‘He is my superhero’: Eva and Joe go deep in exclusive ‘Survivor 48’ joint interview

Fate brought them together on day 1 of Survivor 48. And then Jeff Probst brought them together again 10 days later in the most emotional scene in franchise history.

Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter formed an immediate bond when they were put on the Lagi tribe to start Survivor 48, with Eva confiding in Joe about her autism and showing him what to do if she became ungrounded and overstimulated. But when that moment finally came, Joe was powerless to help. At least initially.

Eva was struggling in this week’s immunity challenge trying to navigate a ball through a table maze, and the more she struggled, the more she panicked and wept. But Joe could only watch helplessly from afar. When she finally landed the ball to keep her tribe from going to Tribal Council and exploded into emotion, host Jeff Probst allowed Joe to go over and hug Eva, calming her down with his soothing voice and presence.

It was a remarkable scene, and arguably the most impactful in the franchise’s 25-year history. Entertainment Weekly sat down for an exclusive interview with Eva and Joe to discuss their unbreakable bond, that unforgettable scene, and what their relationship is like now outside of the game.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Eva, when did you first know that Joe was your guy in the game, and the guy you could confide in when it came to revealing your autism?

EVA ERICKSON: So really just right away. When we get off those boats at Lagi and everyone goes around and starts talking about where they’re from, what they do for work, and when we get to Joe, he doesn’t start by telling us that he’s a fire captain, doesn’t start by telling us about his amazing work in search and rescue, doesn’t tell us that he played college football and is an absolute stud.

He leaves all that behind and his first thing that he tells us is how proud he is to be a dad and that he loves his wife and kids so much. I knew his kids’ names before I knew anything about Joe, I heard Jade and Jojo and I was just so touched that I was like: This is an amazing human who has done so much and yet he’s most proud of his family. And I knew that this was the kind of person that would be accepting of me and be there for me in hard times. And so it just immediately was like — this is my guy, from literally the first step off the boat.

Joe, what was it like for you when Eva told you she had autism and that you were the one she was confiding in?

JOE HUNTER: It always gets me emotional because it’s the greatest honor I’ve ever received outside of my kids — any award, anything — because if it ended tomorrow for me, that’s what you want from people who don’t know you, right? I just met her and that’s who I am at my core. And so to have someone see that in me is the greatest honor I’ve ever received in my life. It’s just absolutely amazing and it’s the biggest honor I’ve ever received. It chokes me up every time I think about it.

How were you all feeling about separating at the tribe swap?

EVA: I get very nervous for change. That’s another thing with my autism is that transitions are hard. And when I was a kid, I could not transition between doing different activities and I would have episodes because I was changing the things I was doing. And so now, as an adult, I’ve gotten through that. I can transition through things mostly well, but big changes are really hard. When I graduated from college, that was really, really hard for me, and this was another very, very big change because I’ve just built this support structure and this whole life on Lagi with these people, and knowing that Joe was there for me.

And now, all of a sudden, this is about to be ripped away from me, and I was getting very, very anxious and very nervous to see what would happen. And just the thought of: What do I do now? I had made this plan that I’m going to tell one person — that’s who I’m going to trust. I’m like, “What am I going to do? I’m going to have to tell more people? Do I want to do that? How do I know that I can find someone I can trust?”

I was very, very nervous when that was going on, and especially seeing that Joe was leaving me, I was like, “Okay, this is scary. This is different. I am going to have to go forward somehow.” That was quite a shock.

JOE: Same. I think other people might’ve thought about, “Oh, are we going to win challenges,” or the beach you’re going to? It was just Eva. I had already bonded with her so much. I did not want to leave her. I was nervous for her. I felt like this was such an outside the game situation. I was so upset, like: “They better be nice to her and understand this type of thing.” And so I was hoping that she was just going to be okay.

EVA: Yeah, it was both a personal, emotional struggle, and strategic game struggle. That also was huge. We we had decided on day one before I even told him about my autism that we were each other’s number one. And now all of a sudden this plan is just disrupted and we’re like, “Oh, man, now what?”

