Survivor: Game Changers: Why Did Sandra Go Home?

Survivor: Game Changers has not been a kind season for fans of the series, culminating in a perhaps not shocking boot, but painful all the same.

This was inevitable. Survivor isn’t the kind of game you can play and win twice, or at least it isn’t supposed to be. Sandra Diaz-Twine did win a second million. However, after the events of last night’s episode of Game Changers, she won’t win her third million. Honestly, we can’t say we’re surprised, but it does hurt to see a legend like Sandra go out before the merge. Let’s break down why it happened.

As she herself said in post-game interviews, she fell on the wrong side of the numbers in the tribe switch. All she had on the new (new) Nuku (Nuku 3.0?) was Jeff Varner.

Ultimately, the new Nuku tribe finally managed to do what everyone had basically been talking about since the very first set of three days on the island. The numbers were 5-2. You don’t get much more definitive than that, do you?

The consensus was simply that Sandra was too dangerous to get further in the game than she’d already gone. When she makes it to the merge phase, all bets are absolutely off. She doesn’t need immunity idols, nor does she need the immunity necklace like some people we could mention. She just needs to talk and tell you what you want to hear.

Perhaps the funniest thing was that it still almost worked. Pay close attention to the Nuku tribal scenes after their immunity challenge loss. She pulls in everyone save Tai and Jeff and then starts to talk up targeting Tai thanks to his previous play with Aubry as well as Debbie in Kaoh Rong, who ended up joining Nuku after Sandra left.

Afterwards, the episode treats viewers to a scene of Ozzy saying he actually agrees with some of Sandra’s points, but that he still wants her out first.

Ultimately, Sarah’s confessional sums it up best:

"“The reason Sandra has won twice is because she doesn’t come off as the most dangerous person in this game. I almost feel like the way Sandra talks to people is she’s grooming us [sic]. She doesn’t pressure you. […] She just starts to suck you in.”"

You know that old saying “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me?” What happens if you fool someone again after that? Ultimate shame?

At the very least, letting Sandra through this vote may have qualified as the other dumbest move of a short-lived season that saw J.T. make two whoppers. Unfortunately, everyone was just too savvy.

At least she can console herself with taking out both of the other former winners who actually played instead of just showing up on Exile Island.

Next: Game Changers Episode 6 Recap: Me and My Pony

Going forward on the new Nuku, keep an eye on Tai. He didn’t really have a hand in booting Sandra — he voted for her, sure, but Ozzy really seems to have spearheaded that movement — but he did provide her with a glimmer of hope. Open paranoia doesn’t do well. Even if Sandra’s gone, her influence may still be felt as eyes turn to Aubry, Tai, and Debbie, two of whom are now on Nuku and one who might make the merge with them. Let’s see if the rest of Nuku lets that happen.