her fourth attempt?

After the recap, the episode picks up with the tribe returning to camp. Sarah is confronting Cirie about what happened at tribal council. She doesn’t trust Cirie anymore, so she voted out Michaela since she was Cirie’s “right hand man.” Sarah is extremely angry that Cirie tried to play her advantage, and she said she was saving that advantage for later. Cirie says that Tai is a rat, and she wanted to use that advantage to get him out. Sarah says that Cirie should’ve talked to her about it first. Later on, the entire tribe is talking around the fire, and, after some pressure, Tai admits that he did throw out Sarah’s name as a target. Sarah is livid, and she shouts at Tai for targeting her.

The next morning, Brad and Tai talk game. Brad tells Tai he’s in trouble, and Tai reveals he has two hidden immunity idols. Brad tells Tai he’s willing to work with him. However, he says he wants one of Tai’s idols as collateral. In his confessional, Brad admits he plans on double-crossing Tai since Tai is a proven liar.

It’s time for the immunity and reward challenge. They must go through a maze and collect three bags of puzzle pieces. Once they have all three bags, they must solve the puzzle. The first to complete the puzzle wins immunity and reward. The challenge begins, and it’s fairly even despite Troyzan taking an early lead. All six of them collected their bags and are working on the puzzle at the same time. It soon comes down between Brad and Sarah making the most progress with the puzzle. Brad solves the puzzle first. Brad wins immunity! He’s allowed to pick one person to enjoy reward with him back at camp (a meal). He chooses Troyzan with no hesitation. Jeff tells him he can pick one more person. After some consideration, he chooses Sarah. Before the commercial break, we hear a confessional from Sarah. She’s grateful for the reward, and she hopes to find out if anyone actually does want to go to the Final 3 with her.

We see Brad, Troyzan, and Sarah enjoying reward. Sarah says in a confessional that she cannot trust Cirie or Tai, so she feels like she has no choice but to go to the end with Brad and Troyzan. She asks them who should they vote out, and they agree to vote for Aubry. After the reward, Brad tells Tai that Aubry is going home. However, he tells Tai that if he wants to go to the Final 3, then Tai needs to give Brad one of his idols so there won’t be any “funny business.” He doesn’t want Tai to save Aubry and for tribal council to be chaotic. In addition, Brad reveals to Troyzan that he doesn’t plan on giving the idol back to Tai. He wants to vote Tai out after Aubry, and make him look like a fool.

Later on, Tai talks to Aubry about the vote. He reveals Brad’s plan, and Cirie comes up to them mid-conversation. Tai says that Brad is bullying him, and Cirie is asserting that Tai needs to work with Aubry and her. Tai breaks down in tears as he’s unsure what to do. Meanwhile, Troyzan tells Sarah that Tai has two idols, but he hasn’t given one to Brad yet. In his confessional, Tai says no one cares about him. They all just want something from him. He says he’ll decide what’s best for him at tribal council.

It’s time for tribal council. Jeff asks about the last tribal council, and Aubry says they all went back to camp and agreed that Tai is a rat. Tai says everyone is being harder on him than anyone else, and Sarah says it’s because Tai is not taking responsibility for his lies. Jeff asks about the possibility of it being Brad, Troyzan, and Sarah against Tai, Cirie, and Aubry. Sarah says it’s more likely five against one with Tai as the outsider. Jeff asks Tai his thoughts, and he says people came to him and offered him deals. Jeff asks Brad about this, and he says he’s not surprised since it’s late in the game. He does say “buyers beware” when making a deal with Tai, though. Jeff asks about how confident they are about the vote, and no one is confident. They are all unsure what will happen at the vote tonight. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.

