Survivor 48 kicked off this week with an interesting new cast. There is an excellent mix of unique players this season. We're looking forward to seeing which of the Survivor 48 players will make it to the end. Within the first three days, personalities quickly emerged as players developed their strategies on the go.
After one episode, the Vula tribe appears to be the weakest of the three tribes, physically, and it’s not particularly close. That was clear during the first immunity challenge when they finished last.
Four Vula members, Sai Hughley, Justin Pioppi, Cedrek McFadden, and Kevin Leung, formed a tenuous early alliance. Sai tracked down a beware advantage and solved the puzzle to score a hidden immunity idol. The other remaining tribe members, Mary Zheng and Stephanie Berger, tried to pull Justin and Kevin into their plan to vote out Sai, but they chose to stay in their original alliance. Stephanie was voted out.
While it is still early, some players have already started to rub their tribemates the wrong way. Will these early first impressions carry over when it comes time to vote during episode two?
Mary Zheng
Tribe: Vula
Status: In danger of elimination
Mary was on the wrong side of the initial vote, and if her tribe loses again, she may be the odd person out. Kevin is the only other player on her tribe with whom she seems to have much of a connection, but he stuck to his original alliance for the first vote.
The wildcard in this tribe is Sai. Early on, she’s played harder than anyone else. She already has an idol that her alliance knows about. Her all-out playing style may rub her tribemates the wrong way. Still, with the idol, she would be safe the next time they go to tribal unless Vala pulls off a convincing blindside.
Star Toomey
Tribe: Lagi
Status: In danger of elimination
Star has already irked some of her tribemates by disappearing into the jungle by herself to look for an idol. While the Vula tribe actively sought an idol, most Lagi members seemed content to play a more laid-back game early, and some weren’t happy with Star.
She also hasn’t seemed to connect with as many other players as the rest of her tribe, which looks to be the strongest physically. The three men - Joe Hunter, Thomas Krottinger, and Shauhin Davari - clicked immediately. Thomas also connected with Bianca Roses, and Joe has formed a bond with Eva Erickson. Eva and Joe shared a touching moment when Eva confided in him about her autism and asked him to help if she were to become overwhelmed.
Charity Nelms
Tribe: Civa
Status: In danger of elimination
The Civa tribe appears to be one big happy family early on, but Charity tipped her hand to the fact she was already thinking about what would happen if Civa lost the immunity challenge. The problem is she admitted that to the one person in the tribe most likely to exploit that information, Kamilla Karthigesu.
Kamilla immediately told other tribemates that Charity had thrown out a name and firmly placed the target on the latter.
One other Civa member who could be at risk is Kevin Fraser. Kevin had a chance to win supplies for his tribe but came up short. So far, he doesn’t fit in with his tribemates as firmly as others, which could leave him on the hot seat.
Cedrek McFadden
Tribe: Vula
Status: Safe
While Cedrek has aligned himself with Sai, he isn’t the wildcard she is. He is obviously smart, and he figured out the final piece of Sai’s puzzle that allowed her to activate the idol. He also doesn’t seem to be at odds with anyone in his tribe.
He could be a significant factor in Vula's overcoming their physical deficiencies by being a wiz at puzzles. Still, it was interesting that he didn’t step forward to do the puzzle in the first immunity challenge. He is probably safe for at least a few more votes.
Joe Hunter
Tribe: Lagi
Status: Safe
Even though Joe may be the most prominent physical threat for Survivor 48, he balanced that with an easy-going personality. He seems to get along with everyone. He’s connected strongly with the other two men on the tribe and has a true ally in Eva.
Often, physical threats are voted out too early pre-merge. It would be surprising if Joe were to get voted out soon. He has too much to offer his tribe and is not a cancer around camp. He has also probably connected with fans due to his reaction to Eva. It would be a shame to see him voted off early.
Mitch Guerra
Tribe: Civa
Status: Safe
It would be easy to list Kamilla here because she seems to be one of the more strategic players this season, but if she makes a misstep, she could quickly grow a target on her back. Instead, Mitch Guerra seems to be safe for the next few votes. He’s friendly, outgoing, and athletic.
He will be an asset for his tribe in the early stages of the game, and there are other more likely targets on this tribe than he is. It would not be surprising for him to make it to the merge without much danger.
Watch Survivor 48 episode 2, "Humble Traits," on Wednesday, March 5!