Paranoia Doesn't Mean Wrong in Survivor
Quote Nirvana, nevermore
The latest episode of Survivor brings the idea of an honest game into question as alliances are tested. Unfortunately, not every player in an alliance might be playing such a straightforward game. In Survivor 48 episode 9, David’s paranoia continues from last week’s episode where he believes there is some form of alliance between Kamilla, Shauhin, and Kyle.
Although David’s approach to handling this fact might be overbearing for the others, that doesn’t mean he’s wrong about what’s going on. If we were ever to trust the music gods about anything, and how that can apply in the game of Survivor, let’s take a moment to listen to Nirvana’s “Territorial Pissings” and remember:
“Just because you're paranoid don't mean they're not after you.” - Nirvana
Survivor 48 Episode 9 Conflict
It is very apparent that last week’s paranoia carried over to this week’s episode. David was clearly puzzled by Kyle having a problem with voting out Kamilla, but that notion did not disappear overnight. With a 26-day season, it’s probably more difficult to let those feelings dissipate between tribal councils. Clearly, it did not.
David approached Joe about the subject and questioned him about “going back on his word.” He told Joe he initially was going to vote out Kamilla, but Joe clapped back stating that that was what the group had picked – and he was going with the group. This confrontation did not settle well with Joe, and David’s apprehension of sub-alliances was clearly an overarching theme in Survivor 48 episode 9.
On top of that, most of the remaining castaways seem to believe that David and Mary have become somewhat inseparable. Joe and Eva have been the obvious duo for quite some time, but David and Mary have become the recent topic of discussion. What is still amazing to see is that Kyle and Kamilla, besides David recognizing it, seem to be flying under the radar and that seems impossible to believe this far into the game.
Perhaps, if we follow along Bluesky, “David’s paranoia is overwhelming everyone else’s ‘spidey senses,’ because his read on the situation is actually right.” In this episode, it appears that someone else’s claims are blinding others from what is actually happening “behind the scenes.” In this case, Kyle and Kamilla have been successfully playing the role of “007” and no one appears to be the wiser. Well, besides David, of course.
Who Gets Voted Out of Survivor 48 Episode 9?
The immunity challenge seems to be one where it’s easy to lose. Each castaway has to hold a bar in place to keep a ball from sliding down a sloped ramp above their heads. If the bar lowers, the ball rolls down. If the ball falls to the ground, they lose. They’re also standing on a raised platform, so if they stop off of that platform, that will also cause them to lose.
Let’s just say this seemed like another challenge where David and Joe would be solid. They were great in an earlier challenge that required arm strength of some kind. In the end, it did come down to David, Joe, Kyle, and Shauhin. After Shauhin went out, Kyle seemingly lost his balance and stepped off the platform, which meant he was out of the challenge. Fast forward a bit into the challenge and Joe’s hold onto the ball had slipped.
Joe was constantly looking above to see how far his ball had slipped, and it made for a tense viewing situation. Closer and closer, his ball was closer to the edge until it looked like one more movement would make it fall. Suddenly, David’s ball slipped and started to move, which then caused David to shift his body in a way where he lost his balance and took one step off the platform. That instantly disqualified him and Joe wins immunity.
David was distraught after losing the challenge, and Mary comforting him only led to others believing how close they were. David and Mary recognized that something else was happening. They believed that one of their names would be written down, but to deflect they approached the idea of voting for Mitch. On the flip side, the question seemed to be whether to vote for Mary or David. Their tight alliance, along with David’s approach to the game garnered attention to sending one of them home.
In this case, the majority of the castaways in Survivor 48 episode 9 voted to eliminate the paranoia. David was sent packing, and even though he was surprised and clearly disappointed, it’s clear his read on Kyle and Kamilla’s alliance had an impact on whether or not his name was floated around. It does seem surprising that no one else (from what we’ve seen) has recognized the hidden alliance.
Will this mean we’ll see Kyle or Kamilla win in the end? After a couple weeks of seeing them avoid any votes, while Kamilla’s name has been mentioned, this might be an indication that one of them wins the game.
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