Jesse: So last night, right before the Tribal Council, Cody hands me the idol back, because he trusts me. And I feel like a terrible person, but I decided to blindside Cody. I played his idol, and then Karla thought "oh my god, something's afoot", and so she immediately pulls out her idol and she plays it, incorrectly. So the plan went perfectly. Both idols are out of the game, but I still have an idol, and Cody goes home.
Jeff informs the group that they'll be going to a new beach and starting over.
Gabler (DR): I think I'm hiding in plain sight, I am the assassin. One by one my opponents are falling, and I'm continuing to move forward. No one is looking at me yet. but there's no breaks in season 43, I've got to pull it together.
Owen (DR): For me, making the final five, it's almost hard to believe. My game started so poorly. Like, I've been blindsided, I've been left out of votes and I've recovered. But now I need to be perfect heading into these last few days, in order to reach the top.
Jesse (DR): All season, I've been playing this sort of subtle game, and so it was important for me to take out Cody, and it feels like man I just made the crazy move, almost, like it feels historic almost. Now it's like my threat level is probably off the charts, but I do have another idol in my bag, so I know that I can punch my ticket to the final four and nobody knows it.
Cassidy (DR): It takes a lot to get to the final five. I've been on the right side of every single vote. I can say I've made every single move correctly to get to this spot and nobody else can say the same thing. But I wasn't able to make any huge splashy moves and so I need to push through to the end and fight for my case.
Cassidy: This is the final five view right here.
Karla (DR): Day 24 Karla is struggling. I don't have an idol, I'm at the bottom, busted ankle, stitches still in my finger. Just goes to show that like I have the heart of a warrior. I'm still out here, I'm not giving up. I'm not gonna go out without a fight.
They find "mail". A pack for each person labeled "Final Advantage Clue".
Gabler: Solve the phrase to find the advantage. You can not search for the advantage until you have correctly unscrambled every word.
Cassidy (DR): Everybody's trying to unscramble faster than the other person, and I do not want Karla to find this advantage because the game I need to play to win includes getting Karla out
Jesse (DR): final advantage of the game. We don't know what it is. It could be like an idol nullifier. It could be a challenge advantage. We have no idea. All we know is it's an advantage, and I'm nervous because I don't think anybody wants to take me to the end.
Karla (DR): for me it's really important to try to get this because I'm at the bottom. I'm injured, right? I'm gonna need any advantage possible
Owen (DR): Starting to unscramble the words, I am in my zone. I've been doing my wordle, I'm feeling good. So I am dying to get this advantage before the biggest threats in the game, Jesse and Karla.
Karla (DR): I figure out the phrase, and the note says, I stand near the sea with a rock at my surface, long since lifeless, but not without service. Sprint to find me, and reveal my purpose. So I start running.
Owen (DR): Right as I'm figuring out what it is, Karla takes off, and she is the last person I want getting this advantage.
Karla (DR): But now it's a matte rof finding the advantage right? And that's where I'm a little disadvantaged because of my busted ankle. Part of the clue says lifeless. The only thing that could be lifeless is a tree
Owen (DR): I get most of the words except I'm stuck on the word "prints" like footprints in the sand? And I realize, it's sprint. SO once I get that, I take off like a bat out of hell.
Karla (DR): I'm limping down the beach because of my busted ankle, and then fume, I see Owen just sprint past me. If he finds it first, I'm gonna be so upset because I was able to unravel this thing, and I'm like gosh. Owen is by the rocks. And I'm like great. I think it's by the beach. I'm like let me find a dead tree.
Owen (DR): I'm desperate, and then I remember that the clue said knot, k-n-o-t, knot, and I realize I'm looking for a tree with a rock at the base.
Karla (DR): I'm looking, I'm looking, I'm looking, but there's nothign in this tree. And then I see Owen run back past me the opposite way, towards another dead tree.
Owen (DR): I start investigating trees right along the ocean line, and I see one.
Karla (DR): And I'm like let me go check ou tthat dead tree, and maybe I can catch up to him.
Owen (DR): Then I start looking by the root where the rock is, and I'm getting to the knot in the tree, then Karla just gets right in there
Karla: Got it
Owen: (grunt)
Owen (DR): I'm furious. Karla scoots on in there and yoinks that advantage when it is two inches from my fingertips.
I am furious because not only was I this close to getting the advantage, the only person that I did not want to find the advantage yoinked it out from under me.
The latest example of Charlie Brown getting the football yanked out from under him, and me just kicking at air and falling flat on my back. It sucks.
Karla (DR): I feel like I am the only one tha tneeds an advantage right now because of the state tha tI"m in. You know, I'm already beat up, I'm beat down. They all want to get me out, and of course, this is what I need.
"Congratulations! In a game where nothing is certain, you can count on this. You have earned a slight advantage in today's Final Five Immunity Challenge. Good luck.
Karla: I was supposed to find this advantage. It's kind of like I Was sent like this message from up above, or from my wife saying "you can't give up".
Immunity Challenge
For today's challenge, you're gonna maneuver a buoy through a series of obstacles. You'll then use two handles to transport puzzle blocks over a hinged balance beam. Once you have all your blocks, you'll use them to solve a word phrase. First person to finish wins immunity, guaranteed a spot in the final four, where you can't be voted out. You will eitehr win your way there, you'll be taken there, or you'll fight fo rit with fire. Huge stakes. In addition you are playing for a reward
It's a protein burst. The winner of this challenge will be taken to the sanctuary where you will enjoy steak, baked potato, veggies, wine and cheesecake. That is the energy you need for th eboost at the final four challenge. Big stakes. Losers tribal council where after 24 days somebody will be voted out of this game. Their dream of winning Survivor 43 will fall a little short.
Karla, let's get to your advantage. Today, you will start with 10 puzzle blocks already at your finish table. So depending on how many you take at once it could save you one two or even three trips. It's a decent advantage. The question is what will you do with it. We're gonna draw for spots and we'll get started. Day 24, here we go.
Owen is first to the puzzles, then Karla, then Cassidy, then Jesse, then Gabler.
Karla starts working on the puzzles first, Owen second., then Gabler, then Cassidy, then Jesse.
Owen solves it "You cannot hide in a dangerous game" and wins Immunity.
Jeff tells Owen he can choose one person to take with him to the sanctuary.
Owen takes Cassidy.
Owen (DR): After watching Karla snatch the advantage from my finger tips, I was feeling defeated, but after winning it reminds me of my home New Orleans and the never say die attitude, and I'm back on top. It feels amazing.
Owen (DR): Now this reward is about putting myself in a position to win this game.
Cassidy: I'm really glad you won. And I'm more glad that Karla didn't.
Owen: Me too
Cassidy: Is that what you were thinking tonight? Or were you thinking that Jesse's kind of emerging as a bigger threat?
Owen: It's hard to say.
Cassidy: I know
Owen (DR): Karla and Jesse, they are absolutely threats. Karla has proven to be a very astute player. She is a wizard with puzzles. She is tough as nails, and she is smart. And she can talk, so if she makes it to the final three, she could win, but on the other hand, Jesse is dangerous. Jesse was the mastermind behind the biggest move of the season. He's gonna get all the credit in the eyes of the jury, and I think if I'm sitting at the final three with Jesse I lose.
Owen: I feel like Jesse's the favorite, right? After last night.
Cassidy: Yeah
Owen: I think for a modern Survivor jury, they wanna see the moves, and like after last night he's so threatening.
Cassidy: Yep
Cassidy (DR): I feel like Owen is leaning toward Jesse, but my focus is Karla. You know she was trying to come for me the other vote and I don't trust her at all. So I would like to see Karla go tonight.
Cassidy: The problem with me is I feel like I have driven a lot of votes, but since I've done it
Owen: With so many people
Cassidy: With Karla, yeah
Owen: She gets more of the credit
Cassidy: mmhm and for some reason, I don't know why. Maybe it's her personality that makes people take her more seriously?
Owen: So would your preference be Karla?
Cassidy: yeah. Cause I don't want to sit next to her at the end and have to like differentiate my game from her. Me, you, and Gabler all have three different games.
Owen: mmhm
Cassidy: I don't really think Gabler has too much of a shot right now
Owen: I don't think so either. I love the guy but I don't think people will take him seriously
Cassidy: Yeah, so I think I need that move
Owen: I think you need it, and I think she's more threatening than Jesse in terms of challenges and fire
Cassidy: yep. So are we feeling like Karla tonight?
Owen: That's how I feel. Do you feel that way too?
Cassidy (DR): Yeah I think so. Everybody who's come after me and written my name down, I've managed to blindside and get out of the game, and with Karla, I think it would be a good move for me to get her out before she tries to get me out.
Gabler (DR): I am crushed actually. I was hoping that Owen would pick me today because I just have so little in the tank and it's such an important time in the game and I feel like you know mentally, I'm breaking down. I don't think you can udnerestimat ehow important it is to have nourishment at the 11th hour. And I'm jus thopeful that I can hold it together another couple days.
Karla and Jesse talk by the beach
Karla: It's gonna be between me and you
Jesse: yeah
Karla: That's the hard part.
Jesse: I don't know what the hell to do
Karla: Cass. We have to flip it on Cass. That's literally the only way
Jesse: Is Owen gonna go for that?
Karla: No, we have to get Gabler
Jesse (DR): I have Jeanine's idol, and nobody knows it, so I'm gonna play it tonight for myself, so I'm safe, but right now I"m just nervous. I'm nervous about the path forward
Karla: He's voted with you right?
Jesse: He has
Jesse (DR): The winner of the final immunity challenge, they get to choose who they sit with in the final three, and the other two have to have a fire making challenge. Me and Karla are being perceived as like the top threats in this game, so if Karla gets taken out and I make it to final four and I don't win immunity, they would want me to make fire, and I don't want to go out on fire. I don't want to go out, I want to make it to the end.
Jesse: I'm more scared about tonight than last night
Karla: Ya don't say.
Karla (DR): I am pitching Cassidy to Jesse, but in reality I wanna put a target on Jesse's back because he just made what I think to be the biggest move of this season. So I want to paint that target on him so there is no target on me.
Gabler comes over
Gabler: So what's going down?
Jesse: I mean, I'm going to be straight
Gabler: Tell me
Jesse: I think it would improve our odds of making it to final four if we take out Cass.
