Don’t get too comfy.
TheSurvivorgods are vengeful gods.
We bore witness to that time they mind-controlled Jeff Probst into wearing a cowboy hat for an entire season.
Troyzan Robertson, Zeke Smith, and Brad Culpepper on ‘Survivor: Game Changers’.Credit: CBS
As I said, vengeful gods.
There isnt a line drawn in the sand.
There is a line drawn in concrete.
Okay, so thats that.
Lets delve into what else went down and recap this son of a bitch.
But Zekes a smart guy.
He can possibly rebound.
There are two problems with that.
1 is that when you leave alliance members behind, they are likely to flip.
You see, Brad is only half right here.
Oh, and problem No.
I dont give a f what happens.
I could watch that stuff all day.
And if Im going to be completely honest, some days I have.
But the challenge hits a completely different gear once Cirie gets in the water.
Because then she cant get out of the water.
Completely gassed, she is unable to pull herself up on the second platform.
She tries some more.
At this point the challenge is over as Brads team wins, but Probst has an idea.
With that, the rest of her teammates swim back to assist and encourage.
In the end, she does it.
All the players are clapping.
AND I AM TOTALLY NOT CRYING SITTING AND WATCHING IT ON MY COUCH!
STOP SAYING I AM CRYING!
I JUST WAS CHOPPING SOME ONIONS, THATS ALL!
So why are we making such a fuss over Cirie?
Because shes freakin Cirie, thats why.
And shes earned that.
And it was a nice human moment in an otherwise cutthroat game.
Youre not necessarily wrong.
Speaking of checking things out: MICHAELA!
LOOK BY YOUR DAMN FEET!
But Michaela never sees it.
However, as the players begin to leave, Sarah who just competed does.
And heres what is super interesting about what transpires.
(The other tribe swam to their boat, which was probably just off camera.)
(Again, to be clear: Both teams take boats back to camp.
Now that Sarah had noticed the advantage, how would she get it?
Very slyly, it turns out.
Whenever the players are transported anywhere, it is in a blacked-out transport.
On land, that means a blacked-out van.
And thats exactly what she does, stalling by pretending to be doing something with her water shoes.
So nobody is even in a position to see her grab the advantage at that point.
Back at camp, Sarah discovers that the Secret Advantage is actually a vote steal.
AND WE ALL KNOW HOW WELL EXTRA VOTES HAVE WORKED OUT FOR PEOPLE SO FAR ON THIS SHOW!
Dan Foley got voted out when he used his extra vote.
Stephen Fishbach got voted out when he used his vote steal.
But Sarah is confident this time will be different.
I will be the first one to play this vote correctly, she boasts.
Careful, Sarah theSurvivorgods are always listening.
As a concept, I love them.
Thats probably two too many.
I called it an extra vote, but that is just a faulty memory coupled with writing too fast.
But for now, you’re able to kind of dismiss it.
What, are you all expecting me to, like, remember things now?
Or you’re free to just ignore this entire recap.
Anyway, SORRY!]
Meanwhile, Team Brad is on a seaplane on their way to the reward.
What do you mean they dont get in airplanes much?
Its not 1940, for crissakes.
Hell, they took an airplane to get to Fiji, for crying out loud!
Sarah wants to make a big move.
The problem is, Sarah switching here is not necessarily a move that will get her any credit.
Think of it this way: You have a majority of six and a minority of five.
Whether this is right or wrong makes no difference.
(Evidence of my victory over myEW Morning Livecohost Jessica Shaw is below.)
Anyway, I love this challenge.
My favorite part of it is seeing how folks decide to carry their blocks over while holding the rope.
Some go under the chin.
Some go tucked in the armpit.
Some go straight for the mouth.
of scores of other people who did it before me.
To be honest, I have never quite been the same after that.
IM STILL TRYING TO GET IT OUT OF MY MOUTH!!!
Again, that was a truly unfortunate sentence I just typed and I would like to apologize for it.
So Troyzan wins, resulting in the second most awkward hug of the season.
Back at the beach, Sarah is experiencingSurvivorwhiplash.
But then Aubry tells Sarah about Debbie making overtures to her and shes ready to flip again.
Finally, Im going to decide at Tribal, Sarah tells us.
I suppose thats as good a place as any.
Youve found the super secretSurvivorpre-game vote-off giveaway of the week.
To enter for a chance to win Debbies infamous Playboy vote for Andrea, just answer the following question.
Who was the firstSurvivorcontestant to pose nude forPlayboy?
(Hint: It is not Andrea.)
Email your answer tosurvivor@ew.comAND hey check that TO INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!
The winner will be contacted directly.
We now return you to your regularly scheduledSurvivorrecap, still in progress.]
However, a really interesting strategic debate breaks out here.
Is this the right time to make a move if you are in the majority alliance of six?
If youre smart enough to get yourself to six, he says.
We all see whos running the show, she says.
you better seize the opportunity while you have it.
However… the game has evolved and changed, and we may need to adjust our strategic thinking accordingly.
People have wised up.
Thats just as big of move and probably not all that difficult to do either.
Remember, credit usually goes to the person who does the flipping, not the person who gets flipped.
In this instance, waiting actually may be the better play to make.
But its not the play Sarah makes.
As Michaela takes out a meal during the reading of the votes, Debbie is dispatched.
But what a good sport she is about it.
Good luck to you all!
Make no mistake, shes a kook.
But shes not one of those people who is only there to be a kook.
Debbie strategizes and plays the game.
She took out Peter inKaoh Rong,and she was responsible for Ozzys ouster last week.
So good for her.
I can only hope that John Cochran was waiting for her back on Ponderosa with a hug.
A very, very, very long awkward hug.
Okay, lets get to the other goodies.
And for moreSurvivorupdates, follow me on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
Did Sarah make the right move?
Were you shedding tears or rolling your eyes during the Cirie challenge finish?
And who deserves to win at this point in the game?
