Hello all, welcome back to the Edit Bay! This weekly feature takes a dive into the edit of the latest Survivor episode, analyzing the key stories, main characters, and top winner contenders.
For those new to The Edit Bay, it is a condensed version of Edgic, highlighting some of the stand-out story beats from the most recent episode. It also includes my weekly Edgic ratings for each castaway at the end of the article.
I’m going to do something a little different this season, and for each episode, I’ll highlight each player’s best/most substantive confessional and how it ties into their overall character/arc/story.
MITCH
Coming into this game, I knew that I was gonna have a hard time emotionally, if I was hurt or lied to. Yesterday, I got blindsided by people who I love and trusted. And it was just a lot to take in. I think being blindsided was just a rude awakening, but… Like, I can’t sit here and be frustrated. I’m playing a game. So I got to put a smile on my face and move forward and pick up wherever I can.
Mitch was a central focus of this episode, simultaneously painted as an underdog and a threat. It was all about recovering from the Charity blindside and surviving another day. As he detailed in the confessional above, Mitch picked himself up, put a smile on his face, and found an opening wherever he could.
What’s interesting is how often Mitch was referred to as a threat and a winner contender in this episode. Multiple players, including Joe, Shauhin, and Chrissy, pointed to how dangerous Mitch could be further down the line. Of course, those statements could have been included to set up Mitch as a potential boot option, but the fact he survived tribal council means we should put at least a little weight into those quotes.
CBS
In recent seasons, we’ve seen the eventual winner labelled as a threat, especially in the early post-merge. We saw it just last season with Rachel and with Dee and Kenzie before that. Could Mitch be on a similar trajectory? Or is all of this simply setting the stage for his incoming elimination? This next episode will be very important in regards to where Mitch’s story is heading.
JOE
I think the safe move tonight is Sai because everyone wants sai out, and we don’t want her on the jury. But the smartest game play move would be Mitch. He’s honestly, probably, the biggest threat in this game. He knows how to do individual challenges, his social game, his story. I mean, he’s one of those ones that sneaks in and wins it.
Joe’s edit in this episode tied directly into Mitch’s story. He laid out the vote, explaining why Sai and Mitch both made good options to boot. He had two confessionals that basically said the same thing, about how likable Mitch is and how his story would make for a great winner. The question is, whose story was this really about?
Are Joe’s statements foreshadowing that Mitch will run away with this game and take it? Or are they there to set up Mitch as an obstacle for Joe to take down on his own path to the end?
SHAUHIN
This morning, Cedrek, Sai and Mitch each came and talked to me. Those are the three people on the outs. And this is what they should be doing. They should be having those conversations with people like me right now. I’m kind of in the middle of absolutely everything, and I think any move that needs to be made would have to be made using me. I feel like I am in pretty good control of the tribe. And if I can maintain that control, I will win this game.
There were some similarities in Shauhin and Mitch’s edits in the last episode, even if they were in opposing positions on the tribe. Mitch was at the bottom, but his social game, challenge strength, and story have seen him labelled a threat. Meanwhile, Shauhin is in the majority, but his strategy and ability to lie with ease saw him namechecked as a danger.
Both Shauhin and Mitch survived potential hits, meaning they could go on to fulfil those premonitions. For Shauhin, his danger is coming from within his own alliance, with Kyle wanting to take him out before Shauhin gets a chance to turn on them first. “I know that I would be somebody that he takes a shot at. I just don’t know when that is, and at some point, I want to stop looking over my shoulder,” Kyle said of Shauhin.
CBS
Does the fact that Shauhin survived mean Kyle’s worries will come true and Shauhin will ultimately take him out? Or was this all groundwork for Shauhin’s eventual elimination? It’s hard to say at the minute, as we’ve seen moments where Shauhin has been out of the loop and undermined, but also times when he’s been astute and forward-thinking.
One thing I think works in Shauhin’s favour is the protection from the honor and integrity alliance. Even though he’s in this majority group, he hasn’t been a flag waver for the “loyalty” game in the same way David and Joe have. I think this gives him some leeway to work with should he come out of the Kyle situation unscathed.
