Survivor (2000–…): Season 34, Episode 13 - Live Reunion Show - full transcript

Last time I played as a cop.

This time I'm playing
like a criminal.

If you say anything about us
talking, you're a dead man.

There are small windows of
opportunity in this game,

and if you miss them,
you're not going to win.

I swore to myself I'm
gonna make big moves.

I made moves that other people
were scared to make.

I made moves that I
was scared to make.

You know what, Jeff?
I'm going to use my advantage.

And it worked.

Subtitulado por: TwiNe



Welcome to the Survivor
live reunion Game Changers

season where Sarah has
just won $1 million.

Congratulations on a really
nicely played game.

Hey, before we get into you,

Glenn, give me a big
shot of everybody.

I just want to say thank you to
all you guys because this really

was a great season, and to give
up what you give up and to do

what you have to do with your
families and your jobs and your

livelihoods and to
come out here and play,

thank you very much.

It was really fun.

All right, so, Sarah, I think
one of the biggest,

really biggest game-changing
moves of the season for you

was your very
simple— your switch of



philosophy from cop to criminal.

And what I thought was really
interesting is you ended up

playing a lot like your
former adversary, Tony.

Did you find some truth in that?

Right, so, in Cagayan, we saw
how that worked out for me

and how it worked out for Tony.

I had a front-row seat to watch
Tony play so masterfully.

And he was so successful at it.

- Was he really a mentor in that sense?
- Absolutely.

And what people don't get about
Tony is the guy called me at

5:30 in the morning every
morning prepping me for the show,

show, but he was, like,
trying to prep himself.

And I'm like: "Tony",
and he's like: "get up, you bum."

And I'm like: "it's 5:30, dude."

And he's like: "No yo, Sarah,
we've got to talk.", and I'm like...

- So...
- So he was trying to help so you say.

- I have another question.
- Sure.

You said something
that continues to baffle me

which is: Survivor is a game by
definition outwit, outplay, oustlast.

It's about... as Tai said,
it's about deceiving.

It's about how can
you do the sleight of hand

with emotional politics
and social politics.

And you said I had to get
permission from my friends.

Why is that so important for
people to know their friends

will know I'm not this person.

Right, so nobody wants to go out
and make their family, their

friends, their profession look
bad, so the first time I played,

that weighed heavily on me.

In order to come
out and be successful,

I had to let that go.

I was given the right of way by
everybody, and I just came out

guns blazing because
the gates were open

for me to do
whatever I had to do.

Knowing they would love you.

Knowing they know who I am.

And in fact, they kind of beat
me down for not being more like

that the first time, so...

yeah, it was really nice to have
their blessing to come out

and play this way.

Even though I hurt a lot of people.

It's not easy to watch back.

I'm very proud of the game I played.

I'm not proud of how
I treated people.

Well, you can't have
it both ways.

- That's a whole other discussion.
- Right.

That's one of the
things Survivor shows,

you have to own it because the jury
will hold you accountable.

Culpepper, it comes
down to one big decision.

I was watching with friends
backstage and they were rivetted

as the decision being made
among the four of you,

going to go to the jury,
in this case Tai,

and who is going
to go to the final three.

So, you said...
you're voting Tai out,

and you said in the show:
"I feel like I can beat anybody."

So I just want to walk through
that, here are the votes.

Glenn, show the votes of the tribal.

We don't normally do this.
Let's see who everybody voted for.

Because what I'm wondering is,
did you miscalculate?

Oh, clearly.

With the...

But, no, specifically...

Did you miscalculate
the bitterness

that you thought the jury might
have toward what Sarah just

said, which is hurting their feelings.

I did, but first I say this.

I clearly needed a snickers out
here, I love this guy right

here, and I hated watching
that, being the bully.

Tai, I love you.

And we had a
complicated relationship.

We were together.
I was frustrated.

And it came across terrible.
And I apologize.

- That is awful.
- Oh, no you don't need to apologize.

It's a game, I know you've
been a great guy.

I love you.

- Well, Culpepper.
- I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

No, no, no.
This is perfect.

Let's forget what I just asked.

- Okay.
- Because...

stay with me, stay with me.

That emotion that
you just talked about:

- "I was so frustrated with Tai".
- Yeah, I was.

Had an impact in you
voting Tai out, right?

- Yes.
- Ok.

So now you
miscalculated with Sarah.

Cleary.
She won.

- Right?
- Yes, yes.

Let's see what would
have happened.

