Jeff Probst has seen it all on Survivor's 45 seasons, but even for him, there were a few notable things to see in the Survivor 45 finale.
First of all, there was a clever and brutal move by winner Dee Valladares: She didn't inform her showmance partner Austin Li Coon until they were both sitting in front of the jury that she had instructed Julie Alley to play her immunity idol behind his back last seven.
There was also the notable fact that Dee was at the final Tribal Council at all, after Katurah Topps – who was desperate to get Dee out – changed her vote at the last minute because she didn't trust Jake O'Kane to enforce her plan. Speaking of Jake, the Boston lawyer had the ultimate rollercoaster ride during the finale, gaining an advantage, forgetting keys and losing a puzzle piece during the same challenge, flying into his big idol's face and getting disqualified from the final immunity challenge, and finally his big one moment in a brilliant victory.
EW spoke with the host and showrunner in an exclusive interview to cover all that and more from the Survivor 45 finale. (Be sure to check out our chat with the host about the next season of Survivor.)
Jeff Probst on “Survivor 45.” Robert Voets/CBS
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Dee Valladares becomes the winner of Survivor 45. What was the secret to her success?
JEFF PROBST: I love it when you ask me questions that you know I'll answer, even if I have absolutely no insight to base my answer on. There have been some really great players this season, so Dee's win is impressive. I thought Dee played a great game overall, which is key to getting depth, but if I had to highlight just one thing that stood out it would be the pace at which she played.
She did a really good job of pacing up and down depending on the dynamics of the day. In the early days, she focused on cementing a solid alliance with Julie, Austin, and Drew. As the game progressed, she came to the conclusion that she could trust this alliance enough to form an even deeper alliance with Julie. She stayed alert and recognized when the game moved into a different phase and based her decisions on that.
She didn't make much of an effort to take the lead until late in the game, when she could see a path to the final four. This approach worked for Dee, but it may not be right for someone else. The key to playing this game is to play the game that works for you. It's so hard to be brave enough to trust your gut because fear can take over and you worry about making the wrong move, but ultimately it's the only way.
Dee Valladares and Jeff Probst on “Survivor 45.”
CBS
I think Dee's best move may have been her last one – she didn't tell Austin that she told Julie to play her idol until the final Tribal Council – because it made Austin look like he didn't know what was going on in front of the jury was happening. What was your reaction the moment she dropped that bombshell?
I think you did it. And you are not alone. When we spoke to Dee on our On Fire podcast, Rick Devens made the same observation and Dee confirmed that this was her strategy! I thought it was a brilliant insight from Devens, so I have to give you the same credit! As for me, I was more focused on my job of directing the final Tribal, so the impact of her change didn't fully hit me until I watched it again later during editing.
Katurah got cold feet at the first Tribal Council and changed her vote from Dee to Julie at the last minute. How different will the endgame be if Katurah keeps her vote for Dee, who she actually wanted out from the start?
Katurah and Jake messed up. Jake wanted to make a big move in front of the judges, so he withheld valuable information from Katurah – that he would play the idol for her. And Katurah could never fully trust Jake, for obvious reasons, so she changed her tune. The combination of these two moves was probably the biggest unforced error of the game. The result was positive for Dee and negative for Julie. If it ends up being Julie instead of Dee, I think she wins.
The Final Five of “Survivor 45.”
CBS
Jake was so frustrated after his cups dropped that he actually failed the final immunity challenge, even after you warned him not to. What was happening? And has anyone ever experienced more ups and downs in the game than Jake? He definitely has the full Survivor experience!
I loved having Jake on the show. He was so open with his feelings during the game. He shared the struggles he overcame in his personal life and he never gave up, not for a second of his 26 days. You can't ask for more from a player. His victory in the final four Fire Challenges was clearly important and symbolic and I felt it was a perfect end to his Survivor adventure.
After everything is said and done, what will you remember most from this season?
From a player perspective, I equate this group to any other group. They were great to watch, I enjoyed interacting with them, they embraced every part of the game and gave us a really entertaining season of Survivor. From a production perspective, I was really proud of our team for delivering 90-minute episodes. This is no small feat and I was really happy with how the season went.
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