Survivor Jackpot

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Survivor Jackpot
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	Game Changers
Episode Number	2/13 (502)
Original Release	March 15, 2017
Viewership (in Millions)	7.87
Ratings/Share (18-49)	1.7/7
Episode Chronology
Previous	"The Stakes Have Been Raised"
Next	"The Tables Have Turned"
Subpages

Survivor Jackpot is the second episode of Survivor: Game Changers.

Story

Day 7

Mana and Nuku arrived on the beach where Nuku saw that Tony Vlachos had been voted off for the first time. They were shocked. Jeff Probst then asked what they think they're on the beach for to which Zeke Smith heartily replied, "We're about to swap!"

“	Everybody drop your buffs!	”
—Jeff Probst

	Sandra	“	I was leading the sheep to slaughter. So I am in a good spot with Mana, but now there's a swap and I hope I'm on the right side with the strongest people.	”

The castaways then draw covered buffs one by one, when they reveal them it is revealed that they have split into three new tribes, creating the new green Tavua tribe. The new tribes are as follows:

Brad Mana	Caleb Mana	Debbie Mana	Hali Mana	Sierra Mana	Tai Mana
Aubry Nuku	J.T. Nuku	Jeff Nuku	Malcolm Nuku	Michaela Nuku	Sandra Nuku
Andrea Tavua	Cirie Tavua	Ozzy Tavua	Sarah Tavua	Troyzan Tavua	Zeke Tavua

As the players revealed their new buffs they noticed a new third tribe, Tavua, had been formed. This tribe, much like the additional third tribes in the past, must start anew without anything more than basic supplies.

After the swap, ex-Kaôh Rōng allies Caleb Reynolds and Tai Trang were reunited. Caleb greeted Tai by allowing him to kiss him on the cheek which Tai had attempted during their last season together. On the Nuku tribe, Jeff Probst pointed out that J.T. Thomas is in a 5-1 minority with all of his tribemates being from the old Mana. J.T. tells Probst that he will be alright. Similarly, Probst pointed out that Troyzan Robertson is in a 5-1 original tribe minority over on the Tavua tribe.

	Jeff	“	With Game Changers, the game changes fast, but whatever I'm dealt with, I'm going to make the best of it. And it's an exciting time, I think. I love it. I'm ready to go.	”

At Nuku, J.T. showed his new tribemates around his tribe, noting that the chickens were creating quite a mess but can be easily cleaned up. Malcolm Freberg was stunned by the quality of Nuku's camp.

	Malcolm	“	You walk into this Nuku camp after spending six, seven days at Mana where we didn't get the chickens and we didn't get the toolkit off the boat, it's shocking. I couldn't pick my jaw up off of the floor, just... (opens mouth in astonishment) It's just the Survivor jackpot. It's like going to a resort. Everything's already built. They've got a bunch of food they didn't take with them. The chickens are walking around free like they run the place. They've got this awesome shelter and they decorated. That's how well it was going on this tribe. They've taken the time to hang ornaments from the damn trees like we're at some... dinner parlor in Mexico.	”

Jeff Varner was stunned by the quality of the new camp as well, he notes how much better it is than the old Mana camp. J.T. tells his tribe he is happy about having swapped tribes however is a bit uneasy at being at a 5-1 original tribe disadvantage.

	J.T.	“	I feel like the Survivor gods really let me down in this moment. Five to one is about as bad as I can hope for. I mean, in all likelihood I'm a sitting duck. So the only thing in this point that can save me would be the Hidden Immunity Idol. So I've got to do everything I can to stir things up here. In the back of my mind, I'd be already thinking, "If I can get them out there in the ocean, I can get back to camp and start looking for an idol."	”

The tribe went fishing using the fishing gear that Nuku had won in a previous Reward Challenge. J.T. decided to use this as an opportunity to create a diversion while he searches for the Hidden Immunity Idol.

	J.T.	“	I get everyone on the raft, I drag 'em out to sea a good half mile, and, uh, we snorkel a little bit. Get 'em started fishing. And, uh, finally that opportunity presents itself when Malcolm bends the spear.	”

When Malcolm bent the tribe's fishing spear, J.T. uses it as an excuse to swim back to shore in a ruse to grab the pliers from the beach in order to fix it.

