Survivor Season 48, Episode 2 is here, after an incredible premiere last week. A brand new bunch of castaways are battling it out for the $1 million prize, and with some early hard gameplay, there was a tragic casualty as the first player was sent packing. Who will take the next great steps on their Survivor journey, and who’s going to come up short this week? Here’s everything important that went down during Survivor Season 48, Episode 2: “Humble Traits.”
What happened during Survivor Season 48, Episode 2?
The game continues in Survivor Season 48, Episode 2, as Mary faces an uphill battle after voting for Sai. Important conversations are had, and some alliances are set. Others meanwhile, seem close to crumbling. There’s a lot going on, and with nearly everybody confident, somebody’s game is going to come crashing down around them. The surprises are coming early in Season 48! Here are all of the highlights from Survivor 48, Episode 2.
Mary is questioned about her vote back at camp
With Sai picking up a vote from Mary, but Steph sent home, answers are demanded when the Vula tribe returned to camp. “What did Steph say to you that made you feel comfortable voting me?” Sai wondered. “She had been throwing your name out for a while,” came Mary’s response. Sai promised she had “no hard feelings,” but Mary wasn’t convinced. The pair had lied to one another, and the battle lines were drawn. Mary “got got,” but she didn’t “get as got got as Steph did.” Exactly. There’s always a path forward in a game like Survivor.
Over on Civa, the tribemates are bonding over their gross feet. David’s not fazed, though. “We’re family,” he says in confessional, before showing off his four nipples. “Maybe that’s why I like milk so much,” he ponders. Charity points out the imperfections as “humble traits,” which are something God-given to remind you that you’re not perfect. These moments are exactly why Survivor is still going strong, 48 seasons in. It’s real human connection, and laughing over whether or not you have a wart on your hand.
Lagi’s conversations are a little more game-focused. They’re in it to win it. “I think the thing that’s making us a step above everybody else is we’re not basing our individual goals over the team,” Eva says. They’re confident that they can continue to avoid tribal council, but Star’s rubbed the wrong way when Eva suggests she could be the sit-out at the challenge. So, Star goes out to look for both firewood, and an advantage. She’s not confident that anybody wants to work with her. “My concern is that I’m disposable.” It must feel real crappy to have those thoughts just three days in.
Star lands the Beware Advantage
Poking through a tree stump, Star comes across the Beware Advantage, and opens it up to grab the puzzle lock. It’s a different one to the cracked puzzle we saw Sai solve, probably to stop cross-tribe communication. Honestly, it looks a lot more complicated, and I’m not even going to try and explain it here.
Star feels the same, and goes to Joe for help. He suggests she bring somebody else in so they can form an alliance. While it looks like he’s with her, he’s actually doing this to build trust with the castmates he’s already aligned with. Shauhin is one of them, and he takes the puzzle guide from Star, who agrees to go and distract the rest of the tribe. Like a bullet from a gun, Shauhin rushes to figure out the code. Unfortunately for him, he’s making mistakes. Deciding to slow down and look at all his options, he leaves the puzzle in Star’s hands, for now.
Later, Star goes to Thomas to talk game. He’s stunned, and says it’s something he’s been waiting for. “I’m gaining allies minute by minute,” Star says in confessional. “I’m using this Beware Advantage to build trust.” I’m not entirely sure telling nearly the entire tribe separately about that is the wisest idea, though. Bianca says the admission “changes everything,” and Star is pitching Eva to both her and Thomas.
In a chat with Shauhin, Thomas suggests the puzzle go missing. It’s a high level of villainy, and it has Shauhin scared. “That is way too hard a gameplay … I’m not doing that.” Sad. I always want villainy to rule.
Star wants Eva out, and Joe is stuck. Everyone thinks he’s on their side. He’s in a lose-lose situation.
Joe pulls Eva aside to let her in on Star’s secret
Unsure what to do next, Joe pulls Eva aside. They bonded quickly at the start of this game, and seemed like instant ride-or-dies. He tells Eva that Star “found an Idol,” which isn’t exactly true, but he later corrects himself. “She’s the only person that I don’t have a good connection with on this beach,” Eva says. Now, the mission seems to be to make sure Star doesn’t complete her mission and find the Idol; instead, they want her to come to tribal council without her vote.
At Vula, flies are causing chaos. They even attack Justin mid-confessional. “It’s a mess. We don’t know who to listen to, who’s in charge, who’s running the show,” he admits. But does every tribe need a leader, or can they simply work things out while they’re all on an equal footing?
Kevin, Justin, and Cedrek walk the beach to talk about Sai and Mary. Kevin thinks Sai is the biggest threat. “She’s very influential,” he says. If Sai goes home, then her idol goes back into the game. “To me, the math is mathing.”
Now, it’s time for another twist. One person on each tribe must go on a journey. On the count of three, every player must hold out between one and five fingers. The player holding out the repeat lowest number wins the chance to go on the journey. So if you don’t want to go, you may as well put out a six.
Thomas, Mitch, and Mary are chosen, but not without controversy. Sai’s whining, because she won the practice round, but they then went ahead with a regular round. That’s the point of a practice, Sai! But editors did do you dirty with that armpit sniff.
What happened on the journey in Survivor 48, Episode 2?
The journey offers the three castmates the chance to earn an advantage. There’s a puzzle either side of the beach, and one in the jungle. Each must go in a different direction. The guys take the beach, and Mary heads into the jungle.
The puzzle is the same for each player. They must rearrange blocks in order from 1-15. Only one block can be removed and added at any time, and there’s a timer involved. If they finish within the time limit, they gain the advantage. Any who fail will lose their vote at their next tribal council. It seems like a pretty simple puzzle, but with the pressure turned up, minds are racing.
