Survivor 48 - Champions League Update #12

Before we get started, a reminder of who has whom:

Second, 5 bonus points to Carol for knowing that Phils-osophy by Phil Dunphy is from the show Modern Family!

Without further ado, let’s get to the final update of the season and see who takes home the crown!

The Final Five cheer for each other, and Kyle is especially happy that his and Kamila’s plan to get Shauhin out worked. Joe and Eva think they made the right call. 

This is why “Trust, but verify” is a rule!”

Pretend Points Rule #2 – Trust but verify: When a player is told information counter to that players knowledge, trust the source but verify its truth with other players.

Kamila can’t believe Joe didn’t confirm their story with Shauhin, and for that she hopes to be nominated for an Emmy. She finally understands that you can lie in Survivor. You just can’t get caught.  (1 point for “Mention ‘in this game’” [Kamila] to Dalphyne!)

They are brought to a clearing in the forest with pedestals holding cryptexes. An advantage in the upcoming immunity challenge awaits for the first person to solve the puzzle using clues around camp. 

They race around, all telling us how important it is that they win. Once we see the letters, I solve the jumble in two seconds (I’m a freak that way). It takes Eva a few seconds more but she’s still faster than her competitors. She secures her advantage by spelling it out on the cryptex!  (7 points for “Obtain a secret advantage” [Eva] to Ricky!). No one should be shocked by her win as she reminds us that she’s been flush with advantages all season (1 point for “Mention ‘in this game’ [Eva] to Ricky!)

At the Immunity and Reward challenge, they have to crawl through a muddy net, throw a ball at a target and then maneuver it through a sandbag filled cage, finally sinking it in a basket. Making the basket reveals numbers that open a lock, revealing a key. The key unlocks the puzzle. The first person to complete the puzzle wins immunity and reward.

Eva’s advantage allows her to dunk her basket shot rather than toss it.

Joe’s the first into the muddy net which looks like an energy-sapping nightmare. Mitch passes him, sinking his shot on the first try again. I think that’s the 4^th time this season he’s shown his basketball skills.  Mitch and Joe have almost cleared out Stage 3 by the time Kamila finishes Stage 1. They head to the puzzle as she sinks her ball.

Jeff: These challenges look so easy when you’re sitting at home

Me: No. They really don’t.

The puzzle is so hard that despite being well behind in last place, when Kamila finally catches up, only Eva has a couple of pieces in place. Kamila quickly takes the lead on Eva and demolishes the rest of the puzzle, completing an incredible comeback and winning her 2^nd individual immunity and reward! (16 points for “Win individual immunity” and “Win individual reward” [Kamila] to Dalphyne!). She gets to choose one person to go with her to the Sanctuary, and naturally she picks Eva. This is Eva’s 4^th time being chosen to go on reward. I’m not sure if that is a record, but it has to be close! (3 points for “Chosen to go on reward by someone else” [Eva] to Ricky!)

She’s been on so many rewards that she may be the only person in Survivor history to gain weight while on the island!

Back at camp, they clean off by sitting in the ocean like babies. Mitch sees Joe as vulnerable, and with Kyle and Kamila he has the numbers, but Kyle has no plans to flip. He and Joe are solidly on Mitch as the vote.

At the Sanctuary, Kamila struggles with how to separate herself from Kyle and what’s best for her game from her emotions. Eva has no such worries. She’s playing her idol and she’s solidly with Joe to the end.

When they return to camp, Kyle and Kamila agree to vote for Mitch.  Instead of raising his hopes and keeping him in suspense, they all tell him he’s the vote. “I shoulda made a move”, says he.

At Tribal #1, Kyle explains that everyone was open and honest about the vote but that doesn’t make it any easier. Mitch is heartbroken but he had his chance a few weeks ago and wouldn’t pull the trigger. Since it’s the last week she can do so, Eva plays her idol and Mitch is voted out 4-1

(3 points for “Chosen to vote first” [Mitch] to Carol!). 

(2 points for “Play a hidden immunity idol on yourself” [Eva] to Ricky!)

(4 points for “Received vote against” [Mitch] to Carol!)

(-1 point for “The tribe has spoken” [Mitch] against Carol!)

(1 point for “Jury member” [Mitch] to Carol!) 

I’m going to call this one “Shoulda, woulda, coulda, didn’t”

 Back at camp, the Final 4 celebrate as Kyle reminds us, they are two groups of duos who have played completely opposite games.

The next morning, they all talk about who they’d bring to the end and who’d make fire. Joe, the fireman, wants to avoid having to make fire at all costs.

Kamila tells Kyle her best shot is not to sit with him, and so she’ll bring Joe.  Kyle tells Joe he’d bring the fireman as well.  Finally, Eva will ALSO take Joe to the end.

For his part, Joe is taking Eva. Shocking no one.

