Eighteen new castaways will be abandoned on the breathtaking islands of Fiji, where they must battle it out for the $1 million prize. Tribes must claim victory in the first challenge of the season to earn essential camp supplies.
I'm a fire captain. And the adrenaline running into a fire or a burning building… it's a life-or-death situation. You really have to be on point and use that adrenaline to your advantage. And that is really what drives you to do good. You want to be in that situation, and honestly, when the calls come in, I want to be the person you call.
Oh my gosh. What is a south Philly girl doing in Fiji? But that's the exciting part. It's the unknown. Like, what am I gonna do when I get out there? You honestly will never know what's gonna come out of my mouth. The lack of filter… it gets me in trouble sometime… A lot of the times, it gets me in trouble.
I'm used to being in a big, male-dominated area. I'm a physicist and an engineer and, at Georgia Tech, I was the first and only girl to play on the men's club hockey team. So, this does not scare me at all. I'm gonna battle my ass off and I'm gonna beat them.
I have imagined the feeling of playing Survivor for a very long time. Everybody is like a pack of wild dogs being held back by their leashes. You're all sizing each other up. And you look to another tribe, and it's like, 'I'm going to eat your lunch.'
Once I hurt my shoulder, I felt like I wasn't able to give it my all. So, in my mind, I'm thinking there's only one opportunity right now for your tribe to think of you as an asset. So, I either I am going to fail again and it'll be the worst opening of my Survivor journey, or I can change my fate around.
On the way to our island, our new home, covered in mud, screaming at the top of our lungs 'cause we just won the marooning challenge on season 48 is an all-time memory. It's knowing that you're living one of the best days of your life while you're in the best day of your life.
I think first impressions go so far in this game. So, like, I'm looking at everybody and I'm just trying to figure out who they are so then I could filter my story and what I was saying to fit the tribe appropriately. I felt like there was a lot of pressure, especially because when I look at my tribe, you have Joe, who's, like, this enormous firefighter. You have Shauhin. He's in shape. He's-he's very confident. Then we have a female hockey player who plays hockey on the boys' team. And then you have Star, who is a literal basketball player. And then, it's, like, me and Bianca. So, it's like, you're instantly looking at everybody. You're going, 'Oh no. Am I the weakest link?' I am not very strong, but I can bond with pretty much anyone.
Me and Shauhin and Joe… we're just bonding in a way that I would never expect me and two straight dudes to do. Like, who am I? What am I doing? But I also get good vibes from Bianca. I love her.
I came here knowing I was gonna play a social game. Like, that's who I am. That's my strategy out the gate. And I got a great one-on-one vibe with Thomas. It clicked. Like, I knew I really wanted to work with him. I knew I had to find a day one, because a day one can get you to the end.
This is insane. I've wanted to do this since I was, like, nine. And now, finally, I get to run around, I get to cause chaos, and I get to have fun while doing it.
I'm a lieutenant on the Chicago fire department, and my job is totally gonna help me out here. Not that I'm gonna boss him around or anything, but I know how to deal with different personalities. I think this is gonna be fun.
Currently, I'm a stunt performer, so I perform stunts, do high falls, fighting. So, I literally play a superhero for a living. And I know they're gonna see me as that character sometimes. They might see me as the hero. They might see me as the villain. Truth be told, sometimes, I'm both. But out here, which one's it gonna be? We're gonna find out. Hopefully, my charm has won people over enough that they can kind of look past the muscles and see me more than a physical challenge threat and actually, as a valuable ally.
First impression of the tribe around me is these are an amazing group of people. But from a physical standpoint, we are an underdog team. At the challenge, Kevin had an injury, and, ultimately, we lost, so, we didn't get our supplies, and now we just have to regroup and move forward.
I am chomping at the bit, ready to play. I cannot wait. In my professional life, I get to decide what we do, when we do, how we do it. But out here, you try doing that, it could put a target on your back. So, I already want to practice sitting on my hands. I think that will be the key to my game, is not taking action when I might direly want to.
Stephanie and Mary, these hoochie mamas are just playing the 'get to know you' game. But I don't want to build camaraderie around the campfire. That's not what I'm here for. Yes, that's a part of it, but I need to know about the longevity of my game. So, what I need is a core four.
