When will Survivor season 48 finale air? Release date, what to expect, and more explored
As the Survivor season 48 nears its end, only a select few remain in contention for the coveted title of Sole Survivor. The three-hour event finale will air on May 21, 2025, marking the conclusion of another intense season.
Fans can expect plenty of action, including immunity challenges, strategic plays, and dramatic moments, all leading to deciding who will be the winner. As the players fight to outwit, outlast, and outplay, the jury of five members will ultimately decide who deserves the $1 million prize.
Everything to know about Survivor season 48 finale
Release date, time, and platform
The Survivor season 48 finale will air on CBS on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, starting at 8 pm ET. The three-hour finale will be split into segments, with the first hour featuring the last elimination, followed by the two final immunity challenges.
The last hour will reveal the winner after the jury casts their votes. Viewers can also stream the finale later on Paramount+, CBS's streaming platform, ensuring they don't miss out on the climactic conclusion of the season.
What to expect in the finale
As the finale approaches, six players remain in the game who have survived several challenges and elimination rounds. The remaining cast includes Eva Erickson, a PhD candidate from Providence, Rhode Island; Joe Hunter, a fire captain from West Sacramento, California; and Kamilla Karthigesu, a software engineer from Foster City, California.
Among the remaining six cast members are Kyle Fraser, an attorney from Brooklyn, New York; Mitch Guerra, a P.E. coach from Waco, Texas; and Shauhin Davari, a debate professor from Costa Mesa, California.
In addition, the jury members, who will cast their votes to determine the winner, are composed of players eliminated earlier in the game. These include Cedrek McFadden, Chrissy Sarnowsky, David Kinne, and Star Toomey. More jury members will be added in the upcoming episode before the final vote.
The finale episode is titled Only One of Youse Can Win, a nod to a quirky quote that has yet to be attributed to a specific player. As for the challenges, there will be two immunity challenges during the three-hour finale. The first will feature the Final 5, and the second will bring the Final 4 face-to-face.
The winner of the second challenge will get to choose one person to bring with them to the Final 3, while the remaining two players will compete in a fire-making challenge to determine who will take fourth place and who will move on.
Episode 11 overview
The Survivor episode opened with seven players left. The strategic focus centered on Joe, who many viewed as the biggest physical and social threat. Eva, Kamilla, and Mary debated whether to take the shot at him now or wait until one more vote when he couldn't play his Shot in the Dark.
At the reward challenge, Kamilla won and chose Eva and Shauhin to join her for a helicopter trip and an island feast. At the immunity challenge, Kamilla again won, marking her third individual immunity win of the season. This secured her spot in the final six and gave her leverage in the vote. Post-challenge, the vote seemed to boil down to Mary vs. Joe.
Mary continued pushing for Joe's elimination, but her aggressive strategy backfired. Eva and Kamilla viewed Mary as unpredictable and potentially damaging to their endgames. At Tribal Council, Mary was blindsided in a 5-2 vote. Only she and Kyle voted for Joe. As the voting concluded, Mary became the 12th-voted castaway and fifth jury member on Survivor season 48.
Stream Survivor season 48 anytime on Paramount+.
