Survivor Game Changers episode 12 recap: Spilling tears and secrets

"It Is Not a High Without a Low" - Brad Culpepper, Troyzan Robertson, Sierra Dawn-Thomas, Michaela Bradshaw, Sarah Lacina, Aubry Bracco, Andrea Boehlke, Cirie Fields and Tai Trang on the twelfth episode of SURVIVOR: Game Changers, airing Wednesday, May 10 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
"It Is Not a High Without a Low" - Brad Culpepper, Troyzan Robertson, Sierra Dawn-Thomas, Michaela Bradshaw, Sarah Lacina, Aubry Bracco, Andrea Boehlke, Cirie Fields and Tai Trang on the twelfth episode of SURVIVOR: Game Changers, airing Wednesday, May 10 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Screen Grab/CBS Entertainment ©2017 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Love and backstabbing were the order of the day on Survivor: Game Changers episode 12, and one more player joined the jury.

Survivor: Game Changers‘ twelfth episode didn’t throw any new twists into the game, but older ones may have played a part in tonight’s elimination. And the show even threw in some family time for those lucky enough to win it. Let’s recap tonight’s episode, “There is Not a High Without a Low.”

Night 29 on Maku Maku saw the minority alliance trying to figure out what exactly had happened. That included Tai hearing that his own alliance had voted against him. Meanwhile, Andrea attempted to check in with Michaela. Cirie floated the idea of voting Brad next time to Michaela and Sarah.

The next morning, Sierra took Sarah aside to reveal the existence of the Legacy Advantage and promised to give it to her if she got voted out; in a confessional, Sarah revealed that made her more willing to play with Sierra.

And then came the reward challenge, the moment Survivor hyped up all week, because it’s the loved ones’ challenge. Just the news had people in tears. Each of the remaining players got a brief moment with their spouse or partner, parent, sibling or child. Of course, Monica Culpepper, a former Survivor herself, came out to support her husband, Brad.

In teams of three and tethered together, players had to go through obstacles, then unbraid rope to unlock sandbags. They then had to hurl sandbags at a pyramid of blocks and knock them all off.

Team Green: Troyzan, Cirie, Sierra

Team Orange: Aubry, Brad, Andrea

Team Blue: Sarah, Michaela, Tai

With their loved ones cheering them on, all three teams gave it their all. Team Orange had a big lead with Brad throwing bags at the targets, and indeed, Team Orange won the reward of a barbecue. They could choose two people to join them. Andrea said that Cirie could join in on the fun as well. Aubry then said Sarah.

Brad and Monica Get to Talk Strategy

At the barbecue, Monica suggested to Brad that Michaela was ready to switch sides. Indeed, back at camp, she expressed her disappointment. Tai and Michaela bonded over not being picked and feeling a bit on the bottom. He seemed open to it. Meanwhile, Sierra reaffirmed her loyalty to Troyzan. All four of them sat in the water then, and Andrea’s name was floated as a potential target.

That all done, Day 32 went directly to the immunity challenge. It was a pretty simple one (by Survivor standards): while standing on a narrow beam, they had to balance a buoy with the aid of two sticks. Probst dubbed it “brand-new,” but the concept itself is quite standard. Aubry and Sierra went out first. Andrea and Sarah soon followed. The next pair? Cirie and Troyzan. Probst then announced it had been only about 30 seconds.

There was a time-lapse, though, to 18 minutes in. Michaela lost next, leaving Brad and Tai. Deal-making did not begin. Both were focused instead on winning. However, Brad won immunity. In a confessional, Michaela noted that she was in the swing vote position.

On to Plan B

Aubry and Andrea started by talking to Tai and eventually Michaela for Plan Sierra. Then, by themselves, Tai and Michaela said Andrea instead. Next, they went to Sierra and warned her. Aubry spoke to Sarah next, and Sarah went to make extra nice to Sierra, who then casually spilled that Tai and Michaela were in on Plan Andrea.

So off went Sarah to tell Michaela about the Legacy Advantage. After a confessional mulling things over from Michaela, they went off to Tribal Council.

Jeff Probst opened with questions about the reward challenge, and let it segue to the importance of “one decision.” Brad had a chance to talk a bit about his win, but nicely said he felt bad because it didn’t keep everyone safe.

Sierra then openly said Andrea was a bigger target, and Andrea deflected by dropping the Final Tribal Council “underdog” story point. “Hopefully we all stick together,” Sarah said. Michaela then had a metaphor about “we” becoming a “me,” and Probst even picked it up with hand gestures! Then Sierra said it, too, in her voting confessional. No one threw any idols out.

Sierra went home in a vote of 6-3, with Andrea getting the three other votes.

Sierra left her Legacy Advantage to Sarah, saying she hoped that Sarah hadn’t helped knock her out of the game. A look at the votes during the credits showed that yes, Sarah was one of the votes.

Next: Brad Culpepper on Game Changers deals and more

On next week’s episode, it’s down to the eight, and it looks like Cirie will get the kind of idea she isn’t sure she can pull off. The last time that happened, Erik gave up immunity in Micronesia/Fans vs. Favorites.

Just saying.