[Spoiler] Wins After Thrilling Jury Pitch Showdown

Residing the Survivor Dream

Season 45 • Episode 13

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the Survivor Season 45 finale.]

Survivor Season 45 has its winner. In an episode the place each member of the Ultimate 5 made a mistake that might have killed their sport, the perfect jury pitch received out ultimately. The eventual winner didn’t describe their sport the perfect at first, however they shifted the tide of their favor in a jury pitch showdown that might be remembered as one of many new period’s finest.

The Ultimate 5 was Katurah Topps and Jake O’Kane, plus three of the Reba 4 alliance, Julie Alley, Dee Valladares, and Austin Li Coon. The gamers had a numbers puzzle to unravel on the seashore that will win them a bonus within the penultimate immunity/reward problem, and with a lot of working added to the brainteaser, it was designed to bodily and mentally exhaust the survivors. Operating on fumes within the ultimate days might have brought about everybody to make the next errors.

First off, Julie made the error of doubting that Jake had a hidden immunity idol. Jake informed Austin throughout their sanctuary reward, expressing his intention to guard himself and vote Julie out. Jake conflated getting together with Austin with being in an alliance, however Austin has by no means acted as if they had been shut. Dee, however, was Austin’s final remaining No. 1 ally after Drew Basile‘s elimination final week. In fact he was instantly going to inform Dee about his idol — they’re in a showmance!

Ever since this showmance emerged round Day 20, Austin has made clear that he’s solely excited by full transparency with Dee. He held nothing again in technique talks along with her, assuming that was being reciprocated. However Dee nonetheless saved some playing cards near her chest. Regardless of how shut she obtained with Austin, he was by no means introduced into the Dee and Julie circle of belief that by no means faltered. Austin’s failure to acknowledge this had a big effect within the finale, even along with his particular person immunity win guaranteeing his spot within the Ultimate 4.

The Ultimate 5 Tribal Council vote was Jake and Katurah’s final probability to make an enormous transfer that will enhance every of their resumes. Realizing this, they labored collectively to hatch a plan to vote Dee out as an alternative of Mama J. Jake confirmed Katurah his idol. Understanding that Dee would by no means vote Julie, and realizing that Dee, Julie, and Austin doubtless weren’t voting the identical approach, they agreed that Jake would play his idol on himself and they might each vote for Dee. Their purpose was to interrupt up the showmance, and so long as they had been the one two gamers who wrote the identical identify, they might win the night time.

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Every little thing went in accordance with plan till Katurah entered the voting sales space. Dee voted for Katurah, Jake voted for Dee, Julie voted for Jake, and Austin voted for Julie. Katurah panicked on the final second, convincing herself in that everybody was voting for her. She modified her vote from Dee to Julie, which turned her sport’s largest failure. Katurah’s face went from thrilled to horrified when Jake performed his idol on her, realizing that she squandered her probability to separate up Austin and Dee. (In a while, Jake mentioned he believed Katurah’s genuinely stunned response to that act of safety would make him look higher to the jury than if she clearly knew it might occur.) The underdogs staged a profitable vote, however not the one they deliberate.

Jake’s final try at an enormous transfer was a failure as soon as once more and he blamed Katurah for it again at camp. However like Katurah rightly informed him in response, he made the error of not telling her about his plan to guard her from elimination. That plan wasn’t that savvy, both. The votes weren’t going to Katurah; there was no majority settlement on this ultimate elimination vote of the season. That goes to point out Jake’s poor social sport. Had he had higher relationships with extra gamers, he would’ve been capable of extract data that will inform how he ought to play his idol. Katurah, however, did have the bonds to collect intel, however she doubted herself inexplicably within the voting sales space and sealed her destiny.

The distinction between Katurah and Dee — and Dee and each different participant this season — is that when Dee’s decided, nothing might make her change it. Her alliances had been so robust, she knew she might vote precisely how she needed with out concern. Some gamers, like Austin, tried and did not persuade her to alter course all through the season, however she by no means did and the votes all the time labored in her favor. Even within the ultimate elimination, she knew her best ally, Julie, was going house. She didn’t cease it from taking place, as a result of the time lastly got here to prioritize her personal sport over Julie’s, however she additionally refused to jot down Julie’s identify down and informed Austin as a lot. It was Austin and Katurah’s votes that made Mama J the final participant voted out of the season.

Jake fumbled as soon as extra when getting himself disqualified from the ultimate particular person immunity problem. He fumbled his approach by way of a barred impediment a lot that he broke the construction, seemingly out of frazzled carelessness. Jeff Probst known as out Jake’s lake of look after holding the construction in tact and warned that if he broke it, he was out. That’s precisely what occurred seconds later. Austin and Katurah fought laborious to stack their discs and catch as much as Dee however by no means did. Dee’s stacked discs didn’t drop as soon as, securing her win and giving her the ability to decide on who would be a part of her within the Ultimate Three and who would make hearth.

Jake made a determined plea to make hearth, satisfied he might win and eventually have a second of satisfaction after fixed strategic losses and no particular person immunity wins. Dee didn’t need Katurah within the Ultimate Three as a result of she lastly caught on to Katurah’s sneaky technique of holding her strikes quiet however lethal. She requested to not be despatched to fireplace, however Austin needed to go to fireplace in opposition to Katurah for a ultimate resume booster. He and Dee might each win subsequent to Jake, he thought, however the identical couldn’t be mentioned with Katurah at their aspect. He knew this was him asking Dee to offer him an opportunity to make himself look good and nobody else. Dee, as soon as once more, couldn’t be satisfied. She despatched Jake and Katurah to fireplace, and Jake received. Had Katurah caught along with her Dee vote, she very effectively might have made it into the Ultimate Three.

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Then got here the pitches. The jury requested nice questions, and at first, Dee was giving among the worst solutions. She gave credit score to different gamers for the success of the Reba 4 alliance and simply throughout wasn’t advocating for herself effectively. She additionally made a snide remark to Bruce Perreault about his unplayed idol, which didn’t land effectively. Jake and Austin had been each giving higher pitches, however there was a shift midway by way of. The jury needed a Dee and Austin showdown, and that’s what they obtained. For the remainder of the pitches, Jake barely spoke. It was clearly all the way down to the showmance.

Austin made a terrific argument about how he schemed for his former amulet to achieve energy, amongst different robust arguments. Dee lastly shared the data she wanted to share to show her sport was higher. The primary was her extremely robust social sport and the way these relationships gave her each piece of intel she wanted. Dee was by no means blindsided all season lengthy, even when she made it look that option to shield Julie. Defending Julie and herself was additionally a serious promoting level. And when Austin incorrectly mentioned that she by no means informed Julie about his plan in opposition to her, Dee revealed he was improper.

Emily Flippen and Julie requested how they stopped the showmance from impacting their methods. It was on this second that Austin realized she saved their relationship separate from her sport, and he didn’t. This was additionally the second Dee received the sport. Her rationalization of how she saved her secret from Austin whereas ensuring Julie voted for Emily. Not as a result of it might shield Austin, however as a result of it was the perfect for each of their video games.

Nobody performs an ideal sport in Survivor, however as all the time, the jury pitches could make or break your sport. Dee was voted the winner of Survivor 45. We expect that is the perfect Survivor season of the brand new period. What about you? Tell us within the feedback under, and keep tuned to TV Insider for a winner exit interview.

Survivor, Season 46, Premieres Wednesday, February 28, 8/7c, CBS