It’s Simmotion for the Final Immunity Challenge. This is the game where they add a ball into a swirling metal maze and catch it before it drops, and then add a 2^nd ball, 3^rd, 4^th etc... Kyle feels like a little kid – he always wanted to play this one.

The first ball is easy. The second is as well.

But this requires FOCUS, Jeff reminds them. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS

Me: SHUT THE FOCUS UP, JEFF!

On the 3^rd ball, Eva drops. (3 points for “First out in an individual challenge” [Eva] to Ricky!).

On the 4^th ball, Kamila drops leaving Kyle and Joe to battle for final immunity.  In the end, Kyle’s youth wins out as Joe loses focus for a second and drops!  (8 points for “Win individual immunity” [Kyle] to Jay!)

Kyle feels great about winning and feels even better after telling Joe he’s going to the Final 3. He’s hoping Eva wins fire making to avoid having either on the jury advocating for the other. Eva, however, thinks it’s crushing that she didn’t get chosen – but she would have taken Joe too!

Eva and Kamila practice making fire. Kamila looks like she has some idea of how to do it but Eva is unable to get even the smallest spark. She gets completely frustrated.  She’s crying so loudly that Kyle rethinks his plan to force her to make fire!

Joe goes to comfort her and offers to make fire himself, but Eva won’t hear a word of that.  She does accept his help as he teaches her how to do it.

At the fire making challenge. Kyle announces that Joe is coming with him to the final three and Kamila will face off with Eva to make fire. (5 points for “Chosen to be in Final 3” [Joe] to Roberta!), (3 points each for “Chosen to make fire” [Eva, Kamila] to Ricky and Dalphyne!).  Eva already looks stressed they sit down, but Shauhin echoes our sentiments from the jury

It. Is. TIME!

Eva is the first to show a spark and a flame as Kamila can’t get anything going.   Her fire builds and quickly licks the rope.  Despite burning it for a solid 20 seconds, the rope refuses to pop 

Kamila still has nothing.

Eva begins to panic as her fire slows drops below the rope and begins to die out. 

Kamila still has nothing but encourages Eva to stay calm. She’s classy!

Calmed, Eva adds more wood to the fire and builds it back up.  The rope finally pops and Eva has won her way into the Final Three! (10 points for “Win fire making challenge at Final 4” [Eva] to Ricky!)

This is the end for Kamila’s game, but she’s sure her parents will be proud.

The official photo of the "So Close" award

The final sun rises over the camp as the boat bearing Survivor breakfast arrives. As they chow down, we hear the jurors talk about the finalists. They’ll all have some insightful questions to answer tonight (1 point for “Mention ‘in this game’ [Cedrek] to no one!) and most of all, they better own their game.

Following breakfast, Joe is in shock as Kyle comes clean about being a lawyer, and Eva comes clean about being a PhD candidate in Engineering and working with the Navy.

I hope being a fireman is enough!

At Final Tribal council, the power shifts to the jury. 

Cedrek asks about the weaknesses did you play with and how did you minimize them?  Eva’s autism (duh), Joe wears his emotions on his sleeve (1 point for “Mention ‘in this game’ [Joe] to Roberta!)  and finally, Kyle’s overconfidence.

Mitch asks about how they leveraged relationships, Chrissy about when they planned to betray each other (Spoiler alert: never), Star about what undercover moves didn’t we know about, Mary what the jury thought of you, David how they used their challenge wins to their advantage.

But the highlight is when Eva claims they knew they needed to go for Shauhin due to his idol.  Kamila pointedly asks Kyle to explain that move, and in that moment, I thought Kyle won the game. He tells everyone that while Eva was the heart and Joe was the muscle, Shauhin was the brains and so that’s why he framed Shauhin by making up the story about his idol and using his secret relationship with Kamila to sell it.

 It was a jarring moment. If the jury was unsure who they were voting for, it sealed the deal.  In the end, Joe got one vote, Eva two and the other 5 went to Kyle meaning Kyle is your Season 48 Survivor winner!

(15 points for “2^nd runner up” [Joe] to Roberta!)

(20 points for “Runner up” [Eva] to Ricky!)

(35 points for “Winner” [Kyle] to Jay!)

Clearly, he is worthy

And with that, here are our final scores:

• In 8^th place with 96 points…me!
• In 7^th place with 114 points…Kristyn!
• In a tie for 5^th place with 142 points…Roberta and Dalphyne!
• In a tie for 3^rd place with 145 points…Jay and Marissa!
• In 2^nd place with 161 points…Carol!
• And that means THE WINNER OF PRETEND POINTS CHAMPION LEAGUE SURVIVOR 48 with 210 points is.....

RICKY! 

CONGRATULATIONS RICKY ON YOUR 2^nd WIN!

Thank you everyone for playing along with another great season! We will be back soon when Big Brother 27 premiers in July with an exciting new way to choose players that will keep everyone in the game all the way to the end!