Breaking Down the Final Five of Survivor 46 (2024)

The season finale for any reality series is bittersweet, with fans excited to see the thrilling conclusion to a (hopefully) great installment while knowing how much they'll miss the cast they've grown to love. Nowhere is that more true than on Survivor 46, the latest iteration of the groundbreaking series created by Charlie Parsons on CBS. This has been one of the show's most legendary installments, its jaw-dropping moments and cutthroat cast of players reminding viewers of the chaotic seasons that made this series so famous more than two decades ago. There is less than a week until this show's finale, with each of its top five fighting to win the grand prize of $1,000,000 with their own unique strategy. Let's break those strategies down, and learn just who may take the title of 'Sole Survivor' on Survivor 46.

Survivor

TV-PG

Adventure

Reality TV

Game Show

A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.

Release Date

May 31, 2000

Cast

Jeff Probst

Main Genre

Reality-TV

Seasons

46

Studio

CBS

Creator(s)

Charlie Parsons

Ben Katzman Knows How To Rock

See Also

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A fun-loving energy, resident rocker Ben Katzman has been lifting vibes ever since he first stepped onto the Survivor beach. Originally on the Siga tribe, this group's freedom from early tribal councils meant that most of their spare time was spent on making each other laugh rather than worrying about who they had to vote out next. Ben was at the center of that good energy, competing in musical trivia games with Charlie Davis and serving as a kind ear that everyone knew they could turn to. That didn't mean he was slacking strategically, though, as early bonds with Davis and Tim Spicer, plus the recruitment of Maria Shrime Gonzalez into their alliance, kept him safe during the only tribal council Siga experienced before the merge.

Post-merge saw Katzman forge a deeper bond with Shrime Gonzalez and Davis, being protected by their majority alliances and largely coasting throughout what has been a tenuous time for most. He's served as a hilarious presence in these episodes, allowing his good-natured demeanor to shift during ridiculous moments like Q Burdette's attempt to self-eliminate by always voicing the baffling frustration felt by those on the tribe. That's been comical to watch, though Katzman's time on the show has also been very informative. He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, common mental health issues that the competitor has openly talked about onscreen, ensuring that the audience knows these experiences are valid and there are ways to work through them. Now, Katzman hasn't won any immunity or reward challenges, but it's undeniable that his endearing personality and the clear affection others have for him will be a huge benefit in his fight to win.

Liz Wilcox

Survivor is known for its amazing characters, and the series has added another to its long list with the inclusion of Liz Wilcox on this season. It's shocking to see the transformation this wild character has gone on; originally in the Nami Tribe, louder personalities like Venus Vafa and Tevin Davis left the initially softspoken member virtually invisible for most of the season's early episodes. Pair this quiet nature with Wilcox openly discussing her wealth and various allergies that made it so she often went entire days without eating, and her prospects in the game weren't immediately good - or present at all. This rocky start is what made it such an enjoyable shock when she entered the merge ready to blindside Davis, and when this amazing move was overshadowed by Burdette's aforementioned attempt to ruin his game, fans got to see another side of Wilcox. Namely, viewers learned just how chaotically enjoyable this player can be when she decides to speak her mind.

Fueled by her constant hunger and the annoying aspects of her fellow competitors, Wilcox soon began to vocalize every issue she had with everyone around her in delightfully jaw-dropping ways. From exploding at not being picked to eat Applebees to openly admonishing players like Burdette and Shrime Gonzalez for the crass ways they were playing the game, her commentary has been one of the best parts of this entire season. She backs it up with a strategic mind that helped orchestrate multiple blindsides this season, and pairing this with how succinctly she calls out other people's flaws absolutely makes her a threat in the final tribal council.

Maria Shrime Gonzalez

Few Survivor players are able to accomplish as much as Maria Shrime Gonzalez has this season. This parent coach came into this installment ready to use her psychology skills to the best of her ability, surveying her original Siga tribe and forging a duo with Charlie Davis that has helped her thrive in every part of the game. With him, she's cultivated a male-dominated power alliance that has been behind most of the biggest vote-outs post-merge and kept her safe from being on the chopping block (well, until recently). Pair this with three immunity challenge wins, and the player has a Survivor resumé most new contestants could only dream of.

While a majority of the season has been nothing but successful for her, these last few episodes have seen this powerhouse falter. Despite everyone's vocal indignation for Burdette, she brought him into her alliance - not only that, she undercut her tight relationship with Charlie to make Burdette her #1 ally in the final stages of the game. Pair this with a painstaking reward challenge that saw her ask people 'make their pitch' about why she should pick them before ultimately forcing them to play rock, paper, scissors, with these actions souring many people against this character who was once such a calming presence on the beach. The latest elimination saw Burdette get voted and unveiled her plans to blindside Davis, a shocking revelation that has made her a target for the other four remaining players. Despite this, Shrime Gonzalez has proven to be a smart, successful Survivor competitor, one whose wealth of accomplishments easily makes her one of the hardest to beat as we enter the finale.

Charlie Davis

There is one statement that perfectly sums up Charlie Davis' game: Taylor Swift would be proud. Originally on Siga with Maria Shrime Gonzalez, when the player wasn't making a dominant alliance with her, he was boasting openly about the endless knowledge he had of the pop star and would bring her up any chance he got. His passion for her was mirrored by the one he had for the game; not only did he make some great alliances, he thrived physically, with Davis entering the finale with two immunity wins and a reward challenge under his belt. He was a gentle player when he began the season, and while his soft demeanor has never left, the man has used it to evict his biggest competition off the island.

The last few episodes have been a huge turning point for Davis as he worked to come out from underneath his ally's shadow. Worried that he'd be seen as riding Shrime Gonzalez's coattails all season, he forges new bonds with players like Wilcox and Kenzie Petty, becoming the deciding factor for many of the recent votes and working hard to make a strategy that is purely his own. He was key in getting Burdette voted out and still seems intent on getting rid of Shrime Gonzalez in this last episode. Whether he does or doesn't, though, Davis has had a Taylor Swift-worthy performance all season that cements him as a strong player the others should not want to contend with at the final tribal.

Kenzie Petty

The final contender for the Survivor 46 crown is also one of the people who's had the hardest fight to the end. Kenzie Petty began her Survivor career on the doomed Yanu tribe, her early days seeing the charming player forge easy bonds with everyone - while having to grapple with the unchecked emotions of Bhanu Gopal and unknowingly being targeted by her two closest allies, Burdette and Tiffany Nicole Ervin. Luckily for her, she managed to evade a pre-merge blindside, going into the unified portion of the game firm in her relationship with Ervin and earning the affection of this whole new group of players. This easy ability to mesh with others didn't mean her time in the game was boring, though - just that Petty knew how to keep herself above the mess.

From her two closest allies turning on each other to seeing Ervin get voted out in a shocking blindside (right after she'd considered doing it herself), Petty constantly found any solid ground she managed to find in the game shaken up by the endless chaos of this season. Despite this, she managed to endear everyone to her, building strong bonds with Katzman, Wilcox, and Davis and creating strong alliances that have kept her safe for the entire post-merge game. She has also proven endlessly charismatic; everyone is fond of her bubbly personality and her attempts to help Katzman through his panic attacks, showing what a genuine spirit the player is. She hasn't attempted any flashy plays like those around her, but she remained a solid competitor for the entire season while making sure that everyone on the jury had a reason to like her more than her competitors. She is going into the finale with a dazzling reputation, effortless social skills, and an immunity win - a combination that has spelled success for many before her, and just might do the same for Petty.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.

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