Game Changers Episode 1: Royal Rumble

20 veteran players sail towards a Fijian island as we are quickly reacquainted with legends like Sandra, Cirie and...Brad Culpepper. Probst greets the cast and tells them they're all back because they have proved they're willing to play hard. (Well, maybe not

Bolting out of the gate

all...but let's not get into that.) The players now have an opportunity to gather supplies, but they are told there's a toolkit underwater for the first tribe to untie it. Ozzy heads straight for it unopposed, as Mana clearly think it's pointless to take him on. Caleb eventually goes, but too late to stop him. Tai is almost crushed by a crate in the scramble, and Sierra picks up a secret advantage envelope.

Mana arrive in camp and introduce themselves, with Michaela asking Troyzan if that's his real name. Tony runs off and declares he's looking for the idol, which leaves the rest of his tribe unimpressed. Caleb and Sandra eventually follow him and let him know he's in trouble. I don't know what he expected.

The most game relevant she's ever been

On Nuku, Zeke is in awe of the legends he's in camp with. Sierra uncovers the slightly-modified legacy advantage, which is immunity at either 13 or 6. She also makes alliances with Brad and Ozzy. Ozzy has a score to settle with Cirie, and although they try to bury the hatchet, he still thinks she's weak. Cirie tries to get reassurance from Tai that she's good, but his pause lets her know she's in trouble.

On Mana, Tony goes off to get water...only he's really digging a spy bunker. Dude, this is the kinda shit that's gonna get you voted off. Troyzan spots it happening and tells everyone. Ciera suggests voting out Tony or maybe his best buddy Caleb, but now Malcolm is wary of Ciera.

Probst explains the first challenge which sees them paddle out on rafts to get keys then come back over an obstacle course. Then they dig up two bags in the sand, unlock the chest containing the third, and put together a ship's wheel puzzle. He also tells them there's a change in the rules this season, and that there will be no revote after a tie - it's straight to an open discussion, and then rocks! You can see the gears turning in Aubry's head as she hears this.

Uhh, should Caleb really be doing this?

Nuku have a slight lead following the rafting section, and send out Ozzy to get the key, whilst Mana send Hali. J.T. and Tai dig the bags out for Nuku, whilst Caleb and Malcolm do it for Mana. Debbie stumbles on the locks and allows Varner to catch up. But then Varner stumbles too (whilst bitching out Jeff for accusing him of panicking). It comes down to the puzzle: Sandra and Ciera vs Zeke and Cirie. Zeke and Cirie get it first and Nuku win immunity. Cirie fans all breathe a sigh of relief.

Ciera feels guilty for blowing the puzzle, and there's now a group at the water well agreeing that she should go since she's been throwing out names. When Ciera walks up, they decide to tell her to vote Michaela. This seems like an easy vote, but Michaela gets freaked out when she hears she's the decoy target, which makes the rest of her tribemates a little scared of her.

You can't contain greatness

At tribal council, Tony says his tribe really put the brakes on his craziness very quickly. Caleb talks about how he's still an unknown quantity. Michaela thinks the first vote shouldn't be easy. Sandra is asked if she's the easy vote, but she says nobody will let her win again and they can use her. Hali mentions challenge weakness, and that gets Ciera worried. Ciera is voted out in a surprisingly straight-forward boot for an all-stars season. And we don't even get to hear her final words.

But with Tony around, the game isn't going to stay slow-paced for long, and he goes to Aubry to put together an alliance containing them, Malcolm, Caleb and Sandra. He talks with Sandra too, and they both agree they need to be with a winner at the end to stand any chance. The action at the Nuku tribe is much slower, with the only slight conflict being Tai's tendency to overfeed the chickens.

RIP winner alliance

Tony is having another restless night so decides to work on his bunker some more. But then he sees Troyzan and Sandra coming and has to bail out. Hearing them talk about him, Tony pops out to interrupt the conversation and doesn't believe Sandra's cover. So now he's not trusting Sandra, and Sandra's patience with his antics are wearing thin too.

