Survivor Game Changers Cast Assessment: Troyzan Robertson

Will the Mamanuca Islands also be Troyzan Robertson’s as he faces off with the elite on Survivor Game Changers?

The proclamation heard ’round the world on Survivor One World came from Troy “Troyzan” Robertson: This is my island! Of course, it ultimately wasn’t Troyzan’s island at all as he was eliminated soon after making those comments, finishing eighth in season 24. However, he’d love to make the same type of bold claim and have it come true. That’s at least the goal as he returns for Survivor Game Changers.

Despite his confidence that he exuded in his most memorable moment in his first time playing, Robertson’s game play in One World was certainly questionable. In what can only be perceived as an attempt to adapt and make moves, Troyzan continued to make the wrong moves until he was left on an island, so to speak.

Undoubtedly the most pivotal error that Troyzan made was trying to align himself with Kim Spradlin (the eventual winner), Sabrina Thompson and Chelsea Meissner. In doing so, he turned on one of his previous allies and Michael Jefferson and essentially handed the power of the game to the women. As a threat in challenges after the merge, Robertson was immediately targeted and essentially forced to win immunity to stay in the game at a certain point. That wouldn’t have been the case if not for his decision to switch.

Looking at such a clear misjudgment from season 24, it’s easy to dismiss Troyzan as being overly aggressive, something that surely won’t work on Game Changers. However, there’s something positive to be said about his realization that he needed to adapt to stay alive in this game. Having a core alliance is great and it worked for Kim, Sabrina and Chelsea in One World. However, having to make a pivotal move to turn on a core alliance has also been a prevalent occurrence in the previous 33 seasons of Survivor.

Adaptation may be the biggest key to going far in Game Changers. With the inherent experience of the 19 other castaways on an all-returnee season—much less one including several previous winners and some seasoned veterans—the game isn’t the same. Troyzan is going to compete well in challenges, even at 54 years old now. But so too are a number of other castaways. That makes his willingness to make moves intriguing in terms of his season 34 prospects.

What’s more, it’s been clear since his appearance on One World that Troyzan is a student of the game of Survivor. Like many castaways, he follows the game religiously and studies it. Why that’s critical for Game Changers and Robertson in particular, though, is that it increases the likelihood that he’s studied and/or learned from his previous mistakes.

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There’s at least a justifiable course of reasoning that would say that we could see Robertson play a similar game to the one that he did on One World, only smarter. If there’s one thing that he needed to learn from his previous appearance on Survivor, it’s to be more discretionary with his forward thinking. While it may seem like the right time for a big move, it’s also important to recognize if there’s a “right” big move to make and what the implications down the line might be. That’s the part that Troyzan left out his first time playing, but there’s a chance it won’t happen again.

While his infamous “island” quote may have rubbed some the wrong way as well, it’s worth noting that Troyzan was quite well-liked by most people that he interacted with in One World. Yes, he’s a bit of a strange guy. He does go by Troyzan because he wanted to go by “Tarzan,” but there was already a Tarzan on One World with him (it’s still hard to believe this is a real thing almost a half-decade later). But Robertson also has an outgoing personality and a friendly demeanor that make him well-received by fellow players.

To touch on the other side of the coin, though, it’s also just as possible in Game Changers that Troyzan is doomed to make the same mistakes as it is possible that he’s learned from them. Perhaps his eagerness to make a big move will again cause him to make the wrong play and ultimately put him in an unenviable position. If we’ve seen it before, don’t rule out the chance that we could see it again.

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Because of that, Troyzan might be one of the hardest players to project for Survivor Game Changers. Frankly, we don’t know which version of the photographer is going to be playing. As previously stated, adaptability may be the most crucial aspect of this season. That’s true for Troyzan Robertson more than anyone else. If he fails to adapt his game, he’ll be booted around his previous finish. But if he does indeed live, learn and adapt, he could be a serious threat to have a seat at Final Tribal Council.

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