“The tribe has spoken!” That refrain near the end of almost every episode of “Survivor” tells viewers when someone has been voted out of the show. However, that phrase took on a new meaning for my family during the most recent season of the competition reality show.
Eva Erickson made history on the 48th season of “Survivor.” She was the first openly autistic contestant in the show’s history.
However, her journey was more than just a personal accomplishment for her. It served as an inspiration for my 14-year-old son, also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
First openly autistic contestant
“Survivor” has been on the air in the United States since 2000 and has provided entertainment and enjoyment for millions of people.
My son developed his own interest in “Survivor” from seeing me watch previous seasons and YouTube series that break down the show.
He’s asked to watch and we’ve sat down and started seasons previously, but he’s never completed one. However, that changed when he learned about Eva Erickson.
“Survivor” often has its contestants promote the show through interviews, and that is how I first learned her story. It was during a segment on the local television station where I work. Eva spoke openly and honestly about her diagnosis.
She shared the same story with our station that she would later tell her fellow castaways when the time felt right. She talked about being diagnosed at a young age and how her parents were told that her best hope in life might be to marry someone else on the spectrum.
Eva spoke about her resilience, pursuing hockey as the only girl on all-boys teams and later playing at the college level before auditioning for “Survivor.” This was a show she loved and wanted to share her story.
I showed the interview to my son, who was fascinated by her story. He’s a bright boy with an affinity for chess, but he has commented on the dichotomy of autism representation on TV.
Most shows go the savant route and portray super geniuses.
While there are people on the spectrum who qualify as savants, the spectrum is way too wide for that to be the only representation.
He recognized himself in Eva.
Building relationships
During her interviews, Eva spoke about the part of the game with which she knew she would struggle: the social aspect. She talked about being upfront and honest, almost blunt, all the time.
Eva said she knew she would struggle with social cues and might not pick up on when people are lying to her, which can be a negative when playing a strategy game that involves voting out your competition.
This is something with which my son has also struggled. He has a hard time making friends, but when he does find someone with whom he connects, it becomes one of his strongest relationships.
In the show, Eva bonded with her fellow castmate Joe, a fire captain from California who was part of her initial tribe. She told him her story first before opening up to the rest of her tribe.
It’s an important aspect in building trust in the game, but also a major step for people with autism. Many may feel like they’ll be rejected when they’re open and end up masking to fit in.
I spoke with my son about that scene, and he told me he “felt seen.” He spoke about his own struggles opening up and how his hyperfixations and special interests can often turn people off.
I’ve read numerous blog articles and social media posts from autistic people who say struggles building relationships make them not want to try.
That’s why it’s great to see a positive representation of an autistic woman putting herself out there and building that relationship. It’s something everyone needs, and autistic people at home saw it was worth trying.
Powerful moment
That brings us to episode five of the season and one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever witnessed on television. At this point in the game, there has been a tribe swap separating Joe and Eva into different tribes.
During an immunity challenge, Eva struggled with the final element and started getting overwhelmed.
She was in sensory overload and was having, what she calls, an ”episode.” Joe was keeping an eye on her, just wanting to help her.
Host Jeff Probst gave Joe permission to walk over and hug her. Joe gave Eva deep pressure squeezes that helped her regulate her emotions.
After that, Eva decided she was ready to share her diagnosis with everyone. This led to everyone on the show and even Probst getting emotional, and the reaction on social media was strongly positive as the moment went viral.
This is a moment that nearly caused me to break down crying because I’ve been in Joe’s position in the past.
I’ve seen my son struggle and be unable to regulate his emotions due to sensory overload. My wife and I have both had to give him deep pressure hugs to try to regulate him because nothing else was working.
It also touched my son as he recognized being that overwhelmed in the past. He told me how much it meant to him to have representation of his worst moments and how to help him.
I fear that he will be in that kind of situation with sensory overload without his mother and me around.
Seeing how to help him was one of the best representations that could be shown in this series.
Final three
Eva and Joe linked back up and were a public partnership that managed to make it through a very difficult part of the game. Joe was a physical threat who won four immunity challenges.
Still, Eva made her mark as she was often the last woman standing in physical challenges. She won an immunity challenge in her own right, outlasting two much stronger men.
However, another “episode” reared its ugly head for Eva in the Final Four Firemaking Challenge.
During this stage of the game, the final immunity challenge winner decides who they will take with them to the final three. The other two contestants compete to see who can make a big enough fire to burn a rope.
Eva was selected to make fire. When she went to practice, she became overwhelmed and was in sensory overload again. The series showed Joe comforting her and offering to take her place, but she wanted to get through it.
During the challenge, Eva started struggling again. She made a fire that got big but decreased in size, and she couldn’t figure out why. She kept asking, “What am I doing wrong?” while clearly getting overwhelmed.
With some verbal encouragement from others, she was able to complete the challenge and secure a spot in the final three.
Eva came in second place in the final tribal council, securing two votes from jury members due to her authenticity and her ability to get her opponent to cheer her on during a firemaking challenge.
Inspiration to many
After the finale aired, my son spoke about how great it was to see her overcoming obstacles and never giving up. He was rooting for her to win, although he says he didn’t expect her to beat either Kyle or Joe in the final three.
Still, she served as an inspiration to many, from my son, who has a formal diagnosis of autism, to me, who does not.
Through his support for her and “Survivor” in general, I’ve seen my son grow and learn. He’s excited about the representation she brings to the autism community as a whole and to him, personally.
He was talking nonstop about the show and what he likes about it in a real-world context. Being outdoors, camping, and fishing are already three things he loves during the summer.
As a father, I love seeing my son take pride in the representation he sees on screen. We need more of that in all of our lives.
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