‘Survivor 46’: 10 Memorable (And Brutal) Moments From The Season Finale

Last night’s season finale of Survivor 46 was just as wild as the entire season. Hands-down the most entertaining of the New Era, this season has been full of drama, blindsides, social gameplay, and huge firsts (4 people voted out in a row who had idols in their pockets!) So of course, the finale was just as entertaining. While the whole three-hour runtime is a must-watch for longtime fans and Survivor newbies alike, these are the memorable moments that deserve a second watch.

Maria lies to her “number one.”

Rather than admit that she voted Charlie because he’s a good competitor, she reasons away her votes from the previous tribal council as her just following orders from the rest of the tribe. Of course, Charlie didn’t fall for that one bit.

Liz cheats for Kenzie.

In probably the biggest and most game-changing move of the night, Liz decided to help Kenzie at the immunity challenge by going back through the course to grab Kenzie’s plank. It’s a move that clinched Kenzie’s win and ultimately voted out Maria. Will Survivor have rules about this in the future? Honestly, probably not since it made for great television.

Poor Ben has more night terrors.

A theme for Ben this season has been his night terrors and the resulting comfort he’d get from Kenzie after waking up to a panic attack. Even after a good day where everything worked out, he’d still wake up in agony. Here’s hoping Survivor’s number one rocker is sleeping much better now that he’s off the island.

Ben wins the final immunity challenge like the rockstar he is.

The most important immunity challenge goes to the one person who viewers would expect to fail. Ben, though absolutely loveable (I may or may not have a crush on him), hasn’t been the best at challenges this season. Still, he pulled off mad skills during the pachinko puzzle challenge, making zero mistakes and being a total boss. He deserves all the accolades for this monumental win.

The jury reacts to Liz being a threat in the end.

The choice for fire goes to Ben, and he immediately decides that Liz has to go. His reasoning? She’d win if she got to the end. Of course, Liz agrees. Did you see the jury’s reaction to that revelation, though? Clearly Liz had no votes among those who’d been wiling away their days at Ponderosa. And Venus, always bringing the drama, had the best reaction of the night.

“I’ll love you tomorrow.”

In the end, Ben chooses Kenzie and Liz to make fire and, a surprise to no one, Kenzie beats her. Continuing the post-vote lovefest that’s plagued tribal councils this season, Kenzie tells Liz how much she rocks. As Liz walks up to have her torch snuffed, Kenzie tells her she loves her, then Liz gives us this iconic line: “I’ll love you tomorrow.”

The jury does an amazing job at the final tribal council.

Some final tribal councils are shit shows. Rather than focusing on the gameplay, bitter juries use this moment to vent how much they hate one or more of the contestants who made it all the way to the end. Luckily, this final tribal council was one of the best. Not only did the jury have some amazing questions, but all three players had well thought-out answers. Let this be a lesson to future seasons.

Kenzie’s answer to what she’ll do with the money is gold.

Q asked the contestants what they plan to do with the million. Ben talked about honorable charities that help kids learn music. Charlie mentioned starting a family, helping his career, and donating to charity. Kenzie? Her answer was so real and honest. She wasn’t going to be sharing the win–after years of helping others, she was going to use this money for herself. And, as Q said after the vote, her answer was what got her the win.

Kenzie wins big.

Speaking of which, Kenzie won! Never before has there been a trio at the end who were all so likeable and deserving. Although Kenzie wasn’t my first choice (I’m a Charlie stan since I love strategic gameplay), you can’t discount how great she was at the game. And, as the votes counted off one by one, we almost got a tie. If it wasn’t for a certain someone not sticking to her word, it would have been. Speaking of which…

Poor Charlie can barely hold himself together.

After the vote, we get the sitdown with the cast to go over what just happened. It’s revealed that Maria didn’t vote for Charlie. If she had–something she’d promised from early on–it would have been a tie. If you watch Charlie during this reveal, you can see that he’s heartbroken. I’m no expert, but it looks like he’s trying hard not to cry. Can you blame him? But when Jeff asks him how he feels, he takes a moment to compose himself, then gives the most eloquent and wonderful response we’ve ever seen from a runner-up. Still, Charlie’s reaction is just one of many New Era finale reactions that prove this new format needs to change. Runners-up don’t get time to grieve their loss before being thrust in front of the camera and made to make nice. It’s cruel. At least give them a day before the “reunion,” if not months like in the past. Charlie didn’t deserve that.

What did you think of the finale? Did your favorite win? If you want to rewatch all the best moments, you can catch the entire season on Paramount+.