‘Survivor 48’ Joe Hunter Talks Helping Eva During Tense Episode
Fans of Survivor 48 recently saw an emotional moment when Joe Hunter broke away from his tribe to help a friend in need on the show. Notably, this occurred after Hunter had switched tribes. Following this, Hunter himself had shared what it was like being part of such an episode and what was going through his head at the time.
Joe Hunter Helped Eva Erickson After She Previously Confided In Him
Joe Hunter is a contestant appearing on Survivor‘s 48th season. As with the past fifteen seasons, this season once again films within the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.
A native from California, Hunter works as a fire captain in his everyday life. On the series, he initially served as part of the Lagi tribe before switching to Vula. However, the tribes disbanded during Day 12.
During a recent episode, Hunter was part of a very emotional moment. His former tribemate Eva Erickson started to feel overwhelmed during an immunity challenge. Notably, Erickson had previously confided in Hunter about how autism has made various social cues difficult for her.
Erickson had also previously asked for Hunter’s help if she ever felt overwhelmed. During a tense moment, even after being embraced by other castaways, she began to experience symptoms that she had warned Hunter about. This included heavy breathing and difficulty speaking.
Remembering previous instructions from Erickson, Hunter came over and hugged her. He reminded her to calm her breathing while holding her hands. This helped her get through the tense moment.
After this, Erickson collected herself and explained the situation to the other castaways. She noted she wouldn’t be able to live alone. Series host Jeff Probst also took this moment to reassure her that sharing her story can help others like her, especially young children.
Hunter himself recently spoke with TV Line about the episode. As he noted, switching tribes became all the more complicated because he had promised to be there for Erickson. As he noted, “Man, so the tribe swap was very challenging.”
Hunter Shared That Things Were Happening So Quickly
“I was worried. I was just concerned that something was gonna happen or maybe they would take advantage of her.”
“I wasn’t really sure, it was happening so quickly. I just wanted to be with her. That’s all. I just wanted to be with her and that way we could kind of navigate through that together. And I knew too that, hey, I’ve also developed a great friend that I can trust.”
“So, it wasn’t just the fact that she had shared this with me. I genuinely trusted her and that’s also rare out there. So, it was not an act. That was a very frustrating situation, but part of the game.”
Hunter also shared what was going through his head before jumping in to help Erickson. He mused, “Even though I had talked to her about her autism and what she needed, I hadn’t seen an event, so we didn’t get into the description of what this would look like.”
Hunter Shared He Was Grateful He Was Allowed To Help On Survivor 48
Hunter noted he wasn’t sure when he should get involved or when he shouldn’t. As he shared, “And I never really thought about it. It’s also difficult in the beginning because you’re processing. ‘Is this a moment that I’m in need, or is this just her?’ Because she’s so talented, she’s so amazing.”
“[But] those challenges are so difficult. Is it just a human being working through a challenge? Do I just jump in and and then it’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ So, it’s this moment of being surreal, like, ‘I think this is happening?’ So, in the beginning, it’s just witnessing another human being go through pain.”
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“It was excruciating. You just want to stop the pain, but you also want them to get through it and be successful. I just wanted to be right next to her, to just soothe [her]. And it was brutal.
Hunter was grateful that he was allowed to get involved. He noted, “I’m so thankful that Jeff allowed that to happen later, but it was very difficult to watch.”
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