Episode 9: Mid-season progress report cards

Published: April 24, 2025

It took nine weeks, but Survivor 48 has finally turned into an actual game, just in time for Damnbueno's mid-season report cards. Damnbueno assigns in-progress grades, then recaps the maneuvering of Episode 9. Warning: He did not use a curve.

Episode 8: Survivor: Game of Thrones ... and one-liners

Published: April 17, 2025

It's pairs week on Survivor 48, and Damnbueno goes through the familiar and very long challenge, journey, and various Strong Five squabbling in Episode 8, in which a formerly hidden pair somehow escaped catastrophe.

Episode 7: The merits of dishonest integrity

Published: April 10, 2025

Damnbueno tracks the history of "honor and integrity" players, then reacts to the dreaded split-squad challenge and Tribals in Episode 7 of Survivor 48, both of which defaulted to easy votes, rather than shaking anything up.

Episode 6: How to talk yourself out of Survivor

Published: April 3, 2025

It's the merge (eventually) in Episode 6 of Survivor 48, and Damnbueno recaps the hugs, races for advantage, mud-filled meals, and the somewhat confusing but expected vote split the (eventually) blue-buffed tribe went through.

Episode 5: The unpredictability factor, or Why you don’t get cocky

Published: March 27, 2025

Damnbueno backs up last week's comparisons to Cirie with a journey through Cirie's greatest hits, then takes you through Episode 5 of Survivor 48's two challenges, big emotional moment, and last-minute Tribal Council decision-making. Did the move make sense?

Episode 4: Cirie-level manipulation

Published: March 20, 2025

The Episode 4 swap in Survivor 48 placed two allies at a numerical disadvantage on their new tribe, but as Damnbueno recaps, they used a combination of deception and idols to emerge victorious, in an episode worthy of the greats.

Episode 3: What did I just watch?

Published: March 13, 2025

First, a guided tour through players who played too hard, too fast, then Damnbueno gets into the stumbling, bumbling, blindfolded collisions of Episode 3 of Survivor 48. Did anyone on Vula (except Mary) play this right?

Episode 2: Big move-itis strikes again

Published: March 6, 2025

Damnbueno reacts to the many, many public idol hunts and advantages (or lost votes) in Episode 2 of Survivor 48, but mainly to an attempt to make a big move that made sense ... except for the timing.

Episode 1: First impressions can be deceiving

Published: February 27, 2025

After finally getting to see the Survivor 48 cast together and competing in the season premiere, Damnbueno finds that same pre-game impressions didn't hold once the game actually started. Who's playing too hard, too fast? Who's falling behind?

Pre-season: Two Jeremys, a Devon, and another Rome?

Published: February 15, 2025

As the new season approaches, Damnbueno evaluates the new Survivor 48 contestants based on their pre-game interviews, and projects how they'll fare in their tribes and in the game as a whole.

Pre-season: The best Survivor winner's moves ever

Published: January 27, 2025

With Survivor 48 still a month away, Damnbueno has combed through all the winning games and compiled a list of the top 20 moves made by Survivor winners in their victorious seasons (plus a few from the not-so-great list). Whose move(s) will rank supreme?