It All Boils Down to This

It All Boils Down to This
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	Winners at War
Episode Number	14/14 (597)
Original Release	May 13, 2020
Viewership (in Millions)	7.94
Ratings/Share (18-49)	1.6/7
Episode Chronology
Previous	"The Penultimate Step of the War"
Next	"A New Era" (next season)
Subpages

It All Boils Down to This is the season finale of Survivor: Winners at War.

Story

Day 35

	Tony	“	When I seen all these people and they're telling their stories-- the hardships, the suffering, the struggling that they did on the Edge-- it really hurt me on an emotional level. However, I got to put the emotions to the side. We have a game to play. I'm not gonna let off the gas for one second. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna press it even harder, if I can. I'll put it right through the floor at this time, because the end is coming up.	”

	Natalie	“	I left this camp Day 2, and it's unreal that I'm even saying this, but I made it back on Survivor. Like, this has been the goal since I was first voted off. I bet everything on myself today, and it paid off, because today I'm with the final six and feels (censored) amazing. The challenge was the first hurdle. And now I have a huge feat in front of me to make it to the end. The target's on me. This is a tight clique. I have to create some waves so that wheels start churning in people's heads to turn on anybody but me. Luckily, it's only me here, so I can tell any lie of Extinction I want. But I got to keep my lies straight.	”

	Tony	“	You have somebody like Natalie coming into this from the Edge; it's very tricky. It's very dangerous for my game, 'cause she can say whatever she wants to us. That information could be total lies, because nobody's here from the Edge to debunk it. And she started blowing up people's spots, especially mine. She's like, "Oh, everybody loves you, Tony." Uh... "You're-you're their favorite. You're-you're gonna-- you're-you're the winner in their eyes." And I'm like, uh, you know what, this is no good. I hope nobody believes that. I-I mean, deep down inside, I hope it's true. But I hope nobody believes that, because I don't want to put this target on my back that I don't need right now. It's poison.	”

	Sarah	“	I've never played with Natalie, so I don't know how savvy she is. She's telling everybody that the jury's gonna vote for Tony. Is that a ploy to get me to vote Tony out? Or is it truthful? You know, it strikes a nerve with me, because Tony would not be here without me. But it doesn't matter what I believe. It's what the jury believes.	”

	Sarah	“	I have to get my story out to the jury and make sure that they know that women are just as equal as men, and just because a man and a woman are working together doesn't mean the man is calling all the shots.	”

Day 36

	Tony	“	This next Tribal's gonna be very, very tricky. We seen it in season 38, where Chris comes back from the Edge with an idol. But I'm glad that happened, because it opens up people's eyes to see that's what's gonna happen to all of you guys. I'm pretty nervous about that, because if she plays some advantage, that could be sending me packing, and I don't want that to happen.	”

	Tony	“	When there's a potential problem, I'd rather try to address it than ignore it. 'Cause when you ignore a potential problem, it usually bites you in the butt. This is Survivor. It's a game of the unknown. So let's prepare for the unknown. It's better to assume that she has something than assume that she doesn't.	”

	Ben	“	Tony's got an idol. All he's got to do is just play it cool tonight, and we can make it to the final four. And he's not playing it cool right now.	”

	Ben	“	A smart Survivor would say split the votes, but I'm not gonna do that to Mama D right now. Survivor for me the first time was powering through people and not worrying about the human aspect. This time, I've learned from my first experience, and I'm trying to grow on that as a Survivor player and as a human. Denise is not a number to me. She's a friend. She's an ally.	”

	Natalie	“	The best-case scenario for me not winning immunity, which was obviously my first choice, is Michele winning immunity. She's at the bottom, and, so, at this point, my game plan is to work with Michele and make sure we break up this foursome tonight.	”

	Michele	“	I've been trying so hard to shake up this game. But it's been really hard with Tony and Sarah running this game. They have been so loyal to each other. Somebody coming in from the Edge and saying that they want to work with me, that they have an idol and I have the necklace around my neck is pretty much the ideal situation on Day 36.	”

