Survivor: Game Changers- Knowing the Returning Players

Before the new season starts, you might be wondering who the returning players from the season were in their previous seasons. Well, I might as well mention them in this post and tell you who they were in the past before they play again.

Let’s start with Jeff Varner. Originally, he played the Australia season. He made the merge, but got voted out after tie-breaker rules that the other tribe knew about, but his didn’t. He came back to play Cambodia, only to be voted out early into the game, due in part to playing a villainous game.

Sandra is someone who played quite an evil and devious game despite not being a physical threat. Her social game might be unmatched by most players. She won the first time in Pearl Islands and then played again in Heroes versus Villains. Once again, she was a mastermind of the game despite less things going her way this time and she won it again. Could she go three for three? We’ll see. I just know that she won’t go down easily, without a fight.

Cirie started on Panama and seemed like a fish out of water. Despite her possible early failings in the game, she made it quite far only to lose it all in a fire making tie-breaker. She returned as a favorite in Micronesia and was up to all sorts of evil ways with other women. Ultimately, she was voted out after a surprise final two and became the first of only two contestants to be in multiple finales and yet not become a finalist in either one. She returned again in Heroes versus Villains, oddly as a hero, but she didn’t make it far this time as she was gone long before the merge. This time, she was idoled out of the game thanks in part to someone flipping on her.

Ozzy is one of the most physically strong players in the game. I believe that he won the highest percent of individual immunity challenges out of anyone in any season as he only lost one of them. In Cook Islands, he came one vote away from winning the game in a jury decision I like least. He lost to a more strategic player in the first ever final three. He came back in Micronesia as a favorite and was blindsided into the early merge thanks in part due to Cirie and an idol he didn’t play. I’m going to love seeing them play each other this time around if there’s still resentment over this move.

Ozzy came back a third time in South Pacific as one of two returning players. He had a lot of control over his tribe and even came up with a plan to be voted out and then win his way back into the game. He made enough flaws this time around to be voted out for real only he was on a Redemption Island season and a player like him had no business on a season like that. Why do I say that? Well, he was such a huge challenge threat that he could easily beat anyone who played against him. Thus, he won his way back into the game, only to be the last person voted out after failing the final immunity challenge. He also found an idol this season, but proceeded to waste it on another player at the beginning of the merge. An interesting thing about him is that he’s had a worse edit with each season as he started out as a lovable player and turned into an egotistical maniac.

The next player to tell you about is JT. He seemed like quite a lovable southerner. His mastery of the game the first time he played made him accomplish something that no one had ever done before. He made it to the end with no votes against him and then got every jury vote. He played a perfect game, which I’m pretty sure that only one other person has done thus far. He came back on Heroes versus Villains as a hero. While he was doing interesting moves early into the game, he made one of the dumbest moves ever by giving his idol to a member of the other tribe which backfired and got him idoled out at the merge.

It seems like there’s a shift in the players here. We next go to Andrea from Redemption Island. She didn’t really stick out of the season that much. She had a showmance with a contestant but turned on him when he made a dumb move. She lasted pretty far into the game, only to be voted out when her alliance started to turn on each other (as they were the only ones left in the game). She got back into the game after winning a poorly designed challenge only to be voted right back out of the game again. She returned as a favorite on Caramoan. (She and Malcolm are the first players from that season to play again, although we have yet to see a fan from that season return. Ultimately, I’d rather have one of the sixteen players from Guatemala back before I worry about getting a fan from Caramoan back.) Her game worked out pretty much well, once again by being aligned by the right side for most of the game. Only she was considered enough of a threat to be voted out after she didn’t play a hidden immunity idol.

Troyzan played in One World and he had an aggressive game play. But, it didn’t really do much except annoy other players. He seemed to struggle a lot throughout the postmerge and wasted an idol before ultimately getting voted out by the women majority. I don’t think that he was liked by fans as evidenced by the Cambodia voting poll which he was an option in. There were different people we could vote for and he was one of them. But he didn’t receive enough fan votes. He is coming back this time around so production must like him enough even if the fans might not.

