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Survivor 48 released episode 9 on April 23, 2025. The competition is getting intense, with the contestant pool getting smaller to win the prize money of $1 million. Fans are curious to know about the players' backgrounds to find out who is more likely to win.
Joe Hunter is among the remaining players who've survived the ongoing show because of his gameplay and strong alliances. The 48-year-old Joe is a fire captain at his local fire department. Fans can also see more updates from his life on his official Instagram account, @joehunterucla.
More information on Joe Hunter from Survivor 48
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The Survivor 48 star hails from Vacaville, California, but now lives in West Sacramento, California. He works at the local fire department here as a fire captain. During an interview with Parade magazine, released on February 7, 2025, Joe said that he has been in this profession for about 18 years.
"I really got into that after I did sports. I went to UCLA for football and track and field, and that was a great experience. And then, really, I just wanted to have a really big impact on life. So then I've been doing that for 18 years now," he stated.
He added that all the losses in his life inspired him to become a firefighter. He then talked about another reason he thought of getting into the firefighting field, saying athletics come and go with the seasons. The reality TV star mentioned that when one is of age, and they can't play anymore, they're out.
Joe said that he wanted to do something he could leave a mark on, adding that he couldn't think of a better way to do it than becoming a firefighter.
More on Survivor 48 star Joe's personal life and Instagram
Joe has two children: a son named Joseph and a daughter, Jayde. In the same Parade interview, Joe said that his role as a father inspired him to compete on Survivor strategically. He then spoke about how most players in the game think versus how they should actually think.
He explained that most players think of how others are going to behave or strategize, and base their strategy on that. He added that instead of doing so, players should try the following approach:
"You need to come into this game first, knowing your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses."
Drawing comparison with his role of fatherhood, he shared that the above strategy is similar to what parenting does—it exploits weaknesses immediately. He stated that it's the same reason why becoming a dad has helped him play strategically, intellectually, and socially, better than the other players.
On the personal front, Joe married a woman named Kayte Christensen. According to an Instagram post uploaded on January 1, 2025, Kayte wrote in the caption that the couple got divorced and reconciled later. She mentioned:
"After nearly 3 years apart, a difficult and painful divorce and countless trials, my husband and I reconciled."
She shared that therapy and coparenting helped them come closer and "rediscover" love for each other.
Joe's Instagram account, @joehunterucla, boasts 32k followers. His bio states his role on Survivor 48 as a castaway and features the link to his wife's account, @kaytechris. His profile is mostly full of his pictures with his family, his son and daughter's many achievements, and his time on Survivor.
New episodes of Survivor season 48 air every Wednesday at 8 pm ET on CBS.