	Natalie	“	The only thing I really know for sure is that Michele is safe tonight, I have an idol, and it's about time we shook this foursome up. So I'm so thankful that I held out on that idol and I brought it in the game with me, because if not, I would be going home tonight.	”

	Tony	“	I would think Ben would be all for saving his idol so we can guarantee ourselves in the final four. It's mind-boggling how everybody's so reluctant to throw any votes on Denise. They're adamant that this girl Natalie does not have anything. If Natalie stands up and plays an idol, now I go into panic mode. You, Ben, go into panic mode. We burn our idols. Natalie's safe, and either Sarah or Denise are on the chopping block at that point. So let's just get rid of Denise and be safe. It's a win-win.	”

	Sarah	“	Tony started freaking out that Natalie might have an idol. I have to always tell him, "Would you just trust me? Calm down." That's all I do, and that's what people don't realize. Natalie doesn't have an idol. You know why? Because Natalie and I, in the one day she's been here, have built a good enough bond that Natalie would've told me if she had something. Welcome to my world. I've lived 36 days of trying to calm Tony down. These girls don't have anything, so calm down, dude. Guess who's in control? Sarah! Sarah knows what's going on!	”

	Tony	“	I'm so angry. I'm frustrated. Denise goes home. I lose an idol. Ben loses an idol. We're vulnerable at the final five. Nice job, guys. The only good part is there was three idols played. At least one is coming back into the game, and I want to get a jump on finding it. I'm not gonna wait till the sun comes out, so... I do one of my midnight specials. (chuckles) I get a shell, I throw some coal in it, and off I go into the jungle, searching for the idol.	”

Day 37

	Tony	“	So, I'm feeling around, feeling around, searching high and low, everywhere in between, and I come up short. And then here comes the sun, and then here comes everybody else. And now I'm getting nervous, because with a little luck, anybody can find an idol.	”

	Natalie	“	Oh, my God. I can't believe it. This would be the-- probably the 50th time I've stuck my hand into a little crevice. And I felt a rope, and my heart just starts pounding so fast. This is awesome. I have an Immunity Idol. It shows dedication and that relentlessness on a goal is something that I've been able to harness from Extinction. And now I'm gonna use it to break up those three. So, my work is just getting started.	”

	Ben	“	Me and Tony have been scouring this whole island. There's two idol hounds out here, and neither of us have found it. So, that's starting to get a little concerning, 'cause that means that possibly Michele or Natalie have found it. And if that's the case and one of those girls wins immunity, we're screwed.	”

	Ben	“	The good thing is that Tony won immunity. However, neither of us have been able to find the idol. So the risk is we do not know what Natalie has. If we all put our votes on Natalie right now and then she pulls out an idol, that's unnerving.	”

	Natalie	“	Even though Tony won the necklace, I still want to break up these three. And the only one of them that might flip is Sarah. I do have an idol, but self-preservation only gets me till tomorrow. And if we don't break up this threesome today, it's not happening.	”

	Tony	“	So I climb up the tree, listening to their conversation, and then my eyes are like "bing!" And sure enough, Natalie tells Sarah she has an idol.	”

	Tony	“	Knowing that Natalie has an idol, we're all voting for Michele. We can't let her stay here any longer. She's just gonna cause trouble and chaos, so she's going home tonight. Done.	”

	Michele	“	What an absolute disaster. Sarah knows now that Natalie has an idol and I have nothing. And since I don't see those three cracking on each other, I am the obvious target tonight.	”

	Ben	“	(tearfully) I've struggled enough in my heart. I know she's been struggling to protect me, and I don't want to drag her down. It's just, I feel in my heart the right thing to do is to give her permission. And she doesn't have to, but if she does, she does, you know? I know, no matter what happens, I'm gonna walk away from Survivor with my head held high and actually have actual friends. 'Cause having friends is worth more than money.	”

	Sarah	“	(tearfully) Ben has given me the blessing to vote him out. And it tears me up, like... he's looked out for me this whole game, and I've looked out for him. And in a game where you can't trust anyone, we trust each other 100%. And to see him in tears destroys me. He's the last person that I want to hurt. But in order for me to even have a shot, I have to make a move. And I have to make a move without Tony. I've had to make hard decisions, but this one's the worst ever. And I don't know what I'm gonna do.	”

