'Survivor 48's Charity Nelms Claims Players Hesitated To Vote Out Eva Erickson

Last Wednesday, on the sixth episode ofSurvivor 48,Charity Nelmswas voted out at the last Tribal Council before the merge, having been eliminated due to her overconfidence and alignment with her original Civa tribe.Eva Ericksonwas also on the chopping block heading into last week’s Tribal Council, especially after many of her fellow castaways discovered thatshe had an Immunity Idol.That said,Erickson had previously revealed to her competitors that she struggles with autismin what was one of the most emotional moments inSurvivorhistory. Although Erickson could be viewed as a threat due to her power in the game, Nelms believes the 24-year-old may have earned sympathy from other players due to her autism diagnosis, causing her to avoid elimination.

Nelms Says Players were ‘Scared’ To Vote Out Erickson

Throughout episode 6, it was clear that Nelms was lobbying for Erickson to be voted out and was the main source sharing thatshe was in possession of an Idol. In a recent interview withEntertainment Weekly,Nelms claimed that she couldn’t get the support from her tribemates to vote out Erickson because of the guilt that would come with eliminating her after learning about her journey with autism.“To be honest, it kind of felt like everybody understood that and would want to [vote Erickson out.]” Nelms said. “But because of Eva getting to share her story, I think a lot of people were just scared to do that – to look bad when that was a very real moment that transcended the game.“Nelms also voiced that she disagrees with the idea to treat Erickson differently because of her diagnosis. “We are also playing the game now,” she said. “And to treat her differently because of that, I personally don’t think is fair.”

Despite being frustrated that Erickson was saved by her tribemates, Nelms admitted that the undergraduate atGeorgia Techis an intelligent player and became the reason she wanted to vote her out, even if the rest of the cast were afraid to do so.“She is incredible, brave, smart, and that’s why I want her out of the game… so the reception to that was like, ‘We think you’re right. And yeah, we kind of want to do that too, but we’re scared.'“Nelms also mentioned that the only castaway who wasn’t scared to vote out Erickson wasSai Hughley,who hasdefinitely shown that she isn’t afraid to take risks and ruffle feathers in the game ofSurvivor. Ultimately, Nelms would receive seven votes at Tribal Council to be the sixth player eliminated from the game. Erickson would never end up having her name written on parchment, with Hughley gathering five votes from her tribemates instead.