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 finale episode.
Top 3 Moments
Eva “Secures” an Advantage
Christine: We’ve come to expect a challenge advantage scramble at the final five in every New Era season, and Survivor 48 was no different. Eva solved the puzzle, which was almost exactly the same as this season’s pre-merge idol hunt, by guessing the correct word “SECURE.” The advantage didn’t change the outcome of the challenge, though, with Kamilla coming from behind to win immunity in a stunning comeback.
Kyle and Kamilla “Break Up”
Gia: While Joe and Eva spent the final four round further solidifying their duo, Kyle and Kamilla were thinking about their individual games. Kamilla told Kyle before the immunity challenge that she felt her best chance at winning the game was to not sit next to him in the final three, and Kyle agreed. This would lead Kyle, who won the Simmotion challenge, to put her and Eva into firemaking, which Kamilla would ultimately lose. Despite this effectively being the end of their alliance, it was not the end of the respect they had for one another. In fact, Kamilla’s voice as the final juror would prove to be instrumental in the eventual outcome of Survivor 48.
The True Dynamic Duo is Revealed
Gia: All season, we had been hearing about the strength of the Joe and Eva duo, which was presumably leading to one of them winning the entire thing. That ended up not happening. So why was Kyle the one to come out victorious? Joe and Eva’s loyalty to one another surmounted what Kyle and Kamilla feared for themselves; their games became indistinguishable from one another. As Kyle said, while Joe and Eva were indeed the most public duo, Kyle and Kammila were the most strategic and, as a result, the most successful duo of the season. With Kamilla on the jury and Kyle as a finalist, the pair was able to accomplish one last heist together and secure Kyle enough votes to become 48’s Sole Survivor. If that doesn’t solidify them as the best duo of the season, then I don’t know what does.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Gia: Eva played her idol for herself at the final five as promised. With the Mitch vote being fairly straightforward, there was little fanfare with her decision or with the outcome of the final five tribal council as a whole.
The Final Five
Kyle
Gia: From the very first episode, Kyle stuck out as one of the players to watch for potential winners. Despite the narrative suggesting a Joe or Eva win, he proved that the strategic components of the game are still alive and well when it comes to deciding a winner. He stood out as a player who stuck to his morals while recognizing that this was a game for a million dollars. The signs of his excellence in the game showed as early as the premiere when he was a good sport to Kevin after losing the supplies challenge to him, but his idol gambit in episode four was by far one of, if not the, best episode of the season.
While his game appeared to be more stagnant once the merge hit, it can’t be denied that he set up the boot order to be most advantageous to him, and him alone. It was not a coincidence that he made it to the final three, but rather the result of his own outwitting, outplaying, and outlasting his adversaries. He and Kamilla were truly the best parts of this season for me, and I’m ecstatic to watch it result in his win—a huge congratulations to Kyle, the winner of Survivor 48.
Eva
Christine: I’ll give Eva this: she had a very strong final tribal performance, making all the necessary arguments to support her game, including pulling out the Safety Without Power, much like Maryanne pulled out her idol on 42. Eva, like Joe, had an uphill battle against Kyle. He had the element of surprise by being able to reveal shocking game-related developments they never found out about, and he had the benefit of his game standing out more against two very similar players and playstyles. Eva and Joe played a great game to get to the end, but the game they played is a game that works great on a season with a Final Two, and not so much with a Final Three. Had we not done away with Final Twos, Eva would have won decisively against Joe. But in this Final Three timeline, she made a great case for herself, but it wasn’t enough against Kyle’s shock and awe.
Joe
Christine: Joe was my pre-season winner pick, but he ended up being one of our losing finalists. His final tribal performance was rough; you can see the light start to leave his eyes as he realizes how much Kyle kept from him and Eva and how little of a shot he had at winning. Compared to Eva, who at least had some advantages and fire-making to distinguish her game, Joe didn’t have too much he could talk about here other than staying loyal to Eva. Especially once the truth behind the Shauhin vote was revealed, there was no coming back from that blow for Joe. With Joe returning for Survivor 50, I’m hopeful he’ll take an entirely different approach. He showed a lot of promise as a social player early this season with his ability to form genuine connections, so I hope he makes good use of his return by allowing himself to play a more dynamic game.
Kamilla
Christine: With two late-game immunity wins, Kamilla proved herself to be not only a competent strategist but also a solid challenge performer despite the odds stacked against her. She perhaps should have waited until after the final immunity challenge results to tell Kyle they should split up before the final four, but she was absolutely correct that the best shot at one of them winning was if only one of them was there. It’s just unfortunate for Kamilla that she wasn’t the one to win immunity out of the two of them, and her firemaking skills just weren’t enough to take out Eva. With both Kyle and Kamilla returning for 50, I worry about her ability to survive, given that this season and their duo will be so fresh in everyone’s minds. But hopefully, on 50, Kamilla will be able to play a much more fluid game than she had room to play in this overall disappointing season.
Mitch
Gia: Unfortunately for Mitch, his placement is the result of doing too little for too long. Despite his multiple chances to turn the tide in his favor, he chose to wait for a more ideal opportunity that never came. This is not to take away from the highs of his game, of which there were many. He was an instrumental component to his original tribe’s successes, and his bonds with Charity and Cedrek, in particular, were incredibly heartwarming to watch. Had he made it to the end, I think he would’ve been a force to be reckoned with regarding the jury. Still, there is plenty for him to celebrate, and 5th place is a huge feat in its own right.
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