Day 38

	Tony	“	Today was the biggest Immunity Challenge of the season. I could've tied a record, which is five Immunity Challenge wins. All I do is catch the ball, put it back, catch the ball, put it back, and I would've been in good shape. I lost focus for a second, and just like that, my game is in the fate of fire.	”

	Natalie	“	I'm so excited and proud of myself that I never stopped trying to give it my best shot. But before the sun sets, I have the biggest decision of my life.	”

	Tony	“	So I'm pretty certain that Natalie's gonna throw Sarah under the bus and make me go against the other cop.	”

	Natalie	“	Tony's the biggest threat in the game, and getting him out would be ideal. So there's two options: Michele and Sarah. The reason I wouldn't want Sarah beating Tony is that gives her this really strong story at the end. So option one then is Michele and Tony go to fire.	”

	Michele	“	I would love to win the fire-making challenge. It's a really good endcap. It's just a really risky way to end the game. But it's times like this when, honestly, my strengths have come out.	”

	Tony	“	So I was watching Michele. She's striking it. She's like... (imitates clicking) flame. So I'm a little concerned about that.	”

	Sarah	“	We're just grinding all afternoon, because you have no choice but to grind at this point. I hope she picks me. I want to step up to the plate. I'm not scared. Pick me. Tony's not in the right headspace to make fire. Maybe he can get there, but if he doesn't get there, I'm gonna beat him in fire.	”

	Tony	“	I wish I could have the easy route, but I always take the hard route. That's what I do, man. I grind. I work hard, I'm gonna practice hard, I'm gonna try to perform hard. Tonight's gonna be put up or shut up. I'm either gonna win this game or I'm gonna lose trying.	”

	Natalie	“	Tonight, I'm sitting in the front seat, after being in the back seat all this time, getting voted off first. I would rather be in this position than having somebody else dictate what's gonna happen with my fate on the game. I have all the power and the biggest and last decision of the game.	”

At Tribal Council, Sophie Clarke was not present on the jury as she was not feeling well. Natalie Anderson chose to bring Michele Fitzgerald to the Final Three with her, leaving Sarah Lacina and Tony Vlachos to compete in a fire-making challenge to determine the last finalist. Tony won, eliminating Sarah from the game.

Day 39

	Michele	“	My last season, I achieved the ultimate accomplishment by winning Survivor. But I got so much feedback from the public and from my fellow contestants that maybe I wasn't the most deserving person. It took something that was my biggest accomplishment and made it into one of my toughest moments in my life. But, every single day out here, I proved to myself that I think I am one of the very, very best in this game. I've been on the bottom, constantly having to fight my way out of it. And now, here I am again, in the Final Three, and I feel like this has closed a wound that has been open for me for a while. And I will go in tonight and make sure that I do my darndest to win.	”

	Natalie	“	Even though I have a very nontraditional path to the Final Three, I took the hand I was dealt and said, "You know what? I'm gonna play the best damn Extinction game I can." I knew that I had the grit, that I had the strength and the willpower to do what it takes. I never gave up, and I was relentless in my effort to come back into the game. The most important thing I have to get across to the jury is to prove to the people that don't believe in me I was able to duke it out with the best of the best and I came out on top. So I'm going to be confident, be proud, and prove that I deserve this two million dollars.	”

	Tony	“	This is an opportunity to win a second time and prove that I'm one of the greatest players to ever play this game. Everybody has their own specialty and what they're focused on-- they're good at challenges, they're good at the social game, they're good at the strategic game. But, me, I do a little of everything. And that's what it takes to be a great player. You have to be good at everything Survivor has to throw your way. These are all winners. These are the best of the best. And these jurors-- I had a big part of ruining their chances of winning two million dollars to better their families. So I know the pain that they're feeling. The wounds are deep, and I know they're real. So this is gonna be the hardest task of all, to try to convince them that I deserve the title of Sole Survivor. But I'm pretty confident in how I played my game. So, we always had a queen of Survivor for many, many years, which was Sandra. We never had a king of Survivor. Now I'm hoping that I can take it home and be the king.	”

Reunion

Host Jeff Probst read the jury votes from his garage. The Final Three appeared via Zoom, where they each had their respective loved ones with them: Michele with her sister Kim, Natalie with her boyfriend, and Tony with his wife Marisa, and their children Anastasia and Constantine. Tony won in a 12-4-0 vote against Natalie and Michele, crowning him the winner of Survivor: Winners at War and the series' second two-time Sole Survivor.

