"Looking like one of the Avengers" — Survivor fans react to David standing while Mary got voted out
Survivor season 48 released a new episode on May 7, 2025, titled Coconut Etiquette, which saw Mary Zheng get eliminated from the show. As she brought her torch over to host Jeff Probst to take her leave, evictee and jury member, David Kinne, stood silently with his hand clasped, while the others remained seated. Mary bid farewell to the castaways and walked off.
While Mary had planned to turn as many cast members as she could against Joe and have him voted off the show, she ultimately failed to convince others to muster the courage to go against Eva's strongest ally. Meanwhile, Eva clarified that she and her allies would vote against Mary, who was evidently on the sidelines, unable to find her footing in the game.
While David gave Mary a standing ovation as she left the Tribal Council and became another jury member, the other cast members on the jury bench, especially Star, appeared surprised by his gesture. Only after Mary left the scene did David take his seat.
Survivor fans on X commented on David's gesture, wondering why he did that. At the same time, many thought his standing ovation was uncomfortable and completely unnecessary.
"David's standing over there on the jury looking like one of the Avengers. Lol," a fan wrote.
"ik david thought he was doing something when he PHYSICALLY stood up for mary after she got voted out but like it was sooo corny," another fan commented.
"Now why the hell did David stand up like this?? skskskdkek," a netizen tweeted.
Many Survivor fans did not appreciate David's gesture, and some even thought it was hilarious.
"We all know David felt so hardcore standing up like that but everyone was absolutely dying of laughter at him," a user reacted.
"David still somehow making it about him from the jury bench. So embarrassing," a person commented.
"David what are you doing??? SIT DOWN tar was fighting for her life in the background," another fan wrote.
"THIS, is the BIGGEST move of the season. HOW, IS DAVID, STANDING, THE BIGGEST MOVE. OF THE SEASON. CUT THE CAMERAS, this season SUCKS," one user posted.
Other Survivor fans expressed a similar sentiment.
"David might be the cringiest Survivor player of all time. Sit your big a** down," one person reacted.
"David thinks he's on America's next top model," another netizen commented.
"Mary sort of latched onto me" — Survivor season 48 evictee opens up about his equation with the cast member
Although David stood up for Mary during her elimination in the May 7 episode, his intention behind the gesture remains unknown. While it seemed like he did so to honor her exit, his perspective on Mary, as mentioned in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on April 24, 2025, presented a different story.
"Mary sort of latched onto me and I did the best I could to keep her at arm’s length, but she was just everywhere and she was following me around," he said.
The Survivor jury member added that although she was a "great player" and a "great person," she became inseparable and had to be included in the "strong five."
David claimed that she inserted herself into the group and attached herself to him, resulting in her inclusion within the group. However, his agenda was to "use her for a number."
"She was always going to be the sixth boot, which I don't think was ever really truly clarified," he added.
Compared to his statements about Mary, David's gesture appeared odd and left viewers wondering why he stood for her. Survivor fans criticized him and called him out for giving Mary a standing ovation.
Survivor season 48 episodes are available to stream on Paramount+.
