After being awarded the $1 million grand prize, Kyle Fraser opened up about the Jury vote that took him by surprise when he won Eva beat Kamilla at the fire-making challenge, setting up a showdown between Kyle, Joe and Eva. While each of them received at least one vote, the Jury ended up voting for Kyle as the winner.

Kyle Fraser itted that one Survivor 48 Jury member in particular stunned him leading up to the votes that secured him the win.

While speaking to EW, Kyle itted that Mary's Jury vote stunned him because she was "the biggest undecided vote." Combing that with the fact that she was a "massive threat" meant he was a little on edge about what her final decision would be. When Mary was still in the game, she asked him if he was playing the game he wanted to play, which "made it very scary in my mind."

Kyle "didn't know what her rubric was going to be" when deciding who should win the $1 million. Then when he was listening to the Jury speak at the final Tribal Council, he tried to see if he could figure out any hints, particularly when it came to Mary. "We never had the chance to really bond," he acknowledged, because they were in "the most adversarial position."

What Mary's Surprising Jury Vote Means For Survivor

Kyle's Secret Gameplay Could've Lost Him Votes

Kyle made some very important points when he was asked about the Jury's votes. Mary asking him if he was playing the game he wanted to play stunned him and put him on edge. The problem was that he couldn't tell Mary his strategy because it could've blown up his chances of making it to the end and winning. That created a lot of uncertainty about whether the Jury knew he was playing a strong game, but at the final Tribal Council, he made sure everyone knew he was a much stronger player than some of them may have been aware.

Kyle's gameplay wasn't necessarily a strategy that was obvious to the players at large; it was more understated and in the background, which allowed him and Kamilla to get as far as they did. The force that was Joe and Eva's alliance was known by all; there was no secret there. That contract between the two strategies is fascinating. Neither are bad ways to play Survivor; it's just a matter of convincing enough on the Jury they played the best game.

Our Take On Kyle Being Worried About Mary

Mary Was Always an Unpredictable Player

Mary did not vote for Kyle; fortunately, he didn't need her to secure Survivor's $1 million grand prize. Kamilla, Shauhin, Cedrek, Star and David were the votes that secured him the win. Mary and Mitch ended up siding with Eva, while Chrissy voted for Joe. Mary being one of the biggest wild cards isn't surprising considering how unpredictable she was in the game. I don't blame Kyle for feeling uncertain about who Mary would side with, especially since it could have caused him to lose if the Survivor Jury's votes were a lot closer than they ended up being.

Source: EW