Witness the Cirie charm

Cirie is trying to improve her position by making connections with Sarah and Zeke, but neither of them are willing to stick their neck out for her. The social butterfly gives Debbie some advice about how she's coming off, but Debbie decides to ignore it. Classic Debbie! On Mana, Sandra is spilling the beans on Tony to Hali, Troyzan and Varner to make him their target. Tony talks to Aubry, Malcolm and Caleb about voting out Sandra and keeping the tribe strong. The lines are drawn, place your bets now!

Suddenly, it's a contest

The immunity challenge is to swim over to a cage and pull out a giant snake to take across obstacles. Then the throwers will remove discs and toss them onto paddles.  When the tribes get to the cage, Varner tries to help out by staying above. Nuku get the snake first and it is heavy. Varner really starts to struggle with the lifting and goes to the other side of the cage to put more weight on it. Mana, already behind, then lose more time when Hali and Troyzan fall off the balance beam multiple times. Sierra and J.T. take turns tossing rings, but Malcolm is able to mount a pretty good comeback and tie it up at one point. Alas, he is unable to close and J.T. scores to give Nuku a victory.

You're either with her or against her

So Sandra has the numbers to get Tony out, but she's worried that he might have an idol and wants to pull in Malcolm and Caleb for extra security. Sandra tells Tony she's voting for Aubry, but Hali fills Caleb in on the real plan. Tony and Caleb see crystal clear how dangerous Sandra is and make a play for Michaela's vote, since they know she values strength.

At tribal council, Michaela talks about how strong players are needed. But Troyzan says he's hoping to make the tribe less paranoid. Tony responds to this call-out by accusing Troyzan of being the one sneaking off. Tony pledges that he's calmed down, leading to Varner and Malcolm chiming in to say they have got along with Tony much more than they thought they would. Asked what the vote is based on, Varner gives a rather cryptic square peg/round hole analogy.

Still fighting

As the votes are revealed, we see 2 for Aubry, and the rest are all for Tony. They finally got him! Tony makes a remark about them being "sheep lead to the slaughter", as Sandra bitches him out for turning on her and reiterates that she's the queen. Well, that was a hell of rivalry...I just wish it hadn't come this early! But I'm sure there's a lot more heartbreaking boots still to come, so enjoy the stars while you can.

STAR OF THE WEEK: SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE

I am in awe of Sandra. The fact that she can come in with the target she should have and not only survive two votes, but control them, is nothing short of incredible. You wouldn't think it would be possible for a two-time winner to up their game even more, but it happened.

Best Survivor moments - alumni weigh in!

In the build-up to Survivor's 500th episode, CBS asked past players to share their favorite memories of the show. Here's a sample of what they came up with:

Gretchen Cordy: "It was day 6 and we were invited for dinner, so we decided to dress for the occasion. I came up with the idea of wearing the buff as a tube top - so when you think "Gretchen didn't leave much of a mark on Survivor" - buffs as tube tops, does it get better than that?"

Jessie Camacho: "When Sandra won not once, but twice - dos veces! I gotta give it to my girl, as a Latina myself."

John Carroll: "Hands down, it's Eliza and Jason's "it's an effin stick"...and maybe me getting my hand peed on."

Jed Hildebrand: "When Ian jumped off after 12 hours of sitting there, he brought in the outside world of friendship from Katie and Tom and begged for forgiveness. Gameplayers now, they don't do that - they are stone cold if you wanna win!"

Andrew Savage: "Cambodia, day 21, voting out Wentworth, she's going home. 9 votes, sending a message of who's in control. Then she pulls out the hidden immunity idol, and I go home. How on Earth can THAT be my favorite moment? When you love Survivor as much as I do, that was stunning. Timing in life is everything and Wentworth nailed it."

Rob & Amber: "Our favorite moment is from season 8 when we fell in love and got married."

Katie Gallagher: "As a viewer, I enjoy watching people lose their minds. One of my favorite examples of this is Shane finding a piece of tree that looks like a Blackberry and he uses it to communicate with his loved ones."

Cirie Fields: "When Parvati played two idols and neither one of them was for herself. She got that one!"

Abi-Maria Gomes: "My own moment when I am ballsy enough to tell RC that if she messes with me, she's dead to me."

Matt Bischoff: "It's gotta be from my season, where we walked up to that mat and Jeff Probst said "welcome to Survivor!" It still gives me chills, it's an honor to play the greatest game ever invented."