Sai is definitely out here to play. She seems willing to work with me, which is great. Early on, it's-it's good to have those bonds because no one wants to be the first one out. No one does.
I locked my boys in like that. I definitely hit the ground running, and it feels like the right thing to do. If you're gonna play this game, come out here swinging, and I'm taking big swings because this is my season.
Losing the challenge… I mean, that was horrible. One of the worst feelings ever. Even if it wasn't technically my fault, I still feel accountable for that. I always viewed myself as a teammate who would get the job done. I haven't done it so far, so now I have to get these supplies for my tribe.
If I didn't hurt my shoulder, I would feel very confident. I've trained for this, I-I got the muscles. But once I hurt my shoulder, all bets were off. I don't want to let my tribe down, so, there's no way I'm coming back empty-handed.
I'm hacking away at the coconut, and I look up, and Kyle's actually near me. He's confused, and he hasn't figured it out yet. The key is in the coconut. So, in my mind, 'I actually have a shot in this. I'm somehow winning.'
Finally, once I get my machete, I got some catching up to do. Kevin is well ahead of me. As I'm running, I look over and see that Kevin is also at his pot, and, he's trying to climb up the tree. And I'm like, 'oh my god, I'm still in this.' The parchment said, 'by any means necessary, get the pot.'
I finally get the pot, and I'm feeling physically dead. But I just said to myself, 'make sure that you beat Kyle.' And I noticed Kyle was rushing, too. He's flinging the water, and a lot of it's spilling. So, I see him going fast, and I'm just going so slow, and make sure I don't drop any water, and, you know, I was filling up a lot of water.
I can't believe it. As I was filling up the pot, I accidentally break the jug, and I knew the challenge was over. I know that I've failed again. I failed now twice in less than an hour. But I look at Kevin, and I was like, 'this guy hurt himself, and he just worked his ass off. What's the point of me just sitting there wallowing?' So I just thought: 'you know, I'll go over there and help him.'
I felt like a screw-up. Usually, when I've screwed up, it affects me, but here, it affected everybody that I'm gonna be playing this game with. I let my tribe down. That sucks.
With my shoulder injury, I was worried that they were gonna think that I'm a liability, but it turns out, my tribe mates… they're thinking I'm a hero. I feel ready to really play this game now.
So, I got the fire started, and that was pretty cool. I don't know. Maybe I got beginner's luck, but it was kind of easy. I'm glad that everyone saw me make the fire. However, I feel like in the new era, people also don't give a [censored] about that. Just because I make the first fire doesn't mean that they're not gonna vote me out. So, I want to make sure that I'm building trust with people.
I thought I was gonna be the first boot, but now have an alliance with Mary. So, to me, I'm feeling like Vula heaven. And then, all of a sudden, Sai approaches me, and tells me she wants to talk, and I'm like, 'I'm always open to any conversation.'
This is crazy. I have a four-person alliance with Sai, Cedrek and Justin. Then I have a side alliance with Mary. So, I'm kind of, like, the king of Vula right now. This has changed the trajectory of my entire game.
Coming back to camp, mentally, I'm-I'm still pretty shocked. I let my tribe down. But I still have to figure out a way to integrate into this group of people who have been forming bonds, and I have to integrate with a lot. I'm a lawyer, but I have to tell them that I'm a teacher. I'm happy to walk into a party late, but walking into a party late with a costume on is a whole 'nother fricking story.
Kyle seems like a sincere guy, but he's no me. If I'd have gone, I would have got the machete, tribe supplies. We would have been sitting pretty. But at the end of the day, I knew he was telling the truth. I could look in his eyes and I could see it. I could see every detail that he was describing, and it matched up. I think I can trust Kyle. But there's not really a whole lot to do without a machete and a pot and supplies. So, I think it's time we look for these symbols.
David was out here just, like, sharing that he, like, found something, but I don't know if I would have shared it with everyone. I probably would have been a little bit more discreet.
There's a lot of things going on… symbols, letters, ropes. All of which I have no idea how we got, what we're doing with them, or why we're even doing.
What the freak is happening right now? Our tribe is all over the place. We have zero supplies, no shelter built, no fire, and we're just going on this goose hunt. If we don't get it together, I think we're gonna be screwed.
