After 47 days in the Australian outback, Australian Survivor: Blood V Water has finally come to an end – and there can only be one Sole Survivor!
WATCH BELOW: The honeymoon is over for Mark and Samantha on Australian Survivor
In the grand finale, the final four castaways remaining were former Survivor competitor Mark Wales, Josh Millgate, Shay Lajoie, and Chrissy Zaremba.
Before the challenge that would ultimately seal their fate, the final four were treated to an emotional phone call with their families. After everything they had sacrificed over the last 46 days, there had never been so much at stake for the final four.
In an unbelievable feat, challenge beast Shay was declared the winner, taking out the illustrious Immunity, and most-importantly guaranteeing herself a spot in the final three.
After a heartwrenching Tribal saw Josh’s torch snuffed, he went on to become the season’s final jury member to judge the fate of the final three, who were treated to a decadent final feast, as they mulled over how they would persuade the jury to swing in their favour.
Following the votes, the trio were given a chance to see loved ones, with Chrissy having a teary reunion with her kids and Mark becoming emotional after seeing his son Harry over a video call.
In a landslide vote, after playing the great game twice now, Mark was then crowned the Sole Survivor of Australian Survivor: Blood V Water and the winner of a life-changing $500,000.
As the enormity of the win sunk in, Mark embraced his family and the Jury.
It’s the second time Mark has taken home a win on Survivor – the first being his other half, Sam Gash, whom he fell in love with on season two of Survivor back in 2017.
The pair went on to welcome their first child, Harry, in 2018, before tying the knot at the Log Cabin Ranch at Monbulk in Victoria in December 2019, two years after meeting on Survivor.
“We had such a magical weekend,” the pair told New Idea following the nuptials.
“The ceremony was in the stables and it had a candlelit-style vibe with exposed panelling; really simple with native gum leaves and mismatched chairs.
“I walked down the aisle to Matt Corby’s song ‘Resolution’, which we love. It was the song that was playing a lot before Mark proposed to me.”
The newlyweds wanted to make sure their special day paid tribute to their Australian Survivor roots after the pair met and fell in love in Samoa.
Officiating the ceremony was fellow contestant and on-screen rival Jacqui Patterson, and Jarrad Seng – another Survivor alum – was the wedding photographer.
Other tribe members were also invited, including Aaron ‘AK’ Knight, Luke Toki, Jericho Malabonga and Aimee Stanton.
“[The contestants] have played such a big part in our relationship, and the entire cast have been incredibly supportive of the two of us and our relationship from day one,” Sam said.
“They’ve known us for the shortest period of our lives, but they were there when we got together, so they hold a special part in our lives.
“There were references to how we met through Survivor, it was brought up in a lot of the speeches. During Jacqui’s speech, she pulled up a piece of cardboard and said:
‘I might have voted these guys out, but today I’m voting for Sam and Mark’.”
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