Five contestants remain out of the 18 that started on Survivor 48. In Touch takes a closer look at the remaining castaways in the hunt for the $1,000,000 prize in a season that saw a rare amount of loyalty play out over the usual backstabbing and underhandedness.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ 48 Contestant Joe Hunter?

Joe Hunter is a fire captain from Vacaville, California. He’s been known for his deep love of his family and desire to be an inspiration for his two children while appearing on the show. He is married to Sacramento Kings TV analyst Kayte Christensen, with whom he shares a daughter and a son.

Thanks to his physical and mental strength, Joe won four immunity challenges heading into the final five and is set up to tie a Survivor record with one more win.

Fans took an immediate liking to Joe when fellow Lagi tribe member Eva Erickson felt comfortable enough to confess to him that she has autism in the show’s premiere episode on February 26, 2025. Since then, Joe viewed himself as her protector and father figure. The two have had a solid alliance since day 1 on Survivor 48.

Their bond brought fans and host Jeff Probst to tears when Eva became overstimulated and suffered an episode during an immunity challenge in week 5. The duo had been separated by a tribal swap, but Jeff let Joe pull Eva aside and help calm her down, using techniques she showed him in case of such an event occurring.

Joe further moved fans when he revealed in week 12 that his sister Joanna Hunter’s death came as a result of domestic violence. He shared that the last time they spoke, the pair had a fight, and Joe was unable to say a proper goodbye as she died the following day.

Joe went down to the beach and had a heartfelt moment alone where he made peace with what happened and vowed to “keep fighting out here.” The firefighter said in interviews before Survivor 48 premiered that he was coming on the show in his sister’s memory, as she always hoped the pair could play the game together.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ 48 Contestant Eva Erickson?

Eva is a PhD candidate who hails from Eagan, Minnesota. She’s currently living in Providence, Rhode Island, while seeking the graduate degree in engineering from Brown University.

The Midwesterner’s athleticism has helped her in physical challenges, as she has played for various collegiate hockey clubs.

Eva originally only told Joe about her autism, as she was worried that others would use her difficulties reading social cues, such as lying, as a weapon against her. However, after Eva’s episode during week 5, she revealed her condition to all of the other castaways.

While her alliance with Joe was exposed at the time, the contestants were so moved when Eva told them how she was diagnosed with autism when she was “very, very young.” Doctors told her parents that she “would never be able to live independently” and “never be able to hold a job.”

Eva shared how her parents sought out treatments so that she was able to be mainstreamed into school. “I’ve never viewed my autism as a roadblock to success. It’s not something to work around. It’s just who I am,” she explained.

The engineering student was given an immunity idol by fellow contestant Star Toomey in week 5, after Eva was able to figure out how to unlock the Atlanta resident’s beware advantage. She has yet to play the idol or be in trouble, thanks to her close alliance with Joe and several other strong team members.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ 48 Contestant Kyle Fraser?

Kyle Fraser is a lawyer who grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. He currently lives in New York City where he works for a judge. Kyle went on the show just a month before he was set to marry fiancée Maggie Turner. The couple tied the knot in September 2024, after Survivor 48 wrapped filming.

The legal eagle decided not to reveal his profession during Survivor 48, telling fellow castaways he was a teacher.

Kyle and fellow original Civa member Kamilla Karthigesu formed a secret alliance when they were put on the new Lagi team together in a tribal shakeup in week 4. They helped eliminate Thomas Kottinger, and continued to keep their alliance a secret after the tribal merge.

Post merge, Kyle formed an open alliance with Joe, Eva, Shauhin Davari and David Kinne, in what became known as the “Strong 5.” The team began picking off other players until David started suspecting Kyle had an undercover alliance with Kamilla. The attorney was able to convince his fellow castaways that the stunt performer was simply being paranoid and helped engineer his elimination in week 9.

Kyle and Kamilla pulled off another blindside of Shauhin in week 12, convincing Joe and Eva that the debate professor was going to flip on them and had a secret immunity idol.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ 48 Contestant Kamilla Karthigesu?

Kamilla is a software engineer currently living in Foster City, California. She originally hails from Toronto, Ontario.

She credited husband Derek Sabry with helping her get in shape for Survivor 48, telling Parade ahead of the season that he had been “dragging me to the gym every single day.”

Kamilla won a crucial immunity challenge in week 11 that kept her in the running and has worked with Kyle in a secret alliance. She’s been able to give him information about what other tribe members are doing and saying, and vice versa.

The Canada native’s ability to keep a low-profile throughout the game didn’t leave a target on her back very often. Many fans have been cheering on her and Kyle to go all the way as they’ve been actively playing the “outwit” part of the game with an actual strategy. Kyle felt so comfortable in his alliance with Kamilla that he shared how he’s actually a lawyer and not a teacher as they continue to carry each other’s secrets into the final five.

Who Is ‘Survivor’ 48 Contestant Mitch Guerra?

Mitch Guerra is a physical education teacher from Waco, Texas. His athleticism came in handy in team challenges, as he’s a marathon runner.

The contestant has a speech impediment and told Parade ahead of the Survivor 48 premiere how it has helped shape him and give him strength.

“Growing up as a person who stutters really forced me to become comfortable being uncomfortable. It forced me to work through hard moments every day by continually putting myself out there, thus allowing me to become more resilient,” Mitch told the outlet.

Mitch mastered the “outlast” part of Survivor 48 by simply not getting voted out. He hasn’t formed any strong alliances and stayed in the game by asking the “Strong 5” to be kept around until he was no longer needed, ensuring he’d make it until the final six. Mitch was used by the other members to help vote off Shauhin, thus getting him to the final five.