Let’s go through what we saw last night. Eva, you’re an athlete and a competitor so it’s not like you’re not used to pressure. So when did you feel your emotions and panic getting heightened as you were trying to get that ball down the table maze?

Yeah, I am an athlete. I’m no stranger to adversity and challenges and having to push through something. I’ve played hockey my whole life. It was that I was continuing to fail over and over, and I started in my head getting stuck in this loop. And that’s how it kind of goes for me when these episodes come on, is that my brain will just start spiraling and all it can think of is on this track where I’m like, “What’s wrong? Why can’t I do this? What’s wrong with me?” Just getting spiraled out of control where I start to lose my grounding.

And this is not something that happens all the time. It doesn’t happen most of my life, but in these situations, it builds and builds and this additional stimulus where it’s super loud and everybody’s cheering and they’re trying to support me, but they’re not understanding what I’m going through and I’m starting to just panic seeing everybody else is making these balls, “Why can’t I do it?”

The closest thing in my life that has related to this situation is that I used to run cross country, and I actually ended up having to quit cross country because at the end of races I would have episodes similar to this. Because in cross country, just like in Survivor, there’s no breaks between the race. You start running, and you are just going all out with all of your force for what, 18 minutes? And it is so intense and all these people cheering for you and it’s so supportive. There’s people all over, people passing you, all these things. And in high school, this would just build in my brain if I’m getting passed.

And so when I was not performing how I wanted to be, my brain would just cycle and be like, “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do this?” And at the end of the race, I would start screaming and crying and nobody understood what was going on. And it’s the closest thing to what happened on Survivor here.

But the response that I received on Survivor was so different than when I had in high school. In high school, people would just look at me like I was crazy, and out there it was so different and I just felt so supported. But it is this crazy situation that I don’t experience when I play hockey because you get on and off the ice, you get breaks, you get a chance to reset. And in this, you’re going full force, there’s no stop. There is no reset, there’s no whistle blown to be like, “Okay, I get to catch my breath for a second before I start playing again.”

It is impossibly hard to calm my brain down in that moment. And then as everyone saw, the second that I had that chance to calm down and reset, I was too gone. Everything was taking off because the challenge is over, but my brain is still going.

Joe, what was it like for you standing there on your tribe mat seeing what was happening but not being able to go over there and help? Because for me, empathizing with you in that moment, that was maybe the hardest thing to watch.

JOE: Yeah, it was absolutely awful. Because I know how badass Eva is and how competitive she is, and also, just a great athlete.. So I just knew that as a competitor, she was just going through exactly what I’ve been through my whole life. So just take everything else out  — that was just hard to watch because you want your people to do well.

So that was one. And then two, I hadn’t seen it either, right? We had talked about it, but I hadn’t seen, so I didn’t really know at first. I knew she was going through it and then I thought, “Okay, we’re still good.” And then when it hit, I was like, I think this is what she described to me.” And then I’m just like, “What do I do? Am I allowed? Do I just go: You know what? I’m going home. I’m just going to walk over there and if they yell, I am just going to…” What do you do at this moment?

I’m just so laser focused and I’m fixated on her and I couldn’t stop looking. And then I got a little unfairly annoyed at her tribe because I wanted them to calm down. My head is just, “This isn’t fair, this isn’t right, this isn’t fair, this isn’t fair.”

And then I’m just so thankful to Jeff, because I didn’t really know what to do, to be honest. And I didn’t want to also expose her. I didn’t know where she wanted this to go. Is she going to be able to work through this? And then it’s like, Joe jumps in and all of a sudden it exposes everything and then it hurts her. So then I was like, “How do I do this? I don’t want to hurt her either.” So thank God Jeff said it, and it felt like it took a year for him to do it. It was hard to see somebody care so much about in pain.

Once Jeff let you go over and hug Eva, you seemed to know exactly what to say and what to do. Had you all had other moments like this that didn’t make it to air this season or was that just instinct in terms of what she needed?