Jeff asks if anyone wants to play a hidden immunity idol, and Tai plays his hidden immunity on himself. He then plays his second hidden immunity idol on Aubry. Right afterwards, Sarah plays her Legacy Advantage. Lastly, Troyzan plays his hidden immunity idol. Due to everyone but Cirie being safe, Cirie is the only one that can be voted out tonight. Jeff reveals that there are no votes in the urn for Cirie, but there’s no reason to vote again. Jeff asks Cirie her thoughts, and she’s emotional about her Survivor experience and how grateful she is of the opportunity since she played her first season eleven years ago. Jeff tells Cirie has played Survivor with grace before telling her she has to grab her torch. Cirie is voted out and the eighth member of the jury. Before the commercial break, we see Jeff talk with Cirie back at the studio, and he gives her kudos. He calls her one of a kind and to take a bow as the audience applauds her.

It’s Day 37, and we see the Final 5 greet Jeff before the next immunity challenge. For this challenge, they must use paddles to maneuver  a ball through a table obstacle. The first person to transfer three balls will win immunity. The challenge begins, and Brad takes a lead as he’s the first to transfer a ball. He then transfers a second ball, and no one is close to catching him. Brad transfers his third ball. Brad wins immunity! Brad gets emotional, and he says that that was for his wife Monica.

They return to camp, and Brad, Troyzan, and Sarah agree to vote out Aubry. Later on, Aubry pleads her case to Sarah. She says they should vote out Troyzan since Brad is 100% taking Troyzan to the Final 3 if he wins immunity again. In order to increase their odds of getting to the Final 3, Aubry thinks it would be better to vote out Troyzan tonight. Sarah once again finds herself in the middle, and she later talks to Tai about the vote. Tai tells Sarah that they should vote out Aubry tonight. He loves her as a person, but he calls her a really good player. Sarah tells Tai she’ll go with Tai’s plan to vote out Aubry. Afterwards, we see Brad and Tai talk game too. Brad is aggressive as he tells Tai that he better have his back, and Tai is bothered by Brad’s disrespectful demeanor. Tai now wants to switch plans and vote out Troyzan. He tells this to Sarah, and now Sarah is unsure what will happen at the vote.

It’s time for tribal council. After Jeff says that Brad could win his way to the end, Aubry says she knows she’s on the chopping block. Sarah says everyone is trying to survive one day at a time. Troyzan says that everyone is pitching to everyone, and they are all trying to negotiate their way to the Final 3. Aubry says she’s sure that Brad and Troyzan will 100% be in the Final 3 if either of them wins immunity tomorrow. Jeff says then that means she wants them to vote for Troyzan, and Aubry says yes since it will increase their odds of making it to the end. Sarah points out that it’s also about who they put on the jury; it’s not just who goes to the Final 3. Brad says he has to win to make it to the end regardless. Sarah ends the discussion saying they all better pick the best Final 3 for themselves. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.

Jeff reads the vote. The first vote is for…

Aubry

Troyzan

Aubry

Aubry

Aubry is voted out and the ninth member of the jury.

It’s time for the final immunity challenge. They must go through an obstacle course and go down a water slide as they collect three bags of puzzle pieces. The first to solve the puzzle will win immunity. The challenge begins, and Sarah takes an early lead as she is the first to retrieve her bags before the others. However, they eventually all get their bags and are working on the puzzle at the same time. Brad is making the most progress on the puzzle, putting him in the lead. Brad solves the puzzle. Brad wins immunity!

Back at camp, Brad tells Troyzan he wants to vote out Tai for lying to him throughout the game. He also wants to blindside him too. In his confessional, Brad is certain he can beat any of the remaining people for the million dollars. Meanwhile, Tai tells Sarah is will be one of them voted out tonight. He suggests the two of them vote for Troyzan to make it a tie and to take it to a tiebreaker challenge. Sarah is considering it since she thinks it would give her points to the jury, but she’s unsure. She says it’s a tossup for what she decides to do.

