This article contains spoilers for Survivor 45’s season finale, which aired on December 20 on CBS and Paramount Plus

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Outwit, outplay, outlast — that’s what one castaway did on Survivor 45 to become the franchise’s newest “Sole Survivor” while also collecting the $1 million check for their 26-day effort.

December 20 marked season 45’s three-hour finale. Out of the original 18, five players remained vying for the accolade and grand prize — Dee Valladares, Austin Li Coon, Jake O’Kane, Katurah Topps, and Julie Alley. After they were whittled down to the final three, the Jury took over and voted for who they wanted to fly back home as Survivor 45’s champion.

And that was Dee.

Judging by the Survivor community on social media (and my own opinion of the season’s trajectory), the 26-year-old was the heavy favorite to win season 45 heading into finale night. She was insulated by her connections with Austin and Julie while also having a knack for snagging Immunity Necklaces.

After Julie was knocked out of the game during the finale’s first Tribal Council, Dee triumphed in the final Immunity Challenge of the season. She chose to bring her showmance, Austin, along with her to day 26 while Jake punched his own ticket by defeating Katurah in the fire-making challenge.

After Dee, Austin, and Jake fielded questions from the eight-person Jury, the eliminated castaways took one final turn in the voting booth. Then, host Jeff Probst collected the urn and ceremoniously read the votes out one at a time. It quickly became apparent that it was a battle between Dee and Austin as Jake didn’t receive any votes from the get-go.

In the end, the Cuban-born contender earned five votes while Austin had three. Katurah, Julie, Emily Flippen, Kellie Nalbandian, and Kaleb Gebrewold gave Dee their stamp of approval, while Drew Basile, Bruce Perreault, and Kendra McQuarrie voted for Austin.

During the aftershow, which was filmed at Tribal Council immediately after the game ended, the cast celebrated Dee’s triumph and reminisced about some of the moments that their stellar season brought. Dee said that she planned to use the prize money to help her parents retire and that her romantic feelings for Austin were genuine.

Dee will stand as Survivor’s reigning champion until season 46 comes to a close in spring 2024.

Dee’s alliance with the ‘Reba 4’ helped lift her to victory

“I think somebody will look at me and just be like, ‘Oh, she’s just a pretty face, and she doesn’t like to get down and dirty,'” Dee said in her pre-game interview. “But, I’ll get dirty any day out here. We’re not here to look pretty. We’re here to win.”

And right off the bat, Dee showed that was the case. She was a gamer through and through, which was also proven by her three individual Immunity Challenge wins — the most of anyone in Survivor 45.

There were a few critical moments and decisions in Dee’s game that led her to the $1 million payday. Also, there was a healthy dose of luck, which she admitted at the final Tribal Council.

First, Dee said she was extremely fortunate to be put on the Reba tribe at the beginning of Survivor 45. She forged a strong alliance with Austin, Julie, and Drew early on, which was later coined the “Reba 4.” The group had a stranglehold on the political wheelings and dealings of the merge, and Dee was at its nucleus.

Also, she didn’t see Tribal Council until day 9, which was the fourth round of play. It was the first Tribal after the tribe swap, and although Sean Edwards pleaded to be voted out, Dee stuck with her, Julie, and “J. Maya’s” original plan to oust Sifu Alsup. The other castaways took pity on Sean, however, and they granted his wish by voting him out.

This was the first time we got a glimpse of Dee’s cutthroat nature at a Tribal Council. And we’d continue to see it moving forward. Dee was in the majority for every single vote during the individual portion of Survivor 45. Along with her Reba 4 allies, she took out her threats one by one, blindside after blindside.

A pivotal moment in her game happened during Reba 4’s break-up. On day 21, Drew and Austin decided it was time to cut Julie. They viewed her as a massive threat to win Survivor 45 if she sat in front of the Jury on day 26. They rallied Emily, Katurah, and Jake as well, and it seemed like “Mama J’s” was heading to Ponderosa that night.

But, not wanting to leave Dee in the dark, Austin told her about the imminent blindside.

Although Austin and Dee were very close, so was she and Julie. So, Dee told Julie that votes were coming her way and that she needed to play her Hidden Immunity Idol. Julie did, negating every vote besides her own.

Dee leaking the info to Julie directly led to Emily’s downfall, which boded well for Dee.

Then, when she was faced with the opportunity to repay Austin with the knowledge that his best friend (Drew) was about to be betrayed, she elected to withhold it. Drew was eliminated on day 23 during Survivor 45’s penultimate episode, which elevated Dee into an even more formidable power position.

By keeping her two closest allies around, while also catching a break when Katurah wrote Julie’s name down instead of hers at the final five Tribal Council, Dee marched her way to the finish line relatively unscathed. All in all, Dee received two elimination votes through the nine Tribals she attended.

From my estimation, Dee goes down as the new era’s most complete winner.

Dee nailed the social, strategic, and physical elements of season 45 while also traversing the game as a noticeable threat. She never let her rivals mount a proper attack, and because of that, Dee’s name will forever be etched in the reality competition history books as a Survivor champion.

“I hope to be remembered as someone who cared about the people around her,” Dee said in the pre-game interview. “I’m going to be that person that sits next to you, and people don’t forget how you make them feel.”

Considering the biggest reason Dee made it to the winner’s circle was because of the close-knit relationships she formed with several castmates, Dee made good on her desire. And to say her victory in the Fijian archipelago was deserved is an understatement.