Justin Pioppi had a bad beat on Survivor 48.
The new castaway was in a good position within his tribe, but several events led to his being voted out in the third episode.
A crucial moment happened when Justin lost his vote during a Journey.
Justin was forced to play a dice game where he could win a power or lose his vote. After losing his vote, he lied to his tribemates so they would think he still had it.
Later, his lack of voting power became a critical reason why he got voted out.
But Justin says that Survivor fans didn’t get to see everything. There was more to that nutty Tribal Council than the producers could fit into the time slot.
Justin Pioppi addresses Survivor 48 exit
The Episode 3 Tribal Council was so complicated that host Jeff Probst had to explain it during his podcast.
Jeff talked about how the show had never seen a voting situation like this before, leading to a unique voting result where Cedrek McFadden decided who got sent home.
Saiounia “Sai” Hughley argued why Cedrek should keep her, while Justin appeared silent. But it sounds like some footage hit the cutting room floor.
“Well, as you know, Tribals are very long, and not everything is shown,” Justin stated in an exit interview.
“And apparently that was one of the longest, if not the longest Tribal Council in Survivor history. And when you get a commercial break halfway through, you’re in for a long one,” Justin explained to EW.
Viewers watching the clock knew something was up when Tribal Council began too early in the episode. It was a heavy hint that a twist was coming.
Justin also touched on his strong alliance with Cedrek – a bond that helped convince Sai to use her Immunity Idol during the second episode.
“I think also that the fact that Cedrek was willing to keep me up to that point shows the arguments that I was making were making sense to him, and I felt like I was in a position where I didn’t have to necessarily go the extra yard or the extra mile because Cedrek was so intent on keeping me. And like I said, ultimately it’s his decision.,” Justin elaborated.
Justin sounded like he felt very safe, but it wasn’t enough.
The producers typically have way more footage than necessary to compile a 90-minute episode. It sometimes leads to a narrative that isn’t completely accurate.
“There were some things that weren’t shown that were pretty powerful, and in that sense I just kind of felt like I’ll leave it up to him,” Justin added.
So Justin fought for himself and wasn’t as quiet as the episode led viewers to believe. Despite all that, Cedrek turned on him at the worst possible moment.
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Previous episodes of Survivor 48 are streaming on Paramount+.
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