Survivor 48 finale recap: Final five walk in to the final tribal council as a winner is announced

Another Survivor season has come to an end as season 48 released its final episode on May 21, 2025, on CBS. The finale's runtime was three hours and was hosted by producer Jeff Probst. Each season sees new contestants placed in an isolated location, where they must compete in various challenges in order to win food, fire, and shelter.

In the previous episode, Kamilla had a mixed bag of events. Shauhin won the reward challenge, after which she made plans with Kyle to plan a move against Shauhin. They made up a lie about Shauhin having an idol and planning to use it against Joe and Eva. In the Final Tribal Council, Shauhin was eliminated.

The latest episode of Survivor season 48 saw Kyle being declared winner after the final five contestants fought through various challenges and a couple of tribal councils. The five remaining contestants were Kyle, Joe, Kamilla, Eva, and Mitch.

---

What happened in the finale of Survivor season 48?

The tribe returned to camp after last week's elimination. The next day, the contestants had to participate in an immunity challenge. The first person to solve the puzzle would win immunity and a pasta and chocolate cake reward. Kamilla solved the puzzle first and won immunity. She chose Eva to join her for the reward.

Meanwhile, Joe, Kyle, and Mitch returned to camp, where Mitch speculated that Kamilla, Kyle, and he would vote out Joe. This led to Mitch being voted out and becoming the seventh member of the jury.

The next day, Joe and Eva discussed the upcoming immunity challenge. Eva wanted to bring Joe to the Final 3 if she won. Meanwhile, Kamilla told Kyle that her best chance was to not be in the Final 3 with him, as the jury votes would likely be split between them. Kamilla planned to put Joe and Kyle in a fire-making challenge if she won immunity.

"I do think I deserve an Emmy," claimed Survivor 48 star Kamilla Karthigesu.

In the final immunity challenge, Eva was the first person to be eliminated, followed by Kamilla and then Joe. It was Kyle who won the immunity, and he chose to bring Joe to the Final 3 with him.

The fire-making challenge began, and Eva was the first to get a flame, and she eventually won the challenge. As the challenge concluded, Kamilla was the final contestant to get eliminated from Survivor 48.

Eva secured her spot in the Final 3 alongside Joe and Kyle. The next morning, the Final 3 of Survivor celebrated making it to the end. In their confessionals, the finalists and jury members reflected on the game. Kyle discussed his strategic gameplay, while Eva talked about overcoming challenges. Meanwhile, Joe mentioned playing a loyal and honorable game.

At the Final Tribal Council, the jury asked questions about the gameplay of the three finalists. Eva discussed her autism and how she overcame it, Joe talked about using his emotions to build strong alliances, and Kyle mentioned changing his strategy after realizing his overconfidence.

Eva further mentioned her Safety Without Power advantage, and Kyle shared his experience of being in prison and turning his life around eventually. The Final 3 made their final requests to the Survivor 48 jury, with Kyle mentioning his overall gameplay. Joe then highlighted his loyalty in the past episodes and desire to take care of his kids, while Eva discussed her gameplay and loyalty.

---

After a successful jury vote, Kyle was declared the winner of Survivor season 48 with 4 out of 7 votes in his favor.