After an epic Survivor 48 tribal council in episode 4 that saw Thomas Krottinger heading home because Kyle Fraser played his idol, Survivor 48 episode 5, "Master Class in Deception," begins at Vula beach to discuss everything that went down at the tribal council. Of course, Kyle made it clear that it seemed like someone had gone through his bag, which he knew was the case thanks to Kamilla Karthigesu cluing him in. And the rest of the tribe is trying to come to terms with what went down.
There is no denying that there was some really good acting happening at the tribal council, and even back at the Vula beach. And it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out moving forward now that the tribe is split 50-50.
Right away, this episode of Survivor kicks off with a reward challenge!
Survivor players fight for a chance to head to the sanctuary with pastries up for grabs
The teams have to throw wrapped balls at a target that they need to rotate in order to drop down balls they need to bounce off of a trampoline to get into a net. They must land three balls before moving on to the next part of the challenge, which sees them carrying that net of balls to a setup where they must roll those balls slowly down a platform and get them settled into a small tray.
Lagi ends up working together brilliantly and pulling off the win to get the large reward. This means that the Lagi tribe gets to go to the sanctuary and enjoy a relaxing afternoon with pastries. Vula ends up fighting hard right behind Lagi and actually ends up winning the smaller reward, as well. While it might not be the sanctuary, Vula has a small selection of pastries that they also get to enjoy.
With food in their bellies, will Lagi and Vula have a leg up when we get to the immunity challenge? Or will the loss at the reward challenge leave to a Civa comeback?
Bianca Roses is the fifth player voted out of Survivor 48
With Bianca Roses unable to vote, it really is up to Cedrek McFadden, Sai Hughley, Chrissy Sarnowsky, and Mitch Guerra to determine who goes home. And leading into this vote, it sounded like we might end up with a tie, either that or an overwhelming vote in favor of Sai.
Ultimately, we ended up with Chrissy, Sai, Bianca getting votes. And it was Bianca who ended up with the two votes needed to send her home. And, it seems that Cedrek confided in Chrissy and told her that Bianca didn't have her vote, as Chrissy is the one who pointed out to Sai that there were only four votes cast. She makes it clear that Bianca didn't have a vote.
While Bianca tried to play hard, ultimately she ruined her own game by revealing to Cedrek that she had lost her vote.
So how did we get to this point?
After the reward challenge, the tribes have very different afternoons
Back at the Civa beach, Bianca is clearly upset by the loss of Thomas. But there was also an issue because Sai sat out of the challenge, and it seemed to rub others the wrong way because of how she acted at the challenge and even back at the beach. She told everyone she was sitting out because she has done all the challenges and she is tired, whhich annoyed Chrissy as she pointed out that she had also done all of the challenges.
All of this led to Mitch and Chrissy deciding that they want to work with Bianca. So, they pull her in to potentially get Sai out. But, they don't know that Sai has already told Bianca that she wants to work with her. And, Sai has certainly made it clear that she doesn't like the way that Chrissy is "momming" her. This could potentially mean if they end up at tribal council, it could be between either Chrissy or Sai when it comes to being on the chopping block.
For Lagi, it is all about a relaxing afternoon at Sanctuary with coffee, tea, milk, and pastries. As they are sitting down to enjoy their reward, they all start talking about Sai and how she called out Mary for being excited over their win. Sai said that Mary wasn't being humble about their win, but they all seemed to feel like perhaps Sai was the problem in this case.
Back at the Vula beach, the tribe has its own reward that they get to enjoy. Their box of donuts and pastries allowed them to all bond. We got to hear more about Shauhin's family, and Kamilla's as well. We also learn about Joe's dad and the fact that he lived through Jim Crow laws. His mother is white and his father is black. He also reveals they even took a picture in front of a segregated water fountain. It was an emotional bonding moment, and it may have truly strengthened this tribe.
An emotional Immunity Challenge ending
This challenge has the Survivors jumping into the ocean and swimming to shore while pulling a boat. The boat has a chest that they must unlock back at the shore after untangling ropes. When they unlock the chest, they must pull out balls that they need to use for the final part of the challenge. But once they do, they must first dig under a log and climb under to the other side. Once they get through, they have to navigate the table maze, where every player has to land one ball.
In the beginning, Lagi is in the early lead getting to shore, with Vula right behind them. But Civa is not far behind. In fact, it seems like this is a very neck-and-neck challenge.
At the table maze, Vula ends up getting two balls to land very quickly. In fact, they rock this challenge, and Vula wins immunity for the first time in Survivor 48. So, now we need one more tribe to earn their immunity.
Lagi looks like they may end up getting this immunity as they land three balls, but Eva still needs to make it happen, but she is struggling. And, it is clearly getting to her. On the sidelines, even Joe is trying to help her. As Eva struggles, Civa lands their third ball. But after an epic fight that sees her truly breaking down, Eva is able to land the fourth ball and win the immunity. And on the sidelines, Joe watches her break down. Jeff asks if he wants to give her a hug, and he quickly goes over to comfort her.
Because while Lagi may have won, this was about so much more than that. This was an emotional fight for Eva. While only Joe may know that Eva has autism, there is no denying that the rest of her tribe was there to support her.
This leads to Jeff asking what happened at the end of the challenge. It also leads to Eva revealing to everyone that she has autism. When she was diagnosed, doctors said that she might not even be able to live independently. So she finally revealed that she struggles with episodes where she becomes ungrounded, and that's why she reacted the way she did after the challenge. And she made it clear that people with autism should never feel ashamed to ask for help, and that no one should be ashamed.
Jeff even gets emotional. In fact, this conversation brings him to tears, as he points out that he is a father and there is more to survivor than the game at times.
Star gives Eva an immunity idol
The Lagi tribe comes together after the challenge to talk to Eva about revealing her autism. They celebrate the way that she pulled out that win. Star especially makes it clear that she is on Eva's side, and she actually tells members of the tribe that she has the Beware Advantage, but hasn't solved it yet.
Now, the entire Lagi tribe is trying to figure out the answer. Eva ends up solving it with the word "Silent" and unlocking Star's idol. But then, Star actually gives the idol to Eva.
At the Civa beach, they find their fire still going, which is good news since they lost their flint.
Bianca has no vote, so she goes to Cedrek and tells him that the other side is going for Sai. And then she goes to Chrissy and Mitch to go against the other side. Her plan is that the two sides are going to vote against each other, and then it will be a tie and go to a revote where she is not part of the vote at all anymore.
Chrissy and Mitch are trying to pull Cedrek to their side as well, but he doesn't want to lose Sai. So now what? Well, now Bianca goes to Cedrek and tells him that she has heard he is voting for Sai. And he tells her that he is thinking of voting out Chrissy. But then right before tribal, Bianca tells Cedrek that she doesn't have a vote.
This leaves things wide open when it comes to who could end up going home.
Civa arrives at tribal council with three players finally lighting their torch
Chrissy points out that this tribe has a two-two-one, after the tribal shakeup. But while it might make sense to ditch the one (Bianca), it doesn't mean that this is the best play.
This tribal council has everyone talking about how this game is played and that even a glance can say so much. But as Mitch points out, he has never been to a tribal council so maybe he doesn't know what to look for yet.
After a conversation that doesn't really give us much in terms of who could go home, it is time to vote.
With only four votes being cast, we actually got a bit of a shock when Bianca's name came up. And then to see her get sent home was even more shocking. Clearly revealing weakness is not the way to play Survivor 48.