'Survivor' Season 45: Everything We Know So Far (Including Who Won)

Survivor has reached an incredible milestone: 45 seasons on the air! And the Emmy-winning reality series will continue with the formula that has made it so successful, as a group of castaways begin the adventure of a lifetime, hoping they'll leave the island a million dollars richer.

Read on to find out everything we know about Survivor season 45, including when the new season premieres, who is in the cast, and much more.

Who won Survivor 45?

Dee Valladares

As Dee admitted in the final Tribal Council, there were some Survivor fortunes that fell in her favor. Getting put on Reba allowed her to become a part of an ironclad majority that ran the postmerge of the game. But the entrepreneur sells herself short. Towards the end of the season, she crafted a perfect social situation where she protected her number one allies to serve as both numbers and shields for her. Oftentimes, whoever Dee wanted would go, as she pruned down the threats to her game. And, on top of that, she won the most Immunity Challenges out of anyone in the season. For someone whose unique feet made her a master of balance, that translated to her game as well, as the jury gave her the win.

Who was voted out of Survivor 45?

Episode 1

Therapist Hannah Rose has been through some incredibly hard things in her life, including being forced to become sober at 20. But, as she expressed many times throughout the Survivor 45 premiere, that was a cakewalk compared to living out on the island. The reality of the game hit Hannah hard, to the point where she was crying on the very first day. By the time she was approaching Tribal Council, and names were being thrown out, Hannah realized that someone would go who wanted to stay much more than her. So she forced the hand of her tribe members, telling them to let her go back to her creature comforts off-island. This marks the earliest time someone has quit Survivor in the show's 45-season history.

Episode 2

Brandon Donlon is perhaps the biggest fan to ever play Survivor, to the point where he openly cried on the mat with the reality that he was getting to play his favorite game in the world. Unfortunately for Brandon, those tears marked a high point in the game for him. He suffered a panic attack in the opening challenge, something that put him on the map as a weak link of the tribe. It was sadly a reputation he was unable to overcome. So, when Lulu went back to Tribal Council, though Brandon got on much better with his tribe than fellow member Emily, he was deemed too much of a liability to let continue.

Episode 3

Through the first week of Survivor 45, Sabiyah Broderick held all the power. While the Lulu tribe dwindled, she gained the lead position in the group, finding an idol to boot. When they were sent to their third Tribal Council in a row, Sabiyah concocted a plan to blindside her closest ally Kaleb for being a threat. Her Achilles heel was the person she kept in the game last week in Emily. Sabiyah chose to sacrifice her vote to try to have her idol last to the merge. But she underestimated the duo of Emily and Kaleb, who came together to blindside Sabiyah and send her out with an idol in her pocket.

Episode 4

It was an incredibly up-and-down episode for Sean Edwards. After being left out of the stunning blindside of Sabiyah last episode, he felt like a dead man walking on a dwindling Lulu. Sean was granted a second life in the game with a tribe swap, only to find himself on the bottom once more, living with four former Reba members. Facing Tribal Council yet again, Sean's situation didn't seem completely hopeless, as the woman had organized a blindside against Sifu. However, it was Sean who blindsided them all. He came to a realization at Tribal Council that he had gained everything from his experience, and his place was not on the island, but back at home. He asked to be voted out, and his request was granted.

Episode 5

In the first half of the premerge, Brandon "Brando" Meyer was a key figure in the middle, caught between the gender wars on Belo. But the swap put the software developer in a brand new line of code, left with his weakest connection in Kendra and three new tribemates. Brando attempted to connect with Drew over their mutual interests, even pitching to get rid of Kendra. But when the fellow nerd denied him, he had to seek another ally to capture. Going into the vote, Emily was clearly in the middle between former Belo and Reba members. In the end, she sided with the tight twosome of guys, and Brando was voted out.

