Survivor 48 has come to a close, and a winner has been crowned. Kyle Fraser played a strong, well-rounded game, and the jury rewarded him with a convincing 5-2-1 win. Kyle played a great game strategically, as one of the only players to pull off moves multiple times during the season. He also played a high-tier social game, with most players in the game hoping to work with him. Physically, he won multiple challenges and was typically in the running even when he did not win.
This type of gameplay is typically acknowledged by the jury against anyone the player may be facing. Sometimes, winners are not always the best player when compared to history, but they managed the game the best to get to the end against players they could beat. Perhaps they match up against less likable players, or played a highly social game with a jury that most values that aspect. When a player does well in all three facets, though, they typically win regardless.
Kyle Fraser was not assured a win in Survivor 48
As it turns out, though, Kyle was not a guaranteed winner at the end. At the Survivor After Show, the jury discussed the possibility of a separate Final Three, and threw the fallen angel Kamilla Karthigesu into the conversation. It immediately became clear that the jury was incredibly high on Kamilla's game. Would she have won the game? According to the jury, she would have, hands down.
The conversation started with Jeff Probst asking the jury who voted for each of the three finalists. For only the sixth time in show history, all three finalists received at least one vote at the end, a testimony to the strength and quality of all three players' final tribal council performance. When Jeff got to Kyle to ask how he was feeling, the lawyer was at a loss for words, so Jeff decided to shift gears a little to give him time to process his feelings.
Jeff broached the topic of Kamilla, the player who was Kyle's number one ally all game, a part of one of the best silent duos in the show's history. Kamilla lost to Eva at Final Four Fire, but Jeff was curious about the jurors' thoughts on her game anyway.
"If Kamilla is in that final three, has she got a shot to win?" Jeff asked the group.
The jury reaction was essentially unanimous. Star Toomey spoke up for the group, but everyone nodded consent, or responded with "Yeah", "For sure", or "Absolutely".
According to Star, "Oh, she gets every vote here. Oh, yeah. All across the board. If Kamilla was in that Final Three, Kamilla wins the whole game. Kamilla represents everything that is Survivor, period."
Star did not mince words, and given the reaction of the jury, she clearly had her hand on the pulse of the eliminated players' thoughts. This has to be a bit bittersweet for Kamilla, knowing she was so close to winning and simply was dethroned by a fire-making challenge. As she shared, though, Kyle winning is a bit of a validation in and of itself, given how closely connected their gameplay was. Still, I am sure a million dollars in her pocket would feel a little nicer.
The jurors' answers should take nothing away from Kyle's win. He played a fantastic game, and knew what needed to happen to get him to the end without the player who could have had the best chance at beating him. That Kamilla would have won actually further proves that, since the duo was in lockstep nearly all game, despite being part of separate groups most of the merge.
Still, that Kamilla would have won is a testimony to her game as well, and hopefully, she will have another chance to play in the future. Survivor 48 may have left a mediocre taste in fans' mouths, despite Jeff's statement to the contrary, but that does not take away from the strong gameplay of both Kyle and Kamilla in the annals of Survivor history.