Survivor Game Changers Cast Assessment: Zeke Smith

Zeke Smith is one of the newest players to make the cast of Survivor: Game Changers. Will that help or hinder him in the game?

The back-to-back player has been a staple of Survivor ever since the show realized that it could feature returning players way back with season 8, creatively dubbed All-Stars. For example, Rupert Boneham played in seasons 7 and 8; Russell Hantz then played seasons 19 and 20; and Shirin Oskooi then played seasons 30 and 31, although Second Chance famously filmed after Kaoh Rong as noted in many an interview. Now, for Game Changers, Zeke Smith is one of two players to get this great honor, but how will he fare on his second time around?

During Millennials vs. Gen X, Zeke emerged as the head of a faction after the merge and the most visible millennial strategist. He squared off primarily against David for the Gen Xers. However, that didn’t mean he made it to the end. Instead, in a blindside, he went home in week 11 after a flip from players like Will. It did take a Hidden Immunity Idol to make things absolutely certain, though.

Here’s the blindside in all its glory.

That means we have a player who has very recently been burned. However, it doesn’t seem to have ruined his perspective on the game. Instead, he looks like he’s about to put his knowledge of the game to the use once again. Check out his cast video for Game Changers:

Granted, his read of the other men in the game is not perfect; we’d disagree with his generalization that they all changed the game physically. Certainly, looking at the full cast, you can easily point to players like Ozzy Lusth and Brad Culpepper as primarily physical players. However, although someone like Tony Vlachos certainly started his run in Cagayan as a Brawn player, he also emerged as a strategic force of nature. (It’s probably why everyone’s targeting him right from the start.)

We can’t disagree with the fact that Zeke may have a better chance playing with some of the women in the cast, though. Looking at the starting tribal divisions, someone like Cirie Fields might honestly be a natural fit for him; the two emphasize strategic game and she could smooth his overt aggressiveness out. She also may find him a good partner in order to acclimate herself to the changes in the game since her last time playing.

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As for the fact that Michaela Bradshaw of Millennials vs. Gen X will also return, that would help him in the medium-to-long run, not the short. The two share the millennial connection, and both of them didn’t always fit in with the rest of their generation on their original season. However, Michaela will start the game on the opposite tribe of Mana. If both can last until the third episode, there will be a chance for them to play together, as a third tribe will be added in then, as already revealed by Jeff Probst.

It may benefit Zeke to start the game out working as a follower instead of a leader, presenting himself as an additional number to be used. That would help with his disadvantage as an unknown in a season full of players who know each other. It would give him time to try and find a core group of trustworthy people and try to take the game over. That doesn’t mean he’ll succeed, but one does have to try and change the game, right? It’s right there in the name of the season.

However, he also seems aware of the fact that he’ll need to handle all sorts of twists. That preparedness could serve him very well.

Next: Game Changers Cast Assessment: Tai Trang

For Zeke, the most important part of his game may simply be making it into an alliance — and biding his time until the moment is right.