The $1 million dollars is closer than ever as the remaining castaways enter the final stretch of the game. A major come-from-behind win earns one person a trip to the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Then, a tumultuous fire-making showdown determines the final three. One castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize.
My plan was to send Shauhin home, so… The game of chicken between me and him is finally over. It was a really tough move to pull off. And it felt nice to put on my acting hat with Kamilla. We got away with a pretty good heist. I set it up, and-and she dunked. You know, it was an alley-oop.
The most important part here is we got Joe and Eva to vote out their number three. But I wanted to come out of this vote with the best possible working relationship with Eva and Joe, because now we're in a position where I have all the options to get to the final four.
It feels amazing to have made final five, because I have an idol. I'm for sure gonna be in the final four. So that's an even better feeling. But I want to make sure that my allies are safe, too. So I want to look out for Joe and I want to look out for Kyle.
I didn't realize how good I am at lying. Because this isn't my first time lying to people straight to their face to get them to, like, believe me. And, like, every time, it work. Joe believed my lies. Eva believed my lies. And at Tribal Council, Shauhin didn't feel scared at all. So I do think I deserve an Emmy. I am here to fully own every single lie I've told. Because that's the way I came out to play this game. But I'm not gonna say anything until Final Tribal Council.
I'm so proud. I'm so happy to make the final five. I really didn't think I'd make it this far. I'm proud for dads. I'm proud for older dudes. I'm proud. I'm proud. This is the fourth quarter. It's like the game right before the super bowl, and we're away, playing green bay. It's cold, I'm tired, but you survive. And you go, 'okay. I got to strap on these pads now, and now it's time to play.'
This morning, we look around for tree mail, and there's no tree mail. Instead, we see our names on these little podiums and that puzzle lock. We're like, 'Oh damn. The game begins.'
People run off to the symbols again. And we realize there's something new on these symbols. There's these little dots on each of the symbols. And, immediately, I'm like, 'okay. This corresponds to letters of the alphabet.'
There's obviously really high stakes here. Winning immunity at this point of the game means that you are guaranteed a shot in the final four, which means that you have a strong chance to at least make your case at Final Tribal. That's everything.
I need this, because these next few Tribal Councils are gonna get messy. Hearts are going to be broken. This game forces you to dig deep and be mentally and emotionally resilient. The Mitch who showed up on Day 1 is nothing compared to the Mitch who is sitting here on Day 24. And I'm excited to show what I have in the tank.
People don't think I have what it takes to get the advantage. But my strategy coming in was to, like, take advantage of the fact that other people will underestimate me. I have been lying to everyone at every single point in this game but I haven't been sent home yet. It's gotten me pretty far. You can lie and deceive. You just can't get caught.
Right now, I'm in such a tight group with people who all think that I'm working with them. It never hurts to ask questions. Closed mouths don't get fed, so. 'Mitch, what was that?' And then he hesitates for a second and then he tells you. And then, next thing you know, you got the letter that you need. Or Eva, when I'm standing at the puzzle lock. I-I got all the letters she has. She just tells me there's another 'e.' And then, next thing you know, I got all the letters. So I know that there's an s, an r, two e's, a u and a c. So, immediately, my mind goes to 'rescue.' And I'm like, 'I got it.' Click, click, click, click, click, click, pow. Bam. I thought I had it.
I've played a ton of Scrabble with my mom in my life. That's something that we really bond and do together. And so, I was just thinking, I was like, 'come on, mom.' And rearranging 'em, rearranging 'em, and then it clicked, and I was like, 'secure.' That is definitely a Survivor word. That's got to be it. I feel ecstatic. I knew something good was gonna happen today. I have had so many advantages in this game. I have a Hidden Immunity Idol. I have a Safety Without Power that I let expire without using. And now I have this final five Challenge Advantage, too. I feel on top of this upcoming challenge, and I feel on top of this game.
That is the biggest comeback I've ever done in, like, anything in my life. I have my second individual immunity necklace, which is crazy 'cause I didn't even think I'd wear it once. And so this one is for mom and dad. Their baby's not getting voted out of this game.
We're little kids in a kiddie pool trying to clean off ten pounds of mud. But at the end of the day, we earned this. We earned the right to dive in that mud.
Mitch sells me that we need to write down Joe's name, no matter what happens. He thinks it's our only shot to get the biggest threat out of this game. Plus, in Mitch's mind, we have the numbers.
