Even if they hadn’t made it to the final three of “Survivor” Season 48 — and even though neither of them won the $1 million prize after the jury voted in favor of Kyle Fraser in May — Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter walked away with the season’s most memorable moment and an admirable alliance.
Committed to get to the end together from Day 1, Erickson, 24, and Hunter, 45, had each other’s back the entire time, even when they weren’t on the same tribe. Case in point: Day 11, when during a immunity challenge, Erickson, the CBS competition series’ first contestant with autism, began having an inconsolable emotional episode, leaving her overstimulated and overwhelmed.
Hunter, crossing tribe lines, ran to comfort her and see her through, in turn revealing to the rest of the castaways just how singular their bond was and revealing more about Erickson’s diagnosis than she initially let on. Erickson then stood before her competitors and shared what she was feeling in that moment and what it was like operating in the competition with autism. It was a viral moment of intense vulnerability that for the first time ever even earned tears from host Jeff Probst.
“To witness a young woman standing there, without her parents beside her, carrying that weight on her own and doing so with such bravery — it was powerful in a way that went beyond the game,” Probst told Entertainment Weekly back when the episode aired in March. “I imagine that anyone who watches this moment will experience their own version of what I felt. Something very deep and personal — a place where words fall short, but the feeling stays with you. This is one of those ‘Survivor’ moments I will never forget.”
Erickson and Hunter remembered the moment as equally impactful, and themselves were moved by Probst’s response. Speaking with TheWrap, they shared how Day 11 changed their game and what their friendship looks like today. Plus, Erickson teased her excitement to see Hunter compete on the highly anticipated “Survivor” Season 50.
The feedback from the fan base, I’m sure, has been so rewarding for you two. What has that experience been like coming off of this season?
Eva Erickson: Oh my gosh, I had no idea how big the fan base really was until getting to be part of it and have all these people reach out. And people who aren’t fans of “Survivor,” too, who saw the clip, who saw what I go through, and reached out about them having autism, or their kid, or them recognizing the signs that maybe their kid does have autism, and being willing to go get their child diagnosed because they saw me and realized that it wasn’t something wrong. Just so many people wanting to share their stories because of how my story impacted them, just far too many to respond to. But I read these, and it just really touches me to understand that through just being who I am, I was able to have an impact on so many people. So it has been really a wild ride – very emotional in getting to share my story to the whole nation, for sure,
In terms of just being who you are, Joe, I think that extends to you too, just the opportunity for you to really lead with your heart. It speaks to your character, and isn’t really the way a lot of players go into “Survivor.” What was your thought process in deciding to lean in and really foster this connection?
Joe Hunter: The 100% truth is, of course, you have a plan coming in as a “Survivor” player on what you’re going to do. But once Eva talked to me and shared that, I want to be clear, it was not at all – there was no gameplay after that, and the confessional after that was real. And why I got so emotional was there’s only been one other time in my life where a human being was willing, with basically a new friend, a new person, to share something so vulnerable. I was so proud of her. I recognized that, wow, I can’t believe she just told me that. I’m so proud that this person has the strength to admit something that’s super vulnerable. Most people don’t do that in life at home, and for her to do that, my emotion was, I will go home right now before I betray this person. There wasn’t a game after that. That’s not an act. At no point ever, no matter what, will I break this person’s trust that empowered me. It was such a powerful, honest moment.
It was definitely a powerful moment for us at home. Then on Day 11 during the challenge, Jeff had an emotional reaction like we’ve never seen before while you two navigated Eva’s episode. What was that like for you two, to see this person that you’ve probably admired from afar to really recognize both of you and feel that connection on the beach?
E.E.: It really just showed how truly emotional that moment was. It was emotional for everyone, not just Joe and I and what we were experiencing, but for all of the people involved, because they saw this struggle, they saw me go through that, then they got to hear me speak on this. This is all happening one after another, and there was no time to rest and break and kind of process what was going on. So these emotions run very high, and me sharing my story that connects with so many people, whether they have someone who has autism in their life, or they just have someone that they know who has their own struggles, and seeing how I advocated for myself, how I’m willing to be open about this, it really just brought a lot of emotion to the game, and Jeff was feeling a lot of that himself. He connected with what Joe and I were experiencing there, because he’s a father himself, and cares about the people in his life and wants someone to be there for them, like Joe was there for me. So it really was amazing to see that – that beyond just being a player in this game, like we’re not just pawns, we’re people too. And even Jeff, who is like the top dog and runs the show, he even sees us as humans too and feels those emotions with us. And it’s very rare to see him kind of come to that level and be one with all of us. But it really brought this family feeling to what was going on out there, which was really cool.
J.H.: At the end of the day, you look at this person that’s been so rock solid, and if you look back at all the seasons as a fan or even if you watched casually, he’s experienced some things that are pretty wild, and I’ve never experienced such a professional that is just so good at what he does on the fly. And he’s just, it’s not that he’s calculated — he just knows, he lets you do the game, lets the game develop. But he’s such a pro, and, like, I’ve never really seen him have extreme emotions, right? And what was so great is he allowed himself with us to experience that, and it actually helped me reset quickly too. It’s just happening so fast, and to see he was choked up too, like, now we’re a family. It just made me feel like we’re a true family out there. And he’s so brilliant in what he does, so I just respect that he was also willing to kind of let it happen, both with her and I, but also him. He wasn’t just trying to be stoic. I think that was so impactful. And I really think that was the piece that struck a lot of people.
Now you’re out in the real world. What does your relationship look like today?
J.H.: I mean, it’s, if not the same, better, in terms of she’s gonna be part of my family, and she is a part of my family and always will be. And that’s not just a catchphrase, it’s the truth, and it’s because of a shared, very emotional bond that two people experience in front of so many people.
Eva, looking ahead. Joe is cast in Season 50. What was your reaction to that news and how excited are you to kind of see how it all plays out?
E.E.: So proud. I’m so proud of him and Kyle and Kamilla [Karthigesu]. Just so excited that they all get to go out there again, and I’m cheering them all on through the whole thing. I’m so excited for him.
