SPOILER WARNING: This story reveals details from the survivor Final.
Speaking of Christmas presents, Mike “Gabler” Gabler, a 51-year-old heart valve specialist from Houston, Texas, won season 43 of survivor. And he vowed to donate all his winnings to charity.
Host Jeff Probst revealed the winner in the jungles of Fiji, not on a Los Angeles sound stage in front of a studio audience. Even the after show took place minutes after Gabler’s victory was announced.
Cassidy Clark, a 26-year-old designer from Plano, Texas, was second, and Owen Knight, a 30-year-old college admissions director from Bethesda, Maryland, was third.
Gabler pledged to donate the $1 million in his father’s name, a Green Beret, to a charity that honors veterans struggling with mental health issues. “It was a rollercoaster ride,” he said to Probst. “Tonight was special because I got to tell the whole story…. Tonight out here I worked on it up to the very last second. It feels bigger than you think Jeff. We made history here this season. Only the second player in Survivor history over 50.”
“I have a great home life,” he continued. “To take that million dollars … there’s so much happening in the news that we don’t like to see it. That’s why we’re looking at Survivor.”
Gabler, winner of Survivor 43
The episode began with Probst sending the last five – Gabler, Owen, Cassidy, Karla and Jesse – to a new beach to start over. There they had a chance to fight for one last advantage, except that it required their tired brains to decipher a rather lengthy message. Karla managed to break free first and – although handicapped with an injured ankle – hobbled down to the beach to begin her quest for the hidden advantage. Owen was on her heels, but he wasn’t fast enough; Karla found it.
But Owen had the last laugh! In the end he wins the challenge – another word for scramble! – that guaranteed him a place in the last four and a sweet meal of steak and baked potatoes. He chose Cassidy to come with him, leaving Jesse, Karla, and Gabler to subsist on coconuts.
To the tribal council. After Jesse surprisingly pulled a hidden immunity idol from his pocket, the final five broke up into smaller groups (or as Karla said, “let’s dance”) to discuss who’s going home. The majority chose Karla, an educational project manager from San Diego, who seemed to be doing well. Karla felt honored to be seen as a threat.
The second hour began with the final immunity challenge, which failed two of the players. The last four had to stack wooden discs on top of a rebar structure that ended up swaying in the wind. A strong breeze destroyed the stacks built by Gabler and Owen, giving Cassidy the advantage and her third immunity win. “This could be a million dollar necklace for me,” she told Probst.
Cassidy then selected Owen to sit with her in the last three, leaving Jesse and Gabler to compete in the traditional firefighter challenge. Gabler not only won, he broke survivor‘s fire-starting record, finishing in an impressive 4 minutes and 9 seconds. Poor Jesse was devastated and in tears. As a family man with a PhD in Political Science, Jesse spoke about how he’s done it for his kids. “I felt like I played a great game… I’ve had to fight my whole life to get to where I am,” he said.