Dee Valladares deserved to win ‘Survivor 45,’ according to 40% of fans [POLL RESULTS]
Following Dee Valladares‘ triumphant victory over Austin Li Coon and Jake O’Kane during the three-hour finale of “Survivor 45,” Gold Derby ran a poll asking fans to name who REALLY deserved to win. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the plurality of our poll respondents agreed with the actual results of the CBS reality TV show. Yep, Dee deserved to win, according to 40% of viewers. Meanwhile, Austin nabbed 31% support, and Jake garnered the remaining 29%.
Dee, Austin and Jake outlasted all of the other players during this 45th season, including fourth-place finisher Katurah Topps (who lost the fire-making challenge) and fifth-place contender Julie Alley (who was the last person voted out). Dee now goes down as “Survivor’s” 18th female winner ever, compared to 27 male champions.
Perhaps Dee’s best move in the game was when she protected one of her number-one allies, Julie, by warning her she was going home unless she played her idol. Julie wanted to vote out Austin for betraying her, but Dee instructed her to write down Emily Flippen‘s name instead, which she did. Dee and Julie kept that secret until the final tribal council, when Dee revealed it to Austin and to everyone in dramatic fashion.
Dee announced at the reunion that she will use the $1 million prize to help her parents retire. “I knew that I was going to take care of them,” she declared. “And I knew that I was either going to be a millionaire myself, or marry a millionaire.” As for her not-so-secret showmance with Austin, she revealed, “I didn’t come on ‘Survivor’ to find anything, you know? [But] I have been single for two years, so I am ready for something.”
Besides Julie, Katurah and Emily, the other members of the eight-person jury were Kaleb Gebrewold, Kellie Nalbandian, Kendra McQuarrie, Bruce Perreault and Drew Basile. Dee received a leading five votes (from Katurah, Julie, Emily, Kellie and Kaleb), while Austin earned three votes (from Drew, Bruce and Dentra) and Jake came up empty-handed.
SEE ‘Survivor’ deaths: Full list of castaways we’ve lost
This 45th cycle of the popular reality TV show began on September 27, 2023 with 17 all-new contestants (and one returnee in Bruce) competing for the $1 million prize in Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. One by one, they voted each other out until just five people remained in the December 20, 2023 season finale.
Looking ahead, the 46th season of CBS’s reality TV show will premiere on February 28, 2024 and will continue with 90-minute episodes. Once again, 18 strangers will be left to fend for themselves on a deserted island in Fiji, where they will vote each other out until only one remains as the ultimate winner.
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