Gabler: Just gotta figure out what's gonna be best for my game
Karla: And who's most likely to win a challenge? Not me at this point. Cass and Owen are winning
Gabler: I know and they just got refueled
Gabler (DR): They want to vote for Cassidy, but right now I think I want to be sitting next to Cassidy and Owen at the final three. I think I've got a better story to tell than either of those two. So my goal is to take out Karla and Jesse. If that happens, then I think I've got a really good shot at the million dollars.
Karla and Gabler talk
Karla: Now it's just the two of us. If there's anything for you to think about, just Jesse. I think that's the smartest way to go. I think that's the only way to go. He does have a perfect record, and he hasn't been voted against, and he's been on the right side, I think, of every vote post-merge.
Gabler: yeah
Karla (DR): Right now, I need to have one on one times with Owen and Cassidy, and Gabler to show them how big of threat Jesse is. And if they don't see it, they're dumb as hell.
Karla talking to Owen
Karla: No one's ever voted for him. He just stole Cody's idol and flushed two idols.
Owen: That was a historic move. And that was all his idea.
Owen (DR): I already have considered possibly voting for Jesse. I'm not stupid, I fully acknowledge Jesse is a huge threat in his own right, but Karla (whistle), she can talk
Owen: You make some good points, Karla
Owen (DR): And she is putting forth a very solid argument that Jesse needs to go. And she's not wrong
Owen: If he makes it to the end, he wins.
KArla: yes
Owen: Decvisions like this are criticla at this stage of the game because this vote sets the table fo rthe final immunity challenge, and the final tribal council. And I didn't come all this way, I didn't come back from being left out of those early votes just to be a zero-vote finalist. So I need to think long and hard about what's best for my game
Karla talks to Cassidy
Karla: Where do you think you stand in a Gabler, Owen, Jesse, you
Cassidy: I think that I have a pretty good shot of getting to the final three with them
Karla: Okay, but you have Jesse who just played the most massive move in all of the season. Do you not see that?
Cassidy: I do
Karla: But he's nto gonna say thank you Cassidy, thank you Gabler, thank you Owen, for helping me make this move.
Cassidy: I'm not an idiot Karla. You don't need to look out for me. You don't need to make me aware of these things. I understand the game
Karla: Okay, so I'm trying to figure out how you're gonna use that to your advantage
Cassidy (DR): Karla was definitely trying to stir up a lot of chaos, cause at first she starts trying to kind of pitch Jesse and how he played a way better game than me, then when she starts realizing that's not really gonna work, she starts, she's trying all of these different tactics, like basically throwing anything at the wall seeing what will stick
Karla: anything tha tCoco votes, anything pre-merge, I don't know if you'll be able to use as gameplay, because it was all me and James
Cassidy: So if you go home tonight that's what you're gonna tell the jury
Karla: Of course, because I'll be on the jury
Cassidy: yeah
Karla: And my vote is not gonna go to you
Cassidy: It's an interesting tactic
Cassidy (DR): Karla tried to pull this little scare tactic on me where she's gonna come after me and smear my name to the jury and I just kind of lost a lot of respect for her for pulling that move on me when we played so long together.
Cassidy: Good talk
Cassidy (DR): I think she's upset that I maybe have gotten the better of her. That I formed better social relationships and outwitted her to the point where I'm gonna be the one in the final four and potentially not her, and so I'm worried about what she might do tonight.
Jesse and Cassidy talk
Jesse: What happened?
Cassidy: She's literally been throwing your name out all day, trying to get everyone to vote for you
Jesse (DR): I'm frustrated that Karla is trying to paint a target on me because like, the plan was to vote for Cass
Jesse: I mean she's pretty convinced that she's going home. She said it's either me or her
Cassidy: I have a feeling she's gonna write my name down
Jesse: I think either you or me
Cassidy: I'm getting definitely a little nervous now. I know I shouldn't, btu you just never know in this game
Jesse: In my heart, I feel like I can go with the majority and vote Karla, but at the same time, my head is telling me to vote out Cassidy. She could easily win final immunity, so the best strategic move for me is to take her out
Cassidy: Do you think that she has, an advantage or anything?
Jesse: I don't think so. I don't think so
Jesse (DR): I'm at a dilemma here because like ahhh. This is it. There's only one more challenge and then there's the final four fire-making challenge, and so I'm really sort of weighing out my options here. I have this idol that nobody really knows about and I'm just trying to figure out what I can do at tribal council with this idol. I'm gonna use it, I just gotta figure out how to use it.
Jeff: Alright. Final five. Last time you can vote somebody out of this game Jesse. You survive tonight, your fate is in your hands. YOu either win at final four, somebody takes you to the final three or you get to make fire. How does that shif tthe lvel of threat management that has to happen if you think youi're the one that everybody's worried about?
Jesse: uh, you just try and play up everybody else's threat level. You start trying to push them in front of the bus. I had someone earlier today try to put me under the bus and play at my threat level.
Jeff: You looked directly at Karla
Jesse: Yeah, Karla has been throwing punches today so... (laughs)
Karla: Well, last tribal, someone stole someone's idol and then washed another idol and then managed to save someone, and I was like dang, that is one of the best moves I've ever seen on Survivor.
Jeff: We're talking about Jesse
Karla: And we're talkign exactly about Jesse, and you know the jury sees the one person who takes the idol and says who they're playing it for. That is the memory that's engraved in the jury's mind, of who madwe that move.
Jeff: So you're saying Jesse made a big move, that's why it should be Jesse that we take out
Karla: Exactly
Jeff: So Jesse from your standpoint, when you hear that happening, what do you do?
Jesse: I feel good tonight. Like I feel good. Owen's safe, and I know I'm safe because I've been holding onto this little thing since Dwight went home, and uh, so.
Jeanine is shocked over on the bench
Jesse: I'm punching my ticket to the final four tonight, so either way.
Jeanine: Is that my bracelet?
Jesse: I'm good, I'm fine.
Jeff: Cassidy, your jaw was open for that entire time.
Cassidy: Yeah. I think that was Jeanine's idol maybe in his pocket, so I guess Dwight pulled the switcheroo and maybe gave Jeanine's idol to him?
Owen: It looks pretty familiar to me, I mean that looks like the bead that Jeanine got off my bag back at Baka, way back, so I was also under the impression that it went home with Dwight, so, um, my jaw dropped just like everyone else's..
Jeanine: Oh my God
Jeff: Karla, does it make you nervous now that Jesse has dangled what he says is an idol. Owen says I recognize a bead, so that might be an indicator
Karla: Yeah, I mean it's... it was a flex. He has an idol, i fit's real, so at this point, if anyone wants to make any other move, I mean, there are two other options
Jeff: Cassidy, she's basically talking you and Gabler
Cassidy: yeah, and of course I could see her driving kind of any pitch at this point. That's how good of aplayer she is, and that's the reason that she's being targeted tonight as much as she's trying to downplay her threat level.
Karla: I don't know like maybe it's because I"m being honest, maybe it's because they're like let's just get her to shut up and send her to the jury, but they think I"m a threat? I mean you have threats in front of you. If people want to make bigger moves, and I don't know if you want to entertain doing an even bigger move, I mean the floor is open right? Let's do it
Jesse: Yeah and so I've been thinking about this all day. You know I definitely will entertain more ideas if you have them so
Karla: Would you like to dance sir?
Jesse: We can dance
Karla: Let's dance
Karla and Jesse go to talk alone
Jesse: My fear is that if I play the idol on you, they're switching the votes on me. That's the only thing. If you want to try and pitch Gabler right now to take out Cass, we could take out Cass.
KArla: At this point, I'm straight up
Jesse: I mean, if we can get Gabler onboard to take out Cass, then do you want to do that?
Karla: Oh, yeah, why not? Let's get Gabler to take out Cass.
Gabler gets up
Gabler: Jesse, can we talk too?
Karla: the two of you?
Gabler: Yea, just the two of us
Karla: Okay, cool
Gabler and Cassidy both approach Jesse
Jeff: So Owen, how are you feeling right now?
Owen: Freaking the heck out.
Jeff: For real
Owen: Thinking about. Yeah for real. I mean, we have, this has been a very subtle season and to have it finally boil over like this is just, it's wild
Cassidy talks to Karla
Cassidy: Are you trying to turn it on to me?
Karla: No
Owen: This is a lot Jeff
Jesse and Gabler talk
Jesse: So what are you thinking bro?
Owen joins Jesse and Gabler
Owen: Am I interrupting?
Gabler: No no. Go ahead, I think we got a good shot
Owen: If you pull this off, more props to you
Jesse: We're good, we're good. ???
Owen: Okay
Jeff: Wow, and just like that, everybody sat back down together. How are you feeling Cassidy?
Cassidy: I mean, I'm definitely more nervous than when I started the night. I know Karla's been trying to talk up like "she's less of a threat than me" and yada yada yada, she's been pretty much saying tha tbaout everybody and everything, but I think me and Jesse also have a really good relationship. We've worked together on many votes and including this last vote, and so you know I hope that that holds some sway to him.
Jeff: Gabler, how about you?
Gabler: You know. The turmoil and the chaos that's been going on all day today? Everyone has been vehemently targeted with a great plan, and then like literally when you walk away somebody else turns up, there's another one and it's for the next person and the next person. It's anybody.
Jeff: And on that note, it is... time to vote. Gabler, you're up.
Karla writes down a C
Cassidy writes down Karla ("I liked you in this game, but I would like you better on my resume")
Jesse goes up to vote
Jeff: If anybody has an advantage or an idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so
Jesse: I don't think I need it, um, but my good friend Cody taught me to always take the guaranteee. So I'm playing it on myself
Jeff: Got it. This is a hidden immunity idol. Any votes cast for Jesse will not count. Alright, I'll read the votes.
First vote, Jesse. Does not count.
Jesse smiles at Karla. Karla smiles back.
Karla (Khaos Karla). One vote Karla.
Karla. That's two votes Karla.
Karla: (sigh of relief) yes
Jeff: Fourteenth person voted out of Survivor 43. Karla. That's three that's enough.
Karla: That's how you play a game you guys
Karla gets hugs from everyone
Jesse: You ruined my record
Karla: I did, that's why I had to write your name down. I wasn't gonna let you have a perfect game.
Karla: Aw man! This feels so good Jeff.
