Maria Blindsided by Her Competition on Survivor 46

Well, that was surprising. Not that it was anything close to resembling a lock that Charlie Davis would win Survivor 46 after he made it into the final three against Kenzie Petty and Ben Katzman on Wednesday night’s finale on CBS. Kenzie especially had played a strong social game and made personal bonds with several of the jurors. But the one vote everybody thought for sure that Charlie could count on was his biggest ally in Maria Shrime Gonzalez.

However, when Maria shockingly voted for Kenzie, that gave the salon owner five votes to Charlie’s three—handing her the win in the most surprising manner possible and avoiding a likely pro-Charlie tiebreaker vote from third-place finisher Ben. How shocked was Charlie by Maria’s vote? What else did we not see at the final Tribal Council? And how difficult was it to sit through the after-show just moments after he had lost out on a million dollars in one of the most painful manners possible?

Charlie Speaks About His Final Tribal Council Chances

Walking into Tribal, I think I was feeling good, confident, but not overconfident. I tried the whole game not to underestimate anyone, Charlie noted. Despite his loss, he felt good about his chances of pitching his case to the jury.

A Shocking Decision by Maria

Get to the final three. You’ve got my vote, Maria had said to Charlie before being voted out, making her switch to Kenzie even more surprising. I really did think I had Maria’s vote 1000%, Charlie expressed his shock regarding the unexpected outcome.

The Fire-Making Challenge Influence

Maria mentioned it was the fire in Kenzie’s eyes during the fire-making competition that influenced her decision. She later oscillated between reasons, leading to a confusing post-game interaction between her and Charlie.

The Impact of Losing Maria’s Vote

If Maria had voted for Charlie, it would have resulted in a tie, with Ben as the tiebreaker. Yeah, Ben votes for me, confirmed Charlie, emphasizing how Maria’s one vote changed everything.

Handling Post-Tribal Emotional Aftermath

Charlie discussed how tough it was transitioning immediately from final Tribal Council into the after-show. It did feel like losing game seven on a buzzer-beater, he remarked about processing his loss just before joining other contestants for celebrations with champagne and pizza.