Matthew Haywood

Matthew Haywood is the Sole Survivor of Survivor U.K. (2023).

A member of Caletón, Matthew's endearing charm allowed him to coast through the early part of the game unopposed, even after being swapped to La Nena in the minority. At the merge, Matthew initially remained loyal to his Caletón tribemates, but was convinced by Christopher Haul to turn on Tinuke Oyediran on Day 26. Using his strong social connections (particularly with Christopher and Leilani Sen) to survive until the Final Tribal Council by voting out the remaining jury threats, Matthew impressed the jury with his social and strategic prowess, being especially lauded for his move against Tinuke. This ultimately awarded him the title of Sole Survivor in a 6-1-1 vote, becoming the first winner of the rebooted Survivor (U.K.) franchise.

Profile[]

Retrieved from bbc.co.uk

Age: 21
From: Cumbria
Occupation: Hospitality
What made you want to be a contestant on Survivor? I wanted to be a contestant on Survivor because I knew this was the ultimate challenge! An amazing chance to really get stuck in and see what I'm made of. I turned 21 a few months ago and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my summer, I'm so thankful for the opportunity. I really wanted to push myself to the limits and I genuinely mean that – this is a dream. I was looking forward to playing the game of Survivor because there's so much to think about, it tests you physically and mentally and I was ready for both challenges!
What qualities did you think you'd bring to the game? I'm very passionate and have a glass half-full perspective on life, so I wanted to bring my positive energy into the game! I've got some cool party tricks up my sleeve… I can juggle knives and can balance anything on my head so I thought hopefully I can keep the tribe entertained. I love to laugh and am very determined.
How did you prepare yourself mentally and physically for taking part? I was keeping fit by going running, plus me and my mates go swimming in lakes and rivers quite often and I live an active lifestyle, so I was excited and ready for the physical side! To prepare mentally I knew that I would need a game plan that could be easily adapted whenever needed. I expected emotions to run high and for there to be some tough decisions I was going to have to make, so I practiced staying calm and trying not to lose focus.
Did you have a strategy of how you were going to play the game? I love being around people, so my strategy was to play the social game. As the youngest player I knew people would underestimate me but I used that to my advantage. I needed my strategy to be adaptable because I never knew what was going to be thrown at me next. I was there to play and wanted to play with no regrets by being true to myself.
How competitive are you? Honestly, I put 100% into everything I do, I just want to make my friends and family proud. I've played lots of team sports in the past, so when working as a tribe I feel very comfortable. I wanted to do well for myself but also for the tribe in challenges. But I do play chess against my Grandad quite often and we both like to win!
What kind of challenges were you most looking forward to? Definitely the water challenges, I love jumping from heights and swimming. I was also looking forward to trying an endurance challenge, something that pushes the mind and body to see how I'd cope.
How did you cope with living on a beach with no home comforts? I just embraced the dirt and the conditions and I wasn't scared to get my hands dirty, I just wanted to get stuck in! I realised that in everyday life I take all my home comforts for granted but the fact I have a comfy bed to sleep on and food in the fridge is such a privilege. But on the beach not having these home comforts brought everyone in the tribe together because all we had is each other and we were all living in the moment. One of the home comforts I missed most was definitely a cup of tea… I drink so much of it at home, it was a big shock to my system!
How did you cope with the hunger? I was craving every food you could imagine! Even foods I don't like. My hunger cravings were going from one extreme to another… one minute I was craving loads of ice cream next minute I fancied fish and chips! There was just no taste or flavour in my mouth. We were trying every possible way to get flavours in our food!
What did you learn from being on the show? I learned that being able to adapt to situations even at the last minute is so important. I made some amazing connections and learned that I'm much more independent than I ever knew. I was so present, living in the moment I learned to take everything in and appreciate every day because I never knew which was going to be my last. I played with no regrets. My biggest takeaway was that when all my home comforts were taken away from me, I realised what was important in my life and what wasn't. It was the longest I've ever been without my family and friends and I couldn't wait to see them and tell them about the crazy adventure I'd been on! But sleeping outdoors is something I can't wait to do again! I'm a proper "Islander" now!^[1]

