Survivor: Game Changers Episode 3 Recap: Shuffling the Deck

This week’s episode of Survivor: Game Changers brought the first major shift in the game, but who came out on top, and who didn’t?

If there was a theme to this week’s episode of Survivor: Game Changers, it was something like scrambling, whether that was for an Idol or for safety in the game. But there wasn’t much time to contemplate at all, because the episode kicked off with a bang. Why start with anything other than what was hyped for the entire week? The two tribes walked in, everyone reacted to Tony’s elimination, and Zeke told everyone they were about to swap.

Here are our new tribes:

Nuku: Michaela, Malcolm, Sandra, J.T., Varner, Aubry

Mana: Tai, Caleb, Hali, Sierra, Brad, Debbie

Tavua: Cirie, Andrea, Zeke, Troyzan, Sarah, Ozzy

Yes, Tavua got a flint and a map as well as some additional supplies, but that was it. Jeff Probst told them “anything is still possible,” but hey, Tavua now has to spend a lot of energy building a new shelter and camp.

Meanwhile, the new Nuku became accustomed to new surroundings. Malcolm got to drop the episode title — “Survivor Jackpot,” for those playing at home — when describing how he felt about the trained chickens, the decor, and the general wealth of Nuku. However, J.T., the only former Nuku member, took everyone out on the ocean to go fishing … and then he took the opportunity to get some pliers to fix the spear (but also go idol hunting).

However, everyone out on the raft immediately suspected what he was up to. Can you blame him for trying, though? Varner said in a confessional that it won’t matter, due to the numbers, but don’t count out a former winner yet.

Next, things went over to the new Mana, where Brad started decorating the camp in order to help himself relax. Of course, he also mentioned that he had the numbers even after the shift. Hali, meanwhile, noted the Caleb-Tai connection … and so did Brad, since Tai immediately started defending Caleb and made sure to talk to him.

The First Stage of Success

Then, Tavua started fresh. Ozzy said he wanted to take the lead as one of the newest four-time players, but he also mentioned that he still had his skills. Cirie, meanwhile, took the opportunity to talk numbers with Ozzy — and Ozzy seemed very open to working with her. Troyzan knew he was on the outs, and Andrea did her best to deflect.

Her best, per Troyzan, was not very good. He started idol hunting, and he discovered not the idol itself, but a clue. Surprise! His idol will wait for him at the next Immunity Challenge. It’s up to him to snag it.

For day 8 on Nuku, J.T. continued ingratiating himself by offering to catch a goat for Sandra, and the rancher exceeded expectations by snagging both a baby and a nanny. Everyone but Sandra wanted to spare both of them, though. Finally, they decided to eat a chicken instead, so as not to abandon the baby goat.

To Go For It or Not to Go For It

Day 9 brought the first three-way Immunity Challenge of the season. Here’s how it goes: three players lashed together had to go through obstacles, fill a bucket with water, and go over a seesaw net to pour the water into a bucket to drop a gate. One player had to untie a series of knots, and the final two had to solve a puzzle. Of course, rewards were available as well: first place won a tarp and either pillows and blankets or a cooking set. Second place got the unchosen item.

In the words of Jeff Probst, “Survivors ready? Go!”

Nuku had its gate down first, but neither Mana nor Tavua were far behind. Zeke and Cirie took over for Tavua; Brad and Hali worked for Mana; and Varner and Sandra went to work for Nuku. Nuku took first place. Tavua tried to take second, but was wrong first. They quickly fixed their mistake, and so Tavua took second. Troyzan took the moment of celebration to also snag his Hidden Immunity Idol, but the question is: did anyone see him do it?

For their reward, Nuku took the pillows and blankets, leaving Tavua to take the cooking items.

Defeat’s Not a Good Look

Mana trudged back to camp, with Caleb showing off a bruise he earned at the Immunity Challenge. That left Hali well aware that she’s in trouble thanks to the numbers. Sierra and Debbie pulled Tai aside to see where his head was at. Did anyone think Tai was going to say Caleb? However, Sierra suspected sparing Caleb could end poorly for them in a confessional.

Brad then sat down with Tai, trying to explain that sparing a friend now might hurt a game later.

At Tribal Council, the friendship between Tai and Caleb — and the greater Kaoh Rong connection with Debbie — came to the fore. Sierra also pointed out that she and Hali didn’t share a similar friendship from Worlds Apart. Of course, Hali had an argument of her own. She did not want to go quietly, and she certainly had some sharp points about what constitutes strength in Survivor.

As voting commenced, the show made sure to show us that Tai had a lot of trouble deciding whose name to write down. Caleb became the latest player eliminated from Game Changers in a vote of 5-1. Naturally, Hali received the other vote from Caleb himself.

Probst left them with a point about tribal dynamics before sending them off.

Next: Let's Rank the Survivor Seasons by Locations

Did the right person go home? Will Tai regret his decision? Presumably we’ll find out on next week’s episode of Survivor: Game Changers.