Mitch is first to complete the challenge, followed by Thomas. Sadly, Mary’s unable to finish up. The guys’ advantages? It’s a Steal a Vote for Thomas, with a Vote Blocker granted to Mitch. It leads me to wonder, just which advantage was awaiting Mary? Perhaps an Extra Vote?
Returning to her tribe, Mary tells the truth. She says she has no vote, and feels it’s a “death sentence.” Sai has no sympathy. Thomas lies, and plans to “not tell a soul.” He thinks Star is the “perfect example of telling too many people” about an advantage. On his tribe, Mitch comes clean. His tribemates are ecstatic. The vibes are good on the Civa tribe!
Chatting with Charity, Mitch solidifies their allyship. But David notices, and doesn’t trust the pair. “I like Mitch … but he’s playing hard. He’s playing hard like Charity, which is why I think they’re together,” David says to the rest of the tribe. He wants to go Beware Advantage hunting, and the rest of his alliance agree.
Kyle finds the Beware Advantage
With David right next to him, Kyle finds the Beware Advantage in a tree. They open it up, and inside is a riddle, surrounded by the animal symbols David spotted early in the game. Kyle wants to tell Kamilla and Chrissy, so that all four can help in decoding the puzzle lock. He even hands the puzzle lock directly to video game fanatic Kamilla.
“Trust is so hard to find out here, and that was an insane display of trust,” Kamilla says. She and Kyle are fully locked in. Eventually, Kamilla cracks the code thanks to the letters she and her alliance had found earlier on. She hands the contents of the puzzle lock back to Kyle, and he officially bags himself an Immunity Idol.
Now, on Day 5, it’s time for the next reward and immunity challenge. But it’s the important conversation between Mitch and host Jeff Probst I want to highlight here. He asks if, when Mitch is struggling to finish his sentence, he would like help from whoever he’s conversing with. Mitch explains that in an ideal world, people will “hang in there” and allow him to do it himself. So, people, if you ever find yourself chatting to someone with a speech impediment, be patient. While you might want to be helpful, you could lean into patronizing and belittling behavior.
The challenge itself will grant two tribes immunity. The first to finish get a huge fishing kit, and the second will receive a smaller fishing kit. Star and Kamilla are sit outs, and the challenge is on. It’s incredibly physical AND in the water; not something I’d love. In the end, Civa finish first, with Lagi coming in second, sending Vula back to tribal council.
Is it an easy vote for “sitting duck” Mary?
Sai feels bad that Cedrek couldn’t pull it out at the challenge. Still, she wants to take a shot at “sitting duck” Mary. Back at camp, Cedrek gets emotional. “I take most responsibility for the loss,” he says. “I also understand if it were very clear I should go tonight.” But he’s not giving up.
“I don’t care if you flop at every challenge,” Kevin tells Cedrek. “This challenge doesn’t change anything. It has to be Sai tonight, because she has an Idol. If it’s not gonna be this time, if Mary goes out today, then we are toast next time.” He has a point. The Idol either needs flushing this time around, or Sai blindsided, if the guys’ alliance is to survive the tribe’s potential third tribal council. A Shot in the Dark could throw a spanner in the works at this hypothetical tribal, but that’s a worry for later in the game.
Kevin takes Mary aside and promises to “do some magic here.” Her heart is sinking, but he assures her to “chill.” Her fate is in his hands, but will he be able to pull it off? Not if Cedrek’s heart takes over his head. He trusts Sai more than Mary, and wants to keep Sai around.
Speaking with Sai, Cedrek asks if she can “conceal” her emotions. “You need to play your Idol tonight,” he tells her. “Justin, Kevin and myself have talked. We’re voting for you,” he admits. “[But] I’m still gonna vote Mary. You vote Mary, if you play your Idol, Mary goes home.” Sai likes being viewed as a threat, and will “deal with Kevin later.” She’s now planting seeds about Kevin to everyone who will listen. As she says, “let the games begin.”
Justin thinks making a move against Kevin now is a good idea
Speaking with Cedrek, Justin proposes a “big swing.” Kevin can vote Sai, Sai can vote Mary, and the two of them can vote Kevin. This would send Kevin home, as Mary doesn’t have a vote. But are they willing to make that big move so early on?
At tribal, Sai quickly throws some shade at Kevin. He made a joke about their alliance of four being outed, and Sai took it as a serious comment. It’s a weird vibe, but understandable after what Sai learned from Cedrek. I have to wonder if he’s regretting letting her in on the information; she’s allowing some of her emotions to take over.
“If you can’t even trust the people you’re working with, who can you trust?” Sai says to Jeff. If Kevin can read between the lines, he should know that he’s in danger.
“It’s not an issue of personality; it’s an issue of trust. And in this game, if it’s an issue of trust, you can’t solve that other than eliminating the threat,” Mary tells Jeff when he asks if she and Sai could fix their relationship in the game. These two will never be allies. Now, t’s time to vote.
Who was sent home in Survivor Season 48, Episode 2?
Kevin Leung was the second person voted out of Survivor Season 48, in Episode 2, by a vote of 3-0.
Sai played her Idol for herself, which meant that the one vote against her, by Kevin, was negated. Mary didn’t have a vote.
Last week, I thought Kevin was going to be one of our frontrunners. He seemed to have a smart head on his shoulders, but it seems overplaying this early on came to bite him in the butt. It’s a shame, and I definitely think he’s someone who should get another shot in the future.
Survivor continues Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.
TELL US – DID YOU ENJOY SURVIVOR SEASON 48, EPISODE 2? DID THE RIGHT PERSON GO HOME? WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR?