- Let's play a pretend game.
- No, I don't like that game.

But I love it.

- You know what, when you're out there —
- No, no, no.

- I want to play this game.
- Ok.

Culpepper, come on, it's fun.

You like games.

So here we go.

- But...
- But what.

The feeling you have out
there, even the perception of

the jury out there, is much
different than it would be now.

- I understand that.
- Ok, ok.

I trust the jury to be honest
with me, just go with me.

This is what it's like at Tribal
with any Culpepper.

Monica or Brad.

Okay, so Sarah,
you're on the jury.

Tai, you are on the final three.

- Of the people—
- No, I'm four.

No, Troyzan...

Come on, guys.

If I had cut you like, that you
wouldn't have vote for me.

Culpepper, will you
just stop for a second!

So everybody that's in the jury,

including Sarah, but
not you, Tai, because

you're now in the final three.

Who would have
vote for Brad?

How many people?

Okay... you're not
in the jury, Troyzan!

Hold your hands up!

Hali, Debbie, Zeke,
Sierra, Andrea.

So that's five votes.

The other five would you have
voted for Sarah— I mean Tai?

Yeah, I think so.

Okay, so five— okay,
so this is something we've never

talked about, and
it's a perfect time.

Everybody asks, what
would do you in the case

of a tie at Final Tribal.

We would have had
one had, as you said:

"You know what, I'm going
to keep Tai and get rid of Sarah."

We would have
had a tie, 5-5.

This is the rule.

This what would have
happened in a future season.

The person who was not in the tie...

We have Brad with five,
Tai with five.

Troyzan, you go to the jury and
decide the final vote.

So, Troyzan, in this case...

Troyzan, in this case, honestly,
back then, not watching the

show, when you
were in that moment,

who would you
have voted for?

I need to Tai, say it.

If it was Tai or Brad?

Brad.

All right, Culpepper.

So, Culpepper, I
bring this up because—

guys are— are making it
difficult to make this point.

But I believe the jury's
telling the truth.

And the reason
I'm bringing it up is

it shows how hard this game is.

You actually did play a game
good enough to win.

And one decision will haunt you.

- You made one wrong decision.
- Oh, no.

It will haunt you because I will
be saying to you all the time.

Anyway, that's how
tough this game is.

Let it go.

I'm moving on.

And it's not lost on me, Sarah,
that the— the— no, that the

nuanced way in which you
maneuvered that knowing what

needed to happen shows your
social play at work.

Brilliant.

Tai, why is this game so
hard for you emotionally?

- What is it?
- Oh, my god.

I think it's just in my nature.

It's so hard for me to...

it's easy to be nice and
kind and take care of people.

Brad does a lot at camp.

He cares for the camp
and everything else.

It's just, I don't know, I go
into this game.

I say it's a game.

I can...

Somehow out— I always get what
I want outside of the game,

I slowly can manipulate
people to get what I want.

Somehow, in this game,
it just seems bigger— I just —

But why is it emotional?

To Sarah's question, why do you
need to always be kind and nice?

If your friends gave you permission
to lie, would you be able to?

I give myself permission to lie.

I go to my heart instantly.

There are so many chances I feel
I should be playing the idol

and I don't because I feel
comfortable in the game.

I I know how the game is going.

and somehow... I don't know.

It is just really hard— it's
just not in my nature.

And I hope I grow from it
if you ever want me back—

I love hearing that.

Cirie, I have to go down to you.

We saw the reception you
received earlier.

Cirie, so, I think this is a question
I sincerely am interested in.

What do you think it is?

Like, I would always say about
you: "well, she's the woman who

got up off the coach," which
meant to me, you're the woman

who thought:
"could I do that?"

What do you think it is about you?

What do you represent?

You know, Jeff, I think that

because I have, like—
or I have had

so many insecurities about
myself— I'm my hardest critic.

And I don't come in to any
situation judging anyone because

who am I to judge anyone?

And I think because I am not up
here like a big athlete and I'm

not, like, a crazy challenge beast,

I'm more like
everybody else at home.

So I'm easy to relate to.

I'm not threatening to anyone.

What am I going to do, Jeff?

So you're saying you're
the every person in that sense?

Let's boil it
down to its essence.

There are people watching
right now, who have been watching

like you for years,
years and years.

Debating, I should do it.
I should try to do it.

They should absolutely do it, Jeff.

Do you remember the first time
you asked me that 12 years ago?

- Yes.
- I said stay on the couch.