JOE: She did a great job. You kind of see it. When she told me before what to do, I was intensely listening. She told me exactly what to do. She did a great job and I just literally was just trying to do that. She was just “Calm hands, pressure” and I didn’t want to make it worse. And so we’re kind of talking like this, like that, and just like she practiced it. She told me exactly what to do and I’m so thankful for her to do that. And I just tried to do remember exactly what she said. I just knew she needed to contact and I was like, “We’re going to figure this out.” And I just wanted to do exactly what she said.

EVA: Joe did a fantastic job there. And yeah, we had only had that one conversation way back. And him listening and caring so deeply was so important to me. And not only did he listen to the things that I had specifically said — I needed compression, I needed my hand squeezed — but also just even the terminology, he was like, “Oh, let’s get you grounded.” He knew the things that I had said and remembered exactly how I described this, and that just is so meaningful to me to know that he really cared so much about me.

And in that moment, I was very unaware of what’s going on. My brain is elsewhere. I’m just stuck in this loop. And so when my tribemates are all jumping on me and they’re giving me hugs, they’re yelling, they’re being excited, and they were all showing such support too — they wanted to support me, but they didn’t understand the same things.

Star is right there telling me “You can do anything. You did it.” She’s so happy for me. And Mary’s giving me a hug, Charity’s giving me a hug. But they don’t understand on the same level that Joe does. So while I love them and I appreciate their support so much, I needed very specific things and I didn’t have the ability to tell them that at that time I was really stuck. I wasn’t able to vocalize that. But Joe recognized the situation, and when he was given the go ahead by Jeff to jump in, then he was ready to take action.

It is hard when you don’t want to break the rules. He could not have stepped in earlier, we’re not supposed to cross tribal lines. So when he was given this okay, he immediately took action and did all the things that were needed. And it’s important to recognize too that it’s not just that anyone can help me in a situation like this. I am often only receptive to help from those that I truly trust. And I did truly trust Joe so much, and his help, his hugs, his being there is what helped me come down. And so there’s really not somebody else who could have stepped in and done this.

Everyone in production were aware that I had autism and they had asked me early on, “If something happens, if you are having an episode, do you want us to step in? How do you want this to be handled?” And I had told them that I do not want someone to step in that is not one of my trusted people. I want this to be shown that I can handle my own situation. I want to make sure that people will see that I go through my life and I handle my own situations here.

I advocate for myself and I take these steps and I wanted that to be shown that I didn’t need the challenge to stop. I didn’t need anyone to be like, “Okay, let’s put this on pause. Let’s let Eva calm down.” No, life doesn’t stop. Survivor is a reflection of life. Life won’t stop because you’re struggling, but you can take steps to make sure that you can make it through those times. And I had taken those steps early on to be prepared by telling Joe, and then he fulfilled his role perfectly in being there to help me get through it.

So I knew that this was something that could happen out there and that it would be shown on TV and I wanted it to be shown in a way and reacted to in a way that represented how life works for me.

You go in with a plan, Eva, but plans change on Survivor. You weren’t planning when you walked into that challenge to share your story with the rest of the cast in that moment. So what was that like when you did that?

EVA: I had predicted that at some point I think I’ll have an episode of some kind and I think I’ll have to share this story, but I had no inkling that this was going to be coming. And when I got to tell everyone my story, seeing that and seeing how eloquently I spoke, I was like, “Wow, God was working through me there.” I don’t know how I was able to come down from such a crazy intense moment to then be able to collect myself and tell my story in a way that really represents who I am and what I go through.

That was a amazing feat in itself that I’m so proud of. But I think I also am equally proud of how everyone else reacted there and that the entire cast and the crew cared so much and listened so intently and wanted to learn. And that’s not a response that I’ve received from strangers very often in my life.

There have been times when I’ve had episodes where I am in a public place and nobody is around that understands me. And I’ve had people threaten to call the cops on me because they’re like, “You’re out of control. What’s wrong with you?” I’ve had people just look at me and disgust and with pity, and not a single person on that island looked at me that way. Everybody cared about me and they respected me enough to learn my story and it was the best response I’ve ever received.

