Jeff Probst Calls ‘Survivor 47’ Winner One of ‘Best Overall Players’ Ever (Exclusive)

Survivor 47 culminating in a coronation. Rachel LaMont was awarded the title of Sole Survivor and the $1 million check that comes with it when a jury of her peers (and former tribemates) awarded her a 7-1-0 victory over Sam Phalen and Sue Smey in Wednesday night’s finale. But while Rachel’s victory seemed all but assured thanks to her all-around strong play and great Immunity Idol play, Sam struggled mightily at the final Tribal Council as he tried to talk his way to victory.

In the end, he came up short, but it was an impressive performance in itself, especially after his dramatic come-from-behind victory in the fiery last four contest against Teeny Chirichillo. Weekly entertainment spoke with host and showrunner Jeff Probst to get his thoughts on the newest winner, the final Tribal Council battle, the tense fire-making competition and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEK: First, share your thoughts on your latest Survivor winner, Rachel LaMont.

JEFF PROBST: I think Rachel will go down as one of the best overall players ever to compete on Survivor. She took advantage of every opportunity and when she was in trouble, she always found a way out. Her dominating challenge performance speaks for itself and her final argument to the jury as to why she deserved their vote was very well crafted with just the right amount of confidence and humility. And in addition to all those playing qualities, she was also a really funny person. I enjoyed talking with her for challenges and Tribal Council.

Tell us about what you saw during the last Tribal Council, because while Rachel seemed to have the stronger resume, Sam did an admirable job of defending her case and credentials, and the two went back and forth quite a bit.

I came into the last Tribal thinking that Rachel probably had the upper hand given the momentum she was riding in the last few days. But as we got into it and Sam started making his case, I found myself leaning in more and more and shifting in my seat as I realized this isn’t a done deal. What makes these new era final tribal councils so much fun is the jury. Today’s Survivor player takes agency over their vote. They are no longer convinced by groupthink, which often happened in previous seasons. So while one person might think that Rachel’s game dominated and therefore deserves to win, another juror might see Sam’s scrappy game from the ground up as the more notable game.

I know I say this a lot, but a new era Survivor was designed to be a different game and you see it in action with each new season. You cannot play today’s new era Survivor the road Survivor was played in ancient times. It won’t work. You must be willing to constantly adapt and take risks. And the reward is that if you do and you manage to get to the end, you have a chance to win because of the jury’s recognition and respect you will gain. But if you just try to hang on and not fail, it doesn’t matter if you get to the end, because no juror will reward that kind of play.

What did you think of Sue’s performance and how did the reveal that she was actually 59 years old go?

I loved Sue. I hope Sue inspires other 50+ women to apply. She really showed that if you’ve driven, you can amaze yourself. Sue was competing against people nearly four decades her junior. Just take it in. That’s a huge achievement! If there was a problem with Sue’s game from the jury’s point of view, I think it would be the lack of risks she took. That speaks to what I just said about how you get to the final three. Being loyal is commendable and finding an idol is impressive, but it’s what you do in the gaps that wins you a season of Survivor.

Finally, what was it like sitting there watching Teeny and Sam fire competition, especially when Sam started to catch up and Teeny watched their lead evaporate?

The Survivor 47 the fire challenge was the most dramatic, nail-biting showdown we’ve ever had! It was as dramatic in person as it was watching it back on television. And the metaphor of the wind and the effect it could have played really speaks to how many things have to go right for a player to win this game.

Sign up Weekly entertainment‘s free daily newsletter for breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars and more.