‘Survivor’: Who Won Season 47?

Survivor 47 came to a dramatic end on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as Rachel LaMont took home the win — and the $1 million check.

Rachel may have been a dominant force throughout the latter half of the season, with victory seeming almost assured due to her strong gameplay and emphatic immunity idol use, but Sam Phaley and Sue Smey both put up a fight in the final three. In the end, however, the jury awarded Rachel a 7-1-0 victory over Sam and Sue.

Rachel was the biggest target going into the final immunity challenge alongside fellow final four members Sam, Sue and Teeny Chirichillo early on in Wednesday’s episode. Despite Sam’s early challenge lead, Rachel took home her fourth individual immunity win, making her one of just five women in 47 seasons to have won four individual immunities in one season and putting her in the leagues of Survivor legends Jenna Morasca, Chrissy Hofbeck, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe and Kelly Wiglesworth. Rachel was quick to note, however, that both Kelly and Chrissy made it to the finale on their seasons but failed to take home the win.

It would all come down to fire-making, and with Rachel declaring right away that she would be bringing her ally Sue with her to the final three, it was Sam and Teeny who were forced to make fire. Sam admittedly didn’t practice making fire at all throughout the season, while Teeny had the coaching of Rachel to help her build her confidence going into the challenge.

Despite the odds against Sam, the fire-making challenge quickly turned into one of the most exciting showdowns fans have seen in years. Teeny had a huge lead before Sam could even get a spark, but that lead evaporated in an unexpected twist as the wind — and Sam’s determination — led him to burn through the string before Teeny could. This meant Sam would sit beside Rachel and Sue in the final three as Teeny became the final member of the jury.

Sam attempted to paint his “scrappy” game as the best of the season in his argument to the jury, while Sue revealed she was not actually in her 40s, as she told the group, but turning 59. Rachel’s description of her game and her ability to find herself a new position post-merge earned her the win with the jury, however.

“I think Rachel will go down as one of the best overall players to ever compete on Survivor,” Jeff Probst told Entertainment Weekly. “She made the most of every opportunity, and when in trouble, always found a way out. Her dominant challenge performance speaks for itself, and her final argument to the jury about why she deserved their vote was very well-crafted with just the right amount of confidence and humility. And in addition to all of those player qualities, she was also a really fun human. I enjoyed talking to her at challenges and Tribal Council.”