Talk about a Christmas present, Mike “Gabler” Gabler, a 51-year-old heart valve specialist from Houston, Texas, won Survivor Season 43. And he vowed to give all his winnings to charity. Host Jeff Probst revealed the winner in front of a studio audience in the jungles of Fiji, not on a Los Angeles soundstage. The show also took place just minutes after Gabler’s victory was announced. Cassidy Clark, a 26-year-old designer from Plano, Texas, placed second.
Owen Knight, a 30-year-old director of college admissions from Bethesda, Maryland, came in third. Gabler vowed to give a $1 million Green Beret in his father’s name to a charity honoring veterans struggling with mental health issues. “It’s been a roller coaster,” he told Probst. “Tonight was special because I got to tell all the stories. Here tonight, I’m working to the last second. It sounds bigger than you know, Jeff. We have created history here this season. He is the second player in Survivor history to turn 50. “I have a wonderful life at home. “To get this million dollars, there are a lot of things we don’t want to see. That’s why we watch Survivor.
Gabler, winner of Survivor 43
The episode opens with Probst sending the final five – Gabler, Owen, Cassidy, Carla, and Jesse – to a new beach. There, they are given the opportunity to compete for the ultimate goal, except their tired brains need to break down a long message. Carla first goes to the beach to mend it and – despite being crippled by an injured ankle – begins her search for a hidden purpose. Owen was on her tail but he wasn’t fast enough; Karla found it. But Owen gets the last laugh! He wins the challenge – another word for scramble!
That guaranteed him a place in the final four and a sweet meal of steak and baked potatoes. He chooses Cassidy to come with him, leaving Jesse, Carla, and Gabler to live off the coconut. In tribal council. After Jesse pulls a surprise immunity statue from his pocket, the final five break into small groups (or as Carla says, “let’s dance”) to discuss who should go home. The majority chose Carla, the educational project manager from San Diego, who was good to go.
Karla was seen as a threat and respected. The second hour began with the final immunity challenge, which pitted two players against each other. Finally, the last four are needed to stack the wood discs on the rebar structure that swings in the air. A strong wind removed the stacks Gabler and Owen had built, giving Cassidy the edge and her third immunity. “This could be a million-dollar necklace for me,” she told Probst. Cassidy chooses Owen to sit with her in the final three, defeating Jesse and Gabler in a traditional firefighter challenge.
Not only did Gabler win, but he also broke Survivor’s fire-making record by clocking an impressive 4 minutes and 9 seconds. Poor Jesse was in tears. A family man with a Ph.D. In Political Science, Jesse talks about how he did it for his kids. “I felt like I played a great game. I have fought all my life to get where I am. He said.