It’s time for tribal council. After Jeff congratulates Brad on his fifth immunity win, he asks Brad his thoughts. Brad says they need to decide who to put on the jury. Jeff asks who is the “we” Brad is referring to, and Sarah says it’s Brad and Troyzan. Sarah says she and Tai are on the outs. Tai brings up the possibility of going to a tie before he calls out Brad as treating Tai like “a simpleton,” and Brad says Tai has no leverage since Brad is the one with the immunity necklace. Troyzan says he’s going to trust his gut and hope the plan goes like he believes. If not, then he’ll be building a fire. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.

Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…

Tai

Troyzan

Tai

Tai

Tai is voted out and the final member of the jury.

It’s the morning, and Troyzan believes he can win. He says he had a great social game and made it to the end without anyone writing his name (although Tai just voted for him at the previous tribal council). Sarah says she worked her butt off to make it to the end, and she plans to be completely honest with the jury. She believes they will reward honesty. As for Brad, although he says he doesn’t need the money, he wants to win. He mentions his five immunity wins and how he was in control as he was the one that chose who got to the Final 3.

It’s time for the final tribal council. Before it starts, Jeff says they will be changing up tribal council. He brings up the motto of the game: Outwit, outplay, and outlast. How did they strategically make their way through the game with their social bonds, how did they handle the physical elements of the game (challenges, shelter, etc.), and did they play a game the jury will respect? They will all have to address these three parts of the game to the jury in an open discussion. There won’t be individual jury questions like before.

They will first address the social aspect of the game. Zeke tells Sarah that he’s championing her despite double-crossing her friends. Andrea tearfully says that he felt very hurt by Sarah’s manipulative game play, and she wonders if she can feel okay with voting for her. Sarah says that her relationships were sincere, which makes Debbie and other jurors laugh out loud. Ozzy doesn’t like Sarah’s game play, and he says that he’s championing Brad for being a strong competitor. Cirie asks Brad if he really did have control in the game since it seemed like Sierra was the brains. Michaela brings up how the social game is important, and she asks Brad if he knows anything about her. Brad mentions very basic facts about Michaela, such as she is from Texas. After it’s clear Brad knows very little about Michaela, Michaela says she has no further questions. The jury once again goes back to Sarah, and they want to know if they really know the real Sarah. Sarah says that she worked undercover as a cop, and she knows she has to adapt and play a role to survive in the game. Debbie chimes in, and she says she doesn’t respect Sarah’s manipulative and lying game play, and she’s also championing Brad. Michaela asks Troyzan about his game and if he can take credit for any moves. Numerous jurors call Troyzan a passenger, not a driver. Troyzan said he did make moves, but no one feels like Troyzan was ever in control of the game. Andrea once again asks Brad about his relationships with people on the bottom, especially Michaela and Tai. Brad said he did something right since Tai told him about his hidden immunity idols, but Tai tells Brad is very disrespectful in the way he talks to people. Hali asks Brad if he condescends people as strategy, and he says no. He was just trying to make a deal. Debbie says she understands if Brad isn’t the warmest person, so she’s okay with how he talked to people. Hali says she’s more unsure who to vote for now. Afterwards, the talk goes to the outplay portion of the game. Ozzy says Brad is the clear winner in outplay, and he has great respect for him. He says Brad relied on himself to win, and everyone is the author of his or her own destiny. Debbie also says that neither Sarah nor Troyzan would be in the Final 3 without him. However, Sarah speaks up and says that she got herself to the end of the game. She mentions how she got Sierra out to get her Legacy Advantage, and she also mentions the advantage she got that was at Michaela’s feet when Michaela wasn’t chosen to compete in a reward challenge. Michaela says Sarah is a “badass” and gives her props for her moves in the game. Jeff asks the Final 3 to plead their case again, and Brad says that he doesn’t believe you have to lie in the game. He says he worked hard to get to the end. Sarah says you have to strike first in this game. She says she adapts and the other people are on the jury because she didn’t think she could beat them. Troyzan, on the other hand, is aware he’s not going to win, so he’s just grateful to play the game again after being a fan since the first season. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.

