Sai Hughley Is Dominating Tribal Council in 'Survivor 48' (and I’m Here for It) -

Throughout the first six episodes of Survivor 48, Sai Hughley has nearly had her torch snuffed at almost every Tribal Council. There’s no doubt that the 30-year-old has ruffled some feathers thus far, having been one of the more outgoing personalities this season, and never holding back from voicing her opinions on her fellow castaways. This has resulted in many contestants wanting Hughley out of the game sooner rather than later, but players such as Cedrek McFadden and Chrissy Sarnowsky have opted to save her from elimination on numerous occasions. Although Hughley has gained Immunity Idols and advantages to save herself from being voted out, she has also relied on her social skills and the ability to manipulate others during Tribal Council in order to stay in the competition. Hughley has proven to be well-versed in many aspects of Survivor, and her castmates continuously deciding to keep her in the game might be the biggest mistake they’ve made.

Hughley Continues to Earn Second Chances

In the five Tribal Councils that she’s attended so far, Hughley has been outstandingly voted against ten times. Since day one of Survivor 48, there’s always been a castaway vying for Hughley to be eliminated, but she continues to persevere by any means possible. The former Vulu tribe member was already on the chopping block in Episode 1, when the vote seemed to be between Stephanie Berger and herself. Unfortunately for Hughley, the Vulu tribe continued to lose challenges and were sent to Tribal Council three times in a row, but before experiencing a tribe swap during Episode 4, it seemed certain that her game was over. Nearing the end of Episode 3, it was expected that Mary Zheng would be next in line to leave the island of Figi, but after she successfully played her Shot In The Dark, the vote would be between Hughley and Justin Pioppi. After two re-votes, and most importantly Hughley pleading for her life, the final deadlock vote was left to Cedrek McFadden, who opted to keep Hughley in the game, on the condition that she mends fences with Zheng. Since then, Hughley has done nothing but plot against McFadden, even voting for him at the latest Tribal Council because he didn’t tell her about Bianca Roses losing her vote before being eliminated. However, Hughley’s strategic gameplay and ability to persuade her opponents are just two of the many elements in her arsenal.

Thirteen days into the competition, Hughley found an Immunity Idol as well as a camp advantage to help her during an Immunity Challenge. Hughley had already played her Idol at the second Tribal Council of the season, resulting in Kevin Leung being voted out. She also finished within the final four in the latest Immunity Challenge after finding an advantage deep in the forest at camp, barely snatching it before Charity Nelms could get her hands on it. If Hughley can manage to start winning Individual Immunity going forward, it won’t be long before she locates more advantages to extend her life in the game, especially since her opponents will undoubtedly want her eliminated. During Tribal Council in Episode 6, Nelms and Hughley were both on the chopping block, but the latter would once again be saved in order to vote out Nelms, whose overconfidence was her ultimate downfall.

Star Toomey, a contestant, leans against a tree and looks into the distance in a promo for Survivor 48.

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Love or Hate Her, Hughley Is Entertaining

Sai Hughley smiles for her promo pic for Survivor 48 — Image via CBS

Despite some viewers at home not being fond of Hughley’s antics, she’s easily been one of the more entertaining players this season, and has showcased villainous traits within a cast of players who want to be the hero. Similarly to Rome Cooney during Survivor 47, fans have been frustrated with contestants choosing to keep Hughley in the game, especially after having several opportunities to vote her out. However, unlike Cooney, Hughley has the potential to survive until the end of the game if she continues to outsmart her tribemates, win challenges, and influence others to align with her. Despite many viewers expressing their gratitude online when Cooney was finally voted out, he was the ultimate Survivor villain and would’ve continued to be last season’s main antagonist into the merge. As the game has evolved, Hughley has become more cocky, gloating about Reward Challenges she’s won, and shaming others when they betray her. Although fans may find her actions annoying and disloyal, she deserves credit for falling into the role of the villain in order to stay in the game.

Going forward, Hughley is definitely target number one heading into the merge, especially after being the second most voted for contestant at the last Tribal Council. With former Civa and Lagi tribe members beginning to align with each other, it remains to be seen if Hughley can rally behind her original Vulu alliance in order to survive. That said, Hughley hasn’t been afraid to go into business for herself, and after Thomas Krottinger was voted out during Episode 4, Survivor 48 needed a new villain, and Hughley is thankfully taking over that role in the most entertaining way possible.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.