The season 48 finalist also shares his kryptonite in the game. Joe Hunter reveals his wife helped him scout the Survivor 50 competition The season 48 finalist also shares his kryptonite in the game. By Dalton Ross :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/DaltonRossauthorphoto2e15b12006e2438a99fb06db6d682421.jpg) Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. Survivor is kind of his thing. EW's editorial guidelines February 18, 2026 9:15 a.m.

The season 48 finalist also shares his kryptonite in the game.

Joe Hunter reveals his wife helped him scout the Survivor 50 competition

The season 48 finalist also shares his kryptonite in the game.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 18, 2026 9:15 a.m. ET

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The cast of *Survivor 50* had just watched Joe Hunter win lots of challenges and make it all the way to the end of season 48 when they left for Fiji. Which would seem to be not so great for the fire captain. On the flip side, they also saw a guy who was fiercely loyal to his ride-or-die and played under an "honor and integrity" banner.

So does that put Joe in a good or a bad place heading into *Survivor 50* (premiering Feb. 25 on CBS)? He hopes the latter. He also hopes to find a few new ride-or-dies since partner-in-grime Eva Erickson will not be by his side this time. But who might they be? That's where Joe's wife comes into play. They two were divorced when Joe showed up in Fiji to play *Survivor 48*, but have since reconciled, and once they did… he put her to work!

That work was gathering research on Joe's competition for season 50. We decided to put Joe himself to work in Fiji by forcing him to answer our questions before the game began. Crank it up because Club Condo is now officially open!

Joe Hunter of 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**: Joe, why are you going to win *Survivor 50?***

**JOE HUNTER:** I'm going to win *Survivor 50* because I think I have something that everybody wants, and is needed, and more importantly, almost every winner has had to use this to get to the end — it's trust. Trust and vulnerability. Because when you think about even Kyle and Kamilla, we always focus on the lying in deceit and blindsides. But it's the trust, especially in the beginning, that mostly carries these duos all the way to the end.

What I think everybody's looking for is trust. And the trick with that is being able to shift that when I need to shift it to the right person to trust. So I'm trusting this person, and if they're getting ready to vote me out, can I shift now to who else needs this item and keeps me playing my game? It sounds simple, but it's going to be very difficult to do. I think that with some of these old-school players that I'll have a group that would not be opposed to that and I think that's why it'll put me in a position to get to the end.

**I know you were out here just a year ago, but give us the life update since you played.**

Two wonderful things happened. SB 989, which is Joanna's Law, passed, and it's been put into place which enhances protocols for a suspicious death with a history of domestic violence. It just ensures that things are going to be done correctly for those victims of domestic violence, and hopefully prevent anyone else from experiencing what my family and I have been through. Oh my gosh, I can't say enough about that. So that just happened, and then I reconciled with my wife after three years of being divorced and I'm just proud of us. So a lot of great things.

Joe Hunter on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**That's awesome, man. So happy for the entire family. So listen, you just did this. Why come back and do it again?**

The biggest piece is unfinished business with my sister. People got to see my story. It was real. I was trying to be vulnerable, and I made a promise to her, right? The promise was not just to play, but to win. And I got to make right on that promise, and I never thought I'd get the opportunity to. So I'm going to make right on that promise.

And then two is for my kids and my wife. I really came out here to show them: Hey, don't be afraid to chase your dreams. Even if it feels like it's against all odds. It's some of the best players, it's season 50, everyone knows your game, you just recently played, you could be a target, but all that's fear. All of that are things that I want to show my kids. Lean into your dream. And so I'm out here to show them that no matter what, just step out in front of it and at least give it a shot. You got to try. That's why I'm here.

**Anything you regret on a personal level from the last time you played?**

I will say this. It's not the Shauhin vote, but what I think people really need to understand is why that situation even happened. Why Kamilla and Kyle were able to kind of slide in between us was only because him and I had a verbal argument. That's it. It's nothing more, nothing less.

And it sounds so simple, but that caused a ripple of things. Had we done what we normally do, you touch base, you reconnect, and you just work through these minor arguments, but it developed into something big, and because of that, he went home. And I regret that him and I equally couldn't work that out. Just a simple hug, just a simple, "Hey man, what's going on?" And then everything would've been natural.

**I was curious about that because I know what an empathetic person you are, and we saw that on the show. And so I wondered if the Shauhin thing hurt you when you think of it, because I know that empathy that you hold for people.**

And I greatly appreciate that and I try to do that — the empathy piece specifically. I think a lot of people have sympathy, but empathy, as you articulated, is difficult. And I think with the Shauhin** **vote, it's hard because when you look at some of the exit interviews, it gets spun into the cause of this deception. And it was because of this gameplay by them, and it really wasn't.

