Survivor: Game Changers episode 11 recap: 50 minutes later…

Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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An oddly subdued episode of Survivor: Game Changers led to a surprising elimination at the end of the night, with plans turning quickly.

It seemed as though things would all go as expected on tonight’s episode of Survivor: Game Changers. However, the remaining players had something else in mind at Tribal Council. Read on to get the lowdown of what happened on episode 11, “Reinventing How This Game is Played.”

Night 26 on Maku Maku was quiet — something that the remaining 10 commented on. Sarah flat-out admitted that she was the one who flipped. Michaela, Cirie, Andrea, and Zeke had a little side conversation about their plans going forward, but Cirie, savvy player that she is, said she had to pay attention still.

That includes reward challenges, which is how Survivor brought in Day 27 of Game Changers. First up: an obstacle course, followed by a chair that four of the five on each team had to lift while one person collected 10 numbered tiles. Two other people had to do the chair section.

Team Blue: Andrea, Zeke, Brad, Aubry, Sarah

Team Orange: Michaela, Cirie, Troyzan, Tai, Sierra

The 30 tiles spelled out the phrase “Reinventing How this Game is Played.” Brad and Michaela started in the chair for Blue and Orange, respectively. Next, Andrea and Troyzan did the course and got in the chair. Finally, Sarah and Sierra faced off.

Orange in particular had trouble finding the numbers, but Blue went in to the puzzle section with only a slight lead. Zeke, Andrea, and Brad started puzzling for Blue. Sierra, Cirie, and Michaela did it for orange. (Of course, the remaining players all tried to help at the back.)

After 50 minutes, it looked like neither team had made progress. Probst started giving hints. Andrea suggested “reinventing,” and that was the word they needed. Blue won the reward of a trip to a spa, cheesecake, and a night in a fresh bed.

The Delightful Cheesecake Doesn’t Last Long

Team Blue feasted first, with plenty of drinks to go around. Zeke and Brad started bonding over college football of all things, which Andrea found a little suspicious.

The next morning on Maku Maku, things were not easy, to say the least. Tai and Troyzan basically formed a sub-alliance, but Troyzan didn’t reveal his idol. Nor did Tai say anything about his second idol.

Cirie and Andrea had a session of strategy to bring up Zeke’s name, and next up was Cirie going to Sarah. But Sarah, in order to head Cirie off at the pass, told her about the vote steal. In a confessional, she committed to … staying in the middle, basically.

On Day 29, things again seemed quiet at camp. Zeke picked up on it in a confessional, calling it “eerie.” In a meeting with Sarah, he said he wanted to make a five deal with Brad, Michaela, Troyzan, and her. Both of the guys seemed very open to it.

Tripping Over Immunity

At the immunity challenge, players had to line up tiles while high stepping so as not to knock the titles over. Victory entailed triggering a chain reaction to hit a gong. As Probst said, spacing was key to the challenge. Brad was the first to fall victim to the apparatus. Andrea, Sierra, Michaela, and Sarah went out to an early lead.

Andrea ran out of blocks too early and had to work backwards to space them correctly, but she still had a chance to try things out before everyone else. As a result, Andrea won immunity.

In a confessional, she said that she wanted to take Zeke out instead, now that she had the opportunity. Of course, she went to Cirie first, and Sierra arrived at the well meeting and promised she’d go along with whatever they said.

Next up came Sarah, after Sierra had left. Andrea started her pitch, but Sarah played it cool. That done, she went to Aubry and Michaela, again floating Zeke’s name. Like Sarah, though, Michaela wasn’t cool with that plan, and that’s why she went to Sarah.

Sierra’s “Russian Roulette”

Tribal Council’s opening question from Probst wound it all back to Debbie’s elimination. Sarah again admitted she had switched sides, earning her a censored gesture from Debbie on the jury. Then Tai, Brad, and Sierra all got to talk about their being on the bottom. In particular, she emphasized that she was an easy number.

However, emotions versus logic came up as a topic … right before the vote. No idols or advantages got played.

Zeke went home in a 5-3-2 vote, with Tai getting 3 votes, and Sierra getting 2. It left Michaela in tears.

Next: Ranking every pre-Game Changers season of Survivor

Next week is the time for the family challenge on Survivor!