I don't know about you, but I spend far too much of my day theorizing who will win Survivor 48. Week after week, I come to the conclusion that it truly could be anyone—everyone left has the ability and the prowess to win.
Today, I decided, rather than overworking my brain or doom-scrolling Reddit to come up with every possible outcome for this season of Survivor, I'd see what the universe had to say, and I reached for my tarot cards.
For this experiment, I shuffled the deck while focusing on a player and waited for a card to present itself by separating from the deck. That card would then share a little more insight into what we can expect from our castaway as we move further into the game and possibly reveal who is most likely to win.
(Disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only.)
Shauhin Davari
In shuffling the deck for Shauhin, The Emperor immediately jumped out. This major arcana card represents someone who leads through logic, but always uses their power to protect rather than intimidate.
I could foresee Shauhin deciding that the best thing for his gameplay is to flip from the core four alliance and organize a blindside with the players currently seen on the bottom. Working with them is more likely to get him further in the game, but going against his current allies won't favor him any jury votes in the end.
Eva Erickson
Eva's card took a very long time to present itself, but ultimately she displayed the Two of Swords. This suit is all about communication with oneself and others, and the two specifically represents a crossroads of having to choose between head and heart; feeling uncertain, indecisive, at odds.
Already knowing she's met this type of fate once in the game, when deciding to vote out her ally David Kinne, it's not unlikely that she'll find herself having to do it again to advance herself in the game. And as our fearless leader Jeff Probst previously alluded, it could possibly be the person she trusts the most in the game, Joe Hunter. But even if she has to betray Joe and send him to the jury, they have a good enough relationship that he'd still vote for her to win in the end, and this move wouldn't hurt her.
Kyle Fraser
Kyle's shuffle gave us the Ten of Cups, a suit focused on feelings, emotion, and vulnerability. The ten signifies a happiness in healed connections and feeling stable relationships with long-term partnerships.
In episode 10, we saw Kyle making the decision to stay complacent in his core four alliance rather than try and make another major move against a power player. This might have been a good decision on his end, earning him in-game protection as threats are at higher risk of elimination. It could also advocate for better relationships with new jury members moving forward.
Mitch Guerra
Another card that presented itself fairly quickly, the Page of Cups popped out for Mitch, keeping us in that emotional suit of cups, like Kyle. Only the page represents more of an inner child and naiveté, revealing an empathy that might need to be validated before they grant others the wisdom of their unlimited creativity.
Mitch missed a major opportunity to make a move in episode 10 simply due to his lack of trust in others. His need for stability before seeking new ground will likely cost him the game.
Joe Hunter
Keeping with our feelings-based suit of cups—and matching his day one ally Eva's very long shuffle—Joe displayed the Three of Cups. This card celebrates authentic friendships and sacred bonds; people who show up for others without hesitation and don't expect anything in return.
This statement could very easily apply to a winner or a jury member. But in Joe's case, I anticipate he will fall back on the relationships he built in the game and those bonds when making his final decision on who should win when he's a jury member. He'll be the one showing up for someone in the end with his vote.
Kamilla Karthigesu
Kamilla's card, the Ace of Swords, displayed itself fairly quickly. The same communication-based suit as Eva, the ace is the tarot's equivalent of a "lightbulb moment." This usually means one is ready to follow a new path or present a new idea. We'll likely see more confidence in communication and trust in vision from someone who draws this card.
If there's ever been a moment for Kamilla to step out of the shadows and make her big game-changing move, it's now. If she's able to pull over Shauhin and utilize Mitch and Mary as numbers, she has the vision to make this game her own. But knowing who she is up against, it's not unlikely they might also immediately turn around and take her out, too, once the biggest physical threats are gone.
Mary Zheng
When shuffling for Mary, she actually had two cards jump out. The High Priestess and the Queen of Pentacles. The first being a major arcana that represents inner wisdom and the art of subtlety, knowing it's sometimes better to speak less and listen more. The second falls under the suit associated with the body—the Pentacles suit governing physical health, home, and safety. The queen provides a pull to nurture and grow what we're working toward, finding stability in resilience.
Mary has nothing to lose and a drive to make it to the end just to spite everyone at this point. These two cards tell me she has a quiet power that no one recognizes, and she'll likely have no problem making the dominoes fall the way she wants them to. Since she's on the bottom, she has a lightness in her approach that will allow her to move more freely than everyone else, and it just might take her to the end.
So the winner will be...
Placing everyone's cards side-by-side to see how they might work together, I still feel like Kyle Fraser is most likely to win. The ten of cups is often associated with a stereotypical ideology of that perfect white picket fence life that, in this environment, would be translated to $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.
But we won't know for sure until the Survivor 48 finale airs on May 21. Do you think this prediction is right? Or are you expecting someone else to take home the title?