Jeremiah Wood: "Picture this, I'm in the middle of the pacific ocean, only thing that stands in between me and the gold is a basket and five balls. I look over to my right, who is it? NBA star Cliff Robinson. Then I look to my left - Spencer Bledsoe. Then the shooting begins. As I pick up that fifth ball and it sinks, I notice they haven't even started shooting yet. And I notice that I won gold, and all I can do is pick up Morgan and hold her up like Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing!"

Tony Vlachos: "Has to be Johnny Fairplay's grandma lie. I truly believe that moment is what created the monster I was on Cagayan. When I watched Fairplay stating his grandma is probably watching Jerry Springer at that time, I lost it! It was right there and then that I realized what players would do to get an edge."

Jenn Brown: "Anything Greg Buis has ever done ever, because he's amazing. From my season, it would be the first tribal council when I thought I was still watching Jeff Probst on TV. To this day, I still can't believe I was there."

Tai Trang: "When Erik was convinced by Amanda, Cirie, Parvati and Natalie to give up his immunity idol. Wow, what great gameplay from the women, but so painful and I feel bad for Erik."

Jessica Figueroa: "I'd have to go back to Samoa, where Shambo accidentally let go of one of the chickens and Erik went into the woods to find it and got clotheslined by his own clothesline."

Zeke Smith: "The final six tribal council from Second Chances, in which Kimmi sees Jeremy's win written on the wall and flips against Jeremy's alliance. So there's three votes Kelley Wentworth and three votes Jeremy. Wentworth plays an idol, Jeremy plays an idol, and for the first time in Survivor history we have no votes. So we have a revote, and it's tied, and everyone is immune for one reason or another and the decision comes down to Keith Nale, who has no idea what's happening. I love this tribal for a couple of reasons, the first is I'm a huge Survivor nerd so I love it when there are firsts, but more than that, I so love this move from Kimmi Kappenberg. She knows she's 4th in that alliance but she says heck no, I didn't wait 15 years to not take a shot at winning this thing, so I'm gonna make a move even if I go home a couple of places early."

Sunday Burquest: "When Parvati played two idols, followed closely by James going home with two in his pocket. I also love the funny moments like Keith saying "stick to the plan" and my going "shh" to Bret at tribal council."

Hannah Shapiro: "When Cochran came back for his second season and instantly got burned like a little tomato, but then took them all down. So here's to Cochran and Aubry and dweebs like us, dominating on islands everywhere."

The Game Changers cast, ranked by my level of excitement for them

1. Michaela Bradshaw
Season: Millennials Vs Gen X
Game-changing moment: Taking her top off to win a challenge.
Verdict: I'm pumped to see Michaela back, she went out far too early last season. She's the full package: smart, strong and likeable. Now that she knows what not to do, I could see her winning the whole thing.

2. Tony Vlachos
Season: Cagayan
Game-Changing moment: Creating a spy shack.
Verdict: Tony is back with brand new tricks in the hopes of becoming the "King of Survivor", and I'm here for it. He's so hard to trust that there's no way he's not a huge target, but based on Cagayan, Tony relishes having his back against the wall.

3. Sandra Diaz-Twine
Seasons: Pearl Islands, Heroes Vs Villains
Game-changing moment: Flipping between sides in true "anyone but me" style.
Verdict: The two-time champ is already spitting the sass! She doesn't plan to change her game (and why would she?), but it'll take a miracle for her to get far again. I think she'll see the value in sticking with Tony for now, but it'll be interesting to see how long that lasts.

4. Ciera Eastin
Seasons: Blood Vs Water, Cambodia
Game-changing moment: Drawing a rock.
Verdict: Ciera is known for her love of big moves, so she must be relishing being on a season called Game Changers. Her strategy this time is to have options and position herself in the middle. Can she pull it off? I dunno, she seems to have people already wary of her, and a weak challenge competitor is always vulnerable pre-merge.

5. Sarah Lacina
Season: Cagayan
Game-changing moment: Using her intuition to expose Tony as a cop.
Verdict: Does Sarah actually have winner potential, or will she flame out again? Either is fine by me. She showed herself to be fairly strategic-minded on her season, but her achilles heel was Tony. With unfinished business between them, it could be interesting if they meet at the merge.