Challenges

• Reentry Duel
• Reward/Immunity
• Immunity (Day 37)
• Immunity (Day 38)

Challenge: Don't Call It a Comeback
Tethered to a rope, castaways must make their way through a fence obstacle, then maneuver around a post to untether themselves. They must then dig up a rope rung and use that to build a rope bridge. Finally, castaways must navigate two balls through a table maze. The first castaway to get both balls into the indents in the table maze wins.
Additional Stipulation: Natalie Anderson purchased three Challenge Advantages for 6 Fire Tokens, allowing her to skip the fence obstacle, her rung already dug up, and 1/3 of her rope bridge completed. Parvati Shallow, Wendell Holland, and Yul Kwon each purchased a Challenge Advantage for 2 Fire Tokens, and would skip the fence obstacle.
Winner: Natalie Anderson

Challenge: Slide On
Castaways must race through a series of obstacles to grab a set of bags. Once they grab a bag, they must race to the top of a tower to deposit their bag. They must then slide down the tower, and retrieve two more bags. Once they have all three bags, the castaways must solve a three-tier puzzle. The first castaway to finish their puzzle wins.
Reward: An Italian feast with chocolate cake and red wine.
Winner: Michele Fitzgerald (shared with Denise Stapley and Sarah Lacina)

Challenge: 5 on 5
Starting on a pontoon in the water, castaways must swim to and run over a series of elevated balance beams to retrieve a key, then swim back to shore and crawl under a net. They must then use the key to retrieve a pair of sandbags, which they must toss and land on a narrow disc. The first castaway to land both of their sandbags on their disc wins.
Winner: Tony Vlachos

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 (a turnstile gate in the middle of the track causes the balls to come out at alternate exits). They 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 ball exits the track and is not caught at any time, the castaway is eliminated from the challenge. The last person standing wins.
Winner: Natalie Anderson

Edge of Extinction

Edge of Extinction Inhabitants
Adam, Amber, Danni, Ethan, Jeremy, Kim, Natalie, Nick, Parvati, Rob, Sophie, Tyson, Wendell, Yul
ELIMINATED: Adam Klein, Amber Mariano, Danni Boatwright, Ethan Zohn, Jeremy Collins, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe, Nick Wilson, Parvati Shallow, Rob Mariano, Sophie Clarke, Tyson Apostol, Wendell Holland, and Yul Kwon
RETURNS TO GAME: Natalie Anderson

Tribal Council

Day 36

• First Vote
• Vote Restart

Tribal Council 17: Koru
Voted Against	Voter
Natalie (used Hidden Immunity Idol)	Ben, Denise, Sarah, Tony (votes not counted)
Ben (used Hidden Immunity Idol)	Michele, Natalie (votes not counted)
Tony (used Hidden Immunity Idol)	None
Vote Rendered Null

Vote Restart (Ben, Michele, Natalie, and Tony immune; Denise and Sarah ineligible to vote)
Voted Against	Voter
Denise (4 votes)	Ben, Michele, Natalie, Tony
Sarah (0 votes)	None
VOTED OUT: Denise Stapley

Voting Confessionals

No voting confessionals were aired in the episode.

Final Words

	Denise	“	I may not have won the game, but I get to be known as the Queenslayer. Nobody else did that move with me. I got more than I needed and more than I wanted out of my second time out here, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. But... Mama D is out.	”

Day 37

Tribal Council 18: Koru
Voted Against	Voter
Ben (3 votes)	Michele, Natalie, Sarah
Michele (2 votes)	Ben, Tony
Natalie (used Hidden Immunity Idol)	None
VOTED OUT: Ben Driebergen

Voting Confessionals

No voting confessionals were aired in the episode.

