The merge has arrived in Survivor 48. Honestly, it couldn't have come soon enough! I was a little bit tired of watching these tribes go head to head and beat up on the Vula tribe in the first five episodes. Needless to say, I'm ready for the individual part of Survivor to pick up and watch these players really get after it!
I also love predicting who is going to win Survivor and changing things up as the season goes on. After predicting the winner after the Survivor 48 premiere, I still feel pretty good about my original picks, but it's time to add a few more players to the mix and share why I think these six players are in the best spot to win Survivor 48. All these players have a clear path to the end!
Let's get the list started with Kyle Fraser!
Kyle Fraser
Overall, Kyle is playing the best game in Survivor 48. He's building quite the resume, and if the game ended today, I think there's a good chance that he could be the person that everyone would vote to win. That's the good news, but it's also the bad news.
So far, Kyle has an immunity idol play to save his life in the game. He also won the first individual immunity challenge. He's making good connections and allies in the game, and that's all the good stuff. But, it's a little early, right? There's a lot of time left for these players to see that Kyle is crushing it and vote him out. There are more physical threats, and there are more strategic threats than Kyle, so it will be interesting to see how far he can get in the game.
Kamilla Karthigesu
We can't talk about Kyle without talking about his partner in crime, Kamilla. She is clearly the best strategic mind in the game so far. She's playing a game relying heavily on her performance and deception so far, and it's worked out. She's still in the game, and I don't think anyone outside of Shauhin Davari and Joe Hunter knows just how convincing she can be. Kamilla is clearly thinking so many moves ahead.
My one question mark with Kamilla is that she might appear to be playing too hard if someone starts to catch on to what she's been doing. She and Kyle are actually incredible allies for each other because they can support each other while also maintaining their illusion that they are not a duo. It's risky, but it could be very rewarding.
My big fear when players play like Kamilla is that it only takes one person saying the wrong thing to another person. Once a lie is exposed, can the players achieve that same level of trust or give someone like Kamilla the benefit of the doubt again? It's a good question, and she has virtually no room for error.
Shauhin Davari
Shauhin is another player I've had my eye on since the beginning of the season. He's clearly an excellent social player, but he seems to be good in challenges. Overall, I have some questions about his strategy this far. He clearly just got blindsided when Kyle played his idol. If not for that move, Shauhin would probably be my No. 1 pick to win Survivor 48 simply because he had a tight alliance of three or four that would be the biggest voting block in the game.
Shauhin doesn't have that luxury right now, but his game might be better for it. He seems like he has no trouble connecting with any of these players. He's well liked so far in the game, and that's basically the best spot to be in. I have a feeling he's going to be targeted at some point, but he just might be good enough socially and in challenges to get to the end.
Mary Zheng
Even when Mary Zheng was on the chopping block three episodes in a row, I just had a feeling that she was going to survive, and she did! While I don't think she's the challenge threat of Kyle or Shauhin or as strategically-minded as Kamilla, Mary is well-positioned for the new era of Survivor. Players like Mary can make it to the end by playing a good social game, playing hard, and winning a few well-timed challenges. That's probably the best recipe for Mary to win this game, but I like where she is at much more so than a few weeks ago.
On top of that, Mary is building quite the story to tell the jury. She survived a Tribal Council in episode 2, where she should have gone home. She survived in episode 3 with a Shot in the Dark, and now, she's an integral member of a lot of working groups or blocks. It's a good spot to be in that suits her personality and gameplay so far.
Mitch Guerra
I just have a gut feeling about Mitch making it to the end of Survivor 48. I don't know if he's going to make Final Tribal Council, but I really like the way Mitch approaches the game. There have been a few situations that Mitch has been involved in, and he hasn't necessarily been in the main group on his tribe, but he hasn't panicked yet. He's going with the flow, and that's super important at this stage. So many players are going to blow up their own game by being too aggressive out of the gate. You can't win Survivor on Day 13.
Mitch has been one of the best performers in challenges so far this season, and that's a huge reason why I think he has a good chance to make it really far. He's also well-liked, although he hasn't really connected strategically or socially like some of these players have. That's not a bad thing, but if Mitch puts too much of a target on his back by winning challenges or throwing around the wrong names, he might not have many people going to bat for him once
Eva Erickson
I had a hard time deciding about this last spot, but looking at the remaining players, Eva is clearly in the best position to make a deep run in Survivor 48. Star Toomey gifted Eva the immunity idol after Eva was the only player who could solve the puzzle in the Beware Advantage. It helped save Star's vote, so Star gave Eva the idol. You don't see that every day on Survivor, but it was interesting.
Eva obviously has a really close connection with Joe Hunter, as we have seen a few times in the game so far. Now, they're playing together again. Joe has a strong alliance with Shauhin, as well, which could be super impactful in getting Eva to the end of the game.
On the flip side, Eva is a threat to every player in the game because of her bond with Joe. Having a duo in lockstep and displaying that kind of loyalty can be an issue to the other players if they vote together. There is a huge target on Joe and Eva right now, and everyone knows she has an immunity idol. A duo who are great in challenges, have a super close connection, and have an immunity idol? That's trouble in Survivor 48.
It's only a matter of time before one of these players is targeted, but I think Eva is safe until Joe goes home. Because of the idol, she should be able to protect herself and Joe a little bit, but if these other players are actually there to win, they will flush that idol at some point. Then, it's anyone's game!