	J.T.	“	So I say, "Hey, Malcolm, you know what? I'll go back and get the pliers. Y'all just enjoy this good time out here on the ocean. I'll be right back."	”

Back on the raft, Jeff commented about how it's funny that the old Mana now gets a chance to be alone, he says it's as if they've raided Nuku and hijacked it for the day. As soon as J.T. reached the shore, he began to dig and search in trees for the Hidden Immunity Idol.

	J.T.	“	I came to get the pliers. I know I gotta be back soon. Just figure I'll take every second I've got and look. Uh, idols could be anywhere. I'm looking in every nook, in every tree, every corner, every spot, every hole in a tree, up in the trees. It could be under rocks. It could be anywhere.	”

The former Mana members on the raft quickly got suspicious. Aubry Bracco and Jeff deduced that he may have been searching for the Hidden Immunity Idol in order to save himself.

	Jeff	“	We sat out there on that raft for a long time waiting on J.T. to come back. It's like, it doesn't take that long. What's he doing? I'm thinking to myself, "He's looking for an idol. What a great way to get rid of the five people that might take you down. Brilliant."	”

Back on the shore, J.T. frantically searched through people's belongings for the idol. In the end he was not able to find the idol in anybody's possession and cannot find the idol on Nuku beach.

	J.T.	“	I'm just frantically looking everywhere. It's never over til it's over. And I'm not giving up... everybody knows that. And they probably know I'm looking for an idol right now, but I took 'em as far out in the ocean as I could, and I left the pliers on purpose. So my job is to just keep looking. That's all I can do.	”

Malcolm laughed about how J.T. has stranded them out in the ocean. At this point, his entire tribe was onto what he is doing. Jeff noted that doing this makes him a dangerous player in the game.

	Jeff	“	If J.T.'s out looking for an idol, good for J.T. It just doesn't matter. We have the majority, 5-1, so J.T. is screwed.	”

On Mana, Brad Culpepper began to make his new tribe Mana feel like a home by decorating it as he is an interior designer. He hung bulbs around the game, constructed some benches, and placed a red life raft on a tree to mark the Mana beach.

	Brad	“	This is my new home, so I start thinking, "Let me make this house a home." I love antiquing and I like to decorate. Monica and I spend a lot of-- we decorated our own house. I kind of relax as I'm doing that. It kind of gives me something to think about. We're here, meager supplies, meager food, in an unbelievable game, difficult, but I'm having a lot of fun because it's 4-2, and I'm thinking, "I'm in good shape." The four of us Nuku are going to stay together, and it's going to come down to either Hali or Caleb.	”

Caleb remarked to Hali Ford that he feels so comfortable with his new tribe, more so than he did on Mana.

	Hali	“	We have to play it like we're one big happy family, but Caleb and I, we're at the bottom, numbers-wise. Caleb and Tai could get back together and put a big target on their back, and so all of a sudden, maybe I'm not the most obvious target.	”

Brad immediately solidified his relationship with Tai who remarks that their new tribe is very strong. Tai immediately requested to keep Caleb, offering to even get rid of Debbie Wanner, his ex-Nuku tribemate, over him. Brad was against this because he thought that Debbie would be loyal and wants to keep her around as long as he can, Tai was perplexed by this. Tai and Brad both agreed that they want to get rid of Hali before they get rid of Caleb or anyone else on the tribe.

	Brad	“	Truthfully, I wouldn't mind getting rid of Caleb first. Caleb, Debbie and Tai played together on Survivor: Kaôh Rōng and that's the threat. I'm trying to bring in Tai and Debbie closer to me than everybody else.	”

On the beach, Tai approached Caleb and makes sure that the two of them were still a tight duo as they were in Kaôh Rōng. Tai told Caleb that he told Brad he would rather keep him over Hali and he thinks that he can get Debbie and Brad on board to keep him.

