Episode 9: Mid-season progress report cards

Survivor 48 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 24, 2025

It took nine weeks, but Survivor 48 has finally turned into an actual game, just in time for Damnbueno's mid-season report cards. Damnbueno assigns in-progress grades, then recaps the maneuvering of Episode 9. Warning: He did not use a curve.

Episode 8: Where the game is headed

Survivor 48 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: April 19, 2025

The post-merge game in Survivor 48 still hasn't really started as of Episode 8, partly for reasons discussed here, but no time for the present to prognosticate the outcome based on the state of the game, and the edit thus far.

Episode 8: Survivor: Game of Thrones ... and one-liners

Survivor 48 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 17, 2025

It's pairs week on Survivor 48, and Damnbueno goes through the familiar and very long challenge, journey, and various Strong Five squabbling in Episode 8, in which a formerly hidden pair somehow escaped catastrophe.

Episode 7: The merits of dishonest integrity

Survivor 48 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 10, 2025

Damnbueno tracks the history of "honor and integrity" players, then reacts to the dreaded split-squad challenge and Tribals in Episode 7 of Survivor 48, both of which defaulted to easy votes, rather than shaking anything up.

Episode 6: How to talk yourself out of Survivor

Survivor 48 Episode 6 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: April 3, 2025

It's the merge (eventually) in Episode 6 of Survivor 48, and Damnbueno recaps the hugs, races for advantage, mud-filled meals, and the somewhat confusing but expected vote split the (eventually) blue-buffed tribe went through.

Episodes 3-5: Weaponizing journeys: Good stories and bad luck

Survivor 48 Episodes 3-5 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: April 1, 2025

Episodes 3-5 of Survivor 48 had outcomes almost entirely dependent on a single journey. There were strong storytelling moments throughout the latter two episodes, and a big emotional moment that is what Survivor does best, but also an increasing dependence of the game itself on pure luck.

Episode 5: The unpredictability factor, or Why you don’t get cocky

Survivor 48 Episode 5 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 27, 2025

Damnbueno backs up last week's comparisons to Cirie with a journey through Cirie's greatest hits, then takes you through Episode 5 of Survivor 48's two challenges, big emotional moment, and last-minute Tribal Council decision-making. Did the move make sense?

Episode 4: Cirie-level manipulation

Survivor 48 Episode 4 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 20, 2025

The Episode 4 swap in Survivor 48 placed two allies at a numerical disadvantage on their new tribe, but as Damnbueno recaps, they used a combination of deception and idols to emerge victorious, in an episode worthy of the greats.

Episodes 2-3: Pointless

Survivor 48 Episodes 2-3 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: March 15, 2025

The lengthy Tribal Council in Episode 3 of Survivor 48 was advertised as 'historic.' And sure, it was the first time one person's vote decided who went home in Episode 3 of a season. Congrats, I guess? But I have another word for it: Pointless.

Episode 3: What did I just watch?

Survivor 48 Episode 3 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 13, 2025

First, a guided tour through players who played too hard, too fast, then Damnbueno gets into the stumbling, bumbling, blindfolded collisions of Episode 3 of Survivor 48. Did anyone on Vula (except Mary) play this right?

Episode 2: Big move-itis strikes again

Survivor 48 Episode 2 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: March 6, 2025

Damnbueno reacts to the many, many public idol hunts and advantages (or lost votes) in Episode 2 of Survivor 48, but mainly to an attempt to make a big move that made sense ... except for the timing.

Episode 1: Heroes vs Heroes

Survivor 48 Episode 1 recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: March 1, 2025

As premieres go, Survivor 48's was solid, if a bit unspectacular. As the eighth new era premiere, most of the rough edges of the rejiggered format have now been sanded off, and it chugged along under its own power pretty well. There were some great, deeply emotional moments along the way, though.

Episode 1: First impressions can be deceiving

Survivor 48 Episode 1 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: February 27, 2025

After finally getting to see the Survivor 48 cast together and competing in the season premiere, Damnbueno finds that same pre-game impressions didn't hold once the game actually started. Who's playing too hard, too fast? Who's falling behind?