11 Survivor Alums Tell Us Who Should Win Season 45

This week's Survivor 45 finale marks the end of an incredible season, probably the best of the show's so-called "New Era." This season had the best calibration yet of Jeff Probst's new twists while still letting the players shape the game on their own. The mix of personalities this season was a gift of alchemy, featuring close bonds, rivalries with some genuine animosity to them, and an island romance that had the production team hauling out clips of Rob and Amber for comparison. We even got a record-breaking merge episode.

Season 45 has come down to the final five: Dee, who most often was guiding the ship of the Reba Four alliance, and didn't let her budding romance with Austin derail her strategic game; Austin, who did let his budding romance with Dee affect his strategic game, at least momentarily; Julie, whose nurturing "Mama J" personality helped her make allies but also risked embittering the people she's voted out; Jake, whose repeated attempts to gain some control in the game have been stonewalled by the Rebas; and Katurah, who bested her hated rival Bruce, and who recently revealed she survived a childhood in a cult and emerged as a Black, queer woman without much money who put herself through law school.

To evaluate this group of five worthy and charismatic players, we've gathered a panel of Survivor alumni who have all distinguished themselves over the course of their seasons on the show. We asked them each one simple question: Who are you rooting for to win Survivor 45?

Yam Yam Arocho (Winner, Survivor 44)

So basically I'm rooting for myself because nobody rooted for me in the last article. I mean, [Carolyn] is my best friend, but hello! Were they watching the same game? Whatever. I'm gonna f*ck with everybody on 45 like they were f*cking with me: I was rooting for Emily! [laughs]

I think Katurah is a very interesting person with a great life story. I think she knows how what she does has an effect on people. We saw her backstory two weeks ago, and it was so moving. When you meet somebody as powerful and amazing as Katurah is — I met her in person before the Big Brother premiere — you would never imagine that's what she went through, but it makes so much sense. And in the game of Survivor, when you go through stuff like that, you have so many tools you can use for your success. And I think I see something very, very cool in her. Not saying that Dee doesn't have a cool story, or Jake, or Mama J, or Austin, because they all do. But I think Katurah has the most intense one.

I have to say that I'm rooting for Dee, too, because she's Latina! Dee is freaking Cuban, Caribbean, like me, born on the island like myself. I mean not the same island, but hello! So she definitely has a fiery spirit and something that I find super compelling. There was a thing I did in my season where I didn't want to be an assh*le, and I'm not saying some people were an assh*le, but some people would say what was on their mind without being concerned about how it came across to the other players. And that self-control and being super happy and personable and friendly, and telling people what you think without them feeling like it's a threat or anything is something that I appreciate in [Dee's] game. A lot of Latinos, I think we like to charm people, and I think she has that in her. She's charming people.

Josh Wilder (Survivor 44)

I really, really like Katurah, and I want her to win so badly. Her story is so captivating, she's been through so much, and to see her come so far and do so well in the game has been great. Now, do I think she's done a lot gameplay-wise? No, not really. But seeing her navigate through these big, strong competitors and still be there and still be willing to fight for it is amazing. I think she's doing a great job, and it's a strategy that works for some and sometimes it doesn't for others. And I think she's going to win — I have a good feeling.

Eliza Orlins (Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia)

I am loving this season, and can’t recall the last time where I would be happy with anyone in the final five winning. That wouldn’t have been the case if last week’s outcome had been different, but that’s for another time!

Katurah was my pre-season winner pick! A New York City civil rights lawyer and all around badass. How could I not love her? And she’s been incredible this season. I love how much of herself she’s shared. I feel so lucky to know her and would be over the moon if she won. And by the way, both she and Austin have never had their names written down! Quite a feat. Especially for him — a challenge threat in a power couple!

Also, I’m sort of rooting for Austin not just because of how much I love him, but also because of how much I love his mom! If you’re not following Eva Li Coon, you’re missing out on one of the best things about this season. But ultimately, I think Dee has had the most dominant performance we’ve seen from a contestant in a really long time. She’s the ultimate strategist. She has known exactly what to tell whom and when. She’s brilliant, charming, and amazing at challenges. I think she’s gonna be the one to take it home!

Wendell Holland (Winner, Survivor: Ghost Island)

I really like this final five, and think that anyone can still win, with the right moves and sitting next to the right people at the end. I’m rooting for a Dee win, because I think she is a great player, one of the best in the new era, and she is by far the best player remaining.

Dee seems like she is the nucleus of so much information. It’s almost like moves can’t be made unless they come across Dee’s desk first, and she has to sign off on them (or, in some cases, change the plan to make way for an epic blindside). She’s had her finger on the pulse of the game, she’s made difficult moves to redirect the trajectory game, and she is a challenge beast. She has been in a showmance with Austin, which has been the downfall of many Survivors’ games, but to me her social game has made her showmance less-threatening. It seems like everyone loves her! Dee is a true triple threat: she is strategic, social, and she can win challenges. And for these reasons, I think she would be a great winner.

Owen Knight (Survivor 43)

I am rooting for my fellow Charlie Brown, Jake! Now, do I think he’s going to win? Probably not. But I can’t help but root for the guy. His confessionals are fun and endearing, and I obviously have a soft spot for anyone fighting from the bottom. I’m excited to see what he does with the hidden immunity idol he found last week!