	Caleb	“	Tai and I are back together again. It-- it's a great feeling because we just had-- have a really good, uh, close friendship, and I hope that we can continue what we had before.	”

Tai asked Caleb who he is close with on the other tribe and Caleb told him he was only cool with Malcolm and Jeff, everyone else was against him. Tai told Caleb that the two of them should work together and have Caleb's alliance from the other tribe as an option for them moving forward.

	Tai	“	The plan is to vote off Hali or Caleb, and I know I crossed a line, because I told Caleb, but I do want to play with Caleb. We have relationship before. We have pretty big relationship. But this is exactly what happened last time. I'm put in a position to betray my friends. If I protect my buddy, I have to betray Brad. So I'm weighing the risk. Either way, it's going to hurt.	”

The new Tavua tribe arrived at their empty camp, knowing that they needed to start fresh without any sort of camp set up. Troyzan told his tribe he was happy to be away from his very chaotic original Mana tribe.

	Zeke	“	We get up to camp and there's nothing but fishing gear and a meager amount of rice, a pot and a machete. You know it's congenial. There's no more trying to be nice to Troyzan. I'm sure he feels like he's on the outs because, you know, for all intents and purposes he is.	”

Ozzy Lusth noted to his tribe that they have more supplies for a new shelter and might be in a better position for setting up a new tribe than they were over at Nuku.

	Ozzy	“	We got to start from the beginning, and I've got to take the lead because I got like 115 days on Survivor, more or less. I am one of the veterans in this game. I have played this four times now, and this is a chance, you know, to let my tribe know that I still got the skills and that they can't get rid of me yet.	”

As the tribe began to set up their new camp, Cirie Fields and Zeke solidified their bond from the original Nuku and felt good working with one another.

	Cirie	“	I wasn't on the right side of the numbers in the old Nuku tribe, and I think Ozzy is still a little skittish of me, but I'm trying to cultivate a relationship with him, so I need to take advantage of this new start. I'm hoping that'll help me later on down the line.	”

Cirie took the chance to cultivate a relationship with Ozzy, hoping to put behind any bad blood the both of them had from Micronesia. She thinks that in a smaller time Ozzy is less likely to come after her because they have some sort of pre-existing relationship that could allow them to work together.

	Ozzy	“	On the original Nuku tribe, I didn't have a strong alliance with Cirie, but here we need each other, so this is a crucial time for me to build trust, and if we do, Troyzan can be an easy first one to go.	”

Meanwhile, Troyzan was nervous that he was the only person on the tribe who originated from Mana. He approached Andrea Boehlke, who tried to make Troyzan feel comfortable with his position.

	Andrea	“	Troyzan is a cool guy. He's super laid back, but the thing is this is Survivor and it's all a numbers game. I mean, we're... we're gonna get rid of him if we lose. So we have to try to make him feel comfortable.	”

Troyzan's conversation with Andrea only rattled him further, and he felt nervous about Andrea and his position in the new Tavua tribe.

	Troyzan	“	Andrea, come on, man. She's-- she acts like she's my buddy, but she's a little devil, that one. She just-- I know she's playing a game. She's-- she's not as clever, I think, as she thinks she is. Come on, I'm 54 years old. I'm the oldest guy out here, and, you know, my intuition is-is good, and I feel like I learned so much from One World. And, you know, I found an idol then when I had to find one. You know, I won an immunity when I had to and changed the game. So this time I will not let any stone be unturned. I'm going to start to at least look for the idol.	”

While the rest of the tribe relaxed at camp, Troyzan snuck out onto the beach and began to frantically search for a Hidden Immunity Idol. After a bit of searching, he spotted a glass bottle, and when he opened it he found a clue directing him to grab the idol from the side of the puzzle table at the next Immunity Challenge.

	Troyzan	“	So at the next Immunity Challenge, ugh... it's just going to be crazy for me. It's going to be hugely difficult because I have two things to think about, winning a super tough game-changing challenge, plus I also have to find the Hidden Immunity Idol in front of everybody. But if I can do it, it's like a complete 180.	”

Day 8

At Nuku, J.T. told his tribe about how he has seen a lot of goats around and he can get within about 20 yards. Sandra Diaz-Twine immediately becomes adamant about catching and eating one of the goats.

