Survivor birthday: Zeke Smith (MvGX, Game Changers) turns 30

The heartiest of congratulations goes out to Zeke Smith today, as the Survivor Millennials vs. Gen X and Game Changers player turns 30 years old.

Player: Zeke Smith
Occupation: Asset Manager
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Seasons: Survivor Millennials vs. Gen X, Game Changers
Tribes: Vanua (Orange Buff), Vinaka (Black Buff) in Millennials vs. Gen X, Nuku (Blue Buff), Tavua (Green Buff), Nuku, Maku Maku (Yellow Buff) in Game Changers
Finished: 9/20 in Millennials vs. Gen X, 10/20 in Game Changers

What I like most about certain aspects of Survivor in recent years is how most players see the game for what it is; a game. It’s hard to take a blindside personally, especially if you’re as strategically inclined as Zeke Smith, who sees game, plays game, and respects game harder than most other players out there. With just a two-week gap between Millennials vs. Gen X and Game Changers, he proved to be a tour de force.

It was hard to get a read on Zeke Smith out of the gate, as he just seemed to come off as a Gen X soul on a tribe of millennials. Even though he talked about Twitter and played a “work smart, not hard” mentality, his ability to connect with older players while rocking a Hawaiian shirt showcased the old soul within him.

He brought an affability to his gameplay that made it easy to understand where Zeke Smith was coming from as a player, and would often hear out what others had to offer. A huge part of modern Survivor play is understanding and appreciating different walks of life and the perspective they offer, even if others can’t give you just a second to vent after a betrayed vote. Thankfully, everything between Hannah and Zeke has been patched up for a while now.

The audience at home is always divided on the players cast as superfans of Survivor, as it’s easier to suggest how a student of the game should play from the comfort of their couches as home. Very few players have played one season, got asked back immediately, had two weeks off and try to play again, and considering he wasn’t sniffing out idols with Hantzonian accuracy, he did a damn good job in back-to-back seasons.

Next: Survivor: Ranking 34 seasons

We at Surviving Tribal would like to wish Zeke Smith a very happy 30th birthday!