Survivor[]

Matthew initially endeared himself to his Caletón tribemates due to his young age and upbeat personality. After Leilani Sen dropped out early in the first Immunity Challenge, Matthew struggled, often switching the extra barrels with Richard Kinnear McKell before the latter dropped, losing the Immunity Challenge for Caletón. Despite this, Matthew avoided being targeted and joined the majority in voting out Richard. At the fourth Tribal Council, Matthew helped to unanimously send Leilani Sen to La Nena before voting out Rachel Golding at the fifth Tribal Council.

At the Tribe Switch, Matthew agreed to switch to La Nena with his close ally Tinuke Oyediran, being replaced by Doug Swinbanks and Pegleg Bennett. Despite being in the minority, Matthew survived his only post-switch Tribal Council after Ren Elvidge's deception was exposed. However, on Caletón, Doug and Pegleg sided with Laurence Cardwell and Shai Ravindra over Matthew and Tinuke's alliance members Nathan Dyke and Jess Woburn, causing the latter's elimination. In danger of losing another alliance member after Caletón lost yet another Immunity Challenge, Nathan convinced Doug and Pegleg to blindside Shai for being a strategic powerhouse and a perceived backstabber.

At the merge, Matthew stuck with the original Caletón members alongside the duo of Ashleigh Bishop and Christopher Haul in voting out Lee Reeves due to his misogynistic and perceived abrasive nature. Following Lee's exposure of Ashleigh and Christopher as a power couple, Matthew joined the rest of the tribe in splitting the votes between Christopher and Ashleigh. This resulred in Ashleigh's elimination due to Christopher's play of a Hidden Immunity Idol. After this, Christopher became the obvious target, but as the former Caletón members were now at a majority, Matthew joined the original Caletón members in blindsiding Doug for being a major threat who was getting by relatively unscathed. Now in a minority and with a massive target status, Christopher tried to convince Matthew to turn on his alliance and blindside Tinuke, as she was seen as an endgame threat alongside her close ally Nathan. Matthew was hesitant to turn on his alliance, but eventually realised it was one of his last opportunities to vote out Tinuke, a move that would increase his chances of reaching the Final Tribal Council against people he thought he could win against. With Laurence complacent in the plan and throwing his vote, Matthew eventually decided to turn on Tinuke, blindsiding her in a 4-3-1 vote. The move left Leilani and Nathan reeling, wondering how Matthew could turn on their alliance, but not wanting to vote him out as they needed him for potential numbers. Nathan tried to reason with him, but was ultimately unimpressed with Matthew's decision.

Christopher's strategic mindset kept him as a target, but he crucially won the next Immunity Challenge, leaving Nathan vulnerable as a physical and strategic threat now in a minority. After a lobster cage containing a Hidden Immunity Idol was left in plain sight on the beach, Matthew read the message on the cage and discovered that the door to the cage was locked, and could only be unlocked with a key hidden somewhere at camp. Matthew went searching for the key with his new ally Christopher, before Christopher discovered the key. Matthew convinced Christopher to let him unlock the cage, with Christopher distracting the rest of Calena around the campfire. Matthew decided to unlock the cage, but left the Idol inside, not wanting for the rest of the tribe to realise the Idol had been found. Crucially, he accidentally left the door unlocked. Nathan, desperate, went back to the cage to see if he had missed anything, before discovering the door was unlocked and taking the Idol for himself. Word spread around camp that Nathan had found the Idol, before Matthew went to the cage with Christopher and realised his mistake. Christopher chastised him for it, with Matthew being mortified. Despite his mistake and the field being largely open, Matthew survived and Laurence was voted out in a 5-1-1 vote as collateral damage due to his lack of connections remaining in the game.

