"I felt like a dog"- Survivor 48's Mary Zheng shares she was 'done' after repeated blindsides and isolation on Vula

Following her elimination on Survivor 48 episode 11, Mary Zheng confirmed she was emotionally and physically exhausted after enduring multiple blindsides and prolonged isolation on the original Vula tribe. Speaking with Nerdtainment on May 9, Zheng said:

“I felt like a dog that had cancer, stage five cancer who was being put down finally.”

She emphasized that she was no longer in a state to fight back in the game and accepted her vote-out as a form of relief. She explained that she was "done" with the feeling of constantly being at the bottom, describing this as the prevailing emotion when she left Survivor.

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Mary Zheng reflects on her Survivor 48 exit and the emotional toll of the Vula experience

Struggling to survive repeated blindsided

Mary Zheng described a recurring cycle of instability after each tribal council she survived. She pointed to five specific votes that left her in a vulnerable position:

“I felt that not once not twice not three times not four times but five times after Stephanie's vote out, Kevin's, Justin's, David's, and Star's.”

The continuous uncertainty caused Zheng to question her ability to recover each time. Even after surviving, she explained that each vote brought anxiety rather than confidence. She said:

“The feeling of elation from surviving tribal council and then immediately thinking ‘What am I going to do now?’”

According to the Survivor star, her body and mind reached a threshold as a way to shield her from further emotional strain, describing it as her body protecting itself from the overwhelming sense of "hopelessness" she had been experiencing.

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Experiencing isolation on Vula

Zheng explained that her time on Vula was marked by a growing sense of exclusion. As alliances formed and shifted, she found herself on the outside. She attributed this to the tribe’s social dynamics, noting the emotional toll of being consistently targeted.

“The ostracization that I was feeling after the antagonization that I had been feeling on Vula,” she said, contributed heavily to her sense of finality in the game.

She also reflected on the emotional detachment she had begun to experience toward the end of her time on Survivor, explaining that she felt "very ready" to leave and no longer had the energy to continue fighting. Though Zheng expressed no ill will toward her tribemates, she acknowledged that the repeated isolations had a lasting impact.

“Everybody was playing for the first time… so I cannot fault a single person for doing what they did out there,” she added.

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The final vote-out and emotional release

Zheng’s Survivor final tribal council brought a different kind of reaction than expected. Rather than sadness, she recalled being unexpectedly amused by her tribemates’ reactions, particularly David’s behavior.

“I honestly… thought I was going to cry from sadness at my vote out. I had no idea I would be crying from laughter at David,” she shared.

She also mentioned Star’s visible reaction during the tribal, explaining that Star was trying to suppress laughter and appeared to be thinking that David should "sit your ass down," questioning his behavior. Zheng highlighted these moments as part of the surreal end to her journey. Ultimately, she found peace in the outcome, stating,

“All right finally I can eat a burger… I’m being put out of my misery.”

Mary Zheng’s departure as the 12th person voted out and fifth jury member marked the end of a turbulent journey shaped by frequent blindsides and emotional endurance.

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New episodes of Survivor air Wednesdays at 8 PM ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+.