I think the Lagi tribe is fire. Everybody just kind of fell into roles of what they would do. The guys went straight to figure out what the foundation would be. Eva just went straight for the bamboos, holding ten bamboos in her hand. So, she's, like, literally… A beast.
I am the youngest player on this tribe, and I had to demonstrate my worth right away. And so I was like, 'what can I do to contribute to the tribe?' And so I was like, 'bamboo it is.' I am on the autism spectrum. I was diagnosed when I was very young, just over a year old. Having autism gives me a lot of great strengths for the game, as well as some blatant weaknesses. Weaknesses, for sure, are social cues. I don't know when someone's lying to me. I'm a very direct person and I expect others to be direct with me, and they're not going to be in this game. But on the flip side, my autism makes me so driven. So, I definitely fixated on the bamboo. And I was like, 'this is what I'm gonna work on so that I have structure here.' And so, I was a bamboo pickup machine.
As a fire captain, you really have to buy in to the fact that we got to do this together, you can't do it alone. So, coming into this game, I want to build strong bonds within our team. I do want to be that player that, when I walk away, people say that that was a good dude, you know, and it sounds corny, and people have said this before, but that loyalty piece, taking a group to the end I want to change the game a little bit and really try that.
Joe is an amazing man. He's just… Looks like an absolute beast. But then he also has this side where he is so caring and so loving for his family that I can't help but trust him.
I'm a hard-hitting business lady, I know that at the end of the day, relationships are what's important. And so, I am trying to have as many authentic conversations as I can with people and actually get to know them.
Some people are gonna want their game to move much faster. Like, Sai is a confident, determined woman of action. I can't imagine her sitting on her hands and just wanting to get to know people the same way some of us have decided to do. I see her wanting to get out there and play, and she seems to want to play hard. And time will tell who does have the better strategy.
I trust Justin. So, we're walking through, we're checking all of the trees. I'm looking around. I'm trying to take my time. And right when we were about to give up, something in my body was like, 'get on your tippy toes and look in this hole.'
I found the Beware Advantage with Justin. And the tube with the puzzle lock. Then it has a code that says, 'two, one, six, three, three, seven.' I'm thinking that letters in the alphabet, like, what number it is. Like, second letter in the alphabet, but I have to see if it spells a word.
This thing's scary. I don't know who… I'm like, why? I was adamant about math - that is the one thing I did not want out here, and they gave me numbers and something to crack open. And reading that I don't have my vote any longer… that's really terrifying. But I also read that it has an immunity idol inside, and that's what makes me want to crack this open as soon as possible. Because Tribal could be right around the corner. I have no clue, and I need to have this thing open. I need my vote.
This is just Day 2, and right now we're all, like, trying to feel each other out. I feel like everybody's liking me and whatnot, and that's cool, but I feel like I would like it more if I at least had a advantage or a… Security in my pocket. So, I'm looking for idols 'cause I have to protect myself. It's going bad. It's going… It's going terrible. I'm like, 'where are they?'
Star is in trouble, for sure. It's like Survivor 101. Don't leave camp by yourself at the very beginning of the game. Star doesn't seem like she was ready for that social part of the game. That's a tough spot to be in, 'cause this game is already moving and shaking.
Oh my gosh. Me, Thomas and Joe. We're all from California. The California Girls alliance, baby, the California Girls. That's what we got. There's a certain vibe between us that's really, like, special and awesome.
Four is the majority, so we're trying to figure out who else to bring in. Right now Bianca is my number one, and it should be Bianca in with us, but all of the guys really like Eva, too.
Coming into this game, I know sometimes people do have different reactions to autism, so what matters to me is trucking along with people that you can trust and that you feel have your back. My plan is to find one ally that I feel comfortable explaining my situation to. I don't plan on telling the whole tribe, initially, because people could take advantage of me.
Telling someone I have autism, and them knowing that I'm going to struggle with understanding when people are lying really puts me at a vulnerable position. But on the flip side, I know that there are times when I may need help.
I'm so thankful that Eva was so honest with me. This is bigger than the game now and transcended it in a way that changed everything. What if my daughter was here in that situation? I have made a decision. She's with me. I got her.