DAVID
If I vote out Cedrek, I keep the strong five intact. The strong five is me, Kyle, Joe, Eva and Shauhin. Those are the five that I actually want to see in the final five because I want a strong competitor to win season 48 of Survivor. However, Shauhin’s smart. And Shauhin also might have an idol. I think he’s looking to make a move. And there is concern with Shauhin flipping on the strong five. I think that’s something we need to be worried about. But Cedrek wants to be a number so bad that he’s willing to do anything, and that’s dangerous. So voting out Ced and voting out Shauhin both have consequences. So I have to ask myself, “which relationships do I want to keep” “moving forward, and which ones is it time to cut?”
Similar to Joe, David laid out both vote options and explained the pros and cons for both. He reemphasized the honor and integrity alliance, adding that he wants to see a strong competitor win the season. But we’ve already seen cracks in this alliance, with Kyle throwing out Shauhin’s name and Shauhin telling us how he’s waiting for the big dogs to go at each other. So, David’s dreams seem like just that… dreams.
I feel like David’s story will be about trying to maintain this “hero” image and honorable game, but the very nature of Survivor will make it an impossible feat. How he reacts when the heat turns up will be interesting to watch.
KYLE
Kamilla and I are the most undercover duo I think this game has ever seen. We went through some stuff at Vula. We really had to pull some tricks. And I think that we could really maneuver in a way that would allow us to go deep into this game.
While a lot of Kyle’s content in this episode revolved around him wanting to target Shauhin, the most important confessional was the one above. Yet again, we have an emphasis on the Kyle and Kamilla duo, which at this point is easily the most established pairing in the game, even more so than Joe and Eva. We’re always reminded of them, we know their strategy, and we see them setting up plans together.
Kyle has been more at the forefront of this partnership in the past couple of episodes. I’m still trying to determine whether that’s a good or bad thing. I think I lean towards the latter, as it puts Kyle out there as a potential target, as he’s taking the majority of the heat. Meanwhile, Kamilla is playing from the shadows. We also have to wonder whether Kyle’s fears about Shauhin will come to pass.
EVA
Sai could definitely be the vote tonight because she creates chaos and it really rubs people the wrong way. We wanted to get her out before, and we split votes with her and Charity. I would have been happy with either of them going home. Charity went home, and so, now, logically, the next person is Sai. Mitch, on the other hand I just haven’t really connected with him very much. He’s a person who could be a danger later ’cause he’s very good at all these funky little challenges, and he’s very much a social threat ’cause people like him. So, it’s a lot to weigh out between those two choices. This is a really important vote that can have, like, a huge impact on your game, because whoever goes home will not be on the jury.
This was a pretty quiet episode for Eva, but we still got to hear her thoughts on the vote and weighing up the options. She was another played who talked up Mitch’s social game and challenge threat, which could be foreshadowing. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of change. We know she’s part of the honor and integrity alliance and we know she’s tight with Joe. It would be nice to see more of Eva’s individual game in the coming episodes.
KAMILLA
We’re gonna frame Shauhin. So, what I try and do is spin this story of how Shauhin has an idol and he wants to make a big move. And I need something super incriminating for David to flip on Shauhin.
I said last week that too many quiet episodes for Kamilla will start to make me concerned. This was another relatively quiet episode, but I’m not quite worried just yet. And that’s because even when Kamilla isn’t a central focus, we’re always reminded of her position in the game. Once again, the edit highlighted her duo with Kyle and how they intend to play from the shadows.
Now, Kamilla didn’t succeed in flipping David on Shauhin. That could certainly be looked at as a negative. However, this feels like a story set to continue, and so we shouldn’t close the book on it just yet.
CHRISSY
Sai and Mitch are on the bottom of my alliances. So even though I don’t trust Sai, Mitch is all over the place. I don’t know if it’s because he hasn’t eaten or whatnot. I know he’s hungry, and this game is starting to mentally and physically get to him. And here’s another thing. A strong competitor. I mean, challenges, wow. He’s got a great story. So all these things combined that’s where it’s scaring me now.