Jeff: Karla
Karla: Yes
Jeff: The tribe has spoken
Karla: Good luck yall
Owen whispers to Jesse
Owen: Unreal man. That was fun
Jeff: Well, you have made to the final four. Tomorrow you will compete in your final immunity challenge. Try to get some sleep. Grab your torches, get back to camp. Goodnight.
Karla: I think I played a kickass game, and to hear people think that I was a great threat, a great player, that is the highest honor, I think in this game. There's no other way I would've wanted to go.
Karla voted for Jesse
Gabler voted for Karla
Owen voted for Khaos Karla
Cassidy voted for Karla
Jesse voted for Karla
Jeff: Welcome to day 25, and your final immunity challenge. Alright. Shall we get to your final immunity challenge? One more time Owen gotta take back the necklace.
Once again, and for the last time, immunity is back up for grabs. For today's challenge, you're gonna use a long fork to maneuver a bowl through a channel. When you get to the top, you'll place your bowl, head back for the next one. What makes it tricky is the entire structure sits no a spring, which means if you hit the structure too hard, it will wobble, your bowls will drop. You gotta start again. First person to stack 15 bowls wins immunity, guaranteed a spot in the final three, where you will get a chance to plead your case to your jury about why you deserve the title of sole survivor and the million dollars. In addition, and equally important, you decide who sits next to you and who you force to make fire. And that may not be the same decision for everybody. Alright, lot of power, kind of power that could be worth a million dollars, but first you gotta win. We're gonna draw for spots. We'll get started. Here we go, for the last time, drawing for spots.
Alright, here we go. Biggest challenge of Survivor 43 is right here. Win this, you are in the final three. Survivors ready. go.
Cassidy wins individual immunity. Her third of the season and guarantees a spot in the final three.
Jeff: Alright Cassidy come on over. Once again for the third time, individual immunity is yours. This one is as big as it gets. You have done what you dream about, which is put yourself in a position where you can plead your case to the jury and you have enormous power. What is the feeling?
Cassidy: Yeah, I mean it's beyond description. Um, for me like I looked up to so many amazing women that played this game, and now I'm just thinking like I might be that person who's inspiring other little girls to come out and live out there dream and like you can be a badass and you can do it, and I... I mean this could be a million dollar necklace for me. I'm just really grateful to have the power that I do tonight.
Jeff: Now you have two big decisions. Who do you put next to you? Which is probably somebody you believe you can beat, and who do you force to make fire, which in theory would be somebody you're uncertain if you can beat? One thing we know for sure, you're not gonna be voted out. You want to be in the final three, you're in the final three.
Cassidy: Hell yeah
Jeff: Congratulations
Cassidy: Thank you so much
Owen: Great job Cass
Jeff: As for the rest of you, busy afternoon, I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of politicking going on. I'll give you time to get to it. Grab your stuff. Get back to camp. See you tonight at Tribal Council
Cassidy (DR): This was the biggest win of the season for me. It comes with a really heavy decision. You have to consider, who do I want to have to make fire? And Jesse just base don his performances at the last two tribal councils, I really don't feel comfortable sitting next to Jesse right now. So my big question is who do I think has a better shot of beating Jesse in this fire making challenge?
Cassidy (DR): I won the final immunity challenge. Oh my God. I knew how crucial this win was for me. I mean being able to have this power in the game and not leave my fate to one of my fellow tribe mates right now? That also gives me the power to make the decision tonight about who I want to see face off in fire, and so I mean, this win could not have come at a better time.
Owen: Oh God. Practice supplies.
Cassidy: Ohhh nice.
Owen (DR): I spent the whole walk back from the challenge thinking about what's best for my game and it was conflict, cause what would be best for my chances of winning would be to go head to head against Jesse. I think, to the jury, Jesse is the top dog. He is the biggest threat to win, and he will be making the fire tonight. So If I were to go to fire and win, that would be my best chance of getting votes at final tribal. But losing today in such close fashion, it's just defeating to get knocked down once again. You know, you take enough hits in a day or in 25 days, like, you reach a point where you're just tired, and, part of me just said i'm ready to give up. But that's not what I want to take away from this game and that's not what all this has been about. One of light's great lessons is what do you do when you fall down? You get back up. And today, I fell, and I kind of laid there for a while, and it's not, that's not me. That's really not me. That's not who I am as a person. I'm not a quitter. I'm gonna give Cassidy a crack, see if I can get myself into fire, and take out Jesse in the fire making challenge.
Owen talks to Cassidy
Owen: I firmly believe, if you put me in against Jesse, I win.
Cassidy: Yeah
Owen: Like, I genuinely believe that. So you just need to figure out if you think Gabler or I has a better chance of...
Cassidy: Yeah I just, I need whoever goes against Jesse to win.
Owen: To win.
Jesse (DR): It sucks. I haven't won a single immunity challenge. I still was hoping to at least win one, so my kids could see that, but I didn't. I lost the most important one today which is the one where you get to decide who sits next to you in the final three and who has to go to fire. If I was in that position and there was somebody who had played like my game, especially with the last two tribal councils being so flashy with the moves or whatever, I'd throw them in fire right away, so... I'm going to fire. This is all that matters. I'm 100% locked in on this fire making challenge. This is like my one shot. If I'm gonna make fire I want to make it against Cassidy because I think that's my best shot at winning.
Jesse talks to Cassidy
Jesse: I think that you should make fire against me
Cassidy: Okay
Jesse: Because, if I'm the biggest threat in the game at this point. You could eliminate any doubts by beating me in fire
Cassidy: Yeah. I mean I don't know. I don't know how much weight people actually hold in the fire making, but it's a fair point
Cassidy (DR): Jesse knows that I'm probably the worst at fire, and he thinks he can beat me more than he can beat Gabler and Owen, and he's scared of that, and so he's trying to convince me that's the only way that I'm gonna win the game, is to go up next to him. But, no way in hell am I giving up this necklace. I earned it.
Jesse (DR): I'm like one. I'm one challenge away. There's one thing standing in my way right now. Between me and a million dollars. Between me, and like being able to give my kids like that security... that I never had so... I'm not gonna stop.
Cassidy approaches Gabler
Cassidy: You wanna talk?
Gabler: Yeah, sure. So what are you thinking? It's your show
Cassidy: Do you think you could beat Jesse in fire?
Gabler: Yeah
Cassidy: You really do?
Gabler: mmhm
Cassidy: Can I see you make fire?
Gabler: Sure
Cassidy: Like watch you practice?
Gabler: Sure
Gabler (DR): I've been playing this game out of the spotlight, so I think I need a very public big move, and I want more than anything to go make fire to win even more credibility with the jury
Gabler: My fire's gonna go right in there and I'm gonna do it. Alright?
Cassidy: Yep
Gabler: But I'm running on pure heart, with not a lot of food
Cassidy: You wanna start scraping a little bit more magnesium
Gabler: Yeah. I'm just winded and light-headed. That's my only problem
Owen joins them
Gabler (DR): I am so hungry, I've lost probably 20/25 pounds. Every time I stand up or move too fast, I get light-headed. My muscles burn all the time, but I gotta pull it together tonight. I gotta do this. I need Cassidy to put me in for fire. I'm playing for bigger things. People need me and people are counting on me. I'm gonna do something that's never been done in Survivor history. I'm gonna donate the entire prize to charity.
Gabler: Yeah, it's right there. I'm just pretty gassed, that's all I can say.
Gabler (DR): Winning this game is about winning a million dollars, and being able to donate 100% of that prize to a patient population that I hold dear. Veterans in Need. So, I have to win
Gabler: I'm gonna get it, definitely get it here
Cassidy (DR): I am trying to weigh between Owen and Gabler, who do I think has a better shot, not only of beating Jesse, but who do I think can beat him that also won't come back with that boost on their resume that they needed to beat me. I think that Owen has the potential to beat Jesse in fire making, but if I put him in fire, and he comes back in this blaze of glory, like that might be the ammunition that he needs to steal the win from me. I'm nervous about Gabler because he's been seeming a little bit weak, a little feeble. That makes me a little nervous putting him up with Jesse, but I think that if he did beat Jesse that wouldn't be enough for him to take the win from me. I think I would still beat him in the end so that's why it would be a better choice to put Gabler up there. But, can Gabler actually beat Jesse? That's the question. Is he strong enough?
Gabler (DR): I'm playing for people out there that are counting on me and tonight I'm gonna have to do something spectacular to win this game.
Owen (DR): I fought so hard to make it this far, and I still have a chance. I need Cassidy to put me in fire and win, and triumphantly go to the final three.
Jesse: If I pull this off I think I win the game. I just think about my kids. I just think about my wife. A lot riding on it. A lot riding on it
Cassidy (DR): This decision. If I make it right will change my entire life. But I won't know if it's the right decision until the jury votes are read for the winner.
Jeff: Alright. First question, Cassidy, what's that feel like, to walk in knowing all the jury is looking for who has the necklace?
Cassidy: I mean it's a pretty good feeling, you know. This was the paramount win of the season. I think this is the most monumental time to have this around your neck and to be the last person to win this necklace, and for it to be my third win, I mean I'm super proud and I'm proud to wear it tonight, and I feel like I earned this spot in the final three, and that's huge, so I feel great
Jeff: You have earned it. You have three individual immunity wins. There were nine individual immunity necklaces. You won a third of them. Owen won another third. It's a dominating performance.
Cassidy: Thank you
Jeff: With your win today, you have a spot in the final three where you get to plead your case, your story, to your jury about why you played the best game. You deserve the title sole survivor, and the million dollars. But equally important is the decision you're about to make, which is, who are you going to take with you and put in that second spot, and who are you going to force to make fire? So before we get to that, let's just talk about the day. Because you go back, and now you're the center of attention. I'm assuming everybody is pitching their way around you.
Cassidy: Of course everyone kind of lined up to talk to me and pitch and plead their case, and so, this is definitely a burden I was carrying today. As happy as I was to have the burden, this could make or break my game depending on what I do tonight.
Jeff: Jesse, you made a pitch. What was it?
Jesse: Uhhh (laughs) I had a hard sell (laughs). So my pitch to her was if you want to sort of like guarantee a win, if I'm that big of a threat, then like, you should sit and make fire with me.
Jeff: Cassidy, how was that received?