Malcolm was a wonderful player when he played the first time in Philippines. While he started out on a poor tribe that never won a challenge, he was switched to a better tribe and made the merge. He was voted out last due to being seen as such a threat, although the contestants lied at the reunion show and said that he wouldn’t have won. He played the very next season before anyone knew who he was from the previous season. This could have given him a huge advantage, although he also proved himself to be a huge threat. He made a brilliant move in Caramoan after his old tribe turned on him. But he wasn’t able to turn the game around and was voted out.

Brad, like Troyzan, was a candidate for Cambodia but didn’t make the fan cast season. Brad played Blood versus Water and was known for helping people reject clues to the hidden immunity idol. He thought that he was in control of the game, but didn’t play well enough when Caleb (RIP) turned on him and he got voted out as a result.

Ciera started on Blood versus Water and struggled a bit early on. But, she made it quite far, voted against her mother, helped orchestrated the second rock draw, and outlasted all the new players, although she made enough mistakes that got her voted out. She flipped on people although was criticized for not doing that at the right times. She played again in Cambodia and continued being a huge villain. She made it to the merge again, but was on the wrong side of the numbers and got voted out as a result.

Sarah played in Cagayan. I don’t really remember her as well as I would like. If I remember her, she did well before the merge, thought she was the swing vote, but was voted out at the merge by the real swing vote. What else can I say?

Tony was one of the most ruthless players ever. He played such a villainous game, that one could almost be surprised at the end that he actually came out on top. He played Cagayan with such brilliance and precision, it is hard to wonder who else would have made a good fit for a potential winner. Well, actually there would have other good winners that season, but he was the right one.

Hali played Worlds Apart. What is there to say about her? Well, she was on the no collar tribe, made the merge, and was voted out to become part of the jury. Even though she played recently, she was very forgettable and an odd choice for any returning player season, much less a game changer season.

Sierra was also in Worlds Apart. She was part of the blue collar tribe. She had an invisible edit her season even though she made it all the way to the finale. There’s not much else to say about her. I did like her as a player even if she seemed a bit uneven.

Caleb was in Kaoh Rong, a season that has three other players in this season. We never saw much of him as a player as he was evacuated before he attended tribal council. He also played Big Brother, but was a horrible player there who was used by pretty much everyone. Hopefully, he can prove himself to be a good player in Survivor.

Debbie played Kaoh Rong and was a pretty weird player. I can’t tell if she actually had control of the game or not. She was considered a threat and voted out after one of the strangest tribal councils to have ever taken place. Some didn’t even tell that she was actually the target.

Tai had a lot going for him in Kaoh Rong. He was doing well and aligned with a bunch of people he was certain to beat. Only he decided to turn on them and when he made the end of the game, he was rejected by everyone in the jury. Maybe he can learn from his mistakes and be likable again this time around. Or he could fail at the game again.

I’m just going to say it: I do not understand the love of Aubry from Kaoh Rong. I don’t understand why so many people were butthurt over the fact that she didn’t win. Um, maybe it’s because she’s not that good a player who complains a lot when things don’t go her way? I’m going to say it right now: if she wins this season, then they might have rigged it in advance for her. And I normally would say that this show was never rigged for or against anyone. Hopefully, I can like her if she makes it far. But she played that season and came in second. And people were upset that she didn’t win, which seemed unusual. I quite enjoyed the actual winner and was glad that it wasn’t Aubry.

Michaela played Millennials versus Gen X, the season right before the upcoming one. She played too strong before the merge and was voted out as a result. She is quite the entertaining person, although one might wonder if she’s too open with the way she plays the game.

Zeke also played the most recent season like Michaela did. I would have to say that he played a mostly decent game and could have made it much farther than he did if someone in his alliance didn’t flip on him. There’s not much else to say regarding him.

Well, that’s the cast along with my biased opinions about some of them. I hoped that you liked this post regardless. I have more posts planned before the season starts that has more of what I think about this season before hand. I hope that you enjoy these posts. For now, this is Adam Decker, signing off.