It was really because him and I didn't even have an argument about gameplay. We were just off. And that sucks that you don't want that to be the cause of anyone to go home, him or I. It could have been either of us. And that's the one thing I regret because as a person, I never want to leave an argument unsettled. I never want to leave things unfixed, and we couldn't do it in time in the game. That's what I regret.

But I don't want to take away from Kyle and Kamilla's game. A lot of people said they knew about their duo. No way, I lived it. It's taking credit away from them. No way did we know that depth, and good on them.

Joe Hunter on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**So you went the honor and integrity route in 48 and it got you to the end. Can you do that again, or do you need to play a little differently the second time?  **

So it's a great question and I have two parts to it. First part is absolutely not, and this is why I have so much at stake with my kids. And it's not to sound corny, it's real. No disrespect to anyone else that plays it differently, but I look at it like I'm trying to build little people into great human beings. It's beyond the game. They're going to be there forever, I hope. And in order to do that, it's hard for me to say all these life lessons, "Do this, don't do this. Say please, say thank you," and then when it comes to money, "Do whatever you want. You want to lie to your boss. If money is laying on the ground, you want to take it. You want to darn near rob a bank — whatever you need to do to get money."

And that seems dramatic, but it's some truth to it. And that's how I view it, is it's just not worth changing up, which would blindside some people not seeing it coming from me. It's not worth it at all to me. And I looked at it more like: It's not what am I willing to do to get a million dollars? It's what am I *not* willing to do? That's the question: Where's your line? And that's it for me.

And I think that the other piece to this is people might say it's boring, but my superpower that I try to always present is being vulnerable in relationships and building *real* relationships, not fake ones. And my hope is that on this season that works, because listen, when in the past seasons when everybody just starts stabbing each other, what happens? You go to Tribal, there's six names written down, there's eight names written down. At some point, you have to team up and go, "Hey, we got to work together." I'm hoping that that holds currency with these older players. I really do.

Joe Hunter of 'Survivor 50'.

Scott Duncan/CBS

**How do you think the other contestants see you? If I am sitting there with these other people today and I ask them, "What's your take on Joe?", what are they going to tell me?**

Man, that's tough because I'm super critical of myself. I'm super hard on myself. So that's a tough question, but okay, I'll go off of what people close to me that I think shoot me straight have said that they just in general think I'm a good guy, that I was portrayed as a good guy, someone that you could trust and wants to take a group to the end.

I hope that's how they see me. That's some of the feedback I got. And with some of the vulnerability between Eva and talking about my sister, I think they see me as a genuine player that's not playing with some motive other than that.

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**What's your biggest weakness as a player? If I'm trying to take you out, what am I going to prey upon?**

I think that answer is easy because it happened, and is that same vulnerability that I use to build these awesome relationships — you can easily betray that. Because to me, the more that you are vulnerable with them and the more you trust them, the stronger the relationship is. And I tend to go all in. So my blind spot is that for sure. My kryptonite is you just go right at me with vulnerability and trust and you give me life stories that are true. You do exactly what Kyle and Kamilla do. I mean, that's it! That's the one blind spot I got right there, a hundred percent.

But I hope that someone will reach out knowing that we can have a genuine relationship. I don't know who, to be honest with you. People like Genevieve, people like Emily, Aubry — and I say that because they're brilliant. They're strategic players, and that's one of my blind spots is players that can do that, that can almost do some of the dirty work. You want them on your team, meaning I don't want weapon pointed at me. So it's almost like, "Dude, I don't have to do it, but I want to be on your side of the weapon." So those are the kind of relationships I hope that happen.

7:23 The Cast of 'Survivor 50' Reveals Who They Want to Vote Out First

**How much pre-gaming did you do with the other cast members before you came out here?**

I didn't do any pre-gaming because when I think about pre-gaming, it was a lot of rumors on who's coming out. And the stakes are so high, and I know that people say this and they don't buy it. But the two that I would pre-game with, Kyle and Kamilla, look at what just happened! So how do I, in good faith, be like, "Hey, I know I was the one on the outs, but do you guys want to work together again?"

It was almost impossible. And I didn't have a relationship with anybody enough to launch that buoy. But I definitely did my homework. Once I saw the projected cast, I absolutely researched and connected. I got a lot. I wrote it out in great detail. My wife helped me with that.

**The last season these guys watched was yours, so you're fresh on everybody's mind. How do you think that impacts you in the game?**

Simply put, I think a lot of people would say it hurts us, but I actually think it hurts Kyle and Kamilla more than me. And maybe I'm being naive, but I really am trying to look at this as a player that I would think might be overlooked. It's like, "Joe? He easily got duped at the end. He's not strategic. That's an easy target." But [Kyle and Kamilla] did something that hasn't been done very easily. I feel like they're a larger threat.

But here's the other piece. I also think it helps me, I think with this group that what they showed on my season, for me particularly, there are enough people that want to buy that product. Because it's real. There's some old-school players that are like, "You know what? That's my dude." And so, in a weird way, maybe it being so fresh is exactly that. There's a lot more positive than negatives.