At the next Tribal Council, Matthew continued to side with the former La Nenans, voting out Nathan and leaving Leilani vulnerable. Despite this, Christopher remained a threat, but he would go on to win the next two Immunity Challenges, forcing the remaining Calena members to find other targets. Pegleg and Hannah Baptiste were voted out unanimously in quick succession as they were seen as bigger jury threats among those remaining, with Matthew using his connections with Leilani and Christopher to reach the Final Tribal Council with both. It was during this time that Matthew received his only vote against him, from Pegleg on Day 32.

At the Final Tribal Council, Matthew's move against Tinuke was praised, though he did face some criticism from Tinuke regarding her blindside. He was also praised for his social connections and was thought to have a better balance of social game and strategic game than Christopher, who faced relentless criticism from Lee, and Leilani, who was criticised for her lack of agency within the game. Ultimately, Matthew became the rebooted Survivor (U.K.) franchise's first Sole Survivor in a 6-1-1 vote, winning the £100,000 grand prize.

Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Caletón	The Marooning	Reward	No	Lost
1		Dead Weight	Immunity	No	Lost
2		By Any Means	Reward	No	Lost
2		The Raft and the Furious	Immunity	No	Won
3		Hot Pursuit	Immunity	No	Won
4		Trench Run	Reward	No	Won
4		Discy Business	Immunity	No	Lost
5		Sumo at Sea	Reward	No	N/A
5		High and Mighty	Immunity	No	Lost
Switched Tribes, Day 14
6	La Nena	Shoulder the Load	Immunity	No	Lost
7		Chain Reaction	Reward	No	Won
7		Cell Block Sea	Immunity	No	Won
8		When It Rains	Immunity	Yes	Won
Tribes Merged, Day 19
9	Calena	Survivor Auction
9		A Leg Up	Immunity		Lost
10		Last Gasp	Immunity		Lost
11		Shut Your Trap	Reward	No	Won
11		Get a Grip	Immunity		Lost
12		Hold Up	Reward		Won
12		On the Ropes	Immunity		Lost
13		High Step Back	Immunity		Lost
14		Mud Run	Reward		Lost
14		Beam Me Up	Immunity		Lost
15		Pinball Wizard	Immunity		Lost
16		Hand on the Idol	Immunity		Lost
Sole Survivor, Day 34

Episode	Matthew's Votes	Voted Against Matthew
1	Richard	-
2	Caletón Tribe Immune
3	Caletón Tribe Immune
4	Mock Vote¹
5	Rachel	-
6	Ren	-
7	La Nena Tribe Immune
8	La Nena Tribe Immune
9	Lee	-
10	~~Christopher~~²	-
11	Doug	-
12	Tinuke	-
13	Laurence	-
14	Nathan	-
15	Pegleg	Pegleg
16	Hannah	-
Jury Votes for Matthew	Doug, Hannah, Laurence, Lee, Nathan, Pegleg
Sole Survivor, Day 34

^1 In "Episode 4", Caletón was subjected to a mock Tribal Council where the player they voted out was switched to the other tribe.
^2 In "Episode 10", Christopher used a Hidden Immunity Idol, negating Matthew's vote against him.

Post-Survivor[]

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Trivia[]

Matthew is the youngest contestant to compete in the Survivor (U.K.) franchise, at age 21.
- By extension, Matthew is the youngest winner of Survivor (U.K.).
Matthew lasted the longest without receiving a vote on Survivor U.K. (2023), at 32 days.
Matthew is the first winner of Survivor (U.K.) who did not win an individual Immunity Challenge.
Matthew is the first winner of Survivor (U.K.) who did not receive every jury vote.
Matthew is the first winner of Survivor (U.K.) to win a season with three finalists at Final Tribal Council.
Matthew is the first winner of Survivor (U.K.) to not be a member of the police force.