6. Jeff Varner
Seasons: Australia, Cambodia
Game-changing moment: Positioning himself as the Ta Keo power player.
Verdict: Varner had to wait 13 years for his second appearance, and now he's back again just a year later. That's a testament to how big of a splash he made during his brief time in Cambodia. Sounds like we're not going to see crazy Varner this time though, and he's learning to chill out. All I know is if he fails to make the jury again, that would REALLY suck.

7. Malcolm Freberg
Seasons: Philippines, Caramoan
Game-changing moment: Using TWO immunity idols to send Phillip out of the game.
Verdict: I've always been a big Malcolm fan and maintained that he's a strong, well-rounded player. But his video shows the cocky side of him that's probably not going to be a good look. He's also looking to team up with Debbie - c'mon, don't let your Oedipus complex be your downfall again.

8. Aubry Bracco
Season: Kaoh Rong
Game-changing moment: Convincing Tai to turn on Scot and Jason.
Verdict: I don't know if her season being fresh in the mind will be quite as devastating as it might seem. She was a strong player but a likeable one that people could want to work with. And wasn't part of the reason she lost because people didn't know she was playing as hard as she was?

9. Cirie Fields
Seasons: Exile Island, Micronesia, Heroes Vs Villains
Game-changing moment: Getting Erik to give up the immunity necklace and then voting him out.
Verdict: Cirie wants to show a new side of herself this time...hard to do when you're a 4-time legend! She's in the best shape she's ever been, but no-one will want to let her get far with her reputation, and she'll have to face both J.T. and Ozzy.

10. Debbie Wanner
Season: Kaoh Rong
Game-changing moment: Pulling off a blindside on Liz.
Verdict: Debbie kinda gets lost in the shuffle in this cast (something I never thought possible), but that's why I'm expecting her to make the merge if she can keep her head down. She's one of the few people who wants to work with Tony and Brad...man, that is a trio of crazy.

11. Andrea Boehlke
Seasons: Redemption Island, Caramoan
Game-changing moment: Correctly sniffing out a plan to vote for her and getting the vote switched to Michael to dodge an idol.
Verdict: This older, wiser Andrea might finally reach her potential if she can find the happy medium between playing too hard and not hard enough. I feel like she's coming into this in a good spot and is definitely a contender.

12. Tai Trang
Season: Kaoh Rong
Game-changing moment: Choosing good over evil when he didn't give his idol to Scot.
Verdict: Tai says he wants to have better jury management and own his game this time, but I think his real problem will be curbing his image as erratic and clueless. Neither him or Debbie seem keen to work with Aubry again - so much for this strong Kaoh Rong four!

13. Hali Ford
Season: Worlds Apart
Game-changing moment: Playing a solid social game that got her into the Nagarote majority.
Verdict: Hali is very likeable, but I didn't have that much faith in her gameplay until I watched her video. She's perfectly aware of her own abilities and what the perception of her will be. The determination to prove herself could be what she needs to evolve into a kick-ass player.

14. Zeke Smith
Season: Millennials Vs Gen X
Game-changing moment: Going into a 5-5 deadlock against David's side and coming out victorious.
Verdict: Zeke played hard the first time and it sounds like that won't change. He says his strategy is to work with the girls, and I think that could be smart. Being an unknown quantity is a double-edged sword, so it'll be interesting to see what he makes of it.

15. Brad Culpepper
Season: Blood Vs Water
Game-changing moment: Voting out John to help his wife's game, even though it hurt his own.
Verdict: Brad seems to be making a conscious effort to go in directions you wouldn't expect, like not being a leader or aligning with unlikely people. That should serve him well if he can pull it off. His bio says he's more self-aware now, and I kinda believe it.

16. Troyzan Robertson
Season: One World
Game-changing moment: Winning immunity with the whole tribe against him.
Verdict: Having been in the mix several times and denied, I was starting to think we'd never get a Troyzan return. Maybe the long wait will lessen his target, but he'll still need to improve his social game and tone down the ego to have any chance.

17. Sierra Thomas

Season: Worlds Apart
Game-changing moment: Choosing to stick with her alliance of goats over personal vengeance.
Verdict: Sierra has major Amber upside coming into this season. She came a lot closer to winning the first time than she gets credit for, and now she's looking to make moves. I'd be shocked if this barrel-racin' beauty didn't make a deep run.

