Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont just pulled off one of the most dominating victories in the history of the show. Apart from one notable episode where she was blindsided by an all-time move and one of her allies went home, she dominated nearly all the post-merge episodes. She won four Immunity Challenges, built fantastic social relationships with pretty much everyone on the beach, and played some advantages in spectacular fashion. She was the clear winner heading into the finale and during the finale, but to the surprise of many fans, she was not the unanimous winner. Kyle Ostwald voted for Sam, and now we know why.
The affable challenge beast recorded a video explaining why he wrote down Sam’s name instead of Rachel’s, and it turns out, it’s not because he thinks he played a better game. In fact, Kyle openly admits Rachel deserved to win the season. Instead, he voted for Sam because he knew everyone else was voting for Rachel, and he felt like someone needed to step up and make sure Sam got second place instead of Sue. Here’s a portion of his quote…
You wanna know why I voted for Sam? Because I knew everybody was voting for Rachel. That’s as clean cut as I can put it for you. I didn’t feel like Sam was a (zero vote) finalist with Sue. I don’t believe they played the same game. I believe that Sam deserved a second place, and if I can single-handedly take money from one man’s pocket and put it into another man’s pocket and have no sweat myself, I’m going to do it because I’m not in this just for myself, right? We’re in this for family. We’re in this for friends. And Sam was a friend to me. Rachel was a friend to me. In my opinion, Rachel deserved that win every step of the way. She is a badass. I love her. But I also believe that Sam deserved second place, and I was willing to be the person to give it to him. So, I read the room, and I honestly felt like I did what was right.
There are some Survivor fans on social media who are not happy campers, and they’re pointing to this quote as evidence of how much Rachel got screwed out of being a unanimous winner. I hear that. I love Rachel. I would have loved to see her honored with every single vote, but I’m also here for Kyle’s honesty and am not necessarily against what he did.
First of all, being a unanimous winner on Survivor doesn’t matter. Boston Rob Mariano absolutely dominated Redemption Island, to the point where people still complain about how one-sided the season was, and he didn’t even win a unanimous victory. Rachel is not any less than because she didn’t get one of the votes, and she wouldn’t have been somehow better if she got all the votes. The point of the game is to win and she won.
Second of all, Kyle’s vote is a great example of how every jury member treats Final Tribal Council differently. We’ve switched into an era where a lot of people vote based on who they think had the most strategic game, but there is no rule saying that’s how you need to vote. Some people clearly use the FTC to settle grudges or work out their anger, and sometimes those votes sway the actual end result and who gets what payouts. That’s part of the game and always has been.
And finally, I agree with Kyle that Sam deserved second place. Sue should be very proud of herself in making it to the finale at almost 60. She played a solid and loyal game. She aligned with the right players, and built enough alliances to navigate her way through. Good for her. But Sam was a much more active participant in the game. He was a part of some huge moves, reinvented himself several times and played a lot harder. He also had a fantastic performance in fire-making and Final Tribal Council, and I’m glad he finished second.
Ultimately, Rachel will for sure go down as a terrific winner and certainly one of the better players of the so-called New Era. She’s excellent at every aspect of the game, and I’d love to see her play again to truly solidify her place amongst the all-time greats. Whether she does or not, however, her legacy is secure, even if she didn't get Kyle's vote.