She came to the right person, 100%. It was, you know… That was meant to be, so… Even if, you know… Whatever comes of that… Or why that happened. I'm not gonna let her down. So, even if that hurts my game or whatever, if I got to go home early, I'm not gonna let her down.
I do embody many stereotypes, but there's a lot that people don't realize. I mean, they're never gonna know. Like, I'm a huge rom-com guy. Like, I'm a big sap. I'm a hopeless romantic. I don't know. I feel like I'm a regular guy trapped in a jock's body. And that has dictated how I act sometimes.
Guyana is such a small country. Like, their population is so tiny. I-I can't believe it. Like, I was so, so happy to have something in common with someone out here.
What is going on with Charity? It sounded like she was trying to throw Kyle under the bus. At this point, I really like Kyle. I don't want Kyle going home.
I actually really like Kamilla, and I would love to work with her, because as I've learned about myself… even more so here, I'm an impulsive guy. And I think Kamilla's gonna be a very strategic player. And I think she's gonna know when to strike and know when to pull back. And I like that. I-I need that around me.
So, I came into this game wanting to mess with people a bit, 'cause I know, I know I'm weak. I need someone else's name out there, and I'm doing it right now by throwing Charity under the bus. And I've been reversing that bus and running her over and over and over.
So, my plan to get suspicion cast on Charity worked way better than I thought it would, 'cause Chrissy, David, Kyle, we end up forming an alliance over this shared mistrust of Charity, which works in my favor so well.
This Beware Advantage is really driving me nuts. I need to have this thing open. It's not a 'should we wait? Can we wait?' No, no, no. It's happening today. We found it today. Let's get to work.
Sai was very open that she found the Beware Advantage. Sharing that information with our alliance, I think, secures her spot in the four. Having that information gives us confidence in her ability to work with us.
I came out here saying I was not gonna tell anybody when I found an idol. But I also know that cryptograms are one of my weaknesses. I'm aware. That's why I had to clue in my alliance.
Knowing that Sai has the Beware Advantage is kind of like a double-edged sword. She's in my alliance. She trusts me enough to give me the code to solve the puzzle to get the idol. So, it makes me feel happy that I know it, but also scared that she has it.
I am itching to get it open. But for the love of god, we could not figure that out. So, I don't know when we're gonna do it, but I do know we're gonna do it someway, somehow. My heart is racing, and I'm like, 'where's your brain going, Sai?' But something in me said, 'breathe and just ground yourself.' That's when I remember there are these symbols all over the place.
I think it just hit me. The colors of the numbers match the symbols and the numbers are the letter in the word of the symbol. At first, I thought these were just, like, street names. But then, once I got my code, I was like, 'there's a method to the madness.'
Holy [censored] I got to go… I got to go crack this thing. I didn't even think to, like, wait a little bit. I'm so jittery. I'm jittering all over the place.
This… was not easy. There were so many moments where I would have given up, but I've had so many women pour into me to show me that you can be strong. Every step of it was surreal. Like, it wasn't just all me. It was all the women… who raised me, who just constantly pour into me to not stop. And I just know my grandma's just saying, 'give 'em hell. Give 'em hell, Sai.' I'm giving 'em hell, gramps. Giving 'em hell.
I feel really bad about losing the challenge. I feel like there's a spotlight on me. When you volunteer for the only part of a challenge that everybody else gets to watch, you inherently take on a bunch of extra risk, but I'm gonna take it head-on.
The vibe walking back into camp was rough, and I could sense that folks wanted to hear me take some responsibility. I think that earns you authenticity and accountability points with folks. No one likes to work with a delusional queen.
Steph feels a little bit on the outs right now, but we kind of both messed up on the puzzle, so, for me, I don't care who goes home as long as it's not me.
It has to be Stephanie tonight. And I think the thing that's her Achilles heel that's kinda, like, stabbing her in the butt cheek is that she doesn't listen to people around her, and I can't work with that.
Stephanie may be feeling down, but when we come back to the camp, I'm ready to pounce. I'm ready to have these conversations and get the one person that I don't trust on my tribe out. From the beginning, I have not trusted Sai. She's always gone, scampering around the island, looking for an idol. It's like, 'you're trying way too hard. Like, can we make some connections first?' That's a perfect way to not garner anybody's trust.
