Pictured (L-R): Joe Hunter, Eva Erickson, and Kyle Fraser.
After spending 13 weeks in Fiji under grueling conditions, the 48th season of CBS’ hit reality show Survivor has crowned its winner, who will now go home with a massive $1 million prize. Read on to learn what happened in the final episode of the season, who won, and all the past winners.
Ahead of the finale, longtime host Jeff Probst teased in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the competition would be tough in the anticipated last episode, as he believed all five remaining players had a strong chance of winning.
“It’s very rare to have a final five where you can make a legitimate case for any of them to win. That’s what we have with this group. Anyone can win,” he explained. “It will all come down to who sits next to who in the final three. Those final two immunity challenges and control over who makes fire will be key.”
At the start of the episode, five castaways – Eva Erickson, Joe Hunter, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser, and Mitch Guerra – were left in the competition. Eventually, the tribal council (made up of eliminated players) narrowed the group down to three.
What Happened In The Survivor Season 48 Finale?
Pictured (L-R): Joe Hunter, Eva Erickson, Kamilla Karthigesu, Kyle Fraser, and Mitch Guerra.
To kick off the episode, an advantage was hidden around camp for the players. Eva made the connection that the dots on the signs corresponded with letters of the alphabet. She used this insight to find the advantage, which allowed her to skip one of the ball toss sections in a tricky obstacle course.
Despite Eva’s advantage, Kamilla Karthigesu won the immunity challenge, earning herself a coveted spot in the final four. She also won the reward and chose to bring Eva to the sanctuary to share pasta and chocolate cake.
Working together in their secret alliance, Kamilla and Kyle joined forces to vote out Mitch Guerra – a plan that was reciprocated by allies Joe and Eva. Mitch ultimately became the second-to-last member of the jury.
The final four then competed in the final immunity challenge called “Simmotion.” Eva was eliminated first, followed by Kamilla in second and Joe in third, making Kyle the winner. He secured a guaranteed spot in the final three and had to decide which castaway would join him in the finale.
Kyle upheld his promise and revealed that he would be taking Joe to the final three, meaning Kamilla and Eva had to face off in the fire-making challenge. Eva beat Kamilla, thereby clinching her spot in the final three, while Kamilla became the final member of the jury.
Then it was time for the jury to question Kyle, Joe, and Eva before casting their votes for the winner. The 2025 jury included eliminated players Shauhin Davari, Mitch Guerra, Kamilla Karthigesu, David Kinne, Cedrek McFadden, Chrissy Sarnowsky, Star Toomey, and Mary Zheng. Many of their questions focused on loyalty and alliances – two major themes of the season.
Who Won Survivor Season 48?
Pictured: Kyle Fraser.
Kyle Fraser was crowned the winner of Survivor Season 48 after a 5-2-1 jury vote. Eva finished in second place with two votes, while Joe came in third.
The 31-year-old attorney from Brooklyn, New York, kept his profession a secret from the other players throughout the game. During his pitch, Kyle claimed he was the most well-rounded player because he built strong connections throughout the season and balanced relationships on all sides.
For most of the season, Kyle was part of the majority alliance with Joe and Eva, while also maintaining a secret alliance with Kamilla. That clever hidden partnership led to the impressive blindsides of Thomas, David, and Shauhin.
Who Has Won Survivor In The Past?
Rachel LaMont and Jeff Probst on Season 47 of ‘Survivor’.
Kyle now joins the long list of former Survivor winners. Check out all the champions from Season 1 to now, below.
- Season 1 (Borneo) – Richard Hatch
- Season 2 (The Australian Outback) – Tina Wesson
- Season 3 (Africa) – Ethan Zohn
- Season 4 (Marquesas) – Vecepia Towery
- Season 5 (Thailand) – Brian Heidik
- Season 6 (The Amazon) – Jenna Morasca
- Season 7 (Pearl Islands) – Sandra Diaz-Twine
- Season 8 (All-Stars) – Amber Brkich
- Season 9 (Vanuatu) – Chris Daugherty
- Season 10 (Palau) – Tom Westman
- Season 11 (Guatemala) – Danni Boatwright
- Season 12 (Panama: Exile Island) – Aras Baskauskas
- Season 13 (Cook Islands) – Yul Kwon
- Season 14 (Fiji) – Earl Cole
- Season 15 (China) – Todd Herzog
- Season 16 (Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites) – Parvati Shallow
- Season 17 (Gabon) – Bob Crowley
- Season 18 (Tocantins) – J.T. Thomas
- Season 19 (Samoa) – Natalie White
- Season 20 (Heroes vs. Villains) – Sandra Diaz-Twine (2x winner)
- Season 21 (Nicaragua) – Jud “Fabio” Birza
- Season 22 (Redemption Island) – Rob Mariano
- Season 23 (South Pacific) – Sophie Clarke
- Season 24 (One World) – Kim Spradlin
- Season 25 (Philippines) – Denise Stapley
- Season 26 (Caramoan) – John Cochran
- Season 27 (Blood vs. Water) – Tyson Apostol
- Season 28 (Cagayan) – Tony Vlachos
- Season 29 (San Juan del Sur) – Natalie Anderson
- Season 30 (Worlds Apart) – Mike Holloway
- Season 31 (Cambodia: Second Chance) – Jeremy Collins
- Season 32 (Kaôh Rōng) – Michele Fitzgerald
- Season 33 (Millennials vs. Gen X) – Adam Klein
- Season 34 (Game Changers) – Sarah Lacina
- Season 35 (Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers) – Ben Driebergen
- Season 36 (Ghost Island) – Wendell Holland
- Season 37 (David vs. Goliath) – Nick Wilson
- Season 38 (Edge of Extinction) – Chris Underwood
- Season 39 (Island of the Idols) – Tommy Sheehan
- Season 40 (Winners at War) – Tony Vlachos (2x winner)
- Season 41 – Erika Casupanan
- Season 42 – Maryanne Oketch
- Season 43 – Mike Gabler
- Season 44 – Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho
- Season 45 – Dee Valladares
- Season 46 – Kenzie Petty
- Season 47 – Rachel LaMont
- Season 48 – Kyle Fraser
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2025/05/22/who-won-survivor-season-48-heres-the-winner-of-the-1-million-prize/