18. Caleb Reynolds
Season: Kaoh Rong
Game-changing moment: Literally almost giving his life for his tribe in challenges.
Verdict: I'm certainly not surprised Caleb is back after the way he went out last time, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. He could be a very valuable ally if people take advantage of his loyalty and challenge strength, but he doesn't have the game-savvy to get anywhere close to winning.

19. James "J.T." Thomas
Seasons: Tocantins, Heroes Vs Villains
Game-changing moment: Playing the first-ever perfect game, with no votes cast against him and a jury vote sweep.
Verdict: Not to be mean, but J.T. doesn't look to be in as good shape this time. Could we be heading for a Colby situation? Predictably, he's going to team up with the alpha males, which will probably keep him well-shielded.

20. Ozzy Lusth
Seasons: Cook Islands, Micronesia, South Pacific
Game-changing moment: Offering to be voted out so he could kick Christine off Redemption Island and come back.
Verdict: Ugh, I thought we were done with this guy. Look, we all know how the Ozzy story is gonna go. He's gonna win challenges and act as a provider for the pre-merge, then after the merge get kicked off for being a threat the first time he loses. He's a one-trick pony we've seen 3 times already.

The real game changers

When season 34 was announced as Game Changers, a lot of fans took that label very seriously. More seriously than the producers, apparently. Don't get me wrong - Cirie, Tony, Sandra and Ozzy absolutely are game changers...maybe even Ciera, at a stretch. But Caleb? I decided to take a look at who actually changed the game. Please note: I'm not saying all of these people should've been on this season, and I know that at the end of the day, it's really just a title. But for my own amusement, I came up with...

Richard Hatch: I feel like this needs no explanation. Richard introduced strategic gameplay to Borneo, and was the first to prove that this show was about more than just mere survival. Without his win, the show could've been very different.

Colby Donaldson: Colby set a record for immunity wins with a very dominant peformance in Australia, establising himself as one of the show's top competitors. Whilst Colby ultimately did not win the game, he did win the hearts of many by becoming the original Survivor good guy.

Rob Mariano: Ask any casual fan who the best player of all time is, and a lot will say Boston Rob. He had a huge impact on 4 seasons with his mafia boss-style game, controlling votes and executing brutal blindsides.

Rob Cesternino: Rob was a pioneer in the strategy of flipping from different sides, teaching players that you don't have to accept your fate if you feel you're bottom of an alliance.

Jon Dalton: Another flipper, Jonny Fairplay pushed the boundaries for what we expect of the Survivor villain. Once he lied about his grandma dying, nothing was off-limits anymore.

Rupert Boneham: Rupert, meanwhile, was the exact opposite. With his survival skills and friendly nature, the gentle pirate gave the franchise a new type of hero, and was one of the first megastars (aka screentime hogs).

Stephenie LaGrossa: Still one of the most inspirational and revered female contestants to have been on the show, Stephenie showed a lot of strength and heart out in Palau under extraordinary, unprecedented circumstances.

Terry Deitz: Another dominant challenge performer, with a record-breaking streak of five immunities in a row. It's rumoured that his loss in Exile Island was partially what inspired the switch to the final 3.

Parvati Shallow: Pretty much every young girl who goes on the show now tries to emulate Parvati. Her legacy is often reduced to just flirting, but she was a very well-rounded player that made it deep into the game 3 times for a reason.

Cao Boi Bui: Although he has since become a pretty obscure footnote in Survivor lore, he was the originator of one important factor of the game: split votes, with his hilarious plan voodoo idea.

Yau-Man Chan: Whether it was making fake idols or engineering car deals, Yau-Man is someone who saw the game a completely different way and was always thinking outside the box.

Russell Hantz: Love him or hate him, there's no denying Russell left his mark on the show like nobody else with his aggressive strategic game. A larger than life presence that dominated two back-to-back seasons, he ushered in a new era of constant idol-searching, as well as other less-used strategies such as camp sabotage. His mistakes were just as eye-opening, igniting a fierce debate about how juries are "supposed" to vote and how to handle them.