Cassidy: You know to me, I think that that is the kind of move that somebody would make if they feel like they haven't really earned their spot in the final three, but for me, I trust in the game that I've played. I played a strong game through and through, in every aspect, so for me to like risk that, basically is in his best interests, not mine, because he probably thinks that he has the best chance of beating me in fire.
Jeff: Okay, so it sounds like Jesse's making fire. And then it comes down to the question of is he gonna make it against Gabler or Owen. Gabler, what was your pitch?
Gabler: Please let me make fire
Jeff: You want to
Gabler: I want to, if I get to the final three, I want to get into the final three in a blaze of glory. That was literally what I said. Then I worked on some coconuts, and I'm ready to rock it out at one of these stations
Jeff: Wow. Owen, what was your pitch? Did you want to make fire?
Owen: I would love to make fire. 100%, I would love to. I would rather go out swinging, so of course I would love that opportunity to seize this moment.
Jeff: It's really interesting to me Cassidy because, you basically have three people are saying they want to make fire, when one of them could say hey I'm good just sliding into that second seat.
Cassidy: But to me, that decision isn't based off of anything they said, it's based off of what's best for my game, what make the most sense for me, tonight.
Jeff: So you have a very clear point of view, and it's based on what you think is the best move for you, which is the only thing you care about right now. Who are the other two people sitting next to you, and how do you convince this group that you played the best game of the three?
Cassidy: mmhm
Jeff: So, are you ready to tell us your decision?
Cassidy: Yeah, I think I am
Jeff: Let's start with, who are you going to take and sit next to you in that final two spot?
Cassidy: Tonight, I am going to take Owen to sit next to me
Jeff: So Owen you are in the final three
Owen: hooray
Jeff: You will have a shot tomorrow to plead your case to the jury about why your game is better than the woman who just brought you there.
Jeff: Cassidy, the only thing left to decide is fire making now, between Jesse and Gabler. Anything either of you want to say before you head over to your fire making stations? How are you feeling right now Gabler?
Gabler: I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good, you know. I believe I can do this, and I want to end my 25 days with an exclamation mark. I can't think of a better way to do it, than at one of these stations tonight.
Jeff: Jesse, how you feeling?
Jesse: You know, I've spent every single minute since we got back from the challenge up in the forest making fire. The only time they saw me today was when I was collecting sticks. So, I'm just gonna do what I can, give it my all, that's the best I can do.
Jeff: Gabler, Jesse, you can both take a spot in the fire making station.
Alright. This is the only thing...
Gabler offer Jesse a pound
Gabler: You got this bud
Jeff: ...you have to think about right now, is making what could be a million dollar fire. I'm gonna give you a minute to focus on that, and then we go.
Alright. Let's get to our fire making showdown. You each have the same supplies. Requirements for fire are always the same. Build a fire high enough to burn through your rope and pop your flag. The first person to do that takes the final spot. The other person will join the jury. Could be a million dollar fire. Are you both ready?
Gabler: Believe so
Jesse: Yes sir
Jeff: Here we go. Begin.
The fastest fire's ever been made was just under five minutes. Season 38.
Gabler is the first to get flame.
Jesse has flame. Now you gotta nurture it
Noelle: Come on Jesse
That hessian burns quickly and it's impressive, but it goes out just as fast. You're gonna have to actually build a structure.
Gabler now adding sticks. That's what you need to catch to start building a bigger fire.
Jesse's flame is out. Jesse's gonna have to start again.
Gabler trying to nurture his to keep it going.
Jesse has played this entire game slow and steady, never showed signs of panic.
Gabler adding more sticks. He's got a decent fire going. Will it burn high enough to burn that rope, is the question.
Jesse has flame again
It is Gabler in the clear lead right now. If that fire continues to grow, Jesse now has got a little something going. He's in it.
Gabler adds a little more hessian. Starting to burn that rope a little bit.
Jesse now getting his fire going a little bit. He's gonna have to grow it quickly.
Gabler's is high and strong.
Owen: He's got it.
Jeff: Gabler's got a high flame fast.
Cassidy: Good job Gabler
Gabler: Thank you
Jeff: Fire's burning hotter and higher
Cody: It's over
Jeff: Jesse, trying to get back in this. Trying to get a flame going to get him in this. It is Gabler's to win right now
Gabler wins.
Jeff: There it is. Gabler makes fire. Fastest fire that has ever been made, in this final four challenge. And that is it for Jesse
Gabler sets a new fire making record at 4 minutes, 9 seconds
Gabler: You played a hell of a game. Be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you. Proud of you dude.
Cassidy: Jesse, I'm sorry. Come here. I'm sorry
Cassidy gives Jesse a hug
Jesse tears up
Jeff: Jesse do you feel like sharing what you're thinking?
Gabler: Everybody's proud of you dude. Especially your family
Jesse: Thinking about the people I've been thinking about this whole time, you know. I'm crying for my kids man. I've been playing as hard as I have because of them. For them, you know. Part of the reason I came out here was to set an example for my kids, right? To show them, you know you give it your all, you fight as hard as you can, just leave it all out there right? And uh, I feel like I did that, but the closer we got to this like point where I could plead my case for a million dollars right, and I felt like a played a great game, it was right there, and it... and it's hard because like I've had to fight like my entire life to sort of like get to where I'm at, and I've always felt like I had to walk this tightrope because I don't have a safety net back home. I don't. And so, every feels like do or die back home, because one wrong move.
Gabler: You're not gonna make any wrong moves dude, you're on an upward trajectory.
Jesse: It slips through your fingers. Looks like I made a wrong move, but, you know. I think I set a great examples for my kids, you know? Just to play your heart out, give it your all, and, I just had to get some tears out
Cassidy: And the only reason that you're in this position is because of how amazing of a game that you played, and how big of a threat that you were
Jesse: I appreciate it.
Cassidy: And I know that's not like, that's not, I know that's not what you want to hear
Jesse: Maybe I shouldn't have played that game (laughs)
Cassidy: But I'm just saying like it was out of respect
Jesse: Yeah, no, I appreciate it
Jeff: Jesse, that really is the biggest compliment you can get, is that she needed you out of the game in order to improve her chances
Jesse: Yeah, it make sense
Jeff: And this is an example of why this game is so difficult to win. As you say, one wrong move
Jesse: yup
Jeff: on Survivor, and you're out
Jesse: It's all good. I gave it my all
Jeff: And sadly Jesse, for you, after 25 days, that is the case. Need you to grab your torch.
Jesse: Alright. Appreciate it. This was fun
Thank you all. It was so much fun
Gave it my all
Jeff: Alright, you've made it to the final three. You each have a different story for how you got here, and tomorrow night you will be defending those stories as the power shifts to this side of tribal council. Eight people that you had a hand in voting out are now in charge. They're going to interrogate you tomorrow and make you prove why you deserve the title of sole survivor and the million dollars that goes with it. You have one more night in Fiji. Try to get some sleep. I have a feeling you are going to need it. Grab your torches, get back to camp. Goodnight.
Jesse (DR): I played to set an example, just plain and simple you know, for my family, but also for you know the kids who are in juvenile hall right now. I want everybody to know that you know, just give it your all and just go after life and chase your dreams and just fight for it, and sometimes you're gonna come up short but at the end of the day, you're still gonna be a winner.
Jeff: Coming up. The winner of Survivor 43. The after show. And your first look at Survivor 44.
Owen (DR): It's amazing to wake up here, knowing that I can't be voted out. Jeff is not gonna snuff my torch. To make the final three is beyond comprehension.
Cassidy: This speech si gonna be so much pressure
Owen: Yeah. This is the most important presentation of my life. The key, I think is to figure out what they're looking for
Owen (DR): But, there is still a monkey on my back, knowing that the battle is yet to come. There is this daunting grim reaper lurking knowing that I have to go in front of the jury. I know some of them are bitter. I don't care. I've been the underdog for the majority of this game. Tonight is no different. This is a million dollar tribal council, and I'm gonna give it everything I have.
Karla (DR): Owen embodies what it means to never give up because you never know where you might end up.
Sami (DR): Owen made it to the end without being on the right side of the votes. That is his case that he has to plead. He has to come out with some fire.
Noelle (DR): I am rooting for Owen. I'd rather vote for the underdog than the person that was just sitting pretty on the majority the entire game.
Gabler (DR): At 51 years old, I made final three. I didn't get drug along. I made fire. I've suffered, I've battled, and I've never received one vote. Which is why tonight I hope I get all of their votes on parchment.
Ryan (DR): Gabler played a good game. Some people look at it "oh he's a flipping and he's flopping he's back and forth" but, he did that to further his game
Jeanine (DR): Gabler is just such an enigma. I really just need him to explain what parts were intentional and what parts were not
Cody (DR): He's a 51 year old man, 20 years older than everyone else. So for him to be able to integrate with a much younger cast. That's impressive. So I want him to hinge his game on the relationships that he's built because that is where Gabler thrives.
Cassidy (DR): It's been a long journey, and I'm so proud of myself and everything I've accomplished. I feel like I came out as a dark horse in this competition, you know. Nobody really saw me coming. I was never once on the wrong side of the votes. All the while winning immunity challenges. I have the social and the strategic and the physical game to back up, you know, why I deserve to win.
James (DR): Cassidy, she didn't rock the boat. She was able to align herself with big threats. By the time people realized she was an immunity threat, it was too late, they needed her votes to move forward
Ryan (DR): I tried to get Cassidy out multiple times but she got me out. I saw the danger in the sweet girl, and nobody else really did.
Jesse (DR): Cassidy should've gone up against me at fire, but if she's able to show that she survived being targeted and was always voting correctly, she could win my vote.
Owen: I'm just curious like what they're thinking going in, it's like, who's the frontrunner. "Who needs to impress us". Either way. I gave it everything I had.
Cassidy: Same
Owen: and I'll be proud of the outcome.
Owen (DR): I had to fight harder than anyone else in this game to stay alive. And I'm gonna defend my journey with everything I have.
Cassidy (DR): Definitely the biggest night of my life, and hopefully the best night of my life.
Gabler (DR): I'm on the one-yard line for a million dollars. Failure's not an option at this point.
Gabler talks to Cassidy
Gabler: Owen? He's the underdog. You're the champion. I'm the outsider
Jesse (DR): I want to see fireworks at final tribal. I want them to show me that they earned that million dollars
Noelle (DR): Who I vote for will be decided at Tribal Council. I want everyone to fight for their lives
James (DR): You have to stand behind your moves. Plead your case.
