‘Survivor’ Season 45 Finalists Agree 1 Night Was the Worst of the Entire Season
Survivor Season 45 is nearly over, as the three-hour finale airs on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. The five finalists — Dee Valladares, Austin Li Coon, Julie Alley, Jake O’Kane, and Katurah Topps — are all still competing for $1 million. Recently, the final five spoke to Entertainment Weekly about their experience playing the beloved game. And they agreed that one night in Fiji was the worst.
‘Survivor’ Season 45 finalists agree that day 10 marked the worst night of the season
Survivor is a complicated game, and season 45 brought harsh living conditions and intense strategy. The new era of Survivor has contestants in Fiji for 26 days. Producers made the game conditions more difficult because of the shorter gameplay. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the final five competitors clarified that day 10 marked their breaking point.
Austin Li Coon found day 10 difficult due to the rain. He also hadn’t eaten much up to that point. “Day 10 was by far the most difficult day physically,” he recalled. “We had recently swapped tribes, so I was with new tribe members at Belo beach. That day, hunger was at an all-time high, and the entire tribe had so little energy that we couldn’t even leave our shelter (even Kendra!). On top of all that, it rained the ENTIRE night. Belo’s shelter had a terrible roof, so we spent 10 hours being pummeled with rain.”
Dee Valladares called day 10 “straight out of a horror movie” due to the harsh conditions. “J, Julie, Sifu, and I tried to stay close, but we were drenched in rain, shivering like I never have before,” she added. “To top it off, we hadn’t eaten at that point either. I remember crying that night in silence ….”
“It poured ALL night!” Julie Alley added regarding day 10. “I finally slept curled up, huddled next to Dee and Sifu, but shook with cold in the rain all night. It was so terrible.”
Drew Basile reflects on feeling ‘pretty grumpy’ during the game due to starvation
The new era of Survivor includes less food to start, and the season 45 contestants felt the effects. Drew Basile was blindsided by his alliance before the finale. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he recalled feeling “pretty grumpy” during the game because of his hunger.
“At the end of the game, I was pretty grumpy,” Drew recalled. “I think that when you’re tall, I’ve heard the food deprivation hits a little bit differently. It becomes a lot harder. And I was feeling it in a major way.”
Fans likely recall Drew and Jake speaking on the beach. While Drew could only focus on how unlucky he felt, Jake kept it positive by reminding Drew they were both competing on Survivor. Drew recalled the struggle he felt during that conversation. “It was like, ‘Oh my god, another day of no food. Struggling man against man,'” he said. ” … But yeah, I was a little grumpy.”
Jeff Probst says fans should anticipate two ‘dramatic’ challenges in the ‘Survivor’ Season 45 finale
Before the Survivor Season 45 finale shows the winner of the season, fans get to watch two more challenges go down. Host Jeff Probst promises “dramatic” challenges for the rest of the season.
“We have two fantastic challenges in the finale, and both of them are dramatic,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “The stakes are so high for the final five challenges because if you win immunity, then you know you will never be voted out, and you are at least guaranteed to make fire. That kind of pressure impacts every player differently. Some soar under pressure, others collapse.”
Which Survivor Season 45 finalists will make it to the final four, who will make fire, and who will crumble beneath the pressure of jury questions? We’ll find out.
The Survivor Season 45 finale airs on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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