The ranking of Survivor seasons *updated with s33*

Once you get past the forced theme, this season had some impressive gameplay, fun character moments and a solid cast. It was also low on conflict, which was nice for a change, but I wouldn't want every season to be like that. Whilst I liked everyone, I didn't love anyone...except the gone-too-soon Michaela.

1. Pearl Islands
2. Cook Islands
3. Heroes Vs Villains
4. Micronesia
5. China
6. Cagayan
7. Kaoh Rong
8. Vanuatu
9. Nicaragua
10. Philippines
11. Millennials Vs Gen X
12. Cambodia
13. Palau
14. Caramoan
15. Blood Vs Water
16. Worlds Apart
17. Samoa
18. Tocantins
19. All Stars
20. Exile Island
21. Guatemala
22. Gabon
23. San Juan Del Sur
24. Amazon
25. One World
26. Fiji
27. South Pacific
28. Redemption Island
29. Australia
30. Borneo
31. Africa
32. Marquesas
33. Thailand

Millennials Vs Gen X Episode 13: Family First

Talkin' bout my generation...

The finale is here. and there's 6 people left. Coming back from tribal, Hannah explains to an exasperated Bret why she let David slide. David decides to build a fake idol to leave in a coconut for someone to find. The next day, he gets his wish when Jay takes the bait. This is gonna be hilarious. One person who does have safety though is Ken, as he finally opens up his legacy advantage and finds a note that basically acts as an idol.

The immunity challenge involves climbing walls, crawling through obstacles, using numbered tiles to unlock a key, then using the key to unlock their bat puzzle. There's also a reward of steak for the winner (which I assume was just added to give the reward stealer one last chance to be used). Jay takes the lead going into the combination locks and gets it first, but failing to cover it up gives everyone else the chance to steal it. Jay still has a lead on his puzzle, but David is catching him. Jay's drops off, losing him all his work, and David is able to win immunity. Jay gets some consolation when he plays his reward steal though, allowing himself a dinner with Adam and David.

Over dinner, Jay makes his case to David and Adam that he's a shield for them and they should vote out Bret, who is also a threat. Adam isn't sure about it, since Bret hasn't shown much challenge prowess yet, but he does genuinely believe Jay will take him to the end. Bret thinks this should be an easy vote but gets frustrated when he sees people pulling Jay off for conversations.

At tribal council, Jay admits he used the dinner for strategic purposes. Bret tries to make sure they still see him as the bigger threat though. Hannah worries about reading the jury correctly, whereas David reveals his renewed vigor following the meal.

Jay's idol...and his dream...goes up in flames

After the vote, Jay pulls out his idol and tells them he's not going home. But then he's the one blindsided when Probst reveals the idol is a fake. Ken plays the legacy advantage, which causes even more confusion (and pisses off Jessica when she sees what she could've won). Jay is voted out, but he's a great sport about it and laughing the whole way. Definitely didn't expect to like this kid as much as I did.

"Not a participation trophy!"

We go straight into the immunity challenge now which David sees a must-win, and unfortunately it involves his biggest weakness: swimming. They have to move a buoy through the water, then transfer tiles through an obstacle course by holding them with rods. Then they have to solve a word puzzle. Ken is first out of the water, but keeps dropping his tiles. That evens it up a bit more and gives Bret, Adam and David some ground to catch up. Bret is first to the puzzle but can't get it. Adam looks to be close, but it's Ken who yells it out first. When they see the solution, Adam and Bret can't believe they missed it.

Adam decides to go looking for the idol just to make sure David doesn't get it, whilst Bret covers for him. David meanwhile is telling Hannah and Ken that maybe their plan should be vote Adam out. Adam finds his second idol and is now confident David is going home. But Hannah is playing both sides, and decides maybe she'll pull a fast one and vote out Bret.

At tribal council, Jeff gets them to start thinking about their ideal final 3, but Bret just wants to survive the night. Hannah and Bret make it clear that David is still the biggest threat. David says that if he goes tonight he'll have gained new confidence that he can apply to his real life. Adam says that's exactly why he needs to go: because he has such a fantastic story.

Another baffling vote

After the votes are in. Adam plays his idol, sensing some bullets coming his way. But he's wrong once again as it's Bret who gets voted out. That gets a big reaction from the jury, as well as Bret himself. "The flipper flips again" says the disgruntled cop, as he congratulates David for winning the game.