Karla (DR): Games are gonna be fact-checked. Show me your resume, and your references.
Jeanine (DR): If people can explain unseen moves that they made? You have my vote
Ryan (DR): If you played an amazing game, then shoot yourself in the foot at the end, you could lose a million dollars
Cody (DR): I'm hoping there are some punches thrown because ultimately, they're gonna have to snap some necks to snatch that check
Sami (DR): Come fierce, and come correct, and let the jury know you played better than us, and that's why you're sitting right there. Whoever does that, for me, gets my vote.
Tribal Council (Night 26)
Jeff: Welcome to your final tribal council. Congratulations on doing what 15 other players couldn't do, get to the end. You survived that early tribe stage, you transitioned into the individual stage, you started building your jury. You got through that final push, where you had to start over. Now you're at the last stage. This is claim your victory. If Survivor is a mountain, this is you at the top with your flag saying this is my victory, and if you don't defend your game, this jury will flick you off that mountain and send you tumbling down. That's their job. Tonight, the power in the game shifts right there. Eight people. You had a hand in voting out will now determine your fate.
Your job (jury) is to examine their game, by asking questions, holding them accountable. With respect, they did kick your ass. You're trying to determine who you think's deserving of your vote for a million dollars. I'm gonna give you a moment to think of your questions, I'm gonna give you a moment to prepare for their questions. And then we'll get started.
Jeff: Okay, let's get into our final Tribal Council. We'll look at the game in three big areas. The social, the physical, and the strategic, knowing that they all overlap, and ultimately it is one big game, but just so we have some context, Jesse get us started.
Jesse: Yeah, um... uh, I just wanna say all three of you should be proud of the games that you played. Honestly. Like you guys did amazing, but like this is not the end of the game, you have to earn our votes because this jury has questions and they're gonna be tough questions. And as somebody who went out in fire last night, I was able to smell the million dollars right up until I smelled the smoke of Gabler's blazing fire. So, you know I know how much pressure you must be feeling right now and so I want to see you go out in a blaze of glory. With that said, you guys did amazing and good luck.
Noelle: So I would like to start off with the first question. How would you differentiate your game from the others, and we can start with Gabler?
Gabler: You know, thank you Noelle. So my game has been very much relationship based, and trust based. Being somebody that can be counted on, that's how I was playing, and I'll tell you, I've been in an alliance with each and every one of you guys at one point. I was with the Coco crew. I was with the Baka boys, and then raise your hand if you were in the Ride or Die alliance, but I was never seen because I was talking behind the scenes with all the different alliances, and I had multiple ways to get deeper into the game. Even when I was at 10, I had a couple ways to get to 7. WHen I was at 7, I had a couple ways to get to 5. When I got to 5, I had two ways to get to 3. So by being in these different groups, it was very helpful, and guess what, 26 days, no one has written my name down.
The jury: mmmm
Gabler: Not once. I do want you to write my name tonight
Jury: laughs
Gabler: And I'm gonna tell you more reasons why later, but for now, I hope that answered your question. Thank you.
Jeff: Cassidy
Cassidy: Yeah, so, for me, I feel like I've always had my fingers no the pulse of this game. I always knew where the votes were going. Every vote that I cast, it was the right vote. Not one surprise, or blindside the entire game, and I think the only other person this season who can say that is Jesse, but he's on the jury and I was able to make it to the end here. And I also had really close bonds with Karla nd with James on the Coco tribe which saved me through those first couple votes. And then, I knew if I went to the end with some of these people, that they were gonna beat me, so I had to form bonds with Gabler and with Owen who were left out of a lot of the votes, who were on the bottom, and then also, I knew that this is not personal, and this was nobody's intention but there was a historical number of women voted out at pre-merge. To be the last woman standing, I think it's also a feat in itself, and that's something that I'll claim as well.
Owen: Yes sir. Well yeah, my Survivor story has been one of the underdog. I am a superfan, I am a student of the game, and I came out here thinking I would play a brilliant game, and that all came crashing down basically in 24 hours. On Baka, we were a disaster from the beginning. I got my name written down on night three, and I legitimately thought that I was gonna be the first boot, and that my dream was gonna come crumbling down. We get to the merge, and things just get even worse from there. I end up on the wrong side of the Ellie vote, and so I had to claw and scratch and dig myself out of a hole much deeper than either of these folks were in, and so I saw one clear path, and that was to sit with these two. Working with Jesse, to then take the power position with some options. Was I perfect out here? Absofruitly not. No way, no how. But I learned that I don't need to be perfect, I just need to be me. So if you respect an underdog, if you respect determination, hard work, I think you should consider giving me your vote tonight, and I think that's how I differentiate myself.
Noelle; Thank you guys
Jeff: James
James: Man, um, I respect all three of you. Really good job. Um, with that being said, Owen, trust-wise, when did you stick your neck on the line, for an ally? To try to get them to stay in this game?
Noelle: I would say when you trusted me to steal your vote to get him out.
Owen: Yes, that was a big one.
Noelle: That's when I knew I wanted to trust you and work with you.
Owen: Yeah. That was a big day, and since you brought it up, Noelle, I'll mention that. So I viewed James and Karla as the biggest threats in the game, and I saw this golden opportunity for us to lull them into a false sense of security that I am going home, Noelle will steal my vote, and then they will not play an idol, they will not play a shot in the dark, and we were good to go, and I had to trust in Noelle to pull that off without bamboozling me.
James: Gabes
Gabler: So the Elli vote, let's talk about that for a second. Elli had looked through my bag. Also, it was Elli bu
Jeanine raises her hand
Jeanine: Yeah. It's my time to come clean Gabler. Your instincts are spot on, and I have to say, I'm so sorry, I did go through your bag, and you have killer instinct.
Gabler: You're a rockstar, no worried
Jeanine: I just had to tell you that cause that's been eating away at me, and I really needed to finally be honest with you.
Gabler: No problem. No problem. I totally get it. I totally get it. So I was like something's not right here, and I stirred that pot. Me and Elli had a very public argument in camp, and we voted her out, and then she flamed me in front of the whole jury here like "that's what you get for trusting Gabler", and I was like, I am way too high profile here. Like an alligator, I need to go underwater, and start playing a different game. Thank you
Karla: Okay, so Cassidy, can you give me one specific move that you did pre-merge to help propel you into the merge?
Cassidy: Yeah, I think the most improtant move was building my relationship with you and with James. I trusted yall whenever the votes switched last minute off of Geo onto Lindsay and then through our relationship, we were able to blindside Geo and take control of kind of the tribe in that way, and so that was the vote that I made that helped propel me and you know our alliance into the merge
Karla: Thank you
Jeff: Jesse
Jesse: Yeah, so I run surveys for a living, which is all about extracting information from people. Give me an example of when you used your social relationships to get information in this game, and how you used that to get ahead.
Gabler: So, after the Elli takeout, AlliGabler had to go underwater
Jury: laughs
Gabler: and hang out by the water's edge because you don't just say oh it's me, I'm the guy. No, even though it could've been Gabler in the library with a coconut, I wanted to be a total secret right? So because of my social game and the inforamtion I was getting, I was able to get deeper in the game with more options
Cassidy: So for me, I, like you, had all of the right information that I needed at every tribal. I mean I was in the trenches in all of those votes. I was talking to everybody. I was making sure that the plan that I was in on was the right plan for every single vote. You know, also, I had a mental checklist of all the people who had gunned for me in this game. Ryan was trying to blindside me, and then Noelle, I found out you wrote my name down at the merge, you know, no hard feelings but, same with Sami, he tried to come after me at one point. Cody threw my name out there at one time. Karla as well. So all of these people, I knew if they were gunning for me once, they were probably gonna try to get me out again, and I had to get them out of this game before they can get me.
Jeanine: I feel like i have a great idea of Cass' core alliance at this point, but I'm really curious as to Gabler and Owen, who you feel like your closest allies were and how you worked with them post-merge
Owen: Sure. Noelle and I had gone on that journey together on day 7. It sounds corny, but when I looked her in the eye on that hike, I felt like we kind of just got each other, and I felt like you were someone I could trust. Eventually, once Noelle was blindsided, I decided to make my bed with these two plus Jesse, and go to the final four with them.
Noelle: You back that up?
Jesse: Yeah
Noelle: Perfect
Jeff: Gabler
Gabler: My core alliance. Honestly. Honestly, I had a few of them. I was in Ride or Die. I was in with Sami, and I was in with Owen, although me and you went in and out for a while, and then we came together post merge, and we were locked the rest of the way. Also, you know, I was in with Ryan, Noelle
Sami: I got a question for you Gabler. You had decided to flip and go with Jesse and Cody. Was your intention to go with these guys for the rest of the way or were you actually continuing to go back and forth? I think that's something that we would like to know
Gabler: I was in Ride or Die to ride or die, and you know, that's having trust and not being targeted. Just to think back to day one. To get all the way here and not get a vote? I mean
Cassidy: Do you wonder if part of the reason you didn't get any vote is because people didn't perceive you as a threat? Or just because you played it so well with all of your different alliances?
Gabler: I think it was it was both because if I stayed up top, it wasn't gonna last
Noelle: I mean I think you did an amazing job of keeping me comfortable. That's why I never wanted to put your name out, so...
Gabler: Thank you
Jesse: Yeah, you've come to me and said like "we're sort of playing the silent killers, you know", "we're sort of like laying low and we're taking people out" and you were doing that, so like if people weren't perceiving you as a threat, that was your intention
Gabler: Thank you. That was the game. Thank you.
Jeff: How about the physical part of the game?
Ryan: Yeah, so um, the majority of the immunities that were one were won by these three people right here. A third of the immunities, a third of the immunities, and a ninth of the immunities. Only two weren't won by you guys. At what point in the game did you feel like you needed to manage your physical threat level. Like Gabler said, AlliGabler had to go down, because if you're too much of a threat, you're getting kicked out.
Cassidy: Yeah I mean I think for me, I honestly didn't see myself becoming a physical threat in this game until I won my first immunity, and then that gave me the boost I needed to be able to win more immunities, and I think the most important win that I had was that final win. Was that power to decide who I wanted to take out the biggest threat in the entire game.
