“Survivor 48 ”cast members reveal bold predictions for the season

A great Survivor player has to plan ahead. That involves seeing into the future to predict what will happen around every corner. With that in mind, we traveled all the way to Fiji to ask the cast of Survivor 48 just days before the game to make some bold predictions for what was about to go down. (I mean, that’s not the only reason we traveled out there. We asked them other stuff, too.)

Who felt a bizarre challenge interruption was sure to take place? Who was channeling a live reunion? And who sensed more Applebee’s tears were on the horizon? Read on for the complete group of predictions from our cast of amateur Nostradamuses, and then watch the Survivor 48 season premiere on Feb. 26 to begin finding out who was right.

Eva Erickson

I predict that a goat is going to come and interrupt one of the challenges. It's been interrupting. It interrupted my interview up there, and there was a goat that was near our tent that we could see. So I think that there's randomly going to be a goat that's going to come running through a challenge and we're all going to stop and be like, “What is happening?” It'd be the goat challenge.

Related: The Survivor 48 cast's most unique traits revealed

Cedrek McFadden

I'm going to say that there's going to be a live finale at the end of the season. Of course, they haven't told us anything like that, but we will be in final Tribal and Jeff [Probst] will say, “I'll reveal the votes” and then we go back. I think there's been a lot of people talking about it. I fortunately was able to attend a live finale for season 25, the Philippines, and it was just a wild experience. And so I'm just going to put it out there. They're going to do a live finale.

I keep thinking if they don't do it now, will they do it [for season] 50? I don't know what 50 looks like. I'm sure people have realized, “Wow, look how much money we saved by not doing it,” but even the element of your family being able to experience it for themselves in that capacity — it really should come back.

Related: Survivor 48 players reveal their secrets they won't tell the others

Bianca Roses

My bold prediction is that the eating contest is coming back. I feel this way because it's been in my gut that I would crush this kind of challenge. I'm Italian. I'm a human garbage disposal. I'll eat anything that comes into my mouth. So I've been thinking about this a lot, that if they bring back the eating challenge, I'm going to crush it. I know they just brought back the auction, and I've just found with so many things is that what I think about a lot does come true. So this has just been one of the things on the forefront of my mind.

Related: Survivor 48 cast reveal the players they want to work with and against

David Kinne

Alright, bold prediction. The last season I actually watched was Heroes vs. Villains, and it was a lot of physical, brutal games that paired people off. And I'm looking at this group and I think there's a lot of athletes here, so it kind of makes me think they did that on purpose. And so my prediction is they're going to bring back a challenge that actually pairs up one-on-one in circumstances such as Heroes vs. Villains.

Related: Watch Survivor 48 contestants explain why they will win the game (exclusive)

Kamilla Karthigesu

I think there's going to be a two-way tie at final three, and the third-place finalist is going to have to vote and break that tie. And the reason I think that is Jeff gave us a nice little pep talk, and part of that pep talk was coming back for 50, which I'm sure everyone here has that in the back of their mind. But also, he had mentioned, “We picked you all because we know you're not the type of people to reward goats who go to the end.” And so I think everyone has that in their mind and they don't want to be a goat that makes it to the end. Everyone wants to have some sort of move or some sort of strategy that they can own and articulate at final Tribal Council. So I think it could be a close final Tribal and I hope it is… unless I'm one of the people. Then it's like nine to zero, me.

Related: Meet the cast of Survivor 48

Justin Pioppi

I think that people are going to play advantages early and often, because we all just saw 46, and we saw everyone kind of held it to the very end and didn't think they needed it, and then next thing you know, your torch got snuffed. So I think that people are going to be idol happy. I think people are going to be advantage happy. I think even if you don't need it, you're going to use it and you're going to burn it, just because I can feel a little bit of stomach paranoia, to be honest with you.

So I think that's going to be the key this season, and how do you play around that? Do we need to maybe split votes, or do we need to talk amongst each other and try and reassure somebody, even though we saw last season how that worked? I mean, the fact that happened four weeks in a row, it was bonkers. And my mother told me, she goes, “If you ever get out on that island, play your idol no matter what.”

Related: Survivor 48 teaser shows muscles, mayhem, and possible medical evacuation

Mary Zheng

My bold prediction is that they're going to get rid of the Sweat vs. Savvy challenges, because they've been doing them for a few times and if there's anything we know about the new era, it's that they like to keep us on our toes.

Kevin Leung

My bold prediction for season 48 is that there will actually not be any idols in the beginning. There will actually be clues, and the clues will remain anonymous until post-merge. So everyone will think that everyone has an idol, but in reality no one does. The reason I say that is because there's so much psychology that goes behind it. It’s 48 now, we just finished 46 , and our season watched the entire thing of 46. We saw no one use any idols, meaning that everyone, I'm assuming, on 48 is going to use their idols as fast as possible. If I was production and I knew that, I would reverse meta the meta and say “Okay, let's put just clues or fake idols on the beach and get so much paranoia that everyone assumes that ‘Oh, man, he or she's going to use his idol immediately.’”