As Adam tries to justify to the group why he wanted David out, not even David can believe he's still there. Hannah tries to convince Adam that she couldn't afford to piss off Ken, but Adam maintains it was still a huge mistake. Question is, will they get another shot at him?

Down to the wire

The final immunity challenge is to move bowls in between a thin stretch of wire and stack them on top. The winner is the first to reach 13 or whoever has the most after 30 minutes. Adam and Ken are in the lead, but once he gets to 10, Adam decides to just stop and wait for Ken's to fall...which it does. But then Adam loses his as well, and it's anyone's game. With 2 minutes left, Hannah is in the lead. Ken ties it up and attempts for an 11th, but runs out of time. Now it's a tiebreaker between Hannah and Ken! Ken goes fast, Hannah goes slow. Ken manages to stay one step ahead of Hannah, and manages his 7th bowl just in the nick of time to win immunity.

Adam and Hannah are both voting for David, so their worst case scenario is a fire tiebreaker, although Adam thinks he would probably lose. Hannah makes an effort to sway Ken, although he wants to play an honest game. David wonders why Adam isn't trying to target Hannah, but Adam lays it to him straight and says he's gonna lose anyway if he can't get him out. David reassures Ken that he trusts him, which probably makes his big decision harder.

Nine lives over

At tribal council, Jeff praises Hannah for giving it a good go in the challenge. Adam says he was just happy to see David lose, which David says is because Adam knows he's played a better game. David praises Ken's game of loyalty, but Ken admits the others have valid points when they say David is a threat. We get to the vote, and Ken follows through with taking David out, which I genuinely did not see coming. I loved David's game and was rooting for him to pull it off - he came damn close.

Gearing up the final tribal, Ken is hoping his game of loyalty will get him the win. Hannah talks about her journey of growth, and that she plans to stay confident in front of the jury. Adam thinks about what his mom's reaction would be if she knew he was in the final 3, and pledges to win it for her.

We arrive at Final Tribal Council. Taylor is the first juror up, and just asks them for their opening pitch. Hannah says she put everybody on the jury and hopes to explain why. Ken says he brought a human side to the game. Adam thinks he played the best game, because he got to the end with who he wanted without becoming a target. Sunday wants to know how adaptable they were in the game. Adam makes the case that he's a happy medium between Ken's old school game and Hannah's chaotic game. Hannah and Adam then argue over whether her moves were good or not.

Jessica gets on Ken's case for voting out his close ally David after claiming to be a man of integrity, but he says his true loyalty was to his daughter. Will says he actually gained more respect for Ken after that. Zeke wants to know how Adam and Hannah evolved the game. Adam says he kept shields in front of him, but Hannah takes issue with that answer, saying she decided when the shields left, not him.

Michelle asks Adam to defend some of his blunders, and he passes the buck to Hannah. Bret asks Ken when he started playing. He says from the start, as he had to work to get off the bottom of Gen X. Jay asks why Adam voted him out, who says he already knows why this meant so much to him. Lawyer Chris makes the case for Adam to win because he got Ken to turn on David. Ken disputes this (wasn't it actually Hannah?)

Here come the tears again

The last juror is David, who asks about the personal evolutions they all went through. Hannah says that she started the game as someone who was terrified of everything and pushed through that. Ken says he's less socially awkward now. Adam decides to finally open up about his mom, as Ken consoles him.

We don't see any jury votes, but Jay certainly gives the impression he voted for Adam. Probst opens them up at the reunion and it's a clean sweep for Adam. It's an emotional moment and he elects to share it with his family, understandably. Glad this story had some sort of a happy ending.

STAR OF THE WEEK: ADAM KLEIN

We saw a fair share of mistakes from Adam but he also managed to correct them and knew when to lay low. He had a good read on the jury and knew who he could beat and who he couldn't, then made his winning final 3 happen. After the year he's had, he deserves something good coming his way.

