Sam Phalen

Sam Phalen is a contestant from Survivor 47.

Identified as the de facto leader of the Gata tribe, Sam entered the merge with a promising tribal alliance, but he and his primary ally Sierra Wright found themselves blindsided at the final eleven for their tight relationship. Thereafter, Sam was unable to shake off his tribemates' perception of him as a physical threat, and was forced to play the game as an outsider. While a cunning scheme at the final seven gave Sam some much-needed agency, this empowerment quickly fizzled out as he proved unable to take down frontrunner Rachel LaMont despite his best endeavors. Despite a respectable pitch at Final Tribal Council, Sam was unable to sway the jury to his side as he lost to Rachel in a 7-1-0 vote, finishing as the runner-up.

Profile[]

Retrieved from EW.com

Age: 24
Hometown: Schaumburg, Ill.
Current residence: Nashville, Tenn.
Occupation: Sports reporter

Three words to describe you: Passionate, stubborn, ambitious
Why do you want to be part of Survivor: Playing Survivor is a childhood dream. I love both mental and physical competitions. Survivor is the greatest game ever created, and I need to prove I have what it takes. Also… $1 million.
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game?: My daily work life has built me for this game. Working in professional sports as a media member forces you to excel at ego stroking, asking the right questions, building relationships, and capitalizing on information.
Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? Michele Fitzgerald. So much more to her than her appearance and played the game (twice) with grit. Tough exterior with an emotional core. My game may also look similar to Devon Pinto. He built relationships, gave up control early, didn't have to be the alpha, and made a late run!
What will you value in an alliance partner? Predictability. I want to know how my allies think, what they value, and what they need from me. I won't deal with [erratic] people. I'd also love someone that presents more strategic than me to hide my own wit.
Favorite hobbies: Playing trivia, critiquing movies, working out.
Pet peeves: When someone leaves the door open too long entering the sauna and wastes the heat. When someone uses an accent to say a foreign word correctly when they're not from there. Overly confident sports fans.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Landing a full-time job as an NFL beat reporter at 22 years old. My professors told me it would take years of "working my way up" to reach that level.
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I did a lot of drama, musical theater, and slam poetry growing up. I love the arts. I'm way smarter than I look.
Who is your biggest inspiration and why? My fiancé. She is my best friend. I'm inspired by her patience, loving nature, loyalty, and the joy she carries with her every day. She makes me want to be the best version of me.
Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I can gel with any group of people. I'm a physical, strategic, and social force that will never be perceived as the strongest, smartest, or loudest person in the room. I'm gritty.^[2]

Survivor[]

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Episode	Tribe Affiliation	Challenge	Challenge Type	Sit-Out?	Result
1	Gata	Kang Sera Sera	Reward	No	Won
1		Under Pressure	Reward/Immunity	No	Lost
2		Rice Race	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
3		Seahorse With No Name	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
4		Stage Presence	Reward/Immunity	No	1st
5		Climb Mate Change	Reward¹		Won
5		Drag Race	Immunity	No	Lost
Tribes Disbanded, Day 11
6	None	Feel the Earn	Reward²	No	Won
6	None	Bow Diddley	Immunity		Lost
Tribes Merged, Night 12
7	Beka	Audio Slave	Reward/Immunity		Won
8		Survivor Auction
8		Wrist Assured	Immunity		Lost
9		Pairy Feral	Reward/Immunity³		Lost
10		Slither Me	Reward		Won
10		Rollerball	Immunity		Lost
11		A Bit Tipsy	Immunity		Lost
12		Matt Finish	Reward		Won
12		Wizard's Staff	Immunity		Lost
13		Chasing Waterfalls	Reward/Immunity		Lost
13		Stacked Up	Immunity		Lost
14		Suzi Quatro	Immunity		Lost
Runner-Up, Day 26
Notes: ^1 The tribes temporarily disbanded and the players competed as two randomly-divided teams of seven. ^2 The castaways first competed as two teams for reward. Only the members of the winning team would have the right to compete for individual immunity. ^3 The castaways first competed as five teams for reward. Only the members of the two winning teams would have the right to compete for individual immunity.

Episode	Sam's Votes	Voted Against Sam
1	Jon	-
2	Gata Tribe Immune
3	Gata Tribe Immune
4	Gata Tribe Immune
5	Anika	-
6	Rome	Rome
7	Immune
8	Ineligible; Ineligible¹	Andy, Genevieve, Sol, Teeny; Sierra¹
9	Sol	-
10	Gabe	-
11	Kyle	-
12	Caroline	Sue, Teeny
13	Ineligible²	-
13	Genevieve	Genevieve, Teeny
Jury Votes for Sam	Kyle
Runner-Up, Day 26

^1 In "He's All That", Sam lost his vote as a result of having the most money left over at the end of the Survivor Auction, making him ineligible to vote at Tribal Council. Also, the vote ended with a 4-4 tie between Sam and Sierra, forcing a revote. On the revote, Sam did not receive enough votes to be eliminated.
^2 In "Bob and Weave", Rachel used a Vote Blocker advantage on Sam, preventing him from voting at Tribal Council.

Post-Survivor[]

On March 23, 2025, Sam and his fiancée Hannah got married.^[3]
Sam competed on RHAP Mafia on Rob Has a Podcast on September 20, 2025, alongside Carolyn Wiger, Jesse Lopez, Kelley Wentworth, Omar Zaheer, Rachel LaMont, Saiounia Hughley, Teeny Chirichillo, and Venus Vafa. He was randomly chosen to play as a doctor, but was evicted from the town on Day 1, finishing in 14th place.