Survivor 48: An Emotional Exchange Reduces Jeff Probst To Tears
Survivor's new era has been no stranger to emotional backstories and personal struggles, but for the first time in the show's history, our typically chipper emcee just couldn't contain his feelings.
Wednesday's episode delivered a powerful moment like never before, and no, I'm not talking about David going to town on the largest glass of cow juice Fiji could spare. (But seriously, WTF?) It all went down following another nail-biting immunity challenge finish, as the three tribes raced to complete a four-ball table maze to secure their safety in the game.
Vula finished first by a landslide, leaving Lagi and Civa on the battlefield. As per the rules, each tribe member was responsible for sinking one ball each, setting the stage for the ultimate showdown between Eva and Sai. As time went on, Eva — who had confided in her former tribemate Joe about her struggles with autism — began to panic and scream. "Why can't I do this?" she shouted to herself. The young woman was entirely overwhelmed and overstimulated, as her island father figure Joe looked on with pain in his eyes, knowing he couldn't do a gosh darn thing to alleviate the situation for her.
After a hard-fought battle, Eva won out. But as her fellow castaways showered her with hugs, she began to exhibit the exact signs she had warned Joe about: Heavy breathing, shaking, difficulty speaking. As Joe and Jeff locked in on Eva's episode, the host allowed Joe to go over and calm her down, just as Eva instructed him to do when she first confided in him. He hugged her, reminded her to slow her breathing and gripped her hands tight. He got her through her spell as everyone else watched on. We've never seen a moment quite like this on Survivor and we probably never will again. (I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING!!).
Once she collected herself, Eva revealed her secret to everyone, explaining how doctors told her parents that she'd never be able to live alone or hold a job, and at most, she'd be lucky to marry someone else with autism. As Jeff explained to her how sharing her story would help little boys and girls just like her, he himself started to lose it. "Wow, this has never happened," he choked through tears. Probst took a moment to collect himself, and honestly, we were right there with him.
To put herself on such a public stage and share her condition and story with the world was an incredibly brave thing to do, and what a touching, tear-inducing moment of television it was. And many kudos to Joe. The way he responded to Eva's needs and feelings, one could've thought he was actually the woman's real father.
But now that their close relationship is exposed, will it affect their games down the road? That is the question. (Read our Q&A with Joe about his connection with Eva here.)
ELSEWHERE IN THE JUNGLE:
* After Eva's huge immunity win, she cracked the code to Star's Beware Advantage. And then... Star gave her the friggin' idol! This, my friends, is what we call WINNING. (At least for this week.) What I fear is that post-merge, no one will want to sit next to her in the Final 3 (except for Joe, of course), and that could make her a big target moving forward.
* Poor Bianca. She thought she was sharing intel that would've earned her a long-term ally, but all it did was seal her fate and snuff her torch. Does she regret the move? Is she big mad at my boy, Cedrek? Read our latest exit interview to find out.
Now, you know what to do: Go full tilt boogie in the comments and tell us all of your thoughts about this jam-packed episode.