Survivor 48 comes to an end very soon! We only have two episodes left, including the season finale, and it's probably going to feel a little different than Survivor 47.
For Survivor 48, CBS is returning to its single, three-hour season finale episode. That's a change following Survivor 47, which featured a two-part season finale. Each episode was two hours, so we got to see an additional hour of Survivor 47 compared to what we'll see in Survivor 48. So, yes, Survivor 47 featured an extra episode to crown Rachel LaMont as the winner of the season.
The Survivor 48 finale airs on Wednesday, May 21, at 8 p.m ET on CBS and Paramount+. That's one week after Survivor 48 episode 12 on Wednesday, May 14. All in all, we only have four and a half hours of Survivor 48 left. And, only about four of those hours will be devoted to actual gameplay. The rest will be the After Show hosted by Jeff Probst from the Tribal Council set in Fiji. Hopefully, these players will get a little (or a lot of) pizza and champagne to celebrate one player.
Prior to Survivor 47, every single Survivor finale has been a three-hour episode before the show switched to a two-part finale for the last season. Honestly, I liked the flow of Survivor 47. There were a lot of big moves down the stretch of that game, and we got to see some of that play out a little more clearly than we would have if the finale had been an hour shorter.
For the Survivor 48 finale, the story is going to move quickly. First, we'll see the episode begin at the Final Five, most likely, followed by an immunity challenge and a Tribal Council where one player will be eliminated to get to the Final Four. Then, we'll see the final immunity challenge of the season at the Final Four. One player will win and earn their spot in the Final Three. They will, then, select the player they want to sit next to them at Final Tribal Council, while the other two players will compete in the fire-making challenge for the last spot in the Final Three.
Then, last but not least, we'll see the Final Tribal Council. Each player will make their case. Then, the jury will ask them some questions, and then we'll see the players vote. Finally, one player will be named the winner of Survivor 48! Jeff, the finalists, and the jury will celebrate with an After Show. And, that'll be it. Who will win Survivor 48? Right now, I have some thoughts!
Unfortunately for fans out of the loop who like the live reunion from Los Angeles for each season of Survivor, that's not happening in Survivor 48. And, it's not happening in Survivor 49, which will air on CBS this fall, either. The earliest we could see the live reunion return to Survivor will be in Survivor 50. CBS is letting fans vote on if the winner will be announced in Fiji, like every season of the new era, or if the players will have to wait many, many months until the full Survivor 50 season has aired for the winner to be revealed.
Stay tuned for more news about the Survivor 48 finale!