Survivor 48 has finished airing, but that doesn't mean everything is said and done regarding the season. This season has been analysed, scrutinised, praised, lambasted, and everything in between, primarily due to the "Strong members" alliance, which dominated most of the post-merge, and its rhetoric of wanting only physical players in the game. However, one person went against this alliance repeatedly and managed to survive until the final four. I'm talking of no other person than Kamilla Karthigesu.
Kamilla began the game on the Civa tribe, becoming quick friends and later long-time allies with Kyle Fraser, the eventual winner. Kamilla and Kyle quickly bonded over mutual interests, mainly due to their Guyanese background. Even though their connection was obvious, not many players registered it or considered it, relegating Kamilla to the outsiders and Kyle to the majority alliance.
Despite being opposites in the merged tribe structure, both players secretly promised to help each other advance, which they stealthily did until the final four players of the season. Kyle, noticing how dangerous a player Kamilla was, especially to himself, opted to send her to the Final Four Fire-Making challenge, where Kamilla ultimately lost to the season's frontrunner, Eva Erickson.
Kamilla was notorious throughout the season for not having any qualms about running her tribemates under a bus if it was necessary for her to continue in the game, which was the complete opposite of how other players operated, as they openly professed in wanting to play with 'honesty, loyalty, and integrity'. Kamilla rolled her eyes at this kumbaya notion more than once, as Survivor isn't a best friend's race but a daring and strategic game commonly known as devious, hardcore, and cutthroat.
Suffice it to say that Kamilla was willing to do whatever was necessary to win, and if that included throwing her ally, Kyle, under a bus, too, she wouldn't have hesitated to do so. During a postgame interview with Parade, Kamilla admitted she was ready to throw her ally under the bus.
"We would have to fight for it... I would throw him under the bus. I'd probably lie and claim some of his moves as my own, because none of them would know what was real. And for a million dollars, I mean, I would throw him under the bus."
In another interview with RHAP, Kamilla doubled down on the previous sentiment. When asked if she regretted talking with Kyle about sending each other to make fire instead of bringing each other to an end, as that ended up happening, she made it clear she didn't regret the conversation. Even without it, the result would've been the same: Kyle recognised how threatening Kamilla was to his gameplay and wasn't dumb enough to take Kamilla to the end. Kyle ended up being right. As the jury later stated during the reunion following the FTC, Kamilla would've unanimously won had she been in the final.
In the hypothetical scenario of Kamilla and Kyle sitting next to each other in the end, Kamilla admits she thinks it would have been a close fight.
"I don't think that I automatically win against Kyle in Final Tribal Council. It's going to be a fight...I've thrown many people under the bus. I love doing it, and I would've fought hard against Kyle." As Rob smiles at her, Kamilla adds, "I would've tried to make him look bad in front of the jury. I know Eva and Joe [Hunter] were 'we're going to be like respectful about it, they were both sitting there. I wouldn't have been respectful at all."
Whether anyone agrees with the "Stong Alliance" or with Kamilla on correctly playing Survivor, I can't agree more with Kamilla. For entertainment and gameplay purposes, a person thrown under the bus for the sake of another player's gameplay will always resonate and be more respected than the merry-go-round of wanting to play like long-lost best friends, especially when there are a million dollars down the line. Kudos to Kamilla, and I sincerely hope she gets another shot at the game.