I know Sai is dangerous. She's playing really, really hard, really early, and it's still only Day 3, but Sai's been up-front with me the whole time. That goes a long way in this game for trust, so I really got to make a decision, but I'm still trying to keep in the middle as much as I can right now. It's the same approach I take at the restaurant. It's just going in the morning, taking inventory, seeing where everybody's at. 'Where do you need me? What can I do? You know, do you need me to go get supplies?' And kind of taking it from there.
Stephanie and Mary are up to something, but I'm hoping Tribal tonight plays out the way we would like it to and I don't have to use the idol. But if it doesn't play out the way we would like it to, I don't mind using my idol. I just want to use it wisely.
I know that I'm in a really good, solid four alliance with Cedrek, Justin and Sai, but Mary wants to make sure that it's me, Justin, Steph and her, Mary. And it's hard because I'm balancing two majorities. My head's in a pickle right now. There's something about Mary that I feel a genuine connection with. And I don't want to break that, and I don't want to make her distrust me. But the best part is that I have so many different options. And in this game, it's all about options. Me and Justin are kind of riding this middle wave right now, and that's exactly how I wanted to play this game. I have a really good relationship with Sai, however, the idol is not mine, and that's what scares me, because she can use the idol. Sai can have whatever say she wants to be able to use this. I'm glad I'm in this position right now, because now me and Justin have the control. It's a really good position to be. It's kind of what I wanted it to be, and, I'm excited. I'm very excited for this.
There is a lot going on, and I don't have all of the information. I think I'm experiencing, in real time, the complications of what it looks like to play a slightly lesser aggressive game, to not come in hot off the bat and to not feel like I am calling the shots. I just hope that everybody realizes the right person to vote out tonight is Sai.
A lot of people in this game who have been overly confident has had their torch snuffed, but I'm feeling I truly do have agency in my game, and my game is good. So, I'm ready. Let's go, full send.
Challenge:Uphill Battle Two tribe members race down the beach. First, they crawl under a muddy net. Then, they retrieve a heavy chest to bring back to the start. The next two pairs of tribe members repeat this process. Three tribe members will then race back under the muddy net and work together to navigate a steep ramp to collect a key. The key will be used to unlock the chest and retrieve three sandbags. The three remaining members must land the sandbags on three different targets to win the challenge. Reward: Pot, machete, and flint Additional Stipulation: The two losing tribes will have to send one tribe member to earn their supplies in another challenge. Winner:Lagi
Challenge:Fight for Supplies One representative of the two tribes that lost the first reward challenge will compete. Each player will pick a path and follow the rope to their machete. They then must continue down that path to retrieve their pot. It is up to the player how they obtain the machete and pot from their obstacles. A single flint is locked at the end of the path. In order to obtain the key, the player must fill their jug with water to float it to the top. Reward: Pot, machete, and flint Winner:Vula
Challenge:Slide Hustle The tribes will race through a platform and a net crawl. One tribe member will use a Fijian war club to break a mask that contains a key. That key will unlock a sled that the tribe will navigate through sandbags and up a platform. Once on the platform, two members will use the pieces inside the sled to solve a puzzle resembling the season's logo. Reward: Toolkit Additional Stipulation: The losing tribe must forfeit their flint, though they can win it back if they win the next Immunity Challenge. Winners (in order of finish):Lagi and Civa
Tribal Council[]
Tribal Council 1: Vula
Voted Against
Voter (Stephanie used Shot in the Dark and was not safe)
Stephanie (4 votes)
Cedrek, Justin, Kevin, Saiounia
Saiounia (1 vote)
Mary
VOTED OUT: Stephanie Berger
Voting Confessionals[]
Parts of Sai and Justin's confessionals were aired; their votes were not shown during their confessionals. Justin was shown writing the letter S. A transcript of the confessionals was posted by Mike Bloom on Twitter.[2]
(voting against Stephanie) You’re an amazing person, but you’re an amazing player. This might not be the right move, but...it's a chance I have to take.
I just got voted out, and I got voted out first. I don't have a ton of regrets. Could I have hit the beach a little harder? Could I have started forming alliances a little faster? Maybe, but like, I got to push myself in ways that I didn't know I could. I am walking out of here with my head held high and really glad for the opportunity.
