The Survivor casting department did a killer job with season 48, giving us an awesome group of memorable players from the very first episode.
And while every castaway of Survivor 48 has made the game one for the books with history-making drama, blindsides, social connections, and physical displays, there are definitely some that stand out more than others.
But with that being the case, there are also some players who are sneaking in the shadows, building resumes behind their shield allies that might win them the game.
Mary Zheng
Not only is Mary the last remaining member of the original Vula tribe, but she is also the only player wearing green who was never talked about as an option after the tribe switch. She's managed to use her social abilities to connect with former Civa and Lagi members while strategically distancing herself from both Cedrek McFadden and Sai Hughley, two players who felt aligned with her but whom everyone else saw on the outs.
As the sole player with no original tribe connections, Mary is in the perfect swing spot. People are going to want to recruit her for a big move, and she has a lot of power in this game. If she keeps her demeanor cool and learns how to whisper in the ears of the brawnier players—making them believe plays are actually their ideas rather than hers—then she can build up a resume and a pathway to the end with a jury already forming in her favor.
Star Toomey
Star began the game on the outs of the Lagi tribe, but a consistent win pattern followed by a tribe switch that altered her game from defense to offense has landed her in a pretty good place. She's formed connections with people who previously wanted to get her out and has proven that she can be a physical threat in challenges, but she also knows when to save her energy.
If she stays bold, but not overbearing, she could be a player others want to stay connected to due to the goodwill she bestows on her fellow castaways. She literally gave Eva Erickson an idol. If that's not the definition of someone people are going to underestimate, I don't know what is. But because of that move, everyone's forgetting that she still found an idol and used it to form alliances with people. She's a threat and no one's going to see it until it's too late.
Kamilla Karthigesu
Everyone on the Niu Nai tribe is worried about Eva and Joe Hunter's alliance when they should really be worried about Kyle Fraser and Kamilla's. But because of Kamilla's brilliance, no one even knows just how deep their partnership runs and how powerful Kamilla's influence on the game has been so far.
She is no doubt the smartest people in the game right now and I already fully admit to underestimating her at the start, predicting she'd be the first Civa sent home. Now? She's managed to read every single other person on that beach and knows exactly how to play them, but her casual sweetness causes everyone to turn a blind eye to what she's capable of.