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Survivor 48 Final Tribal Council makes new era history

The votes are in and they are very different than what we've been seeing lately.
ByJacqueline Thomas|
“Only One of Yous Can Win” – The $1 million dollars is closer than ever as the remaining castaways enter the final stretch of the game. A major come-from-behind win earns one person a trip to the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Then, a tumultuous fire-making showdown determines the final three. One castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 48 finale, followed by the After Show, hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 21 (8:00-11:00
“Only One of Yous Can Win” – The $1 million dollars is closer than ever as the remaining castaways enter the final stretch of the game. A major come-from-behind win earns one person a trip to the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Then, a tumultuous fire-making showdown determines the final three. One castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 48 finale, followed by the After Show, hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 21 (8:00-11:00 | CBS

There's no doubt that within the new era, Survivor 48 was an unprecedented season. These players had their foot on the gas from day one and it was clear that no matter who made it to the end, it was going to be a tight race.

And while it's not the first time in the last few years we've seen someone take the title of Sole Survivor with only 5 winning votes, it is the first time it's happened where the remaining votes didn't all fall to only one other finalist.

Survivor 48 was the first time in new era history that all three finalists received jury votes

Only One of Yous Can Win
“Only One of Yous Can Win” – The $1 million dollars is closer than ever as the remaining castaways enter the final stretch of the game. A major come-from-behind win earns one person a trip to the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Then, a tumultuous fire-making showdown determines the final three. One castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 48 finale, followed by the After Show, hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 21 (8:00-11:00 | CBS

I know you're probably thinking, "what? That can't be right!" I was thinking the same thing. But the fact is, at every single new era Final Tribal Council before this season, only two finalists have received jury votes.

  • Survivor 41 : 7-1-0 (Erika Casupanan, Deshawn Radden, Xander Hastings)
  • Survivor 42 : 7-1-0 (Maryanne Oketch, Mike Turner, Romeo Escobar)
  • Survivor 43 : 7-1-0 (Mike Gabler, Cassidy Clark, Owen Knight)
  • Survivor 44 : 7-1-0 (Yam Yam Arocho, Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, Carolyn Wiger)
  • Survivor 45 : 5-3-0 (Dee Valladares, Austin Li Coon, Jake O'Kane)
  • Survivor 46 : 5-3-0 (Kenzie Petty, Charlie Davis, Ben Katzman)
  • Survivor 47 : 7-1-0 (Rachel LaMont, Sam Phalen, Sue Smey)
  • Survvor 48: 5-2-1 (Kyle Fraser, Eva Erickson, Joe Hunter)

So when Kyle Fraser, Eva Erickson, and Joe Hunter all received votes, they made new era history and joined an elite group of overall Survivor finalists as well.

Only 18% of Final Tribal Councils with 3 finalists ended with all of them receiving jury votes in the show's first 48 seasons

We've seen 33 seasons featuring a Final Three finale and only 6 of those resulted in all three finalists getting at least one vote from the jury:

  • Survivor: China (season 15): 4-2-1 (Todd Herzog, Courtney Yates, Amanda Kimmel)
  • Survivor: Philippines (season 25): 6-1-1 (Denise Stapley, Lisa Whelchel, Michael Skupin)
  • Survivor: San Juan del Sur (season 29): 5-2-1 (Natalie Anderson, Jaclyn Schultz, Missy Payne)
  • Survivor: Worlds Apart (season 30): 6-1-1 (Mike Holloway, Carolyn Rivera, Will Sims II)
  • Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (season 35): 5-2-1 (Ben Driebergen, Chrissy Hofbeck, Ryan Ulrich)
  • Survivor 48: 5-2-1 (Kyle Fraser, Eva Erickson, Joe Hunter)

While we've seen new era players join the historic ranks of Survivor in many other ways, this is the first time in a post-Winners at War world that it's happened at the final vote.

Now we have to wonder, will Survivor 49 continue this pattern by delivering us new players who all truly can play a game worthy of potentially winning? Only time will tell.

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