Who won ‘Survivor 50’? Top 3 go head-to-head as jury decides their fate in thrilling finale
'Survivor 50' aired its three-hour-long finale on May 20 on CBS. Episode 13, titled 'Reverse the Curse,' began with five contestants and reached its final stage with only three players, who made their case before the jury to win the $2 million cash prize and the title of 'Survivor 50' winner. After Tiffany's elimination in the first half of the finale, Joe Hunter, Jonathan Young, Rizo Velovic, and Aubry Bracco were declared as the final four. The players headed for the final challenge of the competition series. Host Jeff Probst revealed that Simmotion was chosen as the Final Four immunity challenge by fans, with 41% of the vote.
Using only one hand, the players had to drop a ball into a spiral rack and catch it at the bottom before it dropped. The task became more complex as more balls were added at intervals, with the players needing to ensure they caught all the balls. Jonathan was the first to lose, and Rizo followed him, leaving Aubry and Joe to battle it out. The 39-year-old Aubry, who did not win a single individual challenge this season, claimed victory when it mattered most. Her win was not a fluke, though, as she later revealed that she had practised the Simmotion challenge at home on the chance that it would be the final challenge. She decided to take Joe to the top 3, leaving Jonathan and Rizo to fight for the third spot with the fire-making challenge. It's a do-over for both players as Rizo and Jonathan lost fire and missed out on making it to the 'Top Three' during their previous stints of Survivor in Seasons 49 and 42, respectively.
However, before the fire-making challenge could unfold on screen, Probst accidentally revealed that Rizo had lost the challenge and declared him the 11th and last jury member on live TV. That left Aubry, Joe, and Jonathan as the top three contestants of 'Survivor 50.' On their last day on the island, the players got a surprise visit from their loved ones and enjoyed a special feast before heading to Tribal Council to face the jury. The episode then cut to the live show, where the host got the jury's final thoughts on the trio. Cirie Fields and Ozzy Lusth showed support for Aubry, Chrissy Hofbeck, and Rizo for Jonathan, and Emily Flippen and Coach Wade for Joe. Meanwhile, Tiffany, Stephenie, and Dee Valladares seemed ready for retribution. At the final Tribal Council, the jury grilled the contestants over the game plans, leaving them to defend their actions and prove their worth to win 'Survivor 50.'
Aubry made her case by pointing out that she led the charge against Ozzy, a pivotal moment in the game that also led to Cirie's elimination. Despite this, Ozzy praised Aubry for playing the middle perfectly. Jonathan claimed credit for the votes of Ozzy, Dee Valladares, and Kamilla Karthigesu, while Joe said that his biggest asset was collaborating with others and being vulnerable. The jury members then voted for the winner of 'Survivor 50, and Probst announced that the results would be declared during the live finale in Los Angeles, and not on the island. The episode then cut to the live show with the host bringing out the urn to read the votes with the finalists. Joe did not receive a single vote and became the second runner-up of this season. Stephenie, Coach, and Chrissy voted for Jonathan. Meanwhile, Rizo, Tiffany, Cirie, Ozzy, Rick, Christian, Dee, and Emily voted for Aubry, making her the winner of 'Survivor 50.'