Episode 6

J. Maya's boot episode was a culmination of her 13 days on Survivor 45. In the premerge, she took credit for a vote against Sifu, and was earning distrust from Dee and Julie. She did get an advantage, but deprived Austin of a much-desired sandwich. So when the tribes merged, the former Rebas took the opportunity to immediately turn on her. J. Maya was granted a reprieve when everyone turned on Kaleb, putting all their votes on the Canadian. But that calm was short-lived, as he successfully played his Shot in the Dark. With all votes nullified, J. Maya scrambled to avoid a revote. Unfortunately, her chorus ended on a low note, as she crossed the bridge out of Tribal Council.

Episode 7

Despite being a martial arts master, Nicholas "Sifu" Alsup struggled to find his balance in the game. His chaotic approach to the island caused him to become an early target on Reba, and he nearly was voted out premerge. That unfortunately left him on the outs of his former tribe members, even at the merge. Surrounded by three Belo players in his mini-tribe, Sifu had a bad feeling about his state in the game. And, though the former blues did briefly contemplate drawing blood and booting Bruce, his hunch was correct, and he was voted out unanimously.

As Dee told us tonight, Kaleb Gebrewold truly has been the cat with nine lives on Survivor. He was one of only two players to make the merge as part of the doomed Lulu tribe, and nearly got taken out by his closest ally. But once he became vulnerable again, he was back in the same spot, with everyone turned against him. And so Kaleb made the biggest Survivor hail mary in the show's history, successfully playing his Shot in the Dark and nullifying eleven votes against him. Even when he was left on a new group of six, Kaleb thought there was a light forward, joining up with the former Belos. But it was Katurah who proved to snuff out that light, not wanting to force the tie and ending Kaleb's ninth life (but begin his tenth on the jury).

Episode 8

For the past few weeks, Kellie Nalbandian said that Bruce, who he regarded as his number one ally, would be the end of her in this game. And he was, just not in the way that she expected. Bruce won a clutch Immunity Challenge after losing his vote in the auction, causing everyone to scramble. Regardless of old Belo being targeted, Kellie was confident that her relationships--and a possible new women's alliance--would lead to Jake getting the boot. But the Reba alliance had other plans. Fearing Kellie a bigger threat, they allowed Jake to put on a show, thinking he was going and wasting his Shot in the Dark. But really, the votes were on Kellie, who was shocked and gutted as she eyed the very people who betrayed her.

Episode 9

For the second time this game, Kendra McQuarrie was left on the outside of a blindside, as she watched yet another Belo member go. After losing her Day 1 friend, she made some enemies when she wanted to take a shot straight at Dee. Though she feasted on rotisserie chicken on what would be her last day in the game, it was her own position that was about to get roasted. The Reba majority went back and forth between Kendra or Jake as possible options. In the end, Dee got her way, and Kendra was shocked yet again by another blindside, this time with herself as the target.

Episode 10

Bruce Perreault received a second life on Survivor when he was asked to return after lasting only 12 hours on season 44 prior to his medevac. And his entire game basically put that second life on the line. His domineering personality wore thin on even his closest allies, and he became a clear public enemy number one early on. But he kept himself safe throughout tribal and individual Immunity Challenge wins. When Bruce finally was vulnerable, it was public knowledge he had an idol and would most likely be playing it. However, Emily had him convinced that the underdogs could come together to overthrow the dominant Reba alliance. And so he didn't play his idol, confident in his choice. But, like all of Bruce's game, that confidence did not match up with the reality, as he was blindsided with an idol in his pocket.

Episode 11

One vote. That's how long Emily was originally supposed to last on Survivor. After immediately rubbing the Lulus the wrong way with her bluntness, she was granted a reprieve in the game. She made good on that second chance, making several key bonds and even one of the biggest moves of the season when she convinced Bruce not to play his idol. Unfortunately for Emily, that grew her threat level to make her a huge presence in the game, and the target of Dee and Julie. Luckily, she had Austin and Drew by her side, who protected her by putting forward a plan to pile all the votes on Julie. But unfortunately for Emily, Julie was tipped off by Dee and played her idol. So, it came down to one vote, and Julie got her wish as Emily went home.

