Welcome to the Party (S48: Episode 9)

This one felt like a fuuuuuunnn old-school episode of Survivor. The game finally got a chance to breathe — and in doing so, we saw some players rise to the challenge while others crumbled under the weight of paranoia.

Star never with the group :(

David totally sealed his own fate this week. His obsession with targeting Kamilla and pushing his alliance way too hard completely backfired. Kyle picked up on that and flipped it to his advantage, framing David’s move as a threat to Shauhin. It worked like a charm — suddenly David and Mary were on the outs, and the “Strong Five” cracked. David even tried to gaslight Kyle during what started as a calm conversation, and honestly? It was uncomfortable to watch. The guy just couldn’t read the room.

One of the most intense sequences of the episode came from Eva’s late-night advantage hunt. Sneaking out in the dark only to be stalked by a hooded Shauhin? She ended up walking away with both Safety Without Power and an Idol (that Star had given her earlier this season) — then immediately shared the info with Joe, Kyle, and Shauhin (but not David or Mary).

** Also worth noting: I know there was a lot of controversy about this advantage being placed riiiiiight next to Eva at the last reward. And here’s the deal—since she’d won immunity, Eva was the only person guaranteed to survive tribal and be available to do the secret mission that night. Production wanted her to find it. And like, okay, I get that. But what I don’t get is why it had to be a nighttime thing—why not make it something anyone could look for once they got back from the reward?

Then came the immunity challenge — an endurance showdown between Kyle, Joe, and David (once again). It looked like David had it… until he lost focus for a split second and stepped off his platform. He couldn’t handle the loss (😬😬), and between that and his spiraling social game, it led to the biggest blindside of the season. Five votes later, David was out, staring Joe down as he left. Honestly? Satisfying. This episode was all about emotional reads and subtle moves — no idols, no twists at Tribal, just great gameplay. And David did not have that subtle game down unfortunately.

We’re past the halfway point, and based on this episode, Kyle and Joe continue to lead the pack in terms of winner potential (based on their edits IMO). Kyle especially is benefiting from a well-rounded edit that shows both his strategic control and personal depth. Joe remains a strong contender, but his rigid commitment to “honor and integrity” — plus his loyalty to Eva — could still be his undoing. (Also… are we starting to get weird vibes from him? Just me??)

Eva had a strong week... earning another advantage and playing a pivotal role in the David vote — which positions her well, even if her narrative still has a few inconsistencies. Kamilla and Mitch remain quiet but not invisible; their low-key edits and social connections suggest they could still mount a compelling late-game run if they make a move soon. Meanwhile, Mary’s edit continues to suffer. She had ZERO confessionals this week and was still tied narratively to David, whose story is now over. And with Sai gone, sadly so is Mary’s relevance this season.

...But here's why you probably clicked on the blog...........

LEAGUE ADVANTAGES WERE FOUND!

Five of the seven potential Buyer's Remorse Advantages were discovered by Amy, Coach Juju, Laura, Maggie, and Mme. Brendoni. Congratulations!! Each of them now has one more week to decide whether to play this powerful advantage and swap out their Sole Survivor pick. We may (or may not) see some moves thanks to this advantage (probably not based on everyone's reactions...except for maybe that elusive Coach Juju).

Joe had a massive week, scoring 43 points by snagging both individual immunity and reward. Meanwhile, David only managed to scrape together 3 more points for his tribes before getting the boot. David’s elimination is set to cause serious shakeups in next week’s charts. Most of our top players had him on their tribes—including league leader Tiffany (shoutout!), who just lost her first tribemate.

Aman was the breakout star of the week, pulling in an incredible 85 points and jumping ahead of Aashi. Adam also made waves, leaping from 17th to 6th place with 81 points and officially entering the top ten!

No Sole Survivors were lost this week, but Anthony M., Bradley, Maggie, and Mer are now each down to a tribe of one. Sorry for you....

We're getting down to the end....

~Your Tribemasters Liv & Brian