Joe Hunter and Eva Erickson on 'Survivor 48'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**What about the fact that there's three of you here?**

So that's extremely challenging when you look at three of us. But I also look at other dynamics. I look at things like Cirie, Coach, Colby, and Stephenie, all have played a combination of multiple seasons together. And then look at Mike White and Christian and Angelina from *The White Lotus*.

There's other connections that they have there from playing together and being outside of the game. They have connections there. And then it's Dee and Emily. So there are other pairs that people may not be aware of, but us being the freshest, it hurts. But it's not like it's me, Eva, and Kyle. It's not like it's me and Eva, Kyle, and Kamilla. It's the two that just pulled the wool over my eyes, and me!

**You mentioned connecting strategically with some old-school players. Give me the names of the exact people that you want to work with.**

Colby, Coach, and Stephenie are the people I want to play with. And they have branches within Chrissy and Jenna. I just feel like they're not to be trifled with. Yes, you could say some haven't played in 10 years, 15 years, et cetera. Yes, they're in their fifties or whatever the arguments might be. But here's what I know …

Joe Hunter, Savannah Louie, Christian Hubicki, Cirie Fields, Ozzy Lusth, Emily Flippen, Rick Devens, Jenna Lewis-Dougherty of the Cila tribe on 'Survivor 50'.

Robert Voets/CBS

**Hey, man. Watch what you say about people in their fifties…**

I know, and I am with you! I'm 46! I'm getting there. And when I look at this, I go: Okay, these players that have played four and five times, you cannot underestimate that. And that's why I'm going to lean towards them is that there's something there. You can't deny that. Ozzy is another one. I don't care if they played 20 years ago. When you play that many times, you've just gained traction.

**Who are you wary of out here?**

I'm wary of Genevieve, I'm wary of Aubry. I'm wary of Emily and Tiffany. And not that it's all just women, but Dee. And here's why I say that. They're either strategic players or they're just super likable and that can drive a big group quickly. Dee has the power to get a group underneath her wing very quickly. Charismatic, attractive person, knows how to play the game. Tiffany too. And I look at these players and I'm like, "Oh man, if they want to really quickly, they could get something moving." So they're dangerous.

**How do you handle the two season 49 players? You know nothing about them other than seeing them in the trailer, so what do you make of that unknown quantity?**

Extremely dangerous. But here's what I'm going to say right now without knowing. One of them won, or top two, top three combination of something like that. I'm just looking at everyone else out here. I'm looking at everyone else — top three, top four, whatever. Everybody else here has won. And Savannah has a swag about her. I can just smell it. I can see it on her. She's so fresh out. You don't own a room like she does. I'm like… WHOA!

***Want to be kept up with all things Survivor? Dig deep and sign up for 's free Survivor Weekly newsletter to have all the latest news, interviews, and commentary sent right to your inbox. ***

**Other *Survivor 50 *deep dive player interviews:*****• Survivor 50* star Ozzy Lusth opens up about hitting 'rock bottom of my life'**• *Survivor 50* star Aubry Bracco opens up about the 'freedom when you fall from grace' **• Colby Donaldson reacts to playing *Survivor* for the first time without Jerri**• Angelina Keeley refused to do *Survivor 50* unless they gave her a jacket**• *Survivor 50*'s Coach goes deep on evolving from an 'arrogant ass' into the… Tide Walker?** • *Survivor 50* star Jenna Lewis-Dougherty is 'here to f--- you over in every way, shape, or form'** • Cirie Fields says winning *The Traitors *does not take sting out of *Survivor* loses** • Mike White on how he is handling *Survivor 50 *castmastes angling for *White Lotus* cameos** • Chrissy Hofbeck opens up about controversial season 35 finish and being bashed by previous cast** • Rick Devens explains why he is a lunatic that wants to play with other lunatics** • Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick wants to prove that 'mom really is a badass'** • Christian Hubicki wanted to tell Survivor 50 pre-gamers to 'f--- off'** • Genevieve Mushaluk on why watching *Survivor 50* will be more terrifying than playing it** • Dee Valladares welcomes being one of *Survivor 50*'s biggest threats: 'I want them to come for me'** • Q Burdette reveals ridiculous things he did to prep for *Survivor 50*** • Kamilla Karthigesu feared she would be cut from *Survivor 50* for pregaming** • Emily Flippen says 'If I win *Survivor*, something crazy has happened'** • Jonathan Young shares the *Survivor* lessons Boston Rob gave him before season 50** • Tiffany Ervin reveals her plan to manipulate Q's ego on *Survivor 50*** • Charlie Davis says he will 'in some ways never get over' his shocking *Survivor 46* loss**

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Source: "EW Survivor"

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Source: Survivor

Published: February 18, 2026 at 04:57PM on Source: RED MAG

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