On the other hand, I have Joe. And I think Joe's plan all along has been to sort of send out Mitch. He could get a lot of votes at the end of the game. He has no blood on his hands. And so Mitch is a very scary person to have in this game. So you kind of have to weigh Joe, who's a huge threat for a couple different reasons, and Mitch, who's a huge threat for a couple different reasons. And I really have to sort of sit with it and think.
It's crazy because I'm at the last reward of this season. And I'm wearing the immunity necklace. I never expected that I would get there on my own. Like, I won that challenge. And I brought myself there. And so it's an insane feeling, knowing that no one has written my name this game and no one will be able to write my name until they vote for me at Final Tribal Council.
Tonight's vote is super easy. It's Mitch. So I'm trusting that everyone is doing that. And the thing is, if they're not, I'm not at risk. I'm playing my idol. It's the last day to use it.
This vote is huge. And so I have a big decision to make tonight. Wearing the immunity necklace, you kind of feel like you can sort of dictate where the vote's going. So I feel like I have this power. There are many reasons to take out Joe. He is dominating this game. He's dominating the challenges. But, also, Mitch and Kyle are a threat to my jury votes, because if people want to vote Civa, the votes are gonna get split between us. And while I know that Kyle is the biggest threat to my game, I don't want to send Kyle home today and then have me go home tomorrow and have neither of us sitting at Final Tribal Council. Because I, for some reason, have decided to play this game for the both of us. And it's crazy because I never thought I'd be playing the game this way. I thought I could separate the logic from, like, the heart and the emotion in this game. And I can't.
Coming out here, I think the biggest fears I had was that my stutter would hurt me out here, that it would be challenging to build relationships with people. But I was able to overcome that. It just goes to show you that regardless of what other people believe you're capable of doing, none of that truly matters. It just matters what you believe you're able to do.
I mean, I just can't believe it. Making final four is just unreal. And the crazy thing is, what you have is two groups of two that have played very different games. On one hand, you have Kamilla and myself, a very undercover duo. It's required a ton of deception, and nobody knows that we're even close at all. Then you have Joe and Eva, a very, very public duo. Everybody has known that they've been together since, like, the beginning of this game. So it's been two different stories, and I think now they're coming together in a really cool way. And honestly, I think any one of us could win this game.
This last immunity challenge is huge because I want the power to decide who I sit next to in the final three. If I win, I'm taking Joe, which I'm sure a lot of people would think is a dumb decision. He's my biggest competitor. But we've been together since Dat 1, and I think I have a very unique story to tell about my life and my role in this game. So, I don't think that it will hurt me by having him next to me.
This morning, I realized I can't be sitting next to Kyle at final three. Like, that will cost me this game. We've made pretty much all of our moves together, and I feel like the votes are gonna get split between us. So, if I win, I've decided to put Joe up against Kyle at making fire, because my best shot of winning a million dollars is for Kyle to be on the jury.
Me and Kamilla have been together since Day 1, and she's like a sister to me. But we have played pretty much the exact same game. So, I think going with Joe and Eva to the final three is exactly what I need to do.
Today's challenge it's the biggest one of the season, 'cause if you win, you're going to the final three, and you decide who's going with you. If I win, I'm absolutely picking Eva, period, end of story. She's my number one. But if not, I've tried to maneuver myself to avoid making fire at all costs. 'Cause it could just be an off day. So my goal is to win, but if Kyle wins, honestly, I hope he picks me.
This is the most important challenge of the season, and I-I got to pull it out. I worked my ass off to get to this point, so I don't want to screw it up. I need to be the one making that decision. Otherwise, my fate is in other people's hands.
So many times, on so many challenges, I've been so close. And the one challenge with the most pressure, I beat some of the biggest competitors I think this game's ever seen. And now, my game's entirely in my own hands. Did not drop the ball this time. No, I did not.
Won immunity today. It just feels great. This necklace gives me the opportunity to sit in front of the jury and argue my case. Gives me a guaranteed shot at a million dollars. My plan going into the immunity challenge is, if I won, I would take Joe. Sort of make good on my word there. And right now, I'm gonna keep my promise because I think it's the right thing to do and I also think it's the best thing for my game. A fire victory is a victory, and that-that counts. That's a tally on your survivor résumé. I don't want to give Joe any more momentum than-than he's had. I want the momentum.
