We're a few days away from Survivor 48 episode 9, but I'm already starting to think about who might be in trouble heading into the next episode of Survivor. In the last episode, Chrissy Sarnowsky, who appeared to be in a comfortable spot a few episodes ago, was voted out after speaking truth to the Honesty and Integrity Alliance.
While there is a majority running the game post-merge so far, there are massive cracks in this group, and it looks like, based on the Next Time on Survivor preview and the synopsis for the next episode, those cracks are about to be exposed.
The synopsis for Survivor 48 episode 9, "Welcome to the Party," reads:
"Tensions continue to rise among disagreeing alliance members. Concentration is key in this week’s individual immunity challenge. Then, a secretive midnight journey turns not so secretive when tribemates notice this player sneak out of camp, on SURVIVOR..."
So, who are the players most likely to be voted out in Survivor 48 episode 9? Let's talk through them!
Kamilla Karthigesu
I've already said how much I love Kamilla Karthigesu's game in Survivor 48, so it pains me to include her on this list. For the first time this season, I'm worried if Kamilla has the connections to get all the way to the end and win. Obviously, her secret alliance with Kyle Fraser was going to come out at some point, but this is probably a little bit sooner than she probably would have hoped. Now, Kamilla has some scrambling to do. There are at least six players who would have had no trouble writing Kamilla's name down last Tribal Council, and that's scary.
Now, Kamilla is going to have to really get creative to stay in the game. She probably needs to build a temporary alliance around some of the other players on the outside, but she also might just have to sit back and watch the majority eat themselves. It's looking like it's heading that direction right now.
David Kinne
David, David, David, where do we begin? I don't know if we've seen a player fall from an advantageous position like this since Q Burdette in Survivor 46. David was in a great spot to start episode 8! Sure, there are people with many smaller alliances, but several other strong players essentially insulated him. He doesn't stand out that much because Joe Hunter, Eva Erickson, Shauhin Davari, Kyle Fraser, Star Toomey, and Mitch Guerra are still in the game. We haven't seen a recent season of Survivor where this many good athletes are still left at this point.
David might not have been on the path to the Final Three, but he wasn't in trouble at all. Then, he opened his mouth, called out his own allies (even though his suspicions are correct), and put his foot in his mouth even more at Tribal Council. With Chrissy obviously going home, David made himself look like a bully in front of everyone who is going to decide if he deserves $1 million. And, it looks like it's about to get worse for David in the next episode as he starts a feud with resident good guy, Joe. Not good at all.
Joe Hunter
It might not be fair to include Joe in this group of players most likely to get voted out since I don't think anyone has really brought up his name as a potential vote other than Chrissy. She did throw Joe and Eva Erickson under the bus at Tribal Council. She basically called them a "Power Couple," which is usually the kiss of death in Survivor, you know? We've seen so many alleged duos picked apart because there's so much value in having a key ally when the numbers start to dwindle.
Although Eva is the bigger threat, she does have an immunity idol, so either she's going to go down via blindside, or she'll have to decide to play her idol for Joe or herself sooner rather than later. It looks like, based on the synopsis, that Eva might be in some trouble after her midnight journey that she's about to take is going to go all wrong. Remember, she found the clue in the bowl of chips at the reward portion of the last episode. So, the spotlight is about to get even bigger on this alliance. Unfortunately, it just makes too much sense to take out Joe or Eva at this point in the game, given how good they are at winning immunity. Eva is probably safe for another vote, but Joe probably won't be.
Shauhin Davari
Look, I don't think Shauhin is really in that much trouble, but it's clear that he is considered the biggest threat on the beach. Everyone sees the game he's playing socially. Remember, he was the only other player to receive votes at the last Tribal Council when Chrissy was eliminated.
Based on the synopsis, I do think Shauhin will be safe, but it won't take much convincing for these players to flip on him down the line. Fortunately for Shauhin, he has relationships with almost every player in the game, and we've yet to see his full strategy come into play when his back is against the wall. That's when the real players come to play.
We'll find out next time on Survivor!