The only way I can see him taking home the win is by idoling out Dee or Julie, winning the final 4 challenge, putting himself into fire against the remaining Reba, and going to the final Tribal Council with Austin and Katurah, having just bested the two biggest threats left in the game. That path has a lot of moving parts, and I imagine the football will get pulled out from under him somewhere along the way.

If I was a betting man, my money would be on Dee! She has played a masterful game. She has influenced many votes without inflating her threat level beyond recovery. She still has Julie in front of her as a shield, but she has her fingerprints all over the strategy of the game and will be able to sell it at FTC. I loved seeing the contrast between her and Austin facing the same decision. She is cutthroat and will go down as one of the best winners of recent memory if she pulls it off!

Carolyn Wiger (Survivor 44)

I’m just going to be real here: I wasn’t rooting for Austin until that last episode where he shared about being the nerdy kid with acne. I also loved his passion for the sandwich. Katurah is another one who I wasn’t rooting for until I heard her story and got to know her as a human and not just the Bruce bullsh*t.

So for me, it’s between Katurah and Jake. I want them to win and I can’t just pick one. Jake has this great underdog story, and I love underdogs. I also love his backstory and how it’s shaped him to be who he is today. Jake is raw and real. So many people play this game and come off as so arrogant. Of course we all want to go out there and play some perfect game and be a part of the votes, all while being accepted and loved, et cetera. Jake understood his place in the game when he was at the bottom. He had moments of self reflection, and he’s continued to fight. I love his story.

Hai Giang (Survivor 42)

I am rooting for Dee to win this season. Unlike other winners from the new era, she’s had the pulse of the game and control over it the entire season. She has been a crucial decision-maker all season long, being able to dictate who goes home and when — even outmaneuvering her core alliance that enabled her to make the endgame. That level of dominance has been incredible to watch, especially in the new era, where we often see the dominant players get sniped by astute but often quieter players at the end. I would love to see an energetic, intelligent, and likable strategist like Dee be crowned sole survivor. I think it would be the perfect bookend to this fabulous season.

Sophie Clarke (Winner, Survivor South Pacific)

As much as I adore theater-kid Jake, I’m rooting for Dee to win. She has Kim Spradlin’s omniscience, Natalie Anderson’s gumption, Rob Mariano’s (rare, captivating) sentimentality, and Michelle Fitzgerald’s radiance. What a combo! She’s turned the classic man-woman duo trope where the man is in charge on its head and is able to somehow neither over-compartmentalize nor over-emotionalize. She cares for and loves her friends and showmance (rooting for you Dustin!) while remaining clear-headed enough to look out for herself first and foremost. She’s great!

James Jones (Survivor 43)

The person that I am rooting for most is Katurah. I relate a lot to her. I feel like she has been playing a great game for the hand that she was dealt. I also think that she has a good understanding of where her place was in the game and how she played. And I feel like she can sell that to the jury if she makes it to the final three.

Maddy Pomilla (Survivor 44)

I love every single one of these people so much, which should make it a hard decision as to who I want to see win. But it’s not. Dee Valladares should win Survivor 45. Watching Dee this season, at multiple stages of the game I have been like “HOW IS SHE GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!?!?” She is robbing these people in the night and then feeding them breakfast with a smile in the morning! She’s so good.

After so many years of Survivor, it’s rare to see a unique style of gameplay keep a season fresh, but I would posit Dee’s individual game is rare and somewhat unprecedented for any female, especially a young female. She has done what I (and many others before) couldn’t do by blazing a path for a young woman to play a publicly dominant physical, social, and strategic game, calling the shots openly without consequence. I think this is a respectable strategy for anyone, but especially a woman.

If Dee makes it to the end, no jury can gaslight her into losing at the final three, because her game has been on display. She hasn’t played a single day from the sidelines. So if I wasn’t clear: Dee. Dee, Dee, Dee, Dee, Dee. I’m rooting for Dee.

Carson Garrett (Survivor 44)

One thing I've loved about this cast is I really do feel like every single person in the final five has a reason and a backstory to win. For me, I'm rooting the most for Dee at this point. I think she has a very solid story. She has consistently run the dynamics of the Reba Four and had control over the outcomes that have sent people home. I feel like Dee has a solid backstory; I understand her motivations, and she has a very clear reason to win. I'd be shocked to see somebody else win, given how clear her strategy has been, how equitable her gameplay has been, and how strong of a narrative we've gotten about her. So for me, I'm really rooting for her.

I'm also rooting for Jake. I feel like he's an underdog, and I love seeing him continue to thrive in the game even though he's been at the bottom so many times. I root for underdogs. My mind is trained to root for underdogs as a viewer as a fan of the show. So I would love to see someone like Jake pull through at the end and make some really cool final moves that result in his victory.

But then again, I think Austin has a reason to win. He's consistently been a great social player. He's integrated himself so well into his alliance, and he's had so many pivotal moments where his decisions resulted in his prolongment in the game. I think of someone like Julie, who everybody likes, she's had his fantastic social game. And then I think of someone like Katurah, with such a strong backstory and such an amazing reason to win as a person that I'm rooting for her as well. So I'm rooting for everybody, but I would say mostly I would love to see Dee win.

Survivor 45's finale airs Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET on CBS. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.