FIJI, OCEANIA: Mike Gabler, a 51-year-old heart valve specialist from Houston, Texas, has won Season 43 of 'Survivor,' and fans are furious. To cap off a season that was not well received by supporters on social media, the conclusion was likewise a stab in the chest for most viewers, as Mike Gabler won.
The victor was announced in the Fijian jungles, not on a Los Angeles staging in front of a studio audience, by host Jeff Probst. The aftershow began just minutes after Mike's victory was declared. Cassidy Clark, a 26-year-old designer from Plano, Texas, finished second, followed by Owen Knight, a 30-year-old college admissions director from Bethesda, Maryland. Mike promised to donate the $1 million in his father's name, a Green Beret, to a nonprofit that supports veterans suffering from mental health concerns.
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Probst opened the episode by sending the last five finalists — Jesse, Karla, Cassidy, Owen, and Gabler — to a new beach to start over. They were offered the chance to compete for the last edge, but it needed their exhausted minds to decode a pretty long message. Karla was the first to solve it, and despite her damaged ankle, she limped down to the shore to begin her quest for the hidden advantage. Owen was hot on her tail, but he couldn't keep up; Karla did. But Owen had the last laugh! He eventually won the task — another word scramble! — which earned him a position in the final four and a delicious supper of steak and baked potatoes. He picked Cassidy to accompany him, leaving Jesse, Karla, and Gabler to fend for themselves on coconut.
Now for Tribal Council. After Jesse drew a surprise concealed immunity idol from his pocket, the final five divided into smaller groups (or, as Karla put it, "let's dance") to decide who would go home. Karla, an educational project manager from San Diego, was chosen by the majority. Karla felt flattered to be perceived as a danger. The second hour began with the last immunity challenge, which resulted in two players being eliminated. The final four had to pile wood disks on a rebar framework that eventually shook in the wind. The stacks erected by Gabler and Owen were destroyed by a strong breeze, giving Cassidy the advantage and her third immunity win. "This could be a million-dollar necklace for me," she joked.
Cassidy then selected Owen to join her in the final three, leaving Jesse and Gabler to compete in the traditional fire-building competition. Gabler not only won but also set a new Survivor record by finishing in 4 minutes and 9 seconds. Jesse was devastated and in tears.
The 51-year-old Idaho heart valve surgeon had been hidden in plain sight throughout the game, but the "AlliGabler" suddenly emerged and totally devoured the competition at the very end, prevailing over Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight in an overwhelming 7-1-0 jury decision. Fans couldn't hold back their emotion as they took to social media to share, "This has to be the most ridiculous winner ever—" Calling out the ridiculousness in the final segment, a fan wrote, "The fact that the final immunity challenge winner gets called out by the jury for not giving up immunity tells you everything you need to know about how dumb the final 4 fire-making is." Asking people to not fall for the hype, another wrote, "A big f**k you to the new #Survivor winner. Don’t fall for the hype. “Veterans” is just a Trump super PAC. Liking tweets calling people groomers and more. Absolutely the f**k not. Worst Survivor season ever." Labeling the win embarassing, one fan wrote, "Jesse winning would have been an all time winner. Cassidy winning would have been a very phenomenal winner. Cassidy losing to Gabler is the dumbest season ever. Truly embarrassing." One eye-opening takeaway from one fan included, "One thing that I hope people really take away from #Survivor 43 is that seasons where gender/misogyny become a narrative theme never end well for women. David vs Goliath, IotI, and S43 all ended with male winners and only 1/28 jury votes went to a female finalist."
Calling the season allegedly anti-woman, one viewer wrote, "Gabler is a bottom 5 winner and I’m not even saying this in the heat of the moment. He literally did nothing except be lucky enough to be cast on an anti women season." While seeking justice for Cirie, one fan wrote, "Gabler is a survivor WINNER but Cirie Fields is not….Jeff Probst & CBS still needs to answer for the crime that was Game Changers this is devastating." Calling the winner 'undeserved' a viewer wrote, "Pretty bad when the other two finalists had these reactions, because the winner made zero sense to everyone. Bitter jury, undeserved #Survivor winner. Incredibly horrible finale." Further slamming the jury, one viewer tweeted, "Every #Survivor winner deserves their win but I'm fairly certain that jury voted Gabler to make themselves look better. Karla and Jesse would much rather vote for the good guy with no blood on his hands than admit that Cassidy outplayed them."
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