	J.T.	“	Sandra's-- she's mentioned a couple of times she'd love to have the goats. She's starving to death. "Man, we could eat so much goat." I said, "Yeah, that'd be great, you know? You know, I could probably catch one for you, you know?"	”

Sandra began to point out all the different goats running around their camp and the tribe notes how many there are so close to their camp.

	J.T.	“	I don't really want to catch and eat a goat, but first thing I need to do is keep myself safe, and if I can feed Sandra and make her happy, then, uh, I think Sandra will probably love me to death, and that will probably keep me safer in this game.	”

J.T. spotted a goat near Malcolm and Sandra, Malcolm, and J.T. cornered it between them and a cliff. J.T. ran around the side of a cliff and managed to grab a baby goat. Malcolm was able to grab the mother goat and they brought the two back to the camp.

	Malcolm	“	Catching a goat was never on my bucket list. And we pick it up and start heading back to camp and realize that the only reason we caught it was because it was a mama goat and it didn't want to run away with-- from its baby. So we don't really have a choice; we won't kill him because we have a conscience. But I have to be very careful what I say to Sandra, because Sandra desperately wants to eat the goat, and in a game like Survivor, there's no need to make enemies or cause angst in this camp.	”

Michaela Bradshaw admired the cute baby goat but was shocked when Sandra immediately told her not to get attached to it because they were going to eat it.

	Michaela	“	Sandra don't care about killing these goats. In her mind, it's just food. She was a villain for a reason.	”

	Sandra	“	I don't see anything wrong with killing and eating a goat. That's what they're here for, for human consumption. Everyone wants to add their two cents in, and I got to get everybody to do it as a group because that was the plan... to catch it-- to catch something and kill it.	”

J.T. told Sandra that he wanted to release the baby goat and just eat the mother. Malcolm was very against killing the goat and immediately it became clear that Sandra was the only one adamant about eating the goats they had caught.

	J.T.	“	I didn't really expect to catch a goat this quick, but I'm not a savage beast, and there's no way I'm going to kill that mama goat and her baby. I just can't do it. Sandra wants to eat a goat and she's running the show, but, you know, I'd rather let these goats go and let's see if we can catch another random goat that's not a mama or a baby. So I'm going to try my best to save the goat.	”

The group decided that they would rather release the goat and its mother and try to in the future to catch another random goat. Sandra sat the tribe down and they discussed killing the goat, Sandra offered to help clean the goat after it was caught but Jeff, Aubry, Michaela, and Malcolm were all very against the goat's death.

	Malcolm	“	You can tell who is for it and who is against it, immediately. Sandra doesn't give a damn, which is just Sandra's M.O. about life, I've started to realize. But everybody else starts talking it through and no one wants to be the Survivor that abandoned a baby goat motherless to the wild.	”

The group came to a consensus to eat one of the chickens rather than killing one of the goats.

	Malcolm	“	This is an easy decision because we have a heart. We're not going to kill either of the goats. So we ended up letting the goats go. That initial surge of adrenaline and your mouth watering slows down a lot when you're actually thinking about abandoning a little baby goat. So it made sense, like, in our hearts to let it go, and it's going to be much better for this tribe moving forward.	”

The tribe released the goats and watched them run away together.

Day 9

At the Reward/Immunity Challenge, the tribes had to send out three members to complete an obstacle course. The course required that the 3 members be tethered together and would have to climb through a series of obstacles before filling a bucket with water, crossing a teter-totter and filling a bucket that would lower a gate. After the gate had been lowered 1 member of the tribe had to untie a series of knots and the other two members would construct a puzzle of the Survivor: Game Changers insignia. The first tribe to finish would win immunity and a choice of reward while the second would win immunity and whatever reward the first tribe didn't pick.

Before the challenge, Troyzan was very nervous about having to go for the Hidden Immunity Idol in front of his entire tribe at a challenge.

