Dylan Efron And Tyson Apostol Blamed Mary Zheng For How Boring A Survivor 48 Episode Was

Since Survivor is one of the best reality shows ever, it is always attracting new fans who have to figure out which seasons to watch first. Those new fans won't know that Jeff Probst's show has featured so many medical evacuations or that several former players have refused to return. That said, longtime Survivor viewers would be able to tell those new fans all about the show's best seasons, its greatest players ever, and how amazing some former winners are.

One of those Survivor icons that veteran fans could tell new viewers about is Tyson Apostol. Arguably someone who should be in the Survivor Hall of Fame and definitely someone who has been willing to call Jeff Probst out, Tyson has become an amazing podcast host. During one podcast discussion, Tyson and Dylan Efron from The Traitors discussed why they blamed Mary Zheng for a boring Survivor 48 episode.

Why Dylan Efron And Tyson Apostol Blamed Mary Zheng For A Boring Survivor 48 Episode

As Survivor 48 aired, many fans came to the same conclusion about the season. While fans have enjoyed several seasons from the "new era," most fans have been outspoken about not enjoying Survivor 48.

While some fans will point to different reasons for disliking Survivor 48, there mostly seems to be a consensus about the season's problem. Most fans seem to agree that Survivor 48 has been a boring season because the strategic gameplay has been lacking.

After one boring Survivor 48 episode, Tyson Apostol and Dylan Efron came together to discuss it at length. During that conversation, Dylan and Tyson blamed Mary Zheng for what made the Survivor 48 episode so boring.

On May 7th, 2025, Dylan was a guest on Tyson and Riley McAtee's podcast dedicated to Survivor, "The Pod Has Spoken." As can be seen in a YouTube upload of the resulting conversation, Dylan, Tyson, and Riley spoke about the state of Survivor 48 at that time for almost 90 minutes.

Reality Shows That Dylan Efron Has Starred In, As of May 2025, According to IMDb

• Down to Earth with Zac Efron
• The Traitors

Unfortunately for the three of them, Dylan, Tyson, and Riley came together to discuss the 11th episode of Survivor 48. As they spoke about that episode, it quickly became obvious that the three men found that episode of Survivor 48 to be boring.

While discussing the 11th episode of Survivor 48, there was a moment when Dylan and Tyson were discussing what made the episode so tedious.

Then, Tyson directly asked Dylan to explain which Survivor 48 player was responsible for the episode being boring. After laughing at the question and seeming reluctant to answer, Dylan put the blame on Mary Zheng.

Probably Mary just because we know she had it in her to be a disruptor.

As soon as Dylan blamed Mary for the boring episode, Tyson enthusiastically nodded his head in agreement. Furthermore, as Dylan explained why he blamed Mary, Tyson quickly agreed by uttering a single word: "Yeah."

It is important to note that in some cases, someone expressing support for someone else's statement may not mean that they agree. After all, some people hate being confrontational, so they may verbally agree with a statement they may not think is true to keep the peace. However, it seems all but certain that Tyson Apostol verbally agreeing with Dylan Efron reflected the Survivor legend's feelings. After all, Tyson has a long history of being very outspoken and disagreeing with people to their face. On top of that, Tyson went on to make arguments that backed up Dylan's statement.

As he continued to talk about the Survivor 48 episode that was boring, Dylan elaborated on why he blamed Mary. As he explained, Dylan believed that Mary could have mixed things up a lot more.

[Mary brought up] Russell Hantz. She's like, 'I'm gonna do some Russell stuff.' She didn't do some Russell stuff.

Without missing a beat, Tyson agreed with Dylan's comment.

After listening to her getting called out, Tyson echoed the last sentence that Dylan said about Mary. Tyson then pointed out why he was also disappointed by Mary during the 11th episode of Survivor 48.

"She didn't do Russell stuff. And she was holding the machete when she said she was gonna do some Russell stuff. So, I was like, 'Oh, she's hiding the machete. She's dumping the food.' She did eat the last coconut. I like that little exchange, but it wasn't enough."

At that moment, Tyson then hilariously explained what he wished fans saw Mary do on her way out of the game.

If you're gonna go full berzerko, go full berzerko. Fill everyone's bag with sand, do all of that.

What Did Mary Zheng Do That Tyson Apostol And Dylan Efron Called Her Out For?

Since Mary Zheng got voted out during the 11th episode of Survivor 48, calling her out for the episode being boring may seem silly. After all, when a player gets voted out, that means they didn't have the power to save themselves, and therefore likely didn't have the clout to make the episode exciting.

Looking back at the 11th episode of Survivor 48 and Tyson and Dylan's comments, the two men's comments made sense.

After all, Tyson and Dylan weren't reacting to Mary getting voted out. Instead, Dylan and Tyson were reacting to a pledge that Mary made and failed to live up to.

During the 11th episode of Survivor 48, Mary made it clear that she'd recognized that her time in the game likely was very limited. While discussing that topic, Mary stated that she was going to cause chaos as she was preparing to exit. Mary even went so far as to say that she was going to do chaotic things like Russell Hantz, a Survivor player who is known for his willingness to do dastardly things in the game.

"At this point, it's just my life on the line tonight. But I still have one more trick up my sleeve. I'm gonna pull a little bit of Russell Hantz, a little bit of villain. I'm gonna cause chaos."

To Tyson and Dylan's point, if a Survivor player makes a comment like that and doesn't live up to it, they are almost asking to be called out.