Survivor 48 episode 8, "A Rift Between All of Us," was a major turning point in this season. While it was a relatively straightforward vote, the bonds holding the majority alliance together were definitely broken. And, a few Survivor 48 players basically tanked their game because of how they maneuvered a few key situations during the episode.
The fallout from this episode will likely continue into episode 9. We've already seen the clip revealing David Kinne and Joe Hunter falling out further. Now, it looks like the majority alliance is going to be turning on each other in the new episode. Yikes!
Anyway, let's get to the players who don't have a chance to win Survivor 48 after that last episode.
Joe Hunter
Joe was put in a really tough spot during the episode. First, he partnered with Eva Erickson, the person he has the strongest connection with in the game, for the immunity and reward challenge. Eva ended up winning, but during the reward, Joe, Eva, David, and Mary Zheng made a plan to target Kamilla Karthigesu over some tacos.
So, that was Joe's first mistake, choosing Eva. It was easy for Chrissy Sarnowsky to torch him in front the full tribe at Tribal Council. These players are smart, though. They knoe Joe and Eva are a threat, but they are clearly biding their time. Still, the unwanted attention at a crucial time is disastrous for Joe.
Earlier, Joe returned from the reward and learned Chrissy was targeting him, so he was happy to work with Kyle Fraser to keep Kamilla in the game. While Joe didn't do anything major to ruin his game on the surface as David did, Joe should have partnered up with David and Mary to target Kamilla. He doesn't know that Kyle, Kamilla, and Shauhin Davari are clearly the biggest threats in the game, and he's letting them strick around long enough to make a big move. I understand why Joe did what he did, but I think we'll look back at this moment as one of the big moments of the season. He had a chance to knock out a power couple in Kyle and Kamilla, and he didn't. It will probably be the move that tanked his game in the end.
David Kinne
Speaking of players who tanked their game, we have to include David on that list of players who tanked their game in Survivor 48 episode 8. And, there was really no reason for it. Yes, David is right that Kyle is not being honest about his relationship with Kamilla, but how he treated Kyle for offering a different plan was and is wrong. With an alliance of six members with nine players left in the game, you don't have that big of an advantage, which is basically what Kyle was trying to say. You're vulnerable to an immunity idol play at 6-3, but you're also two players who flip, two advantages being played, a Shot in the Dark, or many of the other possibilities away from losing in a 5-4 vote or worse. Pulling in Kamilla and possibly Mitch Guerra for an easy vote makes your advantage down the road that much more impactful, too.
So, from a strategic perspective, that's just the wrong way to play it. Then, he basically argued with Chrissy, who was on the way out of the game for the entirety of Tribal Council. And, it was even worse than we saw in the episode, according to Chrissy.
No one has played the style of game David is trying to play and won Survivor in a very long time. Majority alliances that pick off players one by one and gatekeeping who is allowed to play with whom is never going to work in the new era. The game moves too quickly, and there are too many variables.
In the end, there's just no path to the end for David if he continues to play how he's playing. You can't just call people out in Survivor for not being 100% honest. Everyone is trying to make it to the end, and the fact is only three players get to make it to the Final Tribal Council.
Kyle Fraser
Most of the episode focused on Kyle trying his best to save his top ally, Kamilla, after David and his alliance targeted her. Kyle, who is essentially playing double agent, might have just ruined his chances at winning the game after he, maybe, revealed that he has been working with Kamilla this whole time. David caught on, and he called Kyle out in front of the group, which obviously started to put some question marks in their heads or raise some flags about his actual loyalties. Once that happens, it's hard to come back from that.
It's hard to imagine Kyle playing things any differently when the vote looked like it was headed right for his top ally, though. He tried his best to sway the vote to Chrissy, and it worked in the end. At what cost, though?
Kyle probably has the best resume of anyone in Survivor 48 right now, but he could be targeted because he's such a big threat. Ultimately, I think he'll survive a few more votes, but he's going to have to work some magic like he did with the hidden immunity idol.
We'll see how it plays out, but it also sounds like Eva might have a hard time recovering from the events of episode 9! Stay tuned for more news about Survivor 48.