Reunion notes:

• Adam recounting his last conversation with his mom was heartbreaking, and it really hit me when he said "this is not some storyline, it's my life."
• I felt like it was a real disservice to Hannah to only talk about her flirting.
• Glad Jessica got to defend her decision to draw rocks. She's right, and anyone who says otherwise is going by results-based thinking.
• Nice sentiment from Sunday about how you can still find out more about yourself even when you're a mom.
• The Figgy & Taylor update could've been a lot more awkward than it was.
• I'm not thrilled about all the choices for Game Changers, but seeing Tony and Sandra face off (or align) is a mouth-watering prospect. Oh, and Probst mentioning Ciera voting out her mom has gone beyond parody at this point.

Millennials Vs Gen X Episode 12: Frenemies

So, Will feels pretty good about his big move and feels like he can start swinging back and forth to knock out big targets from both sides now. Bret was not really a fan, and decides to make his own moves by going to Adam and telling them that David, Jay and Will have to go. Adam sees this as a great deal for him.

On a roll

We dive straight in to the first immunity challenge of the episode now, which involves transporting discs over obstacles without dropping them and then rolling them across a table into a slot. The castaways vary in terms of the amount they carry over, but most take two trips and David is the first to complete the balance beam. The next section is to go through wires. Bret, David and Jay lead the way, Hannah and Sunday struggle, but Will can't even get up to it as he's still stuck on the first part. Jay starts rolling first, then David and Bret. Jay eventually hits his stride and wins immunity.

Jay is happy he gets to keep his idol for a little while longer, but there's a lot of nervous faces now since the plan was to target Jay. Will and Jay settle on David for the vote, and Will feels confident that he has the numbers. But Adam is only playing along, and has Bret on board to vote out Will instead. Hannah feels a little guilty for going after the guy who saved her, but Adam convinces her it's the right move and they can do David next time.

Who's really in control?

At tribal council, David is feeling very vulnerable, which Jay thinks is strange since he was in the majority last time. Jeff talks about the need to make big moves without becoming too much of a target, which they all agree is a tricky balancing act. The vote is between David and Will, and Will gets blindsided with a smile on his face. Another gracious exit. His decision to flip looks pretty bad now.

Adam has to explain himself to Jay, after screwing him over once again. The old adversaries talk it out where Adam tells Jay he can't go to the end with David...but Adam's still playing him a little bit, as he actually thinks the biggest threat is right beside him.

Time is not on your side in this challenge

Another challenge now, and a pretty unique one. It involves the contestants having to split their focus between solving a puzzle and making sure their ball doesn't reach the bottom of their pinball table. If they fail to catch their ball before it drops, they have to wait out a time penalty. And stopping the ball proves quite difficult for everyone. Ken has another enemy: spelling, when he Dan Foley's it and calls Jeff over for an incorrect guess. He's still the closest by far though, and Adam and Hannah even start watching his ball and telling him when to go back. With a little help from his friends, Ken wins immunity.

Adam explains he helped Ken because he didn't want David to win, and is trying to set up the vote so it's between David and Jay. However, David knows the best way to save his ass is for him and Ken to vote Bret. Hannah then says she wants to do Sunday instead, since she's worried everyone wants to take her to the end.

Yin and Yang share a moment

Adam tells Jay he needs to play his idol tonight, and Jay just pleads with him for them to go to the end together. Adam opens up and shares the story of his mom's cancer diagnosis, which makes Jay tear up. These two have such a unique and fascinating dynamic - almost like their personal relationship and their strategic relationship are polar opposites from eachother. Hannah goes to Adam to tell him to vote Sunday, but he doesn't like the plan as it opens the door for his worst case scenario: Jay surviving the night AND still having an idol.

At tribal council, Jay makes his case that even though he's a challenge threat, he's alone in the game. Whereas Ken is a challenge threat and has a close ally in David. David mentions how his name has come up a lot and he's had to rely heavily on his allies to keep him safe. Sunday is asked if she's a goat, and she says she's being underestimated.

The look of regret

After the votes, Jay finally gives in and plays his idol. It only cancels one vote though, as Hannah's plan to blindside Sunday prevails. He's kicking himself, but he managed to milk that baby for quite a long time. With the dead weight out of the way, we now have a final 6 that have all played pretty hard. It's gonna be interesting to see which ones are able to get to the end from here.

STAR OF THE WEEK: DAVID WRIGHT

After being called out as the biggest threat, David had to make it through two votes tonight, both where he was an obvious target. However, he's still there, and can win it all if he can hang on in there a bit longer.