	Troyzan	“	This idol being hidden under this table makes me way nervous, because I'm in charge of untying knots. So I have to wait until after the challenge ends in order to nab it.	”

Nuku was able to get an early lead through the obstacle course portion of the challenge while Mana fell behind early. At the gate, Mana and Tavua were dead even while Nuku continued to hold their early lead. Sierra Dawn Thomas is able to untie knots quickly, giving Tavua an early disadvantage at the puzzle portion of the challenge. The puzzle portion is neck and neck but Sandra and Jeff are able to hold the lead held by Nuku, allowing them to be the first tribe to win reward and immunity. Cirie and Zeke believe they have the puzzle correct, however they are incorrect, giving Hali and Brad a chance to catch up. In the end, Cirie and Zeke were able to correct their puzzle, allowing Tavua to win reward and immunity, sending Mana back to Tribal Council.

After the challenge Troyzan slumped himself over the puzzle table, appearing relieved to have won the challenge in such a close race but instead reached under the table after the tribe turned away to nab the Hidden Immunity Idol.

	Troyzan	“	To find an idol again is like, "Oh, I did it!" And finding this changes everything. It's life for me. It gives you the feeling of power, and power is huge in this game.	”

Mana returned to camp after losing the close challenge. The Nuku majority discussed whether to vote off Caleb, a physical asset with tight relationships, or Hali, a person who may not be as strong, but had fewer relationships.

	Debbie	“	In this game it's all about numbers. This is a dictatorship, majority rules. So we will have a brief negotiation, whether it is Caleb or Hali, and I believe we're rock solid sticking together.	”

Back at Mana, the tribe was bummed over their loss. Hali and Caleb, the two members of original Mana, were particularly upset because the two of them were outnumbered 4-2 by the original Nuku.

	Hali	“	We lost the challenge. Like, the unthinkable occurred. So a miracle will happen if I'm to be here tomorrow. I'm feeling like two against four and Caleb's a freakin' powerhouse, so immediately I know I'm in hot water.	”

	Caleb	“	I got my head kind of down because I just hate to lose, and today's the ninth day, which I left last time. I got life-flighted out on a helicopter and almost lost my life, so the only thing on my mind now is, you know, are they going to go strong with this tribe and keep me and give me another life in this game?	”

While Hali and Caleb worried, Tai, Debbie, and Sierra discussed voting off Hali as the weaker member of the original Mana in order to keep the four Nuku members together. Tai told the girls that he is friends with Caleb and wants to keep him around over Hali.

	Sierra	“	The two names that are on the chopping block tonight are Hali and Caleb. I really haven't talked to Hali since I played with her before on Worlds Apart, so seeing her here, you know, we have no relationship, but Tai and Caleb, I mean, they scare me. They're close. There would have to be some underlying alliance there. I mean, come on. You know each other, so, yeah, there is a little bit of concern. But obviously if you target a strong player such as Caleb, your chances of winning challenges gets smaller and smaller.	”

	Debbie	“	My logic is this: I got Caleb and Tai from Kaôh Rōng that I could potentially work with, but Tai, Caleb have a history, and one thing I've learned from playing before is past relationships absolutely matter, and you're a fool to discount them.	”

Brad, Sierra, and Debbie had a discussion on the beach where they talk about how Tai is sort of running the show at the moment and Brad puts out the idea of limiting Tai's power by getting rid of Caleb, a social threat, before Hali, who might not be as good in challenges.

	Brad	“	Maybe getting rid of Hali would be a better choice. But Caleb, Debbie, and Tai absolutely have a relationship, and if they wanted to team up, I'm sure they would send me home first, but right now I don't want to be the chief, so I would like Tai to make the decision.	”

In order to seem like he isn't in charge, Brad pulled Tai aside to talk about how him keeping Caleb could hurt his own game, or in other words how playing with Caleb could make them look like a strong pair and highlight him as a threat.