Final three. I actually made it to the final three. It's a dream come true. It's as far as you can get. It's all in your hands now. And I would have never thought in a million years I'm one of those three.
I poured my heart and soul into Kyle and really tried to let him feel the fact that I care about him as a person. I do believe he sees that, and that's why he's picking me. 'Cause he knows that I genuinely care about him.
Kyle promised he would take Joe with him if he won the fire-making. And it just… it's crushing. But knowing that my game is on the line, I'm not gonna psych myself out. I'm gonna go in and I'm gonna I'm gonna build a-a killer fire.
I want Eva to win tonight. I'll just… I'll just be blunt about it. I am so scared of going up against Kamilla at the end of this thing. She is a serious threat to my game. We played pretty much the exact same game. So, I don't want her stepping on my toes in that Final Tribal Council. And I need her to go. I can't… I wish I could bring her, but I can't.
Kyle and I both agree that only one of us can sit at final three. So, here I am making fire at final four. I'm very proud of myself that the reason I'm being put to make fire is 'cause I'm a threat to someone's game. This is, like, way further in the game than I ever would have expected. I didn't even expect to win one individual immunity, but I'm out here, I won two. And so, if I pull out a fire win against Eva, I still have a solid chance at beating out Kyle and Joe, that Final Tribal Council. This fire gets me one step closer to winning that million dollars, which will change my family's life. There is still hope. I know I can pull it out. I can do this.
I do not want to make fire at all. Sure, I went in the backyard of my apartment and made a fire every day leading up to this. But that's nothing compared to making a fire under pressure, knowing that my game is on the line. And I just keep trying and trying and trying. And I can't do it. And I just am getting more and more frustrated. Just was building on all this pressure, and just the intensity of needing to do this and not being able to and the frustration. It was just, like, crushing me.
Eva is having a really difficult time right now. Um, I really heard her in pain in the jungle. I know that there are more layers to… To this than… than the game. Eva is incredibly strong. She has overcome things out here, but it's hard to hear somebody go through something like that and to know that you have a part to play in it. What I thought was going to be an easy decision and what I… what I treated as an easy decision is-is anything but that. I think this is the… Most difficult but important decision I will ever make in my entire life. It might be time for me to step up and take care of Kamilla myself, which I think I can do. But again, people have underestimated Kamilla this entire game. I haven't. And because of that, it makes it even scarier to go against her. Yeah, this… This is… this is hard. I-I'm not a coward, either, though, and I'm not… And I'm not afraid to put myself into fire if that's what needs to happen.
It was devastating to see her that upset. I just kept saying,' it's okay. Breathe. It's okay. I'm here for you.' And then, immediately, I felt her start to calm down. The harder I squeezed, the calmer she got. And it made me feel like I needed to protect her.
Joe is the most amazing human. Like, he just is so selfless. And he's like, 'I will step in, I'll do the fire.' I say, 'No. No way in hell am I letting you build a fire instead of me.' This has to be me. I have to learn to do it myself. I have to do this.
My gut does not want to put her in a spot where she can be hurt, but the other side of that coin is she needs this to prove to herself that she can do it and show others that are similar to her that she can do it. So now it's time to get to work.
Joe is the best fire teacher I could possibly have. He sets me up with the right tools for the job. He shows me how to do it, and we start practicing. I'm so lucky that I had his help because it's making me feel more confident in myself, and giving myself actual belief that maybe I can do this.
And just like that, boom, she starts making fire. She just had the biggest smile on her face. That's all you ever want from somebody you care about. I can't wait for her to kill it tonight. She will. I got no doubt. She'll be sitting right next to me.
I am exhausted. It takes so much out of you to make fire. I made a couple of fires, but they're taking so long. So I really think it's a mental thing for me right now. There are points where I got frustrated. I'm like, 'why is it not working? Is it my flint? Is it this?' And I start blaming all these external things. That is definitely the old Kamilla. The new Kamilla was like, 'clearly I am doing something wrong. I need to figure out what am I doing wrong. Oh. This is what I was doing wrong? Great. Don't do it anymore. Do the new thing.' And so, I was able to learn, thanks to the new Kamilla. This new side of me is, like, not letting my brain waste time beating myself up. New Kamilla is… Hopeful of so many things going my way tonight. No matter what happens, it's gonna be a battle. But this battle is gonna be, like, for myself. Can I stay cool? Can I not give up? That's the battle for me tonight. Old Kamilla… I'm leaving her on this island. She's not coming to final four fire-making with me. I'm leaving her here. I'm ready, I'm prepared. I'm gonna give everything I have into this fire.
