Survivor 48 | Ep. 5
POST-TRIBAL VULA - Night 9
Kyle and Kamilla have played Shauhin and Joe like a fiddle at Tribal and have a mini encore back at camp after Tribal. When I put on my body language doctor goggles, I feel like what Kyle and Kamilla did at Tribal broke Shauhin and Joe. Don’t forget, this was the California Girls’ first and only Tribal together and they got spanked like a misbehaving child in the 1950s. Shuhin is visibly distraught and Joe literally said “what now?” to Kyle and Kamilla which tells me, Joe is a tremendous human being, but not a very savvy Survivor strategist.
On the other hand, Kyle and Kamilla’s victory lap is earned. They totally outwitted Thomas, Shauhin and Joe. They follow it up by keeping the “distance between themselves” going and Kyle uses the greatest reasoning for why he played his idol and sent Thomas packing when he said that…
“…it looked like someone went through my bag…” - Kyle
Bravo! Well played Kyle and Kamilla. You may have unnecessarily burned Kamilla’s Extra Vote, but an A+ rating regardless.
REWARD CHALLENGE - Day 10
First piece of the reward challenge is Bianca’s reaction to seeing Thomas, aka her biggest ally at old LAGI, being voted out of the game. She was SHOCKED! She is already alone at new CIVA and now she is even more alone in entire game. My guess is she’s going to need to use this greater feeling of being alone in the game as motivation to “dig deep” and start anew. When Survivor gives you lemons you smash them up and make the best damn lemonade possible!
REWARD - Sanctuary equipped with pastries, doughnuts and ham and egg croissants. 2nd place - smaller version back at camp.
This challenge was creative and the blistering pace was exhilarating! I loved the sand bag toss to spin the targets revolving the corkscrew that released the balls. Wow, that was a crazy sentence haha. I loved the backyard game feel of bouncing the taped volleyballs into the net and then rolling them into a elevated divot. It felt like cornhole crossed with curling and shuffleboard aka the challenge creators were hanging at a bar and playing games and figured this challenge out.
In the end, David nails the 2nd and 3rd ball rolls to win a trip to the sanctuary and VULA gets their first reward with Kyle and Shauhin leading the way to ice the small reward victory.
CIVA got absolutely smoked and gets nothing as a reward, but maybe some reward in the bigger picture a la Sai’s choice of words both before the challenge when she decides to sit out and after losing.
“I’ve been in every single challenge and I would love to have a little break to be honest.” - Sai
She doubles down on opening her mouth and sticking her foot in it after the challenge when she calls out new LAGI for their celebration after winning. Sai, come on now. I think she didn’t need to say anything before nor after. Both comments only hurt her. The before comments came across as arrogant and painted her as a non-competitor or even ungrateful. Both are not good looks for you with your new tribe and the rest of the players in the game. Then, the after challenge comments came across as Charity pointed out under her breath as a sore loser. It’s something that simply doesn’t benefit Sai nor Sai’s game at all. I know Sai is playing all gas and no brakes, but this accident may not deploy an airbag for her.
CIVA - Day 10
Congrats to Bianca for recognizing the opportunity that Thomas’s exit provides her. I am flagging this moment for Bianca and her game. Plus, as she said, Thomas’s exit also lowers Bianca’s threat level at new CIVA.
Having said that, the coudegrad for Bianca is Sai’s comments at the challenge. It’s opened the door for Bianca with Mitch and Chrissy (old CIVA) because they don’t speak the language of Sai and her “I need a break” attitude.
Despite the arrows trending down on Sai’s standing in the tribe, she still has Cedrek to boss around. We know that Sai is going to pout, see only her own perspective, and play her game on her own terms. We know that Cedrek is likely to blindly follow Sai’s lead. However, if Sai is going to target Chrissy because she has pushed back on Sai’s aggression, then Sai better bring some fire power, and I’m talking advantages. I don’t think Bianca is going to take her free agent swing vote visit to Sai’s island and sign the dotted line anytime soon. Sai needs to smarten up or she’ll find herself on the wrong side of the votes.
