Twelve weeks after we were introduced to a cast of 18 new players, all ready to hit the beach and prove they have what it takes to win the game, we've finally been given the finale we've all been waiting for. And whether or not the person you were rooting for secured the title of Sole Survivor, I think we can agree that all of our finalists played incredibly and deserved to make it to the end.
But most importantly, the finale episode did the perfect job of wrapping up the narrative for Survivor 48 beautifully. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the best season of the new era so far!
Spoilers for the Survivor 48 finale ahead!
A Final Five of worthy winners
Going into the finale, it was evident that any of our Final Five players could claim the title and $1 million prize for extremely different reasons. We had five unique players who all approached the game from different angles, any of which could have been winning, depending on how they got to Final Tribal Council and who was sitting next to them.
And as the eliminations furthered and our group of finalists grew smaller, there was no doubt who was running the game and how the bigger picture was finally coming together.
With the way original tribes were distributed across the jury, Kyle Fraser and Kamilla Karthigesu made the right call in knowing there could only be one original Civa member at the end if they wanted to win. So while—for the umpteenth week in a row—blindsiding Joe Hunter would have appeared to be the best move since he was the biggest perceived threat, they ultimately had to move forward with sending Mitch Guerra to the jury at five because his connection to their original tribe mates was a bigger threat than Joe's game.
And had Mitch won that first immunity challenge and earned himself a guaranteed spot in the Final Four, Kamilla likely would have gone home at the hands of Kyle—sticking to that same game plan of only one Civa at the end.
Strength-defining challenges confirm a precedent
In a season pressing the narrative of physical strength being the only form of strength, to end with two cerebral-focused challenges was monumental in exploiting the issues with that way of thinking in the game of Survivor.
Where a majority of this season's individual immunity challenges were endurance-based, with Joe and David Kinne the clear challenge threats of the season due to their physical strength, the Final Five challenge was a very clear display of poetic justice for the underestimated strategic minds of the season. Watching Joe, Mitch, and then Kyle all get through the obstacle course, only to be stumped on the puzzle so Kamilla could have a major come-from-behind moment to win and lock herself into the Final Four was extremely significant if you look back on the rest of the season.
She didn't just show up late at the end and then solve the puzzle faster than the rest of the men were able to. By the time she pulled herself up to that platform, not one of those men had added a single piece to their puzzle. Only Eva Erickson, who had arrived not too soon before Kamilla, had begun to solve her puzzle.
Then, for the Final Four challenge, we got Simmotion, another task centered around concentration and logistics, though a little more physical and luck-based as well. For Kyle to nab that win over Joe was another showing of mind over matter. After weeks of the Strong 5 alliance emphasizing strength making it to the end over strategy, to have the two final challenges (either of which could have made Joe a historic Survivor challenge winner) prove that strength is not always physical completely locked in the fact that it takes more than brute strength to win Survivor.
And it did!
A fun Final Tribal Council fight
By far the biggest difference between the Survivor 48 finale and prior new era seasons was how much fun everyone was clearly having during Final Tribal Council. Both our finalists and the jury, while taking their duties of the evening seriously, were genuinely excited to be a part of the moment, and it translated as a great viewing experience for those at home as well.
Not only that, but throughout the entire finale, the bonds built throughout the season were on full display as our finalists treated each other with the utmost respect, understanding that one person's best move didn't translate across everyone's games. Instead of feeling defeated, all five players took each moment with pride, knowing that it was an accomplishment to make it as far as they did.
But it never felt like anyone gave up. There were clearly defined ends of the road for each player, and once they got there, rather than pushing back or becoming bitter jury members, they accepted their position and then absorbed their responsibility to the game from the jury's perspective.
And as Kyle, Eva, and Joe shared the reasons why they deserved to win, at no point did they diminish the others' gameplay. Because at the end of the day, all three of them individually played a winner's game. It was clear, though, that comparatively, Kyle was the clear frontrunner of the season and earned the title of Sole Survivor.
The name of the game of Survivor 48 was not tearing others down, but rather building yourself up and that's the best outcome we could hope for after a season built on social foundations.
Next Season on Survivor...
Despite the fact that we're days away from discovering who will be returning for Survivor 50, don't forget that we still have an entire season to go before we officially arrive at the anniversary celebration.
While many fans are speculating that Survivor 49 will likely end up as a lost season, not unlike season 39 leading up to the hype of Winners at War, let's, for the love of the game, see what's in store before we send them to exile. I didn't think a new era season could top Survivor 47, and then we got 48, so...who knows what's in store for 49?