Zeke Smith Says Someone “Geeks Me Out” on Survivor: Game Changers

Zeke Smith has the chance to play two seasons in a row on Survivor: Game Changers. What have his recent experiences told him about alliances?

Initially, we thought only one Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X  player, Michaela Bradshaw, would get the nod to return for Survivor: Game Changers. Well, to be more accurate, the MvGX finale only confirmed Michaela’s presence. Spoiler-savvy fans knew that Zeke Smith would also return.

It seems, though, that his first go-round in the game has given him a great idea of how he might want to play in his second go-round. He gave an impressively long answer to Entertainment Weekly about his desired alliance partners.

First on his list is Cirie Fields:

"“The idea that I am out here playing Survivor with Cirie really geeks me out and I need to keep it under wraps because I’m so stoked to play with her.”"

Rather than be starstruck at the chance to share an island with a legendary player, though, it sounds like Zeke knows better than to let his feelings as a fan sweep him away. After all, this isn’t a Fans vs. Favorites season. He’s a returning player, just like Cirie. Fortunately, the two will start out on the Nuku tribe together. In our own cast assessment, we pointed out that Cirie would make a natural partner because of their shared strategic emphasis. Zeke even explained to EW that he “learned a lot about Survivor from watching Cirie play,” so that makes plenty of sense.

However, he doesn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket, always a fairly wise decision in the Survivor pre-game. He also name-checked Aubry Bracco and J.T. Thomas as potential people he’d like to align with. Unfortunately, Aubry will be on the Mana tribe when the game begins; Zeke will have to wait until the third-tribe switch to have a chance to build an alliance with her.

Now, as for J.T., Zeke said he could play something similar to a Stephen Fishbach role from Tocantins. He’s right in saying that he fits that mold in that he’s a more openly cerebral player, and we noted that in our assessment of J.T. Unfortunately, J.T. himself has said he would like to work with other physically-oriented players like Ozzy Lusth. Zeke may have his work cut out for him there.

Next: Game Changers Cast Assessment: Jeff Varner

Ultimately, he sounds like he’s ready to get back out there and do his best in Survivor: Game Changers, which premieres March 8.