Noelle: I have a question
Cassidy: Yeah
Noelle: Um, I left out a little bit about my occupation. I am actually a paralympian. I run track and field for Team USA. So Cassidy, I have to give it to you for winning three immunity challenges. That is something that you're gonna take with you for the rest of your life. It's a beautiful thing, especially being a woman
Cassidy: Thank you. I appreciate that
Noelle: And now, with that being said, you just mentioned the fire-making challenge. I would like to be walked through your decision making on why you chose Gabler to make arguably one of the biggest moves in taking out one of the biggest strategic players in this game, and why you didn't want to take that challenge on yourself.
Cassidy: Yeah, honestly, the game that I had played up to that point was a good game, you know? I didn't make any big mistakes in this game. You know, everything that I did, I was always on the right side of the votes. I was always in the major alliance, and I worked my ass off to be sitting here, and I won that immunity fair and square when the pressure was at its highest. I showed up for that and I **** defeated that challenge and I deserved to be here, but I also felt like it was a strategic decision in keeping Owen here, and not giving Owen the chance to redeem himself in that way because he did have a little bit of an underdog story, and I felt that if he made that fire, that was gonna give him potentially the boost that he would need to, you know, beat me in the end, and also, even if Gabler did win that fire challenge, I didn't know if it would be enough to you know be able to beat me, so that was also a strategic decision, and I felt like he was the best at fire, and so that's why I made that decision.
Karla: Yeah, so, as you've seen, I left it out there physically and mentally. And you saw me fighting until I couldn't fight any longer. Can you tell me a moment where you have fought until you couldn't any longer?
Owen: So, physically speaking, obviously, last gasp, we don't need to recount that, but the main example for me is the final five immunity challenge. So, for those of you who don't know, we got advantage clue, and we had to do a word scramble, and it said to sprint to find the advantage. I get to the correct tree, and Karla snatches it, literally when my hand is right there. And in that second, that was probably the angriest I have ever been in my entire life
Jury: laughs
Owen: I screamed, I punched the tree. I threw a rock into the ocean.I blew this opportunity. And so I'm going in feeling that I have to win, and so I ended up winning immunity, my third one, and it was so representative of how my entire game has gone. It'd just be constantly going up and down and having the highs of winning, having the lows of getting blindsided, and just emotionally, physically, that was the one for me that really meant a lot.
James: To follow up on that, how do you feel like you handled the low points in this game compared to the high pionts in this game?
Owen: Not great. I mean one of my only regrets is how you and I went at it that day, and mostly how I came at you and how I reacted, and I lost my cool that day, but in contrast, I think I tried to remain humble when I did win immunities, I tried to not gloat if I pulled of a blindside, but that blowup with you, that is something I'm ashamed of and I wish hadn't happened.
Karla: So we've heard a lot about the great things you great things you've done, but I want to know about your biggest mistake. What did you do wrong? And how do you own up to it?
Gabler: I'm gonna go back to when we lost our immunity challenge, and I basically held Baka together, right Sami? and Jeanine? and Owen? And I was like look, I blew the challenge tonight. You guys can vote for me. I'll play my shot in the dark. I mean, it was clumsy. That almost got me taken out. In this game, to put yourself out there, is not a good idea.
Jeff: Cassidy
Cassidy: Yeah, honestly, Karla and especially since this question is coming from you, I think the biggest mistake I made was about the last conversations that we had before we voted you out, and I feel like I could've approached that better, because we had such a good relationship this entire time, but you were that big of a threat in my eyes, and I knew that if I sat up here next to you, that you were gonna beat me, and I just wish that I had handled our last conversation better because I think you're such an amazing person, and I'm not just pandering to you like, I love you, I respect you, and I just really regret the way that our last conversation went, and it would be things like that.
Karla: Thanks
Jeff: Owen
Owen: It's hard to choose just one thing (laughs) that I did wrong, since i Had such a roller coaster of a ride. But in regards to getting bamboozled a few times, I don't regret choosing the sides that I did because they led me on this journey, and even if I don't win, that growth, and that challenge to myself, and the journey I've been on through the past 26 days, it has been the adventure of a lifetime. It's been so valuable to me as a human being and I don't regret those at all, but I do regret a few conversations I had.
Jeff: Last question, Jesse, bring it.
Jesse: Alright, um, so, I've been honest with everybody. I got a PhD about three weeks before I got out here. The thing I didn't really tell everybody is that the PhD is in political science, which means that I spent about six years studying voting behavior. Studying elections, studying campaigns
James: This guy (smiles)
Jesse: And something that's extrmeely important in that is like persuasion. And so I want to know, when you persuaded someone to vote the way you needed them to vote and how you did it.
Gabler: Okay, I'm gonna go to the big vote, post-merge. The first big vote. The Elli vote. I planted the seed that she had been through somebody else's bag. I pushed that at our merge feast, and I persuaded each group to say, "you know what? I don't trust her. I don't know if you should either" And bam, first one out. Of post merge.
Jeff: Cassidy
Cassidy: So I would probably go to the Ryan vote because it was like my neck was very clearly on the line and Ryan did have relationships with Cody, he did have a relationship with Gabler, but I was able to convince them to take Ryan out instead of me.
Ryan: I just have a quick question. You had mentioned that you had already planned my demise
Jesse: Yeah, so...
Ryan: Not to discredit you
Cassidy: Okay, well I was under the impression that I had... you know, that you guys were leaning more toward going with Ryan, so that's what
Gabler: You were definitely part of that, but that was from Ride or Die
Jesse: Yeah, and we came into Tribal, me, Gabler, and Cody, and we decided that if James was gonna be on the journey, we were gonna vote out Ryan. If James wasn't on the jury, we were gonna take out you.
Cody: It was the start of the Ride or Die
Gabler: That was the start of Ride or Die
Cassidy: Well damn, you got me
Jeff: Owen
Owen: Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I don't have one specific vote where I was the driver, driving that vote. I didn't have any advantages, I didn't have idols. I voted wrong at the beginning and it was put into this minority position, so I can't pretend that I was here wheeling and dealing and making votes happen and saying "Come on, come with the Owen plan", but I showed that I had some strategic chops, and that I could be trusted, and that I could be a key part of a lot of these votes.
James: I appreciate that answer Owen, truly do appreciate that answer because it was honest and it was humbling
Owen: Thank you
James: Great job guys. Like, really good job
Jeff: A great final Tribal Council. You held them accountable when they needed it. You lifted them up when they deserved it. And in the process, you illuminated three very different games that all got them to the end. The only question left now is which game you feel is most deserving of the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollars that goes with your vote. I'm gonna give you a minute to take it all in, and then we will vote.
Jeff: Alright. There's only one thing left to do in Survivor 43, and that is vote for a winner. For the last time, it is time to vote. Jeanine, you're up.
James votes for Cass (I'm super proud the way you affirmed your game. You stood up for yourself. You kicked butt in these challenges, and I'm so proud to see your gameplay. Good luck and I wish you the best)
Sami votes
Ryan votes
Karla votes for Gabler (Because you took the most risks. You owned up to your game. You made great moves. You're honest in a game full of lies. I appreciate it)
Noelle votes
Cody votes
Jesse votes
Jeff: I'll go get the votes
Jeff: Jury thank you. Gabler, Cassidy, Owen, you've been out here for 26 days. You've had an adventure filled with experiences that I hope will stay with you for the rest of your life. But Survivor is also a game. Big game, comes with a big prize, a million dollars. There can only be one winner. There is no need to wait. We're gonna read the votes right now here in the jungles of Fiji. Are you ready? Here we go
Votes
Cassidy
Gabler
Gabler
Gabler
Gabler
The winner of Survivor 43: Gabler
That's five, that's enough. We have our winner
Gabler: Thank you. Thank you.
Jeff: Jury, come on over. Look at that. We have our winner of Survivor 43. Gabler. All the votes were his. We're not done here. We're gonna stay here in the jungles of Fiji. Let's bring in that champagne, that fire. We've got pizza coming in. We're gonna sit down with everybody. Talk about everything that happened this season.
Cassidy: Did you vote for me?
James: Yeah
Jeff: Get in here Karla. Survivor 43 after show, happening right after this. Let's toast everybody!
Jeff: Alright, we have the Survivor 43 aftershow going. If you need some pizza, we have it floating around, if you need more champagne, just let me know. THe idea is really just to have a casual but honest and raw conversation while your'e still in game mode. While Gbaler, and Cassidy, and Owen still smell like 26 days of Fiji, which you all on the jury know.
Gabler: I'm shaking Jeff. I'm just shaking dude
Jeff: So Gabler, let's start with you. You're shaking. Was there ever a moment where you felt like you might actually have this in the bag
Gabler: No Jeff
Jeff: or was it all the way up until tonight?
Gabler: Jeff, it has been a roller coaster. Like Owen said, there can be a six hour shift, in your attitude from being at the lowest low to the highest high, but tonight was special because I got to tell all of the story. You know, throughout the tribals, my answers have been kind of directed a certain way to make things go a certain way. Out here tonight, I was working it to the very last second, yes sir.
Jeff: Okay, let's ask the jury because I felt that tonight. I felt like this was a very open Tribal. You're all nodding, so did Gabler sway you during this Q&A?
Jury: Yeah; absolute; Yes sir
Jeff: So Karla, what was it that made 7 of the eight votes go to Gabler?
Karla: Yeah, you know obviously when you're in the jury, you get to kind of fact check right? And so we created a checklist for each player. If Owen can do this. If Cassidy can do this. If Gabler can do this. And Gabler just checked most of the boxes if not all.
Jeff: Sami, do you agree with that sort of happening as it continued?
Sami: Yeah, 100% Like we all kind of knew what we wanted to hear from everybody, and you know AlliGabler man, we saw and heard from Gabler what we wanted to, and we knew he wasn't just a loopy old man.
Jury: laughs
Sami: Losing his mind out here. He knew what he was doing, and that's what we wanted to hear
Jeff: So Gabler, you've got a check with two commas, and your name on it.
Gabler: Yes sir
Jeff: It's a million dollars. It is a lot of money. What does that feel like right now?
Gabler: It feels bigger than you know Jeff, because, we made history, you know, here this season in 43. I'm only the second player in Survivor history over 50
Jeff: You are the second oldest winner in the history of Survivor
Gabler: Second oldest winner. Thank you all.