Final Words

	Ben	“	This has been a humbling and a fantastic learning experience for myself. I got what I needed out of this season: a lot of self-growth. I left it all out there. I'm proud of my game and grateful for the experience that Survivor has given me and my children and my wife. Very much appreciative and-and blessed.	”

Day 38

Tribal Council 19: Koru
Fire-Making Challenge
Participant	Result
Sarah	Lost
Tony	Won
ELIMINATED: Sarah Lacina

Final Words

	Sarah	“	Tony's my partner in crime for life. If I'm gonna have to end my Survivor career, how else would I want to end it than like this? I'm emotional right now, but because I'm happy. I'm happy of the way that I played. I'm happy of the experiences that Survivor's given me, the friendships they've given me. I don't have any regrets, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.	”

Final Tribal Council

Tribal Council 20: Jury Vote
Voted for Winner	Voter
Tony (12 votes)	Adam, Amber, Ben, Danni, Denise, Kim, Nick, Rob, Sarah, Sophie, Wendell, Yul
Natalie (4 votes)	Ethan, Jeremy, Parvati, Tyson
Michele (0 votes)	None
SECOND RUNNER-UP: Michele Fitzgerald
RUNNER-UP: Natalie Anderson
SOLE SURVIVOR: Tony Vlachos

Voting Confessionals

Tyson was shown writing Natalie's name on the parchment. Nick's vote was not shown during his confessional.

	Rob	“	(voting for Tony) You're right, I said if you (Natalie) got back, you had to play perfect. You almost did. (reveals vote) You should have taken this guy out.	”

	Parvati	“	(voting for Natalie) This is the second time that I'm writing your name down in a game, the first time I wrote it down to vote you out, and now I am voting for you to win. I'm so proud of you and what you've accomplished. So, you're awesome.	”

	Nick	“	(voting for Tony) I know how hard it is to be just on the outs the whole time.	”

	Ben	“	(voting for Tony) Proud of you, brother.	”

Final Results

Amber 20th	Danni 19th	Ethan 18th	Rob 17th	Sandra 16th	Parvati 15th	Yul 14th	Wendell 13th	Adam 12th	Tyson 11th
Sophie 10th	Kim 9th	Jeremy 8th	Nick 7th	Denise 6th	Ben 5th	Sarah 4th	Michele 3rd	Natalie 2nd	Tony Winner

Trivia

Other

• This episode breaks the previous record for most contestants still in the game during a season finale, with 19 (five who are still active in the game, and another 14 who are living on the Edge of Extinction). As a result, this episode also breaks the record for most castaways eliminated in one episode, with 16.
• This episode is the first three-hour episode of Survivor, and thus breaks the previous record of longest runtime of any episode, which was previously held by "Million Dollar Night".
• With Natalie winning the re-entry challenge on Day 35, this marks the latest time for every contestant to have won a challenge.
  • With Natalie winning immunity on Day 38, Winners at War becomes the first season since Pearl Islands where every contestant won at least one Immunity Challenge.
• This is the first time that five-time player Rob Mariano, three-time player Ethan Zohn, and two-time players Adam Klein, Ben Driebergen, Danni Boatwright, Denise Stapley, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe, Nick Wilson, Sophie Clarke, Wendell Holland, and Yul Kwon have served on the jury.
  • This means that Sandra Diaz-Twine, Michele Fitzgerald, Natalie Anderson, and Tony Vlachos are the only contestants this season to have never been on the jury in their Survivor careers.
• Jeremy Collins and Sarah Lacina became the second and third castaways, following Rupert Boneham, to vote for the same person at the Final Tribal Council in two different seasons.
  • Sarah previously voted for Tony in Cagayan, while Jeremy previously voted for Natalie in San Juan del Sur.
• Tony broke the record for the most jury votes received in one season with 12, and in a career with 20.
• Tony became the second two-time winner of Survivor, after Sandra.
• The three finalists, Tony, Natalie, and Michele, were all from New Jersey.
• The title of the episode was said by Tony while preparing himself for the fire-making challenge.