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While Survivor 48 continues its run toward the final tribal council, longtime viewers and past players have started to question the structure of the season. Among them is three-time castaway Kelley Wentworth, who recently pointed out a recurring issue that stood out in the latest episode. After watching the April 30 broadcast, Wentworth shared her reaction on Instagram, saying,
“It feels like the same episode over and over.”
Her comments addressed the repeated design of reward segments and a broader concern about the show’s editing, challenge setup, and storytelling choices.
Kelley Wentworth calls out repetition in Survivor 48 rewards and editing
Similar rewards draw criticism
In the most recent episode, Kyle Fraser won a reward and brought Eva Erickson, Kamilla Karthigesu, and Shauhin Davari with him. Wentworth reacted by sharing a post that read,
Trending
“Okay yay for not being at the sanctuary but why does every reward LOOK THE EXACT SAME?”
She suggested that the rewards were visually indistinct from those in earlier episodes. Wentworth expanded on her observation, stating,
“Then he says you’re gonna take a boat. It’s going to be cool. You’re going to a different island. And I’m expecting something neat. I’m expecting something different. And then we get there. It’s those same tables.”
She added that the setup appeared reused, suggesting that production likely purchased inexpensive tables from a store like Home Goods and seemed determined to continue using them, emphasizing the word “da**it” to highlight her frustration.
She also commented on Jeff Probst’s role in the segment, reacting to a scene where he led players in chanting “fried chicken and waffles,” which she described as “wild behavior.”
Concerns about story structure
Wentworth continued her commentary in an Instagram Story posted on May 2. She revealed that she had watched the episode a second time to verify her observations.
“I watched the episode again today. I regret it, but I needed to make sure I took notes and knew exactly what happened before I put out any content,” she wrote.
She focused her criticism on what she viewed as incomplete narrative setups, citing examples from the episode. She referenced the Mary David situation, saying it emerged suddenly without context and could have been introduced earlier to provide more background. Wentworth emphasized the absence of proper buildup before developments, highlighting that it seemed to "pop about on nowhere."
She also mentioned tension involving Mitch and Starr, noting,
“This kind of beef with Mitch and Starr, and then apparently everyone saying Starr was untrustworthy. Didn't see it.”
Another example involved the shifting game position of Mitch Guerra. Wentworth questioned how the episode portrayed Mitch's standing within the majority alliance.
“Mitch, now somehow magically getting in with the six, just in like believing that he's in with them, it's just, it's off. The pieces do not fit together at all,” she wrote.
Reactions to player dynamics
At the Survivor final seven stage, the alliance of Kyle, Eva, Shauhin, and Joe Hunter remains intact. Players outside this core have struggled to make progress.
Wentworth posted a clip of Mitch explaining his reluctance to make a move due to trust issues and responded by writing the phrase "send help," then questioned the situation further by asking what was going on, using the phrase "what is going on" in her follow-up slide.
In a different episode of the Survivor Know-It-Alls podcast with fellow Survivor alum Stephen Fishbach, Rob Cesternino described the season as being "stuck in the mud."
Survivor 48 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