Jury: Good job
Gabler: Thank you all. But you know season 43 is a special season because of these special people and because we're gonna make history another way
Jeff: Uh oh, wait, what is happening?
Gabler: We all have a chance of a lifetime out here. Adventure of a lifetime. What we all learned from each other is priceless. We all made us better. There are people that need that money more, and I'm gonna donate the entire prize. The entire million dollars in my father's name, Robert Gabler, he's a green beret, to veterans in need, who are struggling from psychiatric problems, PTSD, and to curb the suicide epidemic. We're gonna save some lives, we're gonna do some good. Season 43, all of us did this. A million dollars is going to them. That's it. Everybody. We made history guys. We made history.
Gabler gets a hug from Cassidy, an embrace from Jesse, and "wow"s from the others.
Jeff: Gabler, I also don't want to lose that this is in honor of your father. That's obviously a big part of what is inspiring this
Gabler: You know, Jeff, I've been fortunate enough to come from a military family. My father and his brothers were in the military. My mother had several brothers in the military. One of my uncles was a Seabee in Vietnam. I have friends from high school that were in Iraq and Afghanistan, and you know, your dad (Ryan) was a military hero
Ryan tears up
Gabler: You know, I mean, there you go
Ryan: I am holding so much back right now
Jeff: Why?
Ryan: Cause, my dad's a veteran, has a 100% VA because he's put his life on the line time and time again, and I've been sitting at home thinking, is he gonna come back this time? And I've been there seeing, you know, somebody that's been at his wedding not come home, and somebody tha tI knew, not come home, and the fact that he's giving it all to the veterans that served our country, and there's so much that we don't know, that they go through, they're over there and they're fighting for us, and yet they can come back and not have a job or be disabled and not cared for. The fact that he's giving that all to them is something that, he's allowing me to be a part of, and it just touches me in a way that, if I would've won it, I wouldn't have even thought of that, and the fact that this man just immediately, we're gonna make history, and we're gonna give back to the veterans, and we're going to allow them more chances that they're not allowed to have, even though they put their life on the line.
Jeff: Gabler, it's a really beautiful gesture, and it's really interesting to have it happen here
Gabler: All the more important. All the more important because these people helped carry me, cared for me, supported me, competed with me, inspired me. I was in the lane next to you (Noelle), when you did that come from behind, and I'm seeing tears in your face, and you're still coming. I'm throwing the bean bag, you're still coming, and you got up there, and you won that. The stories we shared at camp when it was rainy nights, we were just suffering about, you know, your father (Jeanine) coming over from China. Everything, I mean, your lovely wife (Karla), your brother, code words (Cody), I mean
Jeff: Gabler, I love you. You just keep going. I gotta ask the question that everyone's wondering right now, because that is a truly beautiful gesture. A million dollars, well earned, hard fought for, that is yours, you are giving to those in need. The question I think a lot of people are gonna wonder, are you rich at home?
Gabler: No, I've worked very hard. I've been fortunate, but you know, I've realized, through going through this experience, I am rich at home. I have an amazing life at home. I have an amazing family. I have amazing friends. I need to be a better husband, I need to be a better father, I need to be a better brother, son. I'm gonna be all those things just like all of us are gonna do that when we go home. And to take this million dollars in this time period where, you know, there's so much going on in the news that people don't like to look at. Well, that's why we watch Survivor. Because amazing things happen on this show, and we just did another one in season 43. We're gonna help veterans in need, and we're gonna donate that entire million dollars to them, and I'm forever grateful that we did this (Gabler raises his hands joined together, and tears up). We did this guys
Jeff: Alright, we're gonna take a quick break. When we come back, idols. I want to hear the stories about how you persuaded people to give you those beads, and then we're gonna talk about some of the biggest moves of the season which include the idols, Jesse who didn't find any but ended up with two. We'll take a quick break, be right back. Survivor 43, after show.
Jeff: Alright Cassidy, you know, one of the great designs of this game is that you have to live together and rely on each other, and then get rid of each other, and there's only one winner.
Cassidy: Yeah
Jeff: So, knowing you did all of this work to get to the end, and you got one vote, are you still proud of the game you played?
Cassidy: I am. I will stand by my game 100%. I did everything that I could. I played a thousand times better of a game, Jeff, than I thought I ever could've coming into this. I really just evolved as a person and player out here, and I felt like I've become my own inspiration in this game, and so I'll always take that with me. I'll always be proud of my game. I wouldn't have changed a thing, you know. I wish I had Gabler's orator skills because honestly he was swaying me, you know, while we were sitting here. I thought I could've beat him, but after that I thought he did a good job, so
Jeff: But what a great line you just said. I've become my own inspiration
Cassidy: Yeah
Jeff: Because we always talk about other people that inspire us. Inspire yourself, is what you're saying, and you did. Congratulations
Cassidy: Thank you
Jeff: Owen. We don't talk about this much, but often people get no votes. It doesn't mean their game isn't respected. What's your feeling right now with nobody writing your name for a winner?
Owen: You know, Jeff, I'm at peace. I'm gonna leave here with my head held high. I'm proud to be in a club with Fishback, and with Spencer, and Tasha, and there's been plenty of fantastic Survivor players that have been 0 vote finalists, and to find myself with such a crappy hand at so many points in the game, and to still outlast 15 people, I am proud of what I've accomplished over the last 26 days.
Jeff: And you're getting applause. You got James back there. People respect your game
Jeff: Alright, so I have a question in general. Just about advantages. One of the things we wanted to do with this new era, is really break the game into a new way. So we threw a lot of twists out there. Are there any that stick out? Like Jeanine, does the beware advantage really have an impact when it says in red letters "Heads up"?
Jeanine: Yeah, it does, and I think it's almost like you don't wanna be the person or the name associated with the advantage at this point, but rather, you want to be the right hand man, who, you know, Jesse was, with people throwing idols at him like it's hot potato because, at any given moment, James, or anyone with the Knowledge is Power could take it away from you, right? So it's almost like a false sense of power or security which you want to pawn off in order to hopefully get back some day which, I didn't, but, you know, that's a risk you take for that.
Jeff: Also, the idea with finding the ideas was you would have to use your social charms. You could persuade, cajole, you could demand, you could lie, but you couldn't steal them. So Cody what was your approach?
Cody: So mine, I got about an hour before the first Tribal. I go for a walk, oh here's something. I don't even read the word "beware", I just see "advantage", rip it open right there, and I"m like, kinda like a deer in the headlights, and I run to Jesse. "Jesse, Jesse, Jesse, I just messed up. I just picked up a beware advantage, I lost my vote, and I've gotta get everybody's beads", and like coach Jesse looks at me straight in the eyes, and he goes, "bro, you got this, just go be you, I'll start doing some things on my end." I'm like "you right, I got it, no problem" So when I get all the beads, mission accomplished right? I gotta put them on a bracelet. Well, I had hid the beware advantage because I didn't want it in my pocket. So I go dig a hole around the tree I think it's at, and I go "I lost the damn beware advantage". And I'm freaking. At this point, I give up, and I go back to camp, cause I'm like, I've been gone too long, I don't know what the hell to do. And I remember going to Jesse again, I go "bro, I think I lost the bracelet". And he's like "I'm lining up with you to start this game and finish this game with you?" And then I went back and I end up finding it. I said "Hey man, this is our bracelet. You coach me like, if you need it, it's yours. If I need it, it's mine" And um...
Jeff: Jesse had a different take on that. We get our three idols in the game. They're not played until very late. I don't know if there's ever been a season where the first idol played was at six people left. But somehow, you, who didn't win a challenge, didn't find an idol, end up with two idols. Walk me through both scenarios. How did you end up with Jeanine's? Because that was the real shocker
Jeanine: mmhm. Bamboozled
Jesse: So uh, yeah so Jeanine's idol, we had already set up this sort of blindside on Dwight, and at the time there was so much talk about advantages, and James had this Knowledge is Power
Jeff: The dreaded deadly Knowledge is Power
Jesse: and so everyone's freaking out. Everybody's playing musical chairs with their advantages like, they're tossing their advantages to different people. Jeanine tossed her advantage to Dwight, and then Dwight, he's like very nervous, and so he runs up to me like "James saw me with Jeanine. She gave me her idol. I don't want him to take it from me" He's like "I'm giving it to you" And I just open up my bag, he throws it in, I zip up, I close it, I'm like "alright man, we're good". Locked it in, and then I blindside him that night.
They laugh
Jeanine: and little did I know that Jesse has this, and he comes to me that night, and is wearing it in his buff, talking to me. Like he
Jeff: There's another hiding spot that will never work in a future season
Jesse: No. Never again
Laughter
Jeff: So Jesse, there's the first one. How do you end up with Cody's?
Jesse; Cody also gave it to me pretty early on at the merge. He was like "dude, James knows I have the idol, I'm gonna give it to you. You're gonna hold it. So, he gave it to me, he trusted me, we've been road dogs since day one" and so I had the idol in my bag for a very long time
Jeff: As a Survivor player, to have two idols that early, what is that feeling?
Jesse: I mean, I felt pretty powerful, but like I obviously did not try and like flaunt it
Cassidy: Yeah Jeff, we talked about this silent assassin of the season. The one that sneaks in the back and poisons the king and slips out the door. The whole time
They point at Jesse
Cassidy: Jesse
Jeff: Cody, I gotta ask, so after that brutal blindside
Cassidy: opposite sides, we're keeping them separate, so we don't get a boxing match
Cody laughs
Jeff: Here's a moment I will never forget. You went to get your torch, and Jesse went up to shake your hand, and I was standing right here waiting for you. And there was a moment, and I thought, "huh, what's he gonna do?" And I feel like I watched you in that moment say, "my friendship with this guy is going to be bigger than this moment, and you put your hand out" So walk me through, where are you two? Because I know it hurt. But it really speaks to the idea, it is just a game.
Cody: yeah, you know Jesse and I joke a lot. We started this game together, we're gonna finish it together. We had a lot of fun playing to the point where we were like school age kids, when we get done with a vote, we'd get fist bumping and all this stuff so when that happened, I was like "damn, I am so proud of you for that move" That was the right move to make. And um, if anything I was like hey bro, your game was so good, thanks for dragging me to the final six with you. I'm so grateful that you kept me around that long because without you, I wouldn't have made it to the final six, so like
Jeff: Cody, I gotta applaud that. That is a beautiful way to frame that story. It really is. Cause a lot of people could've taken that a very different way.
