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Survivor Players React To Explosive Survivor Game Changers Episode 5

By Daniel George

"Dirty Deed" - Sandra Diaz-Twine, James "J.T" Thomas, Michaela Bradshaw, Aubry Bracco, Jeff Probst and Tai Trang on the fifth episode of SURVIVOR: Game Changers, airing Wednesday, March 29 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Jeffrey Neira/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"Dirty Deed" - Sandra Diaz-Twine, James "J.T" Thomas, Michaela Bradshaw, Aubry Bracco, Jeff Probst and Tai Trang on the fifth episode of SURVIVOR: Game Changers, airing Wednesday, March 29 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Jeffrey Neira/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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Debbie Wanner beefed with Brad Culpepper, J.T. Thomas faced off against the rest of his tribe; Survivor Game Changers episode 5 got Survivor players tweeting.

Good lord did Survivor Game Changers ever step it up in episode 5. With the brutal twist that sent Malcolm Freberg packing last time, it started a slow march towards an inevitable crash and burn. The drama was so palpable that former Survivor players couldn’t help themselves but share their brutally hot takes. We’re calling this the “Malcolm throws shade for 60 minutes special.”

The fallout for J.T. Thomas came swift, but retribution came even quicker. Within minutes, J.T. was on the beach searching for an idol, found a clue, then went straight to where the idol was, dug it up, and put himself in a position of stealthy power. There’s no way he could mess that up, right?

The reward challenge this week included a lot of ball balancing, walking on narrow surfaces, and solving a slide puzzle. Debbie and Brad’s blowup starts here, but not before people relish in the opportunity to with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, milk and cookies.

(Side note; the editors including a flashback immediately after Debbie contradicts herself places the show in an entirely new realm. It’s a bit suspicious.)

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Back at Tavua, while everyone’s eating sandwiches and gaining strength, Sarah Lucina finally does something as she feels out Troyzan Robertson for a possible alliance. Not knowing he has an idol makes this a welcoming sight for Troyzan.

Going into Survivor Game Changers Episode 5, “Dirty Deed,” the Debbie Wanner blowup was hyped to all hell, and boy, did she not disappoint. She got everyone freaked right the hell out!

Back at Nuku, J.T. Thomas suddenly finds Michaela Bradshaw annoying because she wants a bit of coffee and more sugar. Honestly, it’s just J.T. trying to get Michaela out, and Sandra Diaz-Twine decides to stir the pot by stealing the rest of the sugar to throw heat between the two.

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J.T. and Michaela got in it, but very passive aggressively. Honestly, J.T. was a bit brash and condescending in his manner.

Tai Trang, knowing that another idol is back in the game, goes and finds a clue to the next one. This will require hidden messages placed in water, but it’s clear that he’s got a nose for clues.

This leads us to the immunity challenge, where two tribes will, thankfully, escape tribal council. Debbie is still pissed at Brad Culpepper for taking control of the group, and she makes it clear that when he picks Hali to do the balance portion (a section Debbie utterly failed at last time), she’s still angry. Despite Mana winning alongside Tavua, Debbie cannot quit blasting off her tribe.

Back at camp, J.T. curried favor with his tribe by targeting Michaela. Instead of everyone voting her out, Sandra went to Jeff Varner and Michaela to blindside him, with the possibility that he has an idol fresh in their minds.

At tribal council, Survivor Game Changers turned into Survivor Sugargate, as Michaela and J.T. came to a head over sugar. J.T. treated Michaela like she needed to be babysat, and surprisingly, Aubry Bracco was on board with the vote. I don’t understand why we haven’t seen much of Aubry’s perspective this season, but she clearly was left out on this vote.

Finally, the votes are in, and J.T. has the opportunity to play an idol. You know, the one he desperately needed two nights ago. Because he was the 4-1 minority on the tribe. Does he play it?

Hubris, take the wheel!

As the votes begin, Michaela pulls out an all-time Survivor moment by pouring some water into a cup and sipping it like she’s sipping tea.

The tea lizard fanatics were not going to let that moment go!

Survivor Game Changers episode 6, “Vote Early, Vote Often,” airs at 8 p.m. ET next Wednesday. With a player getting exiled, a tribe swap, and a former player returning to camp, we can’t wait to see what players will say next week!

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