Survivor season 48 episode 12 recap - Final six compete for letters from family members 

Survivor season 48 episode 12, Icarus Time, premiered on CBS on May 14, 2025. The season was in its final stretch of competition, and the core four alliance set their targets on eliminating Mitch, the next strong player on their radar.

At the start of the episode, the contestants participated in a reward-based which tested their endurance and balancing power. The winner of the challenge invited two fellow players of their choice to spend a luxurious night at the Sanctuary while also receiving letters from their family members.

For the immunity challenge, the contestants faced off in an obstacle course. Mitch and Kamilla, who found themselves cornered by the core four alliance, tried their best to plant seeds of distrust among them, hoping they could take out one of them.

The official synopsis for the episode reads:

"Castaways must decide between choosing heart over head as they enter the final six and last stage of the game. Letters from home feed the soul and strengthen bonds during this week’s reward at the sanctuary. Then, two castaways orchestrate a particularly convincing ruse, escalating the remaining tribe’s paranoia."

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What happened on Survivor season 48 episode 12?

The reward challenge for letters from family members

At the start of Survivor season 48, episode 12, the core four alliance members, Shauhin, Joe, Eva, and Kyle, decided to target Mitch next, arguing that he could be a strong contestant to beat during the final Tribal Council. If their primary plan failed, they decided to shift the target to Kamilla

On Day, the final six contestants competed in an endurance-based reward challenge where they had to balance themselves on a steep ramp while carrying small handholds.

Shauhin, carrying a ganglion cyst in his wrist, matched Kyle till the end and won the challenge. To share his rewards luxury at the Sanctuary, Shauhin selected his fellow alliance members, Kyle and Joe, to join him for a night of burgers, fries, beer, cheesecake, and letters from home.

The three Survivor season 48 contestants bonded over their shared emotion that came after reading the heartfelt letters from their respective family members. Joe received a note from his 10-year-old son. It triggered tears from his eyes and prompted him to talk about his late sister.

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Kamilla and Mitch devise a plan

Back at camp, Kamilla and Mitch grew increasingly concerned about the rising influence of the boys’ alliance. They feared that Joe gaining power in the final stretch of the competition could jeopardize their individual games.

The two decided on a risky plan where they would lie to Joe and Eva, saying that Shauhin approached them and was planning on blindsiding their alliance members.

"My favorite thing to do on Survivor is just pick a person, don’t give them any heads up, run them over with a bus, back up, run them over again … and it’s fun," Kamilla said.

While Joe was a bit hesitant about Kamilla and Mitch's story, he soon grew warmer to it as he realized the possible threat that Shauhin could pose.

For the Survivor season 48 episodic immunity challenge, the final six contestants competed in an obstacle course that ended in a ball-balancing snake trap. Joe took the win and continued with Kamilla and Mitch's plan of taking out Shauhin

By the end of the tribal council, Shauhin was eliminated, receiving 4 votes against him.

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Survivor season 48 contestants who are still on the show

Of the 18 contestants who entered the competition, 13 have been eliminated so far. The names of the remaining contestants are as follows:

• Kamilla Karthigesu: 31-year-old software engineer from Toronto, Canada
• Kyle Fraser: 31-year-old attorney from Roanoke, Virginia.
• Mitch Guerra: 34-year-old P.E. coach from Waco, Texas.
• Eva Erickson: 24-year-old PhD candidate from Eagan, Minnesota.
• Joe Hunter: 45-year-old fire captain from Vacaville, California.

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Survivor season 48 episodes air every Wednesday on CBS.