Yeah.

Get off the couch and
go out and do it.

What does it make take?

What is the ingredient
for a good player?

Just philosophically.

You have to be able to
connect with people on

a general person-to-person level.

You have to listen

and hear what
these people have to say.

You have to learn
about their families.

You have to learn
about their fears.

You have to learn something
about these people

to relate to them.

If you can't relate to them,

it's like talking to a brick wall.

You're never going
to get their vote.

All right, well, we have a
lot to talk about tonight.

Including one of the biggest
moments in any season of Survivor.

It made news around the world.

People are still talking about it.

I think it's fair to say it was
a cultural milestone when Zeke

was outed as being transgender.

Why haven't you told anyone
you're transgender?

Zeke and Jeff Varner are next.

I didn't wanna be like
the trans Survivor player.

I wanted to be Zeke the
Survivor player.

- And you are.
- I feel like I am.

Well, it was one of the
biggest game-changing moves

of all time on
any show anywhere

and it became a worldwide
cultural moment.

It started so many
conversations.

It brought awareness to what
it is to be transgender.

I'm still hearing from families
who said it gave them an

opportunity to talk to
their kids about it.

And every single person agrees
on one thing and that is how

amazing Zeke was in the moment.

So...

Zeke, I know— I know this isn't— even
though you're being celebrated,

it's not something you celebrate.

But take us back to that moment
just in terms of what was

happening for you emotionally
as it was unfolding.

Right, well I was really scared.

Because I didn't know what was
going to happen to my world.

I didn't know what the
reaction was going to be.

And you're growing
up in Oklahoma,

I didn't always have a
lot of friends.

And even throughout my lives,
people haven't always stuck by

my side through the hard times.

But what this experience has
shown me is I have so much

love in my life.

My friends are here tonight, and
they were with me that night.

And my friends are a big part of
my family, and I did not get

through this without them.

- So you watched with them at home.
- Yeah, I did.

And I never felt as
loved as I do right now.

You know, one of the
most challenging moments for me

was telling people that the
metamorphosis moment

wasn't scripted.

This is an unscripted show.

Because it was such an amazing
moment for you to grab that word

and pull it into the
conversation.

So what, in terms of
metamorphosis, what has this

experience— where
are you now with it?

Yeah, well, I...

So...

When I transitioned, I was hit
with a pretty big bad of

depression, like a
lot of people are.

And I— I almost failed out of
Harvard, I was living at home.

I was alone, I was pretty hopeless.

And started watching Survivor.

And I binged 20 seasons,
and it took me away.

I got to go on adventures with
Ozzy and Cirie and Sandra.

And it got me through.

And slowly I put my
life back together.

But there was something missing,
a courage and boldness.

And something inside of me knew
I had to go play Survivor.

And I found that courage
and boldness in Fiji.

I found it on the beaches.

And in so many ways Survivor
has given me my life back.

But you know, Sarah, the
other hand—at least for me,

when I was watching it, the
other necessary half of the

equation for change to happen is

what you said which is: "here I
am, somebody from the midwest,

not exposed to this,"
and I see you as Zeke,

and I love you as Zeke.

What was the reaction
to your friends

when they saw how you
had handled it?

Right, so, I was a
little nervous how my

state would react to it.

And everybody's been so positive.

And, you know, I talked to my
dad about it, before the show happened.

And he was like; "you know, I'm
so proud of the way that you

handled it."
And then

my grandmother was the one that I
was really concerned about.

And when we got out here,

well, first of all, when voted
Zeke out, she scolded me for it.

She says:
"he gave you his jacket!"

And I'm like: "I know, but" —

- So they were accepting.
- Yeah, absolutely.

And when she got out here, he
was the one person she wanted to

meet and she got to
meet him yesterday.

Oh, nice.

Well, Zeke, since then.

Man your world— you have been
writing— one thing you have

been writing a lot for the
"Hollywood Reporter."

Yes, I love to write.

There is so much from this
experience that I want to share it.

There's a great team at the
"Hollywood Reporter."

It's been incredible
and I'm so thankfull

for the platform
they've given me.

And you're working
with another platform, Glad.

Yes, I partnered with Glad,
particularly Nick Adams of the

director of the transgender
media program.

At the core of Glad's philosophy
is authentic L.G.B.T.Q.

representation accelerates
acceptance and saves lives and

that's why I'm so proud to be
part of Survivor and CBS

because you have always
empowered me to speak

authentically and to tell my
story on my own terms.

