"She was robbed" — Survivor season 48 fans react to Stephanie's elimination

Survivor season 48 premiered on February 26, 2025, introducing 18 players prepared to compete against one another for the coveted title of the Sole Survivor. Divided into tribes, the contestants battled it out on the beaches of Fiji to stay in the game. However, not everyone could survive the players' strategies. Stephanie became the first person eliminated from the series, after a tense Tribal Council.

Stephanie found herself holding the shorter end of the stick after failing to perform during the immunity challenge, which put her Vula tribemates at risk of getting eliminated. Although Stephanie owned up to her mistake, her teammate Sai quickly took control of the narrative by putting all the blame on her.

The pre-Tribal Council discussion brought Sai and Stephanie's differences to the forefront. Despite her attempts to save herself from being sent home, Stephanie was evicted after receiving four votes in favor of her elimination.

Survivor season 48 fans took to X to comment on Stephanie's elimination. While many were unhappy to see her become the first "boot," some said it was predictable.

"that premiere was so good but i WILL be seeking justice for stephanie all season long. she was robbed," a fan wrote.

"The irony is not lost on me that the editors showed Steph in her first confessional talking about toning down her naturally bossy, forceful, “take charge” approach… only to get bested by a girlie playing that exact game," another fan commented.

"Stephanie used her shot in the dark on the first tribal, which was a bad sign for her, and it failed. Stars couldn't save you tonight, lady. Pardon my French but:" a netizen tweeted.

Many Survivor fans claimed Stephanie was "robbed" and did not deserve to get eliminated.

"Stephanie deserved better!!!. A robbed queen, my favourite first boot from the new era," a user reacted.

"A robbery of a first boot! STEPHANIE YOUR AMAZING!" a person commented.

"stephanie gone home, mary, charity and star on the bottom. throw this season away plz," another fan wrote.

"NOT STEPHANIE FIRST BOOT?? Hoping for a sai downfall where she loses her idol and they vote her out 4-1…" one user posted.

Other Survivor season 48 fans felt Stephanie's elimination was predictable.

"Tbh when Jeff said the season theme that being aggressive is a “good” thing and Steph said she wanted to play passively I figured she was cooked," a person reacted.

"I knew it was over for Steph as soon as she played that shot in the dark," another netizen commented.

---

Survivor season 48 premiere: Stephanie plays her Shot in the Dark

Stephanie was part of the Vula tribe which comprised Sai, Kevin, Cedrek, Justin, and Mary apart from herself. The team put their best foot forward to outperform the Lagi and Civa tribes in the immunity challenge but could not due to Stephanie's failure to finish the puzzle.

For the immunity challenge, the Survivor participants had to finish an obstacle course and a puzzle race. Whichever two tribes finished in the race first would not only win immunity, but also toolkits to take back to the camp as a reward. Lagi outperformed the other tribes and walked away with the largest share of the necessary tools.

Meanwhile, Vula and Civa battled it out to take the last spot. Vula was sent to the first Tribal Council after Civa managed to complete the puzzle race before them. Stephanie took accountability for her role in the game since she had volunteered to finish the puzzle. She hoped it would get her in the good books of her teammates, however, Sai was adamant about garnering votes against Stephanie.

While Mary was against Sai's gameplay, saying she was "trying way too hard," Kevin and Justin contemplated picking sides.

During the Tribal Council, Stephanie mentioned that there were "three Libras" in Vula, which meant both good communication and "a little bit of indecisiveness." Sai quickly retorted, saying she did not work well with other "air signs." Once Stephanie realized she was in the spotlight, she decided to play her Shot in the Dark.

"Not sure how I feel about my stars tonight," the Survivor star stated.

However, the move did not play in her favor as the scroll she chose did not grant her safety. Consequently, she lost her vote and was eliminated from the show after receiving the majority votes. Mary was the sole Survivor contestant who voted for Sai's elimination.

---

Survivor season 48 airs new episodes every Wednesday at 8/7c exclusively on CBS.