Alright we're gonna take a quick break. If you're thinking about applying to Survivor, Sami, first of all, how old are you really?
Sami: I'm 19 years old
Everyone: ohhh!
Jeff: And Sami, give me the five second pitch on why somebody should apply to be on this show
Sami: Come out here and try it. I mean, age is just a number. Come out here and do it. Prove yourself
Jeff: I agree. Proved yourself really well
Alright, we're gonna take a quick break. You guys keep yammering. More Survivor 43 after show right after this. Who needs champagne? Let me top somebody off. Who needs it?
Alright welcome back to the Survivor 43 after show. More pizza, more champagne, let me know if you need anything else.
Alright, Noelle, you were obviously inspirational. Because of your leg, but I just want to A, say we put you on the show cause you're a badass. And you proved that. I mean, I saw your leg come off at one challenge. You did one challenge without it. You had an incredible comeback in another challenge that you won, that I gotta tell you, I just wondered if you were gonna get to the finish.
Noelle: Same
Jeff: So when you look at all that, what are you most proud of over your time out here?
Noelle: I mean, at home, I doubt myself. I'm saying to myself there's no way that I'll be able to do it, and it's the people that I surround myself with, my family, my boyfriend, my loved ones, my friends, my coaches, they're the ones egging me on. So coming out here, I was like I'm gonna be alone. Like nobody's gonna be telling me and encouraging me, but coming out here, it was like I freaking got the support system though. Like I literally never felt alone. Everything that I was doing, everyone was egging me on. Everyone was literally saying, "you can do this". Like, that challenge that I came from behind, I heard every single person cheering for me, when they're freaking trying to win this biggest, probably biggest reward of the season with the family loved one notes.
That was just really wholesome. That just speaks to you at the types of people that you have playing the game, because they're trying to win a million dollars yes, but they're able to look back and me and be like this girl can do this, and so, yes I did have the support system, but I was also thinking in the back of my head like "I need to keep telling myself I can do this because if I don't, then there's no way that I'm going to be able to believe in myself." And struggling with that at home is something that I 100% go through.
Jeff: Well I think it's really interesting because I'm sure, given your age, and your personality and that you're an athlete, that you have lots of people who say "you inspire me", "you're showing me that I can do it", and what I love hearing is that even you, who are inspiring to others, you still need to inspire yourself, like Cassidy said. It's a great takeaway from this game. Leads me to Karla. Every so often, there's a season where one player just gets banged up. What are you most proud of out here?
Karla: The one thing that I'm the most proud of is the determination to keep going. Like regardless of how bad I feel like, with my finger, i was frustrated cause I was lik ehow is this possible? But it was really about like how can I keep my mind stabilized enough to say "you can"
Jeff: So take me inside that moment, because one of the things I love about Survivor is it pushes the people who are willing to come out here and try it to go further than you would ever normally go. So you're having this moment now where you have to say "I can do this.". "I can overcome this obstacle."
Karla: Exactly. There was a moment I remember with the grip challenge. The one that I actually won, and I was like, I've been working out before Survivor, right? I lost 20 pounds before coming on Survivor right?
Jeff: wow
Karla: So I was like I know that I can move around and contort and use these muscles, you know? and know that the pressure that I still keep putting on this, despite how low I can get, and the less pressure I put on this finger, the more I can keep it going. But it was really "Karla, freaking push", like, you've been through hell in life, right? But if you could just keep going, that's why I feel like Noelle and I are like sisters in this.
Noelle: Yeah
Karla: Because there's so much self doubt. I thought coming on to this game, y'all were gonna say "You know this is the biggest girl here, we're gonna get her out, she's freaking weak" and I had to deal with that the entire time. I was gonna be the first voted out. That's what I thought. But the moment that y'all reassured me and said, no. James was like "You're the strongest girl I've seen here"
Everyone: yeah
Owen: Baka thought you were a power lifter
Karla: I was like "what do you mean you think I'm strong?" I think I'm the weakest one. And that was motivation enough to keep me going in this game, and I think I proved that despite what I think of myself, and what my body thinks of myself, I can do whatever it takes to get as far as I can.
Jeff: Well done. Alright we're gonna take another quick break. By the way, if you have something you want to say to us at Survivor, we want to hear from you, so write to us. survivorshoutout@gmail. Let us know. Still to come, in the Survivor 43 after show, they are not gonna want to hear this, is your first look at Survivor 44. We'll take a quick break, and we'll be right back.
Let me top off everybody. Come on. We got some more drinking to do.
Jeff: Alright welcome back to the Survivor 43 after show. Here's a question for the group. Maintaining your emotions. It can't be easy. I've asked players before. Everybody here is shaking their head. James, you are. Did you have a moment? Even if it was just in private where, you were emotional? You thought about home, or it was hard?
James: I'm not a super emotional person in real life like, literally, I don't cry, and I broke down. Like I broke down in tears. Like my birthday, and then Mother's day, and then you're out here, and the only people you can lean on are the people in your tribe and they held me up, and you can't underestimate the bonds that you can build by being vulnerable, but coming with that vulnerability, you're gonna cry. Everything is stripped from you and this is an amazing experience.
Jeff: Owen, James just said something that no one ever talks about, which is the bonds you can make if you're willing to be vulnerable
Owen: Absolutely
Jeff: You had to feel vulnerable beause you were on the bottom most of the game
Owen: Yes sir, yeah. I was. I mean, I've said this before, I'll say it again. I'm so hard on myself in my real life, and being around these amazing people who lifted me up at my lowest moments. Who gave me the confidence that I didn't have in myself, I mean, Survivor strips you to your core and shows you who you are, but it also shows you how you can be better, and that you are more than you think you are, and that you can leave this experience a better person no matter how mnay votes you get at final Tribal. No matter what place you get. You can take something away and become amore vulnerable, emotional, self-confident person. And, for me, that was worth a million dollars. 100%.
Jeff: You know, because you opened the door, so let's just think about all the moments. The temper tantrum at the final five riddle. You bent your fork at the final four challenge
Owen: Yes sir
Jeff: Had Cassidy dropped, you were in trouble cause
Owen: I was, I was SOL Jeff, yeah
Jeff: Yeah, there was no help coming for you
Owen: I would not have been able to stack the bowls with a 90 degree pole, yeah
Jeff: So when you think of those moments, do you laugh at them? Or is it also a little bit of a teaching moment for you?
Owen: 100% the latter Jeff. I mean I can laugh it off as like, "oh, I'm this fiery person, I take myself too seriously", but at the same time, it really is an introspective time to say like "why do I do this? there's nothing wrong with failure. Failure is a part of life. I failed at Survivor, but I can walk out of here with my chin up"
Jeanine and everyone else: No you didn't
Owen: I lost. We all failed, except Gabler
Gabler shakes his head
James: I respect that, but you didn't fail my guy
Jeanine: You literally won the challenge that you wanted to win
Jeff: As the only one out here listening to all of you talk. You just did the thing you said you would never do again
Owen: ahhh. I lost
Jeff: Losing isn't failing
Owen: Fair. I won in many, many ways, and the biggest win I'm taking away is knowing, and I'm still learning clearly, to give myself more credit, and show myself more grace, and I'm gonna take that with me for the rest of my life
Jeff: we all need to do that
Owen: Yes sir. 100%
Jeff: Which leads me to you Jesse because you were very vulnerable...
Jeanine gives Owen a hug
Jeff: ...in sharing with everybody that my circle's tight. I'm not like a lot of you that might have a big social rolodex. I've got my little group and that's all I need. It sounds like, had you gotten to the end, you would've won this game, but the takeaway. What's the takeaway for you about the value that people see in you? How much they like you
Jesse: Let me try and gather my thoughts here because I want to make sure that I'm clear. Um, so like I've told everybody that I had to sort of pivot my sort of whole life trajectory right? Like I started off as a teenager, I was involved in a gang, in juvenile hall, like I was headed down a path that would've led me to prison, and so I sort of pivoted, you know, I ended up going to Berkeley, going to Duke, and like creating this amazing family and so I sort of kept this small circle with just me, my wife, and my two kids, and you know, I don't branch out of that much because like I do enjoy that small circle. I do love them and like that is sort of my core. That's my motivation, and like coming out here, like the very first day, I was like absolutely like terrified because I'm around all of these strangers and like I don't know, like I struggle with imposter syndrome back home. It doesn't matter what accomplishments I've had, I just feel like an imposter so coming out here I'm on the beach with like five other strangers. I'm freaking out. I'm like oh my God, I actually don't know if I can do this, like I don't know if people are actually gonna like me, but like I just promised myself that when I came out here, I was just gonna be as genuine as I possibly could be, I was just gonna be honest about everything like about myself, and I did, and like, everybody loved me (laughs), and l like, and it felt like good, and then you get past like the first tribal and you're like "okay, this is cool, like, people seem to like me and they seem to want to work with me". You get past the next tribal, and you're like "okay, this is like weird, I'm picking up steam here". Then you get past the merge and you're like "oh my God, I feel like I'm doing really good with like my social game" and I'm like, then towards the end you're like "oh my God, like I've mastered the social game", and I'm like, I have two idols in my bag, and like everybody wants to work with me, and like, you know you see the finish line and you can just feel like from the jury that like it's just like, oh my God, that like I might win this thing, like and it's just based off me being like me, and like it's just so amazing. So even though I came up short, like I did like win sort of like confidence in myself. Sort of like, I can do it.
Jesse gets applause from the others
Jeff: Okay, Cody I'm gonna give the final word to you. I don't know why, but you always surprise me. What's the last statement for Survivor 43?
Cody: Cheers for the greatest move ever made in Survivor history, by the legend, Gabler!
Gabler and the others: Season 43!
Jeff: I will toast that as well. As one season comes to an end, another begins. Here is your first look at Survivor 44. Let's drink!
Cheers
Survivor 44 premieres March 1 on CBS and Paramount Plus
If you want to bid on props from this season like this giant piece of parchment signed by our S43 winner Gabler, and everybody else, you can do so. Thank you for watching, we appreciate your loyalty. We will see you in the spring for Survivor 44. Let's go!