Survivor Game Changers: “All-Stars” Approach, All-Stars Results (So Far)
When Tony wanted to make a threat alliance in Survivor Game Changers, he foresaw the winners being targets in a way very similar to Survivor All-Stars.
They say what goes around, comes around. The same can be argued in Survivor terms, as we’ve come to see familiar patterns between the current season (Survivor Game Changers) and the past.
Oddly enough, the only player to foresee this moment of history repeating itself was Tony Vlachos, and he was too busy blowing everything up for anyone else to take it to heart.
Remember all the way back in the double episode premiere of Survivor Game Changers? He was trying to build up an alliance of himself, Sandra, Caleb, Malcolm and Aubry based on the notion that threats need to stick together in order to prevail. Approaching Aubry first, he made it clear he needed her because she’s a huge threat and that she needed him because he’s a huge threat.
That idea rang clear in Tony’s head, and he tried to make it as clear as possible for others he tried to gather up together. “The non-winners will not, will not, award a winner another win,” he told Sandra. She agreed; “The only way a winner can win is with three winners at the end,” she declared in a confessional.
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It’s not an unwise strategy; the players of Survivor Game Changers have harkened back to the likes of Survivor All-Stars so far, attacking the winners and very best as early as possible. Not only that, but there are callbacks to this classic season that are starting to become more clear later into the season.
Just look at the results so far; six players have been voted off of Survivor Game Changers so far. All three winners, a strength threat (Caleb Reynolds), a strategic threat (Ciera Eastin) and someone who’s a threat on both ends (Malcolm Freberg).
By the time six players had been voted out at tribal council in Survivor All-Stars, three winners were voted out (Tina Wesson voted out first, Richard Hatch voted out forth, Ethan Zohn voted out sixth), a strength threat (Colby Donaldson) was voted out fifth, a strategic threat (Rob Cesternino) was voted out 3rd and a jury threat (Rudy Boesch) was voted out second.
The results of Survivor Game Changers are as similar to Survivor All-Stars as any other returning season, but it’s the gameplay methods utilized by the players so far that’s most striking. From beginning to end, both the original Mana and original Nuku have stuck to tribal lines.
Since the first swap, the original Nuku tribe members voted out Caleb Reynolds from old Mana, old Mana tried to insulate Hali Ford by using their numbers to vote out old Nuku member Sierra Dawn Thomas (with a team idol used by Tai to idol out old Mana’s Malcolm), then at the second swap old Nuku outnumbered old Mana’s Sandra Diaz-Twin and Jeff Varner in order.
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All the way to the merge, the original tribal lines of Survivor Game Changers dictated where the vote was headed. In a game-centric atmosphere that resonates throughout the newer seasons (down to the 20-player cast, numerous idols and plenty of twists), the vote has been so predictable that the editors have almost had to lie to the audience in order to make the votes feel close.
…The outlook that people will have about this season will be tarnished, in some way, by that fateful tribal council.
It should be said that Survivor All-Stars could not hide some of its more depressing moments. One of the four winners, Jenna Morasca, didn’t leave the island as a result of a vote, but could not stand to be on the island anymore for fears of her mother’s ailing health. Susan was violated by Richard in the episode 5 immunity challenge and was so distraught over the event that she had to quit so she could recover properly.
For the first few episodes of Survivor Game Changers, it seemed like the darkness of the past was not set to repeat itself. That held true until we reached episode 7, “What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile.” It was here that Jeff Varner made the despicable decision to try to throw Zeke Smith under the bus by outing him as a transgender man right in the middle of the tribal council area, showing the depths of depravity people will reach in the quest for a million dollars.
Granted, this event was handled immeasurably better than in All-Stars, especially considering that some were glad Susan quit that season. However, as the immediate fallback will tell you, the outlook that people will have about this season will be tarnished, in some way, by that fateful tribal council.
Next: Survivor Game Changers: Ranking All 33 Previous Seasons
So far in Survivor Game Changers, we’ve had winners out and threats get voted out early, players mostly stick to original tribal lines and a dark, looming cloud hovering over the entire season that spawned from a disgusting act of human behavior. The main reason why we may appreciate this season better than All-Stars, despite their similarities, is that the show is much better at handling its flaws 34 seasons in.