And I feel like all partnership is
the model for how trans stories

should be approached in want
media going forward.

You know, I loved that— because
I feel a little bit for you that

there's this pressure of
expectation which I know you're

taking care of and
you're doing your part.

But I am glad to hear that
you're also using this

because you're a
great storyteller.

You're compelling, that's why
we put you on the show.

So I'm glad you are giving
yourself permission to pursue

your own personal dreams and not
feel limited to having to talk

about this all the time.

So if this is a perfect world,
before we get to Jeff,

in a perfect world,
what comes from this?

Well, I think for me, I felt
that I was somehow limited

because I was trans.

That there were things
I couldn't do.

And I don't' believe
that anymore.

So that shattered that for me.

There were dreams they buried
that I think are alive again.

And I also don't want any young
trans person to believe they are

in any way limited.

And in the meantime, the journey
might be harder, but the

adventure is so worth taking.

Awesome, great, I love that.

Okay, so the other person in this
cultural moment was Jeff Varner,

who took a lot of heat,
deservedly so.

But since the episode, Jeff, you
have been really public in

- owning your mistake.
- Yeah.

You made a post on
your Facebook page,

I think where you talked about it.

We all know what the
reaction was that night.

I'm curious, what has the
reaction meant to you since

people have seen
you saying: "I am sorry.

I shouldn't have done it."

How are they receiving you?

Well, this has been a very
difficult situation for both of

us, and I don't ever want to
talk about my journey without

acknowledging the in fact that
the real victim in this

situation is Zeke.

It's about him.

This has been very difficult.
I got hit hard.

We knew we would.

You told me: "I would prepare
yourself" and it was really ugly

for a period of time.

But then it changed.

And I was told the way I
reacted and the way I handled it,

I've always been taught to
stand up and admit your mistakes

and own them and turn them into
something positive, and I did

that every minute
of every day, and—

I've heard that from everybody.

So what do you do with that?

As much as he is happy about
the love in his life, I am

thrilled with the support in
mine, and it will ultimately be

a very good thing.

I got a new job.
I got fired.

Cowardly, I like to say.

But Keller Williams, the number
one real estate agency in the

country hired me and
I'm so proud of them.

Business has been great,
and all fantastic.

I love that, Jeff, well handled.

Well, thank you very much.

It was— it was...

very hard transition
to make this one

because that was
powerful and amazing.

This was tiny but interesting.
It was a little moment.

You might have seen it in
last week's episode.

Take a look.

This is a Survivor classic,
last won by Cochran.

Set a record.
17 minutes.

My boyfriend.

Got a little crush.

This could be the beginning of a
little Survivor love affair.

Break this record,
you might win his heart.

Could we have a new Survivor couple?

Plus, she rubbed a lot of people
the wrong way, Michaela did.

She immature or just
misunderstood?

She's one of my favorites,
Michaela.

Next.
We'll be right back.

I'll circle back.

Welcome back to the Survivor live
reunion show for Game Changers.

It's okay, Aubry.

This isn't a big thing but I just
want to say that you brought it up.

I didn't say anything.
You were tweeting about Cochran.

And I know you have a boyfriend,
but is this— what is this, a tv crush?

What is this?

I was crestfallen when Debbie
goes and steals my man,

but everyone has
a crush on Cochran.

Like, who doesn't?
You do.

I have a Cochran crush.
That's true.

Okay, fair enough.

Ah, where is Sandra?
Sandra.

This—

This game, it seems
so easy for you.

It's really just a simple question.

Is it as easy as it appears?

It's a job to me.

I have 39 days to go get my
million dollars,

and I'll do whatever to whoever...

to get to the end.

That's my job.

Michaela.

What advice— I watched
you play twice.

I love you.

I know how caring and
empowering are you about

all these things that other
people are going: "Michaela?

you're talking about Michaela?"

So watching yourself
now back to back,

what advice do
you give to Michaela?

My advice to me is recognize
that the outplay part of the

game is not just a physical thing.

It's about responding to the
situation you're put in,

game, and learning how to do it
with grace, with style, with

finesse, when you need to, and
in your face when you need to,

but without isolating yourself.

Did you find that
million dollar—

You were so blinded by rage,

literally, as a metaphor,
you didn't see a

million-dollar opportunity.

I'm checking the stump right now.

Sierra, question.

I got this question a lot.

- I have two quick questions for you.
- Okay.

We're live, we're
running out of time but

why— like, you tell Sarah:
"I have a Legacy Advantage."