Episode 12

"A tragic time old story about a guy who goes into Survivor with a lot of brain power and a little bit too much confidence." That's how Drew Basile describes his complete blindside. The graduate student had schooled his competition up to that point, in control of every vote to help get the Rebas to a majority. But once there, he already had eyes for the endgame, starting with Julie. Unfortunately, his first shot at her missed, as she saved herself with an idol. But he thought the second would be the death blow, and he could sail to the Final Three with Dee and Austin. The rest of the tribe, though, had other plans. Julie wanted revenge, and Jake and Katurah wanted a move to their names. So they came together with Dee to leave the gregarious Drew speechless at Tribal Council.

Finale

First, Julie Alley was voted out in one of the messiest votes in Survivor history, a wild 2-1-1-1 vote. After making a mistake and swapping her vote, Katurah Topps ended up paying for it directly when she was sent into firemaking, losing to fellow Belo Jake O'Kane. Jake got a rare victory on the season and made it to the final Tribal Council, he unfortunately got shut out by the jury. Austin Li Coon succeeded in his Rob and Amber fantasy, making it to the end against Dee. But, though his relationships and accolades for not getting a vote all season got him a few jury votes, he finished just shy of the win.

Survivor 45 Exit Interviews

Every week, Parade.com will speak with the castaway most recently voted off the island.
Episode 1 – Hannah Rose Gives the Breaking Point that Led to Her Quit
Episode 2 – Brandon Donlon Talks Through His Opening Panic Attack
Episode 3 – Sabiyah Broderick Explains Her Sudden Turn on Kaleb
Episode 4 – Sean Edwards Admits He Regrets His Last-Minute Quit
Episode 5 – Brandon "Brando" Meyer Reveals He Found a Note at the Swap
Episode 6 – Janani "J. Maya" Krishnan-Ja Breaks Down That Wild "Mergatory" Vote
Episode 7 – Nicholas "Sifu" Alsup Says Leaving His Bag Back at Camp Sealed His Elimination
–Kaleb Gebrewold Breaks Down His History-Making Shot in the Dark Play
Episode 8 – Kellie Nalbandian Reveals Her Plan to Steal Bruce's Idol
Episode 9 – Kendra McQuarrie Reveals an Injury that Impaired Her Game
Episode 10 – Bruce Perreault on an Unseen Relationship with Emily that Led to His Exit
Episode 11 – Emily Flippen Reacts to Her Fan Favorite Reception
Episode 12 – Drew Basile Says the Rebas Would Never Go to the End Together
Finale – Winner Dee Valladares Talks Through Her Victory-Clinching Final Tribal Council Reveal
–Runner-Up Austin Li Coon Gives an Update on His Relationship with Dee
–Finalist Jake O'Kane Talks His Emotional Lows and Tribal Council Theatrics
–Katurah Topps Explains Her Last-Minute Vote Swap That Sealed Her Fate
–Julie Alley Reveals How She Got to Keep Austin's Idol

When did Survivor 45 start?

During the premiere of Big Brother 25, CBS revealed that Survivor 45 would premiere on Wednesday, September 27.

How long will episodes of Survivor 45 be?

Survivor 45 marks a historic moment in the show's history. It will air 90-minute episodes from 8:00-9:30. This marks the first time that the series will regularly have episodes longer than its 60-minute runtime.

When is the finale of Survivor 45?

Survivor 45 has yet to announce a finale date. However, if we're assuming it runs the same schedule as the previous seasons, it should happen at some point in mid-December.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Survivor 44

When did Survivor season 45 film?

It is assumed that Survivor 45 filmed from late April into May. The season will continue with the "new era" tradition of running for 26 days rather than the 39 days of the first 40 seasons.

Related: 'Survivor' Turns 45! Meet the "Next Generation" of the Crew Behind the Scenes

Who is in the cast for Survivor 45?

The first person confirmed for the Survivor 45 cast was Bruce Perreault. The insurance adjuster is a familiar face to fans, as he was a cast member only one season ago on Survivor 44. Tragically, Bruce only lasted twelve hours in the game after getting a concussion in the opening challenge. But Jeff Probst offered him a spot on a future season on the first episode of his podcast "On Fire with Jeff Probst," and that offer was taken the very next season!

The full cast of Survivor 45 was released on September 6, 2023.