And the Winner of 'Survivor 45' Is...

The Final 5 of 'Survivor 45'

From the jump, Survivor 45 was messy and dramatic. We've seen the decimation of one tribe, multiple players quit, big emotional blindsides, fierce rivalries, and even romance. Standing at the end of it all are our Final Five, all with their own story to tell, from the dominant alliance to the season's underdog. At the end of the finale, only one was left standing, playing what can be argued as the best game in the new era of Survivor.

Check out more information about the results from tonight's finale episode below.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 45

Who won Survivor 45?

Dee Valladares

As Dee admitted in the final Tribal Council, there were some Survivor fortunes that fell in her favor. Getting put on Reba allowed her to become a part of an ironclad majority that ran the postmerge of the game. But the entrepreneur sells herself short. Towards the end of the season, she crafted a perfect social situation where she protected her number one allies to serve as both numbers and shields for her. Oftentimes, whoever Dee wanted would go, as she pruned down the threats to her game. And, on top of that, she won the most Immunity Challenges out of anyone in the season. For someone whose unique feet made her a master of balance, that translated to her game as well, as the jury gave her the win.

Who was eliminated on Survivor 45 tonight?

Austin Li Coon

Austin only found out he'd be playing Survivor 72 hours before the game began. So he wasted no time to make good on this opportunity. The MBA student franchised in advantages, at one point holding two idols at the same time. Additionally, he was nicely shielded in the Reba majority with his number ones Dee and Drew. Unfortunately, Austin began fumbling the bag at the end of the game. His kindling romance with Dee caused him to both spill important information and get left out in the process. Despite making it to the end and putting up a good argument for himself, much like the Boston Rob/Amber showmance he admired, the woman beat out the man.

Jake O'Kane

The journey of Jake can be boiled down to the comedy and drama masks. The first half of the game, the jocular lawyer felt on top with his fellow Belos. But when he tried, and failed, an attempted tie vote, he immediately plummeted to the bottom. Ever since then, Jake has persevered, surviving every Tribal Council despite having his name on the block nearly every time. When he had power, he attempted to grab it, like playing his idol, only to come up short once more. Jake was able to get the rare victory when he volunteered to go into firemaking, and emerged victorious. But that was (quite literally) the hottest his game got, as the jury felt him being so out of the loop all the time did not make him worthy of being a winner.

Katurah Topps

Many fans would regard the most memorable thing about Katurah on Survivor 45 being her intense feelings about Bruce. But, much like her hidden career as a lawyer, there was a lot underneath the surface. When she felt the Belos didn't have her back, she cultivated relationships with the majority. As a result, she was on the correct side of every single vote she was a part of. At the final five, Katurah was ready to break up the showmance and take down the top dog in Dee. But, fearing she was the target and not knowing about Jake's idol play on her, she kept Dee in the game. It was, unfortunately, a game losing move for Katurah. Dee won the next immunity and send Katurah into fire, where she handily lost.

Julie Alley

The oldest woman in the game, Julie came in ready to hide her recent career change as a lawyer and play up the "mom" role. Unfortunately, it worked a bit too well for "Mama J." At a certain point, she was pegged as the biggest threat and the consensus boot. Luckily, she had a friend in Dee, who tipped her off to play her idol so she could single-handedly send home Emily. At the final five, Jake and Austin talked about finally getting rid of Julie. But the former deviated from the plan, after Katurah suggested using his idol to get rid of Dee. Surprisingly, it was Katurah herself who was the one to deviate from that plan. Out of fear (and not knowing Jake would play an idol on her), she threw a vote onto Julie, finally booting her in a wild 2-1-1-1 vote.

Was there a reunion show for Survivor 45?

Yes! As was the case with seasons 41-44, Survivor 45 did have a reunion following the winner reveal, albeit in a different way than many seasons before it. The jury votes were read on the island right after they were cast. Then the finalists and jury came together to debrief about the season. As host and executive producer Jeff Probst told Parade, the decision was initially made on location to not deprive the contestants an opportunity to debrief if the COVID-19 situation had not let up by the time to allow for live events.

Will Survivor return for season 46?

Yes! Survivor 46 will premiere on Wednesday, February 28. The first two episodes will be two-hours apiece, with 90-minutes to follow for the rest of the season. Make sure you check out Parade.com in early 2024 for exclusive preseason interviews with the entire cast!

Next, check out our interview with Drew Basile, who was voted out in Survivor 45 Episode 12.