SANCTUARY - Day 10
Sai’s comments at the challenge become the topic of conversation at the Sanctuary. The comments universally rubbed new LAGI the wrong way. Charity and David peg her as a “sore loser” and guess who benefits from Sai’s sore loserness?
Mary!
Sometimes in Survivor you don’t have to do anything but let others speak out and unravel who they are to let yourself take a leap forward in the good will of your tribe and the game as a whole. Mary literally bonds with her new tribe because she was happy when she finally won a challenge. Think about that. Mary being happy caused Sai to pout and as a result, Mary bonds with new LAGI more.
Sai’s stranglehold on the entire game keeps growing. It’s unbelievable how dominating her personality is.
VULA - Day 10
The vibes at VULA are pretty sweet as they are devouring their suitcase of pastries. The sweet taste of victory opens an opportunity for this tribe to bond over the hardships that their parents faced. Shauhin’s parents were refugees from the Iranian Revolution and his father fought against Iraq, Kamilla’s parents experienced Civil War in Sri Lanka based on differences in religious beliefs, Joe’s parents faced Jim Crow Laws as an interracial couple in the south. They connect deeply on sharing these stories over a meal. It’s amazing how one victory, one meal, and some deep gut-level conversation can connect people who just the night before couldn’t have appeared more disconnected.
That’s how ya do it on Survivor!
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 11
The challenge is a brutal one starting in the ocean pulling a boat to shore. Now being wet you have to lift the dead weight of the chest off the boat and onto a platform while being soaking wet. Next, is digging out a ditch to go under the log which causes your wet, tired, and fatigued body to have sand stick to every millimeter of surface area on you. Now covered in sand and looking like a chicken cutlet ready to be fried, you have to slow everything down and each tribe member has to navigate a ball on the table maze to victory.
VULA finally gets its first taste of victory by a landslide. This once distant tribe is now closer than ever as they avoid the green tribe from going to Tribal Council for the first time this season. The race for 2nd comes down to Eva (new LAGI) against Sai (new CIVA) with Eva finally landing the 4th ball and winning immunity for her tribe.
JOE AND EVA’S MOMENT
What happens next transcends the challenge, the game, and really Survivor as a whole. The most human moment in the history of show. In the wake of winning the challenge, Eva remains completely overstimulated and disregulated. She is visibly upset and can’t regulate herself.
The camera and editing keeps cutting back to Joe who has been watching and rooting for Eva the whole time, now growing ever more concerned. The look in his eyes is that of a father and firefighter who sees someone in distress and someone he knows how to rescue.
When Jeff gives the green light and Joe rushes to Eva, she does the same toward him. They embrace and in that moment he saves her. Joe does what Eva had trusted him to do and he puts out her fire. In this moment it’s so far beyond the game that I actually forgot the game was going on. The moment was too powerful, too pure, and too human, that no trace of the game Survivor could be found.
As I wipe away the tears, Jeff asks Joe to reflect on what happened. Joe, true to his character reveals that he doesn’t care how it makes him look because he sees in Eva his own daughter and that she needed help, and when someone needs help, Joe answers the call. It’s an incredible moment.
Then, Jeff asks Eva about what happened and on national television, in front of millions watching at home, and with $1,000,000 at stake, Eva tells her story about having autism. Her vulnerability is unprecedented and her ability to articulate, so eloquently, her autism and what was going on in that moment was simply incredible.
The moment brought me to tears, the other players to tears, and our faithful leader Jeff to tears. Jeff captured with his questions and his tears how transcendent the moment was and how transcendent Survivor is in 2025. But, as they say, the show must go on, and Jeff brings us all back to the game by dismissing VULA and LAGI back to camp and reminding us that CIVA will be headed to Tribal. He does it because he has to. He’s the leader of the tribe and we thank him for leading us through this memorable moment.
