‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’: Fans Are Loving Sarah Lacina’s Hilarious Antics This Season
Even though police officer Sarah Lacina pulled off a dominating victory in Survivor: Game Changers, many complained she was a “boring” winner. The Game Changers champ returned for Winners at War and noted she’s “having the most fun” in her Survivor history, and fans are loving it.
Sarah Lacina on ‘Survivor’
Five years ago, Iowa-based cop Sarah Lacina made her Survivor debut on the 28th season, Cagayan, as a part of the Brawn tribe. After realizing Tony Vlachos also worked as a police officer, they formed a Cops-R-Us alliance.
Once the tribes merged, Lacina believed she was the swing vote between the new tribes. However, after her inability to choose a side, Tony’s tribe, with the help of Kass McQuillen, who flipped, blindsided her that night at Tribal Council.
The police officer returned for the 34th season, Game Changers, and played a more aggressive game. She created close bonds with players, including Troyzan Robertson, successfully played a Steal-a-Vote and Legacy Advantage, and controlled much of the game by orchestrating several blindsides.
Her impressive performance in Game Changers earned her the victory in a 7-3-0 vote. Two years later, the Iowa-based cop came back for her third season, Winners at War.
Sarah Lacina returned for ‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’
The Game Changers champ returned to compete against 19 other former Sole Survivors for a shot at another title and a historic $2 million grand prize.
As a member of the dominating Dakal tribe, Sarah has only participated in two tribal councils so far. Even though she hangs around Kim Spradlin-Wolfe, Sophie Clarke, and Tyson Apostol, her primary allegiance lies with Cagayan tribemate, Tony, as they revived their Cops-R-Us alliance.
In Episode 3, Natalie Anderson sold Sarah a clue to a steal-a-vote advantage located on the other tribe. The police officer enlisted the help of her Cops-R-Us ally, and he helped camouflage her by rubbing dirt on her face.
Many fans fell in love with the moment, and showrunner and executive producer Jeff Probst called it one of his favorites from the season.
Fans are loving Sarah Lacina on ‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’
In Episode 4, Sarah and Tyson had a small segment that showcased their growing friendship. First, the Game Changers winner asked the Blood vs. Water champ to breathe on her so she could smell his “clam breath.”
Later in the episode, Kim admitted she was initially starstruck by some of the players she watched on the show growing up. Sarah jokingly thanked her, causing everyone to laugh because Kim competed four seasons before the police officer.
These moments and more are the reasons why several fans think Sarah is “more tolerable” this season and love watching the fun side of her personality.
Many fans believe the other exuberant characters in Cagayan “drowned her out” and think she received a “boring game bot” winner’s edit in Game Changers.
Others admitted they weren’t particularly excited for the police officer’s return but now believe, “Sarah 3.0 has been the best iteration of her yet.” Additionally, the Game Changers champ is consistently mentioned among the most entertaining characters and called a “great asset to the show this season.”
On top of that, Sarah came into the season with one of the biggest targets on her back as Michele Fitzgerald, Sophie, and Kim chose her as their first vote-out.
Despite this, Sophie and Kim hang out with Sarah often as the South Pacific champ taught the police officer how to french braid Tyson’s hair in a deleted scene, and Kim cried on Sarah’s shoulder when she started missing home.
Because Sarah is seemingly creating strong social bonds and avoiding anyone targeting her, many viewers think she might go all the way again. Watch Survivor 40: Winners at War Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
