Survivor 48 Finale Recap: And The Winner Is...
Survivor fans: Let's have a round of applause for your newest winner!
Season 48 came to a (literal) fiery finish Wednesday when Joe, Eva and Kyle secured their spots in the Final 3 and pleaded their case to a jury of fallen comrades. Each finalist certainly had a valid argument to make on why he or she should become the Sole Survivor. Eva overcame so many odds (especially with her neurodiversity), trusting the right people and banking on that social capital. Joe played a loyal and honest game, walking in the footsteps of previous winners like Ethan Zohn and Tom Westman. Plus, four immunity wins against a bunch of twenty- and thirty-somethings? Respect. As for Kyle, he kept his real allegiance a secret for the entire game, wheeling and dealing in order to keep himself and Kamilla safe. Exhibits A and B: The Thomas and Shauhin vote-outs.
So who walked away with the most jury votes, the title of Sole Survivor and a check for $1 million? Let's review the highlights from the XXL Survivor 48 finale!
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK | Minutes into the Final 5 immunity challenge, Kamilla seemed out of it, completely trapped in a twisted rope crawl from hell. But Jeff kept telling her to "dig deep," urging her to keep fighting, and you know what? He's right. This is why you never give up on Survivor! Joe beasted his way through all of the challenge's obstacles, but couldn't make any headway on the puzzle, allowing all four of his competitors to catch up. Eva even had an advantage in the challenge! She was able to walk right up and drop a ball into a basket, saving her valuable seconds or minutes in the middle of the course. But once last-place Kamilla got to the flame puzzle, it was all over. She kicked it into high gear and secured her spot in the Final 4. And made it look like a cakewalk, too! Her family thought she'd be voted out first? They've gotta be eating crow now.
ODE TO MITCH | I have to be honest, my friends. My heart breaks for Mitch, who fell just short of making the Final 4. He may not have won any individual immunities, but he was consistently in the front of the pack during competitions. And the fact that the entire cast loves the guy speaks volumes, and his warm heart completely shined through the TV screen all season long. Props to Kamilla for being honest with him. She didn't want to sit next to him at the final Tribal. No one wanted to! Mitch also said, "I should've made a move!" Yeah, bud. You should've. But it's still sad to see ya go.
KAMILLA'S TRUTH BOMB | Our girl ain't no dummy! She knew that if she sat next to Kyle in the Final 3, the similarities of their games would split the votes. (coughEVAANDJOEcough...) Her best shot at winning this game? Not sitting next to Kyle in the end. She told her No. 1 this truth flat-out ahead of the last immunity challenge, and he respected her for voicing it out loud, saying he's been feeling the same way. Kamilla's plan: Put Kyle up against Joe in the fire-making challenge if she wins that final immunity. Unfortunately for her, she was terrified of the challenge ahead: Simmotion, a Survivor classic that originated during the Tocantins season. Kyle won the immunity necklace, and now the very person Kamilla just told she'd throw into fire had all the power. Rough stuff.
FIRE-MAKING | Kyle thought he had an easy decision in the bag. Kamilla vs. Eva. He didn't want to give Joe the chance to shine in front of the jury. Let the two women go at it and may the best woman win, he thought. But really, he was banking on Eva dealing with his huge Kamilla problem. But after Eva struggled while practicing her skills, she had another episode out in the jungle. Joe calmed her down and begged her to let him take her place. She refused. She knew she had to do it on her own, to prove to herself and show others with autism that anything was possible. It was the right choice! Her fight is impressive, even if she did seemingly eat a full meal every day. (Why did EVERYONE take her on reward this season?!)
Kyle genuinely felt bad about his decision, telling the camera that he was considering throwing himself in to battle Kamilla. We even saw him start to practice his own fire-making! But in the end, Kyle remained seated with safety, and though Eva's flame came and went, she was able to revive it and send Kamilla straight to Ponderosa.
FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL | Big questions and even bigger reveals! Eva's getting her doctorate? Kyle's a lawyer?! Hey, now! But as the Final 3 began to explain their journeys to the end, Kamilla set Kyle up for the ultimate alley-oop, giving him the floor to explain what really went down behind-the-scenes of that Shauhin vote. Kyle articulated his answers very well, but I was surprised he only touched upon some of the things he and Kamilla got away with. Perhaps some of his points ended on the cutting room floor? Like when Eva claimed she and Joe were the best duo of the season. We saw Kyle's counterpoint — that he thought he and Kamilla were the season's best duo — but I was really waiting for him to stick it to them there. Go big! Throw in some more humblebrags about working in the shadows with his partner-in-crime! But heck, what do I know? Whether more was said that fateful night in the Fijian jungle is moot because Kyle didn't need all that extra flair. Probst read the votes on location, and Kyle became the Sole Survivor by a vote of 5-2-1. (Read our Q&A with Kyle here, and stay tuned for our interview with Kamilla!)
Be sure to visit TVLine tomorrow for our exit interviews, but in the meantime, we want to hear what you thought about Season 48's big finish. So vote in the polls below and for the last time this season, go full tilt boogie in that comments section!