The 36th season of Survivor, called Ghost Islands came down to three players ahead of its May 23 finale: Domenick Abbate, Wendell Holland and Laurel Johnson.

So who walked away with the big prize?

Wendell went home with a crisp $1 million, but it wasn't easy. In a grueling nail-biter of a finale, Dom and Wendell seemed to be neck and neck throughout the episode, and they were. After the final votes were cast, each contestant ended up with five votes each—for the first time in Survivor history, it was a tie, and guess who had the tie-breaking vote? Laurel!

Wendell's generosity and loyalty to Laurel, whom he says reminds him of his sister, paid off in spades when she returned the favor by using her tie-breaking vote on him, crowning him the Ghost Island winner.

The competition show's 37th season Survivor: David vs Goliath recently finished production in Fiji's Mamanuca Islands and is set to air sometime this year or next.

 

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