Michaela Bradshaw Looks to Two Favorites on Survivor: Game Changers

Like every other player on Survivor: Game Changers, Michaela Bradshaw has some plans about putative alliances to start the game. Let’s break it down.

Michaela Bradshaw showed off a pretty keen strategic mind during her relatively short run on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, down to pulling out some shells to help explain the numbers game to other members of her alliance. Granted, that basically led directly to her elimination, but it did also probably lead to her snagging a spot on Survivor: Game Changers. So, one has to ask: does she have a strategic idea of whom she’d like to play with?

Of course she does, and she gave Entertainment Weekly two names: Ozzy Lusth and Cirie Fields. Let’s break down her explanation of Cirie first.

"“[She] seems to be an expert of the social element of the game and how to keep fire off her own back, so maybe I can learn a few things from her and propel myself further in the game.”"

That’s a great read of Cirie’s biggest strength. Granted, Cirie did go out quite early during Heroes vs. Villains, but two out of three games resulting in Cirie going deep only to be taken out for being too big of a jury threat pretty much tells the entire story.

Additionally, Cirie herself has said that she wants to play with Michaela. Unfortunately, the two will be on opposite tribes to start the game, which means that Michaela will have to try and emulate Cirie without actually having Cirie there to teach her the ways of the Black Widow Brigade in the beginning.

What of Ozzy, then? Here’s what she told EW:

"“He seems like more of a genuine person. […] Plus, he knows how to fish, so he can keep me fed.”"

Hey, you have to eat out on the island if you want to have any chance of winning challenges or just surviving in general. Photos from the premiere suggest that Nuku, at least, will have a large haul of fruit and supplies, but it doesn’t look like Michaela on Mana will have the same advantages. Additionally, Ozzy, too, is on Nuku, and he wouldn’t mind voting Cirie out.

It may be that Michaela will have to make do with one of her preferred allies by the time the already-confirmed third tribe switch comes around. That, of course, assumes that she’ll even land on the same tribe as one or both of them. Although Michaela does sound like she wants to play a more subtle game this time around, we don’t know if she can really bridge a divide between Ozzy and Cirie to form a three-person alliance with them.

She also sounded as though she perceived fellow back-to-back player Zeke Smith as a threat more than anything:

"“Another thing is because there is someone else here that played with me, Zeke. And anything that Zeke says can be taken as truth.”"

Zeke will also start the game on the Nuku tribe with, you guessed it, Ozzy and Cirie. That means he has the first opportunity to work with the two of them. He even said he’s gravitating towards Cirie. Could it be that Zeke will work with Cirie first and make it more difficult for Michaela to make inroads?

Then again, the game always shifts, and it could be that Cirie and Michaela hit it off whenever they do get to play together regardless of any earlier alliances. It’s just a matter of making it to a portion of the game where it’s even possible.

Next: Richard Hatch Wants to Play Again

Just take a minute and picture the resurrection of the Black Widow Brigade, with Cirie and Michaela leading the charge. That’s a season of Survivor I’d like to watch.