Joe, you turned around for a minute when Eva started to tell people about her autism, almost like you needed a moment to collect yourself and did not want her to see you being so emotional. What was going on there for you as you heard her open up to the group about that?

JOE: When we talk about it now, it’s emotional because in life you don’t get to see very often someone being that authentic and just exposing themself with true vulnerability. To see her opening up,, I was going to lose it. I just couldn’t. I was emotionally kind of spent in that moment and I didn’t want it to be about me and her looking at me, or “Is he okay now?” or she’s worried about me. And so I was like: Just get it together, dude.

What was it like for each of you watching this all play back on TV?

EVA: For me, I went home to watch it with my parents and my boyfriend and my sister and my best friend. And I felt so loved by them as they watched it and watching everybody cry around me. They were unspoiled. I kind of told my parents about, “Oh, there is a big autism event. I want to be there to watch it with you guys.” But they didn’t know what was going to happen. They had no idea.

And my dad thought that I was going to lose this challenge. He’s like, “Oh, she’s going to get upset. She’s not going to be able to make it through the challenge.” And so then when I did make it, he was so, so proud of me, and my mom was like, “I knew that you wouldn’t give up. You were not going to stop. You are going to get this.”

And just turning and seeing my boyfriend who he never cries and watching the tears stream down his face, I felt so proud to have these people who I love with me and holding the hands of my best friend and my boyfriend and my parents, like everyone looking at me and just being so proud, and it felt amazing. And I’ll never have an experience like that again, where just to feel so loved by those that I’m surrounded by.

JOE: Yeah, I wanted nothing more than to be with her, but with my kiddos, duty calls. And my daughter loves Eva and has latched onto her and just sees herself in her. My daughter really is a spitting image of her. It’s a trip and she’s just a beast. And my daughter just said, “That’s my daddy.” She was proud. So my cup is full. That’s the best way to put it is when you get that moment where your kids are genuinely proud of you, and they got to see Eva succeed — it was all positive things.

I am just so blessed that they got to see that and we got to experience that. And it’s exactly the person I want them to see, and I’m so fortunate. So it was just an intimate setting. And then we were able also to have a little viewing party, huge donations went to Autism Speaks to for Eva last night, which I was going to share with her. So we got a couple hundred bucks to send to the charity of her choice. So that was a pretty powerful night too.

EVA: Thank you so much! And I should touch back on something Joe had said with seeing so much of me in his daughter, and that was another thing that they didn’t show on the show, but when I had first told Joe about my autism, right before we had walked into the woods to talk about this, Joe had been saying to me before he knew I had autism, that he was like, “Oh man, I want my daughter to grow up and be like you. I see Jade in you. I want her to grow up and be just like you.”

And then I told him my story about my autism and immediately after he was like, “You know what? You’re even more badass now. I’m so proud and I cannot wait for my family and my daughter to see you shine.” And I remember these words that Joe had said to me, and it means so much because knowing how much his family means to him and after hearing that I had autism, that he didn’t look any differently at me. In fact, he looked even higher of me and that he wanted his daughter to grow up to be like me — that is just the biggest compliment I’ve ever received.

The game is over and you guys have such different lives in such different parts of the country, so what is your relationship like now?

EVA: I love Joe more than anything. I am so thankful to have met such an amazing man. He really is my superhero. And yeah, we’re across the country from each other, but we still call multiple times a week and I am dying to get to meet his family. That’s coming up. We’re going to get there, and I’m so excited for that.

Although we’ve only gotten to see each other in person once, which actually we got to watch the premiere together and that was just so amazing. And I am just so, so grateful. And I know that we have an amazing friendship for the rest of my life and  that this is family now. Joe is my family, and I will never forget all of the amazing things that he has brought into my life.

JOE: Just simply put — same. She’s not just a friend, she’s family. My best friend. She will always be with me in my family, — always, no matter what. Period.

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