Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 48 as they list their top moments in various important categories. This includes the most essential information, the stand-out castaways, and the key moments from the week.
Here, Christine and Gia break down all the action from the latest episode.
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Top 3 Moments
Sai’s Rogue Vote
Gia: If you watched the goodbye message last episode, you already know that Sai was the rogue vote for Cedrek last tribal council. Her reasoning? She just wanted to get her lick back at Cedrek, who had voted for her twice in the episode where Justin was sent home. She even made it a point to write his name in cursive so he wouldn’t recognize her handwriting. It was a hilarious segment and made me even more devastated to know that we will not get more of this dynamic duo.
Double Tribal Council
Christine: Oh, we’re really doing this again? Okay. As we’ve come to expect in the New Era, our newly-formed merged tribe was instantly split into two groups, with both groups going to tribal to vote someone out. Jeff brought back the Gabler hero challenge from 43, with Joe and David breaking his record to secure individual immunity for themselves. With David outlasting Joe, Sai didn’t make the jury when she was voted out at the first tribal, and Cedrek became our first jury member when he was voted out at the second. I’ve said time and time again how much I hate this twist. Players always make the “safest” choice when forced into smaller groups, leading to predictable votes that don’t give us much perspective on the actual merge tribe dynamics. It’s boring, it’s a waste of time, and you need to let it go, Jeff!
Chrissy Isn’t Buying It
Gia: With all of the talk of honor and integrity going on in the merge, many viewers have been hopeful that some detractors will appear in the mix. One unexpected hero amongst them is Chrissy, whose edit has been relatively quiet until now. She made her stance clear: Anyone who believes you never have to lie in Survivor is full of themselves. She even went so far as to admit this at tribal, which was met with mixed reactions from her peers. I never thought we would have to have this debate in the 48th season of Survivor, but here we are. To be perfectly frank, I am 100% on Chrissy’s side, as her way of thinking is more in line with what makes the show so great. However, some thoughts should be inside ones, and I worry that her admission could make her a target down the line.
Advantage Watch
Vote Block
Gia: After weeks of wondering if and how Mitch would use his vote block, we finally have an (albeit unsatisfying) answer. Rather than attempt to turn the tides against the majority alliance, he decided to block Sai’s vote, which in turn also prevented her from potentially using her Shot in the Dark. Sai was, in turn, voted out unanimously as a result.
Idols
Christine: Eva’s still got her idol, and with the Strength and Honor alliance protecting her for now, she’s probably protected enough to where she won’t need it next round. But if this alliance crumbles and turns on each other, you can bet Eva is going to become a massive target with her idol.
Top 3 Players
Mitch
Christine: After being left out of the Charity vote, Mitch came into this episode knowing he was on the outs. He’s not out of the woods yet. Joe, in particular, noted how big of a threat he thinks Mitch is, although apparently not big enough of a threat to be included in the Strength and Honor alliance. Mitch used his vote block to prevent Sai’s Shot in the Dark from potentially sending him out of the game on a revote, which was certainly a “safe” move to help him get through this uncertain phase of the game. Mitch needs to hope that the Strength and Honor alliance starts breaking down ASAP, because otherwise, he might be the next head on the chopping block.
Shauhin
Gia: Shauhin is in quite an interesting spot. While he knew he would be the backup vote for Cedrek, I’m not sure if he’s fully aware yet just how hard Kyle and Kamilla were trying to get him out. He survived this round, but I worry for his sake that he will be the first scapegoat of the honor and integrity alliance. I’m also not sure what his gameplay will look like moving forward, as he doesn’t seem completely on board with the majority alliance, but has not mentioned if he has any plans to stop it. All in all, he’s proven to be an intriguing character with a lot of potential to be great. I just hope he actually does something with the momentum he’s been given.
Kamilla
Christine: This was a quieter episode from Kamilla, but that’s not a bad thing. Aside from her and Kyle’s plan to frame Shauhin for finding an idol (which I suspect we’ll be hearing about again soon), Kamilla has had a quieter past couple of episodes. Her best bet is to stay close to Kyle and have him protect her from inside the Strength and Honor alliance, and then be a number for him to flip on that alliance when the time comes. It’s a great position for her to be in: she hopefully has protection from the next couple of votes from Kyle’s influence inside the alliance, and she’ll be in a position of power when that alliance implodes. As long as she can survive the next few rounds, Kamilla has a very good shot at making it all the way to the end.
Fallen Comrades
Sai
Christine: Sai was obviously one of our main characters this season, which makes losing her pre-jury all the more bizarre. Her relationships with Cedrek and Mary seemed among our season’s most important dynamics, and those storylines just ended with no satisfying resolution. Sai came into this game ready to play and play hard, and she didn’t care what others thought about her approach to the game. Judging by her confessional count, it’s clear production loved her even if she was divisive in-game and online, and I’m crossing my fingers we’ll see her on our TV screens again sooner rather than later.
Gia: Sai was undoubtedly the star of the first half of Survivor 48 (not to be confused with Star the player, who yes, is a star in her own right as well). She seemed to be the cat with nine lives, even tying the record with Rory Freeman for most consecutive tribal councils to receive a vote. Sai played hard regardless of her position, something I hope future players are inspired by when thinking about what they want their own games to look like. Above all else, what I will miss the most about Sai is that she was unapologetically herself, both in front of camera and her many wonderful social media posts. Sai had the time of her life on Survivor, and I had the time of my life watching her play. I will truly miss her for the rest of 48.
Cedrek
Christine: I thought Cedrek was a little boring in the pre-season, and boy was I wrong. He turned out to be one of the most fascinating players this season, was continually in a position of power in the pre-merge, and made fascinating game decisions with this power. He wasn’t necessarily playing a very coherent game, but his presence on the season really underscores the importance of not casting a bunch of superfan strategy nerds. Cedrek had a lot of power, and the decisions he made were filtered through his unique perspective on the game and his personal thought processes rather than what a strict strategist might view as the “optimal” strategic decision. I was really disappointed to see him voted out before we could see him try to navigate the merge, but at least we have him on the jury, where I hope he’ll end up being the swing vote at FTC so he can keep surprising us until the very end!
Gia: Cedrek was one of my favorite players to watch this season. Was his game perfect? Of course not, but I enjoyed his introspection of himself, his tribemates, and the game as a whole. A humble player who has been nothing but thankful for his Survivor experience, I believe that we should have more players like him on the show. Many have criticized his game, but he had to deal with so many more trials and tribulations in the earliest stages than his Lagi and Civa counterparts. In a season where players are emphasizing the importance of physical strength, it’s his social prowess in the pre-merge that kept me a fan of his from Day 1. His game is imperfect, much like we all are, much like the other players are, but he was just willing to admit that openly. Cedrek has made me a fan of his for life, and I am so sad to see him go. However, I am delighted at the idea that he has officially taken on the role of the Mayor of Ponderosa for Survivor 48.
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