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Survivor fans are never going to unanimously agree on whether or not a castaway “deserves” to win. But sometimes, the Sole Survivor is so controversial that past players weigh in on who they believe should have won. And that’s what happened when Cassidy Clark lost Survivor Season 43.

Mike Gabler, Cassidy Clark, and Owen Knight hold hands during the Final Tribal Council in 'Survivor' Season 43 on CBS. Gabler wears a camo shirt and tan pants. Cassidy wears a dark blue shirt and multi-colored pants. Owen wears a pink, yellow, white, and blue striped hoodie and tan shorts.
Mike Gabler, Cassidy Clark, and Owen Knight | Photo: Chuck Snyder/CBS

Cassidy is the runner-up of ‘Survivor’ Season 43

Jesse Lopez was the fan favorite going into the Survivor Season 43 finale, and he also seemed to be the jury’s favorite. However, dreams of him becoming one of the best Sole Survivors of all time came crashing down when he lost the final four Immunity Challenge to Cassidy and, subsequently, the fire-making challenge to Mike Gabler.

So going into the final three, the jury had to determine whether Cassidy, Gabler, or Owen Knight should win Survivor Season 43. And that decision didn’t come easy — at first.

The moment Gabler opened his mouth, he had the jury eating out of the palm of his hand. Cassidy tried to plead her case, but it was seemingly too late. Ultimately, the eliminated castaways voted for Gabler to become the Sole Survivor in a 7-1 vote. The only person who voted for Cassidy was James Jones.

Parvati Shallow expressed her disappointment after watching the finale

Before the Survivor Season 43 finale premiered on CBS, Cassidy posted on Instagram, reflecting on her journey.

She wrote, “What. A. Ride! I think about younger Cassidy, who looked at the Survivor finale castaways in awe of their unbelievable accomplishment. And how impossible it seemed to reach that goal, with so many potential pitfalls in this game. And then I woke up this morning, finding myself in this spot. Small cass cried and told me how proud she was of us. Proud of our resilience, of our determination, and our incredible journey that brought us to the finale.”

And following the finale, Parvati Shallow, one of the greatest Survivor players of all time, commented on Cassidy’s post. The Survivor: Micronesia winner stated, “Girl. I’m mad. You played it well and deserved the win. I’m mad we didn’t really get to see your full story.”

Cassidy responded on Twitter, “From the queen herself … One of my favorite players and biggest inspirations in [Survivor]. I’m floored. The overwhelming support in general has been a big consolation. I’m grateful for you all and I feel the [love] thank you.”

Related

‘Survivor 43’: The Top 5, Ranked From Least to Most Likely to Win

Does Cassidy win any money for coming in second place in ‘Survivor’ Season 43?

Although Cassidy didn’t win the $1 million grand prize in Survivor Season 43, she didn’t leave Fiji empty-handed.

According to CinemaBlend, the second-place finisher in Survivor receives $100,000, while the third-place castaway earns $85,000. So both Cassidy and Owen were awarded for getting to the Final Tribal Council. And James’ vote for Cassidy was the push she needed to get the extra $15,000. Of course, this is all before taxes, unfortunately.

Survivor Season 43, starring Cassidy Clark, is available to stream on Paramount+. Survivor Season 44 premieres on March 1, 2023, on CBS.

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