We see Michaela vote for Sarah and that anyone who doesn’t vote for her is bitter. We see Ozzzy vote for Brad, and he hopes he’ll do what Ozzy failed to do four times. We see Zeke vote for Sarah and congratulate her on a good game. We see Debbie vote for Brad, and she says good guys should finish first.

We return to the live studio. Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…

Sarah

Brad

Sarah

Brad

Brad

Sarah

Sarah

Sarah

Sarah

 

SARAH WINS SURVIVOR GAME CHANGERS!

It’s now time for the live reunion show! Jeff asks Sarah about playing with Tony (both of them are cops), and he asks if she used his game as an example for this season. She says yes, and she had a front row seat to Tony’s gameplay in Cagayan. Sarah also says she asked permission from her loved ones to play a very aggressive game. She says she’s proud of her game, but not how she treated people. Jeff says that’s okay since people can’t have it both ways. Jeff turns to Brad, and he asks if he miscalculated the jury. He says yes before quickly apologizing to Tai, and that he really is fond of Tai. He hated how it seemed like he was bullying Tai in the game. Afterwards, Jeff polls the jury about their votes if Tai was in the Final 3 instead of Sarah. It turns out it would have been a split vote between Brad and Tai with each receiving five votes. In the case of a tie, then that meant the person who got no votes would become a juror and break the tie. Troyzan admits that he would’ve voted for Brad. Therefore, Brad would have won if he took Tai to the Final 3 instead of Sarah.

Jeff turns to Cirie, and he asks her thoughts. Cirie says she’s grateful for getting off the couch and playing the game. She also encourages everyone thinking about applying for Survivor to give it a shot. Jeff asks what makes a good Survivor player. Cirie says you have to be able to relate to people in order to play a good game.

The talk turns to Varner outing Zeke as transgender. Jeff says everyone agrees that Zeke handled that moment very well. Zeke says that he was scared, and he gets emotional as he says he got a lot of support from people in his life after that episode aired. He also says that he became a Survivor fan after his transition. He was in depression, but he discovered Survivor and got hooked on the show. He says he binge-watched twenty seasons, and Survivor has helped him out in life. Jeff then turns to Varner, and he says Varner deservedly took a lot of heat. However, he mentions how Varner has owned up to his mistake. Varner said he got hit hard and it was very tough, but acknowledges that Zeke is the actual victim. Varner mentions he got fired, but he did get a new job.

Jeff then turns to Aubry about her crush on Cochran. Aubry says everyone has a crush on Cochran. Jeff asks Sandra a question, and the audience erupts in cheers for Sandra. He says that the game seems so easy for Sandra, and he asks if the game is as easy for her as it appears. Sandra says she treats the game as a job, and she does whatever it takes to get her million dollars. Jeff asks Michaela about her thoughts on her game, and Michaela says the game is more physical than she expected. She acknowledges that the social aspect is more important than she initially realized. Jeff asks Sierra why did she tell Sarah about the Legacy Advantage, and she says she was playing with her heart. Jeff talks to Malcolm about his game, and Malcolm says he cried for a few days. However, he says the unpredictability of Survivor is one of the reasons why it’s the best thing on television. Jeff asks Ozzy about the open discussion they tried out at the final tribal council. He thought it allowed different ideas to be expressed while throwing out the word “microcosm” numerous times. He goes on a political rant too.

We next see a preview for next season. They will return to Fiji for the 35th season. They will be divided into three tribes: heroes, healers, and hustlers. The Heroes tribe includes a marine and a lifeguard. The Healers tribe includes a surgeon and a physical therapist. The Hustlers tribe includes a personal assistant and a bellhop. This season will air in the fall.

Varner says he’s working on a book and Jeff will get the first copy before the live reunion ends.

And that wraps up this season of Survivor. Thanks for reading, post your thoughts in the comments section below, and come back in the fall for another new season of Survivor!

About Steven Curtis 539 Articles
Steven is a graduate of the University of West Florida with a bachelor's degree in communication arts. He enjoys watching reality competition shows, such as American Idol, Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race.