Long-time fans know what a purple edit is in Survivor. For those who don't, the term purple edit was coined by fans after Kelly Shinn from Survivor: Nicaragua, who was called purple Kelly due to her purple hair highlights and to differentiate her from Kelly Bruno. Purple Kelly was then severely under-edited due to Kelly quitting the game, even though she only had 11 days left. After Survivor: Nicaragua, when a player gets less screen time than their fellow competitors for any number of reasons and contributes little to the overall story of the season, that person(s) gets the moniker of being purple-edited.
Having a purple edit doesn't necessarily mean that a person won't get far or even win the game. Some examples are Natalie White and Brett Clouser in Survivor: Samoa, Carter Williams in Survivor: Philippines, Brenda Lowe in Survivor: Caramoan, Chelsea Townsend in Survivor: Ghost Island, Kimmi Kappenberg in Survivor: Cambodia, Erika Casupanan and Heather Aldret in Survivor 41, and plenty more to enlist here. It's funny how many of these are women, but that’s for another day.
Here are three examples of people in Survivor 48 who have been severely under-edited. While there are time constraints in a Survivor episode to showcase everything to viewers, and some people certainly deserve a better edit than others due to their gameplay, likability, etc., there’s still a tendency in Survivor to highlight a few while paying no heed to others.
1. Chrissy Sarnowsly
Chrissy is the most under-edited person in Survivor 48, with only 10 confessionals in seven episodes. For comparison, there are people still playing who have over 20 and 30 confessionals, so 10 is a low number.
Chrissy was part of the original Civa, who dominated the first part of the game. As Civa could've been under-edited all around, there was still plenty of room for pretty much everyone but Chrissy. After the tribe swap, Chrissy was shown a tad more, but not enough in comparison to others. Even after the merge, Chrissy is still being side-lined in favour of others. While this purple edit doesn’t mean Chrissy's game is over, it certainly doesn’t help her winning chances either.
2. Star Toomey
Star is the second person with the least number of confessionals, with only 12, which is shocking and perplexing for starters. During the segments, the audience has been able to see Star, she has demonstrated she’s funny, quirky, and there to play the game.
The way Star went around the old Lagi tribe while trying to decipher her advantage was nothing short of hilarious. Star also demonstrated that she's kind when she had an emotional moment with Cedrek McFadden after he struggled with a physical challenge. Star’s most iconic moment thus far is when she went to vote as she danced, then she dropped the pen cap, and then went to vote with the biggest smile on her face. Star's edit should be on the rise, and hopefully, we get more of her in the episodes ahead.
3. Mary Zheng
As the last remaining member of the original Vula tribe, Mary has demonstrated she’s tenacious and has the grit to be on Survivor. With 23 confessionals under her belt, Mary is not at the bottom of the purple edit but has been on the down-low since the tribe swap. Mary has been funny, a bit cheeky, and sarcastic when it comes to describing her thoughts on her fellow tribemates, and such an entertaining person should be given more screen time almost by default.
Also, Mary and Saiounia “Sai” Hughley's relationship was left unresolved with Sai’s elimination, but Mary could still go pretty far and, in the process, avenge her former Vula friends, allies, and Sai, as the latter deserves her own category.