Sai Hughley

I have a feeling that they're going to bring back from the season of Malcolm and Denise where they hid the idol underneath the lid of the rice container. That scares me a little bit because I don't think people will be looking like that because one, we don't get rice provided. So where would they put it exactly? Underneath our structure after we've already built it? And who's going to be looking for that? I'm going to be looking in the tree. Meanwhile, I'm literally sleeping over top of it.

So that could be scary for me. And also, they still do this, but voting two people out at once where only one of them makes the jury. I absolutely hate that because you fought this hard and you think you're making the merge and you think you're safe. And then Jeff is like, “Nah, that's actually not happening. You're going home empty handed.” I still want to win it all, but I'd be okay if at least it’s the merge. Instead, it's like, “Bye!”

Shauhin Davari

I think somebody is going to cry about Applebee's again. If we have Applebee's, somebody's crying over Applebee's. Applebee's is getting their money's worth, bro. Jesus, best sponsorship ever! What needs to happen is Google needs to sponsor, and one of the rewards needs to be, “You have the ability to Google three things right now.” That would be awesome. Google AI assistant. I'm telling you, Jeff. I got this for you.

Star Toomey

I've kind of been thinking about it, and they might actually bring back Edge of Extinction. Will my season be an Edge of Extinction season? Because that was a pretty dope season. You get kicked off, but you don't leave. You have to fight to get your way back. Why wouldn't they bring it back? That's something that's going to be good TV. So if I had to predict, I think they're bringing it back Edge of Extinction for season 48.

Thomas Krottinger

My bold prediction — and it's because it's the thing that I fear the most, so I'm just bracing myself for [it] — is Exile Island. And not just like seasons 41 and 42. I'm talking Exile Island is back and it's every week and it's happening all the time. And I feel like I'm going to get so f---ed. That is my prediction because it's my greatest fear. So it's going to happen.

Charity Nelms

I think there are a few characters here that are going to try to monopolize the camera time and make the big moves, but that there are some quieter more low-key people that I think they're actually going to shine over those that are really trying to make big moves and do too much. There is such a fine balance between swinging for the fences and doing too much, and that can put a target on your back. There are a couple people I have in mind that I think are going to be those sleepers.

Joe Hunter

A bold prediction for me would be that I think there is going to be a larger number of players than in the past, and I think the dynamic of each tribe will be unlike we've ever seen. Whether it be the balance of male–female type thing, whether it’s the balance of numbers — that will set the tone for every challenge to be different than it's ever been before as well.

Chrissy Sarnowsky

I don't think there's going to be a showmance. I've been looking at everybody and it doesn't look like that's going to happen. And I think I'm going to be in the final three, but that's just me hoping and wishing and praying. Otherwise, who knows what the f---'s going to happen.

Kyle Fraser

There's going to be a tie at the final Tribal, and this is because I will be in the final Tribal, and I do think that I'm going to be at the final Tribal with one other person that I trust, or at least have worked with closely in this game to the point where the jury will have trouble differentiating our games. And I'm okay with that. My mantra is, people first. Not that I'm going to put people ahead of me; I'm here to win the million bucks. But I don't think you can play this game if you don't have somebody that you trust.

You look at the way the past couple of seasons have gone, there have been groups of people who have trusted one another throughout almost the entirety of the game. And you see players who are strategic, who have all the right tools, but they just try to go out the gate and be strategic and they forget that you're playing with people. And that's something that I will not and cannot forget. I need to be able to build trust, build connections, build that foundation, and then we go out and play. And because of that, I want to find some people who I can trust and play this game with and I will go to the end with.

Stephanie Berger

So, I'm in 48, we've all just seen 46 where we watched four people go home with idols in their pocket back-to-back-to-back-to-back. And 46 is a fantastic season and that was really fun to watch. And I know because I watch Survivor mostly in a bar at a queer watch party and we are like cheering every time somebody goes out with an idol in their pocket, it is electric in there. I can't imagine though that production's not going to take action to make sure that idols are used more.

And I will make the bold prediction that I don't think four people are going to go out back-to-back. Where are the Vegas odds on that? Literally you can't buy them. I don't think four people are going to go out back-to-back and I think we're going to see a lot more idol plays than we did in 46. People are going to be trigger f---ing happy on their idol plays and they're going to be really eager to get them off.

And I will say, personally, I have no interest in playing an idol except in an unconventional manner. I think the days of playing idols because you think the votes are going to be on you or with a split vote or whatever are over. Because you do it and then you're just voted out next. Ostensibly, it's the same thing as going to rocks at this point. It's burning the votes. That's it. So you've got to find creative, new, exciting ways to play idols. We might also see some sort of a novel idol, like an idol that has to be played within the next two tribes, something like that. Production seems super thrilled with 46 and it was a fantastic season, but I don't think they want people sitting around anymore. They want us taking action. I'm not sure it's a super bold call, but it's one that I would put money on.

Mitch Guerra

I think this'll be the first time in a long time that there are three guys sitting at the final Survivor Tribal Council. And I will be one of them.

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