Waking up with Joe and Eva sort of by my side - it was awesome. It's kind of corny to say, but I think that the bonds in this season run really deep. This story, this adventure… it's led all the way up to this moment, and it's just time to, like, see this thing through all the way to the end. But you never know what a jury's gonna do. My motto coming into this game was 'people first.' The reason I was able to dictate and finesse most of these votes is because of the relationships that I built at the beginning and throughout the entirety of this game. It allowed me to see this game from an overhead view. I had an idea, I had a pulse on what everyone was thinking throughout the entire game, and I think that matters. If the jury doesn't know it yet, then they have to know it tonight. I was in control.
This season has shown me so many things about myself that I never expected. I went through some very intense mental times. And I battled through that in the most depriving situation I could possibly be in. It's come at a great emotional toll, but it's also brought me great friends, great happiness, and it's brought me to the end. So, if there's anything that I have contributed to season 48, it is heart.
When I came into this game, I said I wanted to play an honorable, straight-up, kind of this loyal, honest game. I truly believe that I have, because I refuse to do certain things that compromise the man I am. You know, I wasn't willing to just do things to build a résumé. I wasn't willing to just stab somebody in the back to shock and awe a potential juror that might say, 'wow, that's so impressive that you were scandalous in that moment.' And to pull that off and make the final three - that feels really good.
I'm so excited to literally use the lawyer skills that I've been hiding to talk to the jury. I am going to make sure that they want to give me that million dollars.
Challenge:Simmotion Each castaway must drop a ball into a metal chute. The ball will travel down a spiraling metal track and exits out of one of two points, with a turnstile gate in the middle of the track causing the balls to alternate between exits. Castaways must catch the ball, then drop it back into the chute at the top. At designated intervals, an additional ball is added to the track until seven balls are simultaneously in play. If a castaway's ball falls to the ground at any time, they are eliminated from the challenge. The last person standing wins. Winner:Kyle Fraser
Tribal Council[]
Day 24[]
Tribal Council 14: Niu Nai
Voted Against
Voter
Mitch (4 votes)
Eva, Joe, Kamilla, Kyle
Kyle (1 vote)
Mitch
Eva (used Hidden Immunity Idol)
None
VOTED OUT: Mitch Guerra
Voting Confessionals[]
Joe was shown writing Mitch's name on the parchment.
(voting against Mitch) Love you so much, man. It has been so great playing this game with you. I mean, your personality is just electric, it lights up that room, and it's been such an honor to play this game with you.
Every expectation and hope and dream I had about this experience was blown out of the water. I am so proud of myself. I've played a heck of a game and can't be too upset about making it to Day 24.
”
Day 25[]
Tribal Council 15: Niu Nai
Fire-Making Challenge
Participant
Result
Eva
Won
Kamilla
Lost
ELIMINATED: Kamilla Karthigesu
Final Words[]
Kamilla's final words were not aired.
Final Tribal Council[]
Tribal Council 16: Jury Vote
Voted for Winner
Voter
Kyle (5 votes)
Chrissy, David, Kamilla, Mitch, Shauhin
Eva (2 votes)
Mary, Star
Joe (1 vote)
Cedrek
SECOND RUNNER-UP: Joe Hunter
RUNNER-UP: Eva Erickson
SOLE SURVIVOR: Kyle Fraser
Voting Confessionals[]
Shauhin's vote was not shown during his confessional.
(voting for Joe) You made any 45-year-old look exactly how I want to be. You played this game well. This is for your family. This is for your kids. I get it.
(voting for Eva) You played a game in which you were true to yourself. You played with your heart, and you played in a way that I haven't seen anybody play before. So, it has to be you.
(voting for Kyle) I said I wanted to vote for the most well-rounded player, and that is you. I also said if I'm not winning this game, it better be you. I hope I'm right.
Night 25 Return from Tribal Council: The Final Three return from Tribal Council where Eva won the fire making challenge and sent Kamilla to the jury.[3]