LAGI - Day 11
Back at LAGI, we feel the ripple effects of Eva sharing her story, immediately! The conversation is different. The perspective of every member of LAGI is different. The vibe is different and I don’t think people know how to bounce back from the moment.
The purity and vulnerability in Eva’s words pierced through the other players and most of all, Star. In talking with Eva about what she said, Star shares her connection to autism with having relatives on the spectrum and then reveals to the tribe that she has the Beware Advantage. This is where the plot thickens. The human moment has effected others, rightfully so, but to such a level that it has completely changed how people are playing their game. In revealing this, Star is admitting to her tribe or at least to Eva, that she doesn’t want to lie or deceive anymore. That’s why she spills the beans. Well, that and she can’t open the scroll.
So what happens next?
Ripple effect two. The new LAGI bonds like an original tribe would by finding the clues around camp and culminating with Eva breaking the code with “SILENT”. She opens the scroll revealing the idol and the tribe rejoices once again.
So what happens next?
Ripple effect three. In this moment, Star gives the idol to Eva! That’s right, Star gives the Immunity Idol to Eva. In that moment, season 48 has entered into a new phase leaving the previous one we knew for 4 episodes behind.
CIVA PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE - Day 11
I needed Bianca to remind me that she lost her vote. In a tribe of 5, every vote matters, and Bianca not having a vote, is a HUGE monkey wrench in the whole situation. Sai wants to vote Chrissy. Chrissy and Mitch want to vote Sai. Cedrek is likely voting Chrissy to obey Sai. That leaves Bianca trying to play the middle and facilitate a 2-2 split vote between Sai and Chrissy so her no vote actually keeps her safe.
I think it’s a good strategy because Bianca would be safe and then she can ask forgiveness after the blood is spilled at this vote. Makes sense right?
Or…
She can pull Cedrek aside and TELL HIM THAT SHE LOST HER VOTE AND LEAVE THE FATE OF THE VOTE IN CEDREK’S HANDS! And Cedrek isn’t in the operating room here folks. His hands are shaky. They have been shaky this whole game and they continue to be in this moment that Bianca hitches her wagon to Cedrek by sharing this information.
My read on Cedrek is he’s a fish out of water, again! The news of Bianca not having a vote right before Tribal is throwing him. Once again, the power of the vote will lie in Cedrek’s hands. If he votes Sai, she’s out. If he votes Chrissy, it could become a repeat of the Justin vote.
PREDICTION: Cedrek pulls the trigger on Bianca, not Sai, and she wishes she never told him her secret.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 11
The vibe at this Tribal is shaky. This tribe is newly formed and has three people.- Bianca, Chrissy, Mitch - at Tribal for the first time. the obvious topics of how the tribe swap left them with a 2-2-1 split makes it easy to vote Bianca out or leaving her as the obvious swing vote.
Also, because Sai and Cedrek have been to Tribal three times before, it feels like two veterans who know where the bodies are buried in this game are with some newbies who will be drawing first blood.
VOTES
Bianca - 2
Sai - 1
Chrissy - 1
Bianca’s BRUTAL exit has me thinking that every single old school fan of the show (and new school too) saying KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!! The new era has been defined by these kinds of mistakes from players. I feel like I write this every season and even the knowledge is power advantage wasn’t enough of a reminder for players to hold onto that power.
Instead, tonight we add Bianca’s name to the list of new era players who failed to understand that knowledge and information is power in this game. Could Cedrek and Chrissy still have voted for Bianca and those 2 votes would be enough to oust her anyway? Of course. But I got to believe that Bianca’s misstep of sharing with Cedrek that she lost her vote, gave all her power away to Cedrek, and he used it to simply further his game and keep Sai around. Kudos to Cedrek for putting Bianca’s name down and being on the right side of the votes.
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