Survivor: Game Changers finale recap: One last twist

The Last Challenge

Just as before, day 38 started directly with the final immunity challenge. While going down a water slide (twice), each of the last four players had to collect keys to unlock puzzle pieces in a climbing obstacle, then solve a tall puzzle. After untying some tiles, they could then unlock a box with the top of the puzzle.

Sarah had her third key first, but Brad and Tai weren’t far behind. Troyzan fell behind. Brad got his third bag first, soon followed by Sarah, Tai, and Troyzan in that order. It came down, as it often does, to the puzzle. But again, Brad found his rhythm, and again, no one really came close. Brad secured five individual wins in one season and his place in the final three.

Troyzan suggested they just inform Tai he would be going home, but Brad said he’d save it for Tribal. Tai, though, suggested to Sarah they force a tie by voting for Troyzan, and Sarah, in confessional, pointed out that there could be some reasoning, and she asked Tai for tips on firemaking.

Do Tips Pay Off?

At Tribal that night, Brad got to talk first about winning, but he quickly pivoted to the jury decision. After Sarah spoke, Tai had a chance to reiterate his proposal. Brad again came on strong with his pitch to Tai, in front of the jury, and they clearly noticed.

Sarah had the chance to vote last, and her and Brad’s votes weren’t shown. Tai and Troyzan voted for each other. In a 3-1 vote, though, Tai became the last member of the jury.

Day 39 dawned, and Troyzan, Brad, and Sarah had the chance to celebrate it with a few tears and a chance to decorate their torches. Of course, they also got the means to make pancakes, bacon, and mimosas.

Everyone talked about how they would approach the Final Tribal. For Sarah, it was honesty. For Brad, it was emphasizing how he’d done it himself. For Troyzan, he talked about his social game.

Get Those Votes

The jury filed in. Probst briefly recounted everything that had happened. Notably, Ozzy and Cirie became 1-2 in most days played (128 and 121, respectively). Then came the last twist: basing the conversation on “outwit, outplay, and outlast.”

First came “outwit” — the social game.

• Zeke dubbed himself Sarah’s champion, with Michaela seeming to support after Brad gave a bad answer about how much he knew about her; Ozzy said he was Brad’s, with Debbie joining in.
• Andrea, however, spoke about how Sarah’s play made her feel “gross,” and Sarah cited her undercover cop work as an explanation.
• Troyzan didn’t get talked to much at all. Sierra did defend him some.
• Tai brought up how he felt when Brad spoke to him as he did.

Then came “outplay” — advantages, the physical game, and even camp life.

• Ozzy deemed Brad the best “outplayer” based on his immunity wins.
• Sarah then had a chance to make her case about her advantage usage, including finding the secret advantage, which Aubry deemed “good.”

Finally, “outlast” — trying to get the jury’s respect.

• Brad mostly said things about winning and just doing what he wanted for camp life.
• Sarah emphasized that she thought everyone else on the jury could have won and that she was on the right side of the votes.
• Troyzan said that he just “appreciated” everyone.

The jury clapped, and then they had a chance to think before they voted. Probst reminded them that they were choosing the Sole Survivor. Michaela and Zeke both voted for Sarah. Ozzy and Debbie voted for Brad.

Then things transitioned to the live show. Probst took a few moments to give his usual speech before reading. Sarah Lacina became the Survivor: Game Changers winner in a vote that was at least 6-3, with Brad getting three votes. Since Probst didn’t show the last vote, we expect it was for Sarah, but will update if he reveals during the reunion show.

Next: Which location is best for Survivor?

Speaking of, keep an eye out for Surviving Tribal’s ongoing coverage of the reunion show and the finale!