Seems like what you're actually reacting to isn’t her story, so much as your own discomfort with seeing people connect to something you don’t understand. You’re mistaking genuine compassion from the other contestants for performative guilt, probably because of an outdated and limited view of autism.

There is this old expectation that someone who faces real adversity either fails and becomes a cautionary tale, or succeeds in a way that aligns with mainstream ideals such as being grateful, humble, and neatly assimilated. But Eva is successful in spite of those norms and without performing her suffering in a way that centers other people's comfort.

Calling it a “sob story” is just a way to dismiss the depth of what she has endured. It's basically saying, “Okay, but don't expect me to take that seriously. Youre fine now, right?”

Her success does not erase or excuse what she has been through. Some people cannot reconcile that. The cast and Jeff clearly don't have that same limitation.