I’m worried for Chrissy. She hasn’t had the most prominent edit, and this was another fairly uneventful episode for her. Yet, when she did appear, it was to talk up how much of a threat Mitch is (though she kept him) and then slam the honor and integrity alliance (to their faces).
While I believe Chrissy’s statements were validated, the way she expressed them so openly, combined with her lackluster edit, seems like prime set up to become a target soon.
STAR
We need to take out the strong people in order to give anybody a fighting chance at this game, or even making it to final seven, final five. And Mitch definitely is a strong competitor. In this game of Survivor, I’m plotting to get rid of the physical threats because here’s the thing, I understand some people out here are looking and have goals for the jury. I personally have goals beyond the jury. I don’t want to decide who’s gonna get my million dollars. I want to be on the top three, deciding where my million dollars will be coming from, from whoever will be voting for me. I don’t want to make the jury. That’s them suckers. I want to make final three.
Star is such a great confessionalist that it’s a shame her edit is so underwhelming. In fact, the way she’s underedited despite being so charismatic is starting to make me think she maybe does make it to the final three like her confessional here predicts. If she makes it to the finals and loses, perhaps the editors didn’t want to highlight her so much, to stave off some of the disappointment from the audience when she loses.
It’s also interesting how her strategy is opposed to the mindset of the honour and integrity group. While David and co want to keep around the strong competitors (supposedly), Star has said she wants those strong, physical threats (like Mitch) out. What’s interesting is that the honor and integrity group also spoke about wanting Mitch out, despite talking up his physical strength and how strong a competitor he is. As I said last week, Star is the one who is actually being honest about her intentions.
CBS
MARY
(No Confessional)
What a disappointing ending to the Vula story arc. Not only did Mary not get a confessional in this episode, but we didn’t get a definitive close to the Mary/Sai (and Sai/Cedrek) story. With Sai and Cedrek both leaving in this episode at separate tribal councils, it made for a very narratively unsatisfying ending to a story that dominated the first half of the season.
If we’re looking at a positive for Mary’s edit, she at least got to say she wanted to wash her hands of green last week. So, in a way, Sai and Cedrek leaving could be the start of a new narrative for Mary. If that’s the case, I’d like to hear from her at the start of this episode, with her laying out her plans moving forward.
CONTENDERS
Top Tier: Kamilla, Kyle
Second Tier: Shauhin, Joe
Third Tier: Mitch
EDGIC CHART
Name EP 1 EP 2 EP 3 EP 4 EP 5 EP 6 EP 7 EP 8 EP 9 EP 10 EP 11 EP 12 EP 13 EP 14 
Chrissy UTR2 UTR2 UTR1 MOR2 MOR3 UTR1 MOR3 
David OTT3 MOR3 OTTP3 MORP3 OTT2 CP4 MOR3 Eva CPP4 MORM2 CPM3 CP3 OTTPP5 MOR4 MOR2 Joe OTTP3 CPP3 OTTP2 MOR3 OTTP3 MOR3 MORP3 
Kamilla CP3 MOR2 MOR3 CPP4 MORP3 UTR2 UTR2 Kyle MORP3 MOR3 MOR2 CPP4 MOR3 CP3 CP3 
Mary MOR3 MOR4 CPP5 MORP3 UTR2 UTR2 UTR1 Mitch UTRP2 OTTP3 MOR2 OTTP2 MOR3 UTR2 CPP5 Shauhin MOR2 CP3 UTR2 MORN4 MORP3 MOR3 CP4 Star UTRN1 CPN3 MOR2 UTR1 MORP3 MORP4 MOR2 
Cedrek UTR2 MORP3 MOR4 MORM3 CPN3 MORP3/td> MOR3 Sai OTTM5 OTTN5 CPM5 CPP4 OTTN4 OTTN4 CPM5 Charity UTRN2 OTT2 MOR2 MORN2 UTRN2 CPN4 Bianca UTR1 UTR1 MOR4 CP3 CP5 
Thomas CP3 CPN3 CPN3 CPN4 Justin MOR2 MOR3 MOR4 Kevin CPP5 CP4 
Stephanie MOR4 Written by