And everybody goes:
"Why did you tell her!"

Why do you guys feel the need at
times to share the most

important thing in the
game, information?

Right, at that point made the biggest
mistake you could make in

Survivor, and I went with my heart.

I was sitting with her.
I was being honest with her.

I was being vulnerable with her.

I had just seen my father, and I
was in a weird place and I thought

I could be honest with somebody
I thought I was aligned with.

So it's ultimately trust.

I trust her, at 100%.

Malcolm, when you come
out and do everything you

have to do to get into this game
and you're blindsided in a crazy

Tribal, honestly, how hard is it
to recover from that?

You cry for a few days.

No, we've all done this before.

We know how unpredictable it can be.

All the winners are sitting in
the back group this season.

But that's part reason
why we love playing it.

It's that much fun, it's why millions
of people love watching it.

And that's why 17 years later

it's still the greatest
thing on television.

Ozzy.

As we go to break, you
seemed to really be a

great spokesperson in terms of
whether or not you guys like the

new tribal format, the q & a.

You know what?
I think Survivor

is such a beautiful
microcosim for the world.

And we all come together.

And the game-changing
theme for the Tribal Council,

to have this open forum, to bring us
together, to really express

these ideas, these
different ideas and bring our

different walks of life.

It's a beautiful microcosm, and
I think it's really amazing that

it allowed us to actually choose

the right person
that won, Sarah.

And it's a microcosm for the
rest of world that we all need

to unite as a people
to change the way

the United States is going.

And we need to
make better decisions

on how the United States is run.

All right, well on that note!

As one season ends, there's only
one question to ask,

"What's next?"

We'll show you, be right back.

Take a look in what we are
doing next season.

For our 35th season,

Survivor returns to one of the
most beautiful places on earth:

Fiji.

And for the first time ever,
we'll divide the tribes based on

the positive traits most often
associated with them by others.

Heroes.

They are heralded for their
courage, their achievements and

ideals for which they stand.

Serve to my country
is in our family blood.

To be a marine is honor,
courage, and commitment.

Your job is to serve the country
and protect the country.

You're not looking for praise

for what you done
and who are you.

You're just doing your job.

Being a life guard, when you
run in the water to save

someone's life, your adrenaline
is going, your heart is pumping.

But out here here
it's either sink,

swim, or get out of the ocean.

For the first time in my life
I'm going to let people sink.

And I'm not going
to take any mercy.

Healers, they receive
gratitude for their acts

of service and helping people
heal their emotional and

physical pain.

I'm a surgeon that deals with
a stressful situation

on a daily basis.

So when you put me in a
situation like, this I'm not

going to freak out.

I'm going to come in here with
surgical expertise and carve my

way up to the top.

Physical therapy is very giving,

and it's about other people.

This is a very selfish game, so
it's time to be selfish and any

opportunity to show I'm tougher
than you, stronger than you,

smarter than you, I'm all for it.

Hustlers, they are
respected for their work ethic,

get it done no matter what.

They stop at nothing
to achieve their goals.

I'm a personal assistant.

I do anything and everything,
and there's a lot of stuff in

Survivo that you have to do
that you normally don't want to

be doing but you
gotta get it done.

And I'm used to doing the job
that nobody else wants to do.

Working as a bellhop, I'm 125
pounds soaking wet.

It's so tough, but I'm more
athletic than I look, and I go

to sleep thinking about Survivor

and now I'm ready.

I love turtlenecks, I don't drink
and I don't have a girlfriend.

Come on, who wants
to align with me?

Three very different
approaches to life.

Once again will be tested

in the greatest social
experiment on television.

It's Survivor: Heroes versus
Healers versus Hustlers.

CBS, this fall.

We'll be right back with Survivor:
Game Changers live reunion show.

It is Survivor live reunion show.

Jeff Varner you said something
to me during the break

you wanted to add.

I have been living
in shame for a year

and I just came through it and
I'm a happy person.

There's a book I'm working on
titled "Surviving Shame"

and you gets the first copy.

I love that.

I have been in shame many times.

All right, in this
aventure, all of it,

everything we talked
about in the last 34 seasons

seemed fun and you
want to play Survivor,

Proceeds go to
stand up to cancer.

Yeah, kick in that music, because
I want to say this from my heart.

Thank you for your loyalty!

Thank you for staying with us!

We love our jobs,
and we'll continue to try

to give you great
Survivor seasons.

Good night!