	Tai	“	Brad give me such valuable advice. It makes sense. Last time I played with my heart, but this is Game Changers. I got to think clear. If we get rid of Caleb, it's very difficult, because I'm a friend of Caleb. We played together before. We had some great time, and it's very, very difficult for me to then say I would write his name down, because it's such a betrayal to our friendship. Can I do it? My heart says, "He's my friend. You're not going to be able to live with it. You will keep reliving this moment over and over again." So tonight I have to really think with my brain who is a better person to take out, Hali or Caleb?	”

At Tribal Council, Mana continued their discussion on whether keeping physical strength was more important than eliminating social threats. Caleb attempted to defend himself, saying that Hali was easier to manipulate than he was, and that Hali had relationships with people on the other tribes. Hali spun this against him, saying that being easier to manipulate would be a good thing for the Nukus, who could use her as a pawn in the future.

In the end, Tai decided that his friendship with Caleb would only put a greater target on his back, and joined the rest of the tribe in voting Caleb off in a unanimous vote.

Challenges

Reward/Immunity Challenge: Austin's Elemental Obstacle Course
The castaways from each tribe will be attached to each other with ropes attached to belts around their waists. They will begin by racing through a tunnel of hay. They will then make their way over and under a series of hitching posts. The next step is to grab a bucket, fill it with water, and make their way over a giant teeter-totter. They will then pour the water from their bucket into a larger bucket. When the larger bucket is full, it will lower a gate. The team will then race through the gate to solve a plank puzzle. The first two tribes to get it right will win reward and immunity.
Reward: First-place tribe wins a tarp and has a choice between comfort items or seasonings; second-place tribe wins what the first placers did not choose.
Winners (in order of finish): Nuku and Tavua

Tribal Council

Tribal Council 3: Mana
Voted Against	Voter
Caleb (5 votes)	Brad, Debbie, Hali, Sierra, Tai
Hali (1 vote)	Caleb
VOTED OUT: Caleb Reynolds

Voting Confessionals

Hali was shown writing Caleb's name down on the parchment, and Caleb was shown writing Hali's name down, but neither gave a confessional.

Final Words

	Caleb	“	The last time I played this game, I went out Day 9. And this time? Doggone it, I'm going out Day 9 again. But, you know, last time I left on my back in a helicopter. This time I'm walking out on my feet. So I'm much happier about that. And, uh, my relationship with Tai is obviously going to remain. I still love him to death and, uh, I wish him the best of luck in this game moving forward.	”

Still in the Running

Ciera 20th	Tony 19th	Caleb 18th	Andrea Tavua	Aubry Nuku	Brad Mana	Cirie Tavua	Debbie Mana	Hali Mana	J.T. Nuku
Jeff Nuku	Malcolm Nuku	Michaela Nuku	Ozzy Tavua	Sandra Nuku	Sarah Tavua	Sierra Mana	Tai Mana	Troyzan Tavua	Zeke Tavua

Trivia

Secret Scene

• Varner Wants A Chicken: A famished Jeff Varner is getting impatient with the tribe for keeping all four of its chickens simply because they were laying eggs.

Unaired Confessionals

• It Was Quite Comical: Aubry Bracco talks about the beauty of the Nuku camp, and she felt that the presence of Mana members felt almost like a violation of J.T. Thomas's space. She then discusses how J.T. had stranded the former Mana members in the middle of the ocean while he searched for an idol, describing the situation as "comical".
• My Fate Rests In This Package: Brad Culpepper discusses the chaos that erupted as a result of the tribe switch and how he felt relief when he saw that members of his old tribe landed on Mana with him.
• Not Your Average Survivor: Andrea Boehlke was pleasantly surprised that Mana had voted Tony Vlachos off their tribe, stating that Game Changers was already shaping out to be high-stakes. She then discusses the tribe switch, where she felt she was unfairly placed on a tribe that had to start from scratch. She also talks about how Troyzan Robertson was an easy first vote for the Nuku-majority Tavua tribe.

Behind-the-Scenes

• Blue Lagoon Cruises

Other

• This episode marks the first time in each of their four seasons that Cirie Fields or Ozzy Lusth have swapped tribes pre-merge.
• This episode marks the first time in which The Obstacle Course has been used as a tribal challenge since Borneo.
• This episode marks Jeff Varner's first Immunity Challenge win since "The Killing Fields".
• This episode marks the only time where Caleb Reynolds has received votes cast against him.
• The title was said by Malcolm Freberg in response to seeing Nuku's camp.