Absolute Banger Season

Absolute Banger Season
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	44
Episode Number	13/14 (653)
Original Release	May 24, 2023
Viewership (in Millions)	4.41
Ratings/Share (18-49)	0.7/7
Episode Chronology
Previous	"I'm the Bandit"
Next	"Aftershow"
Subpages

Absolute Banger Season is the season finale of Survivor 44.

Story

“	The remaining five castaways must climb their way to victory in the immunity challenge to earn a feast at the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Also, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor.	”
—Episode Synopsis

Challenges

• Reward/Immunity
• Immunity

Challenge: Lone Palm Express
The final five will race through a three-story tower obstacle, collecting keys along the way. Once out of the tower, they will use a pole to release a fourth key, which they will use to unlock a chest containing a monkey's paw. They will toss the monkey's paw, hooking it in a stand before pulling it to release a ladder. They will then race up the ladder to their puzzle station. The first person to finish building their vertical jigsaw puzzle wins.
Reward: Spaghetti, wine, and cake to be enjoyed at the Survivor Sanctuary.
Winner: Carson Garrett (shared with Yam Yam Arocho)

Challenge: Simmotion
Each castaway must drop a ball into a metal chute. The ball will travel down a spiraling metal track and exits out of one of two points, with a turnstile gate in the middle of the track causing the balls to alternate between exits. Castaways must catch the ball, then drop it back into the chute at the top. At designated intervals, an additional ball is added to the track until seven balls are simultaneously in play. If a castaway's ball falls to the ground at any time, they are eliminated from the challenge. The last person standing wins.
Winner: Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt (forfeited immunity)

Tribal Council

Day 24

Tribal Council 12: Va Va
Voted Against	Voter
Lauren (3 votes)	Carolyn, Carson, Heidi
Heidi (1 vote)	Yam Yam
Yam Yam (1 vote)	Lauren
VOTED OUT: Lauren Harpe

Voting Confessionals

Lauren was shown writing down Yam Yam's name. Carson was shown writing down Lauren's name. No voting confessionals were aired.

Final Words

	Lauren	“	It feels great to come out here and make my family proud. I made it 24 days here on an island, how awesome is that? Even though I'm not the Sole Survivor, I'm still a winner and I'm just so grateful that I was blessed with this opportunity to come out here and play.	”

Day 25

Tribal Council 13: Va Va
Fire-Making Challenge
Participant	Result
Carson	Lost
Heidi	Won
ELIMINATED: Carson Garrett

Final Words

	Carson	“	To lose against someone who made the fastest Survivor fire-making challenge in history feels pretty awesome. Even though I didn't get to the Final Three, I'm so proud of myself and it's incredible to be on Survivor and actually live my dream of playing, so I'm still kind of pinching myself that I'm even here.	”

Final Tribal Council

Tribal Council 14: Jury Vote
Voted for Winner	Voter
Yam Yam (7 votes)	Brandon, Carson, Frannie, Jaime, Kane, Lauren, Matt
Heidi (1 vote)	Danny
Carolyn (0 votes)	None
SECOND RUNNER-UP: Carolyn Wiger
RUNNER-UP: Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt
SOLE SURVIVOR: Yam Yam Arocho

Voting Confessionals

No voting confessionals were aired.

Final Results

Bruce 18th	Maddy 17th	Helen 16th	Claire 15th	Sarah 14th	Matthew 13th	Josh 12th	Matt 11th	Brandon 10th
Kane 9th	Frannie 8th	Danny 7th	Jaime 6th	Lauren 5th	Carson 4th	Carolyn 3rd	Heidi 2nd	Yam Yam Winner

Trivia

Secret Scenes

• Lauren's Love From Home: Lauren reads her letters from home and is touched and inspired by their love and support.
• Return from Tribal Council: See what the Final Four had to say after returning from Tribal Council where they just voted out Lauren.

On Fire with Jeff Probst

• The Tribe Has Spoken

Other

• Heidi broke Mike Gabler's previous record for the fastest win in a fire-making showdown, at 3 minutes and 2 seconds.
• This episode marks the third time that a woman has defeated a man in a fire-making challenge, after Stephenie LaGrossa's win in "Neanderthal Man" and Carolyn Rivera's win in "It's a Fickle, Fickle Game".