The tribe has spoken!
After almost 50 days stranded on the shores of Samoa, it was former Olympian Liz Parnov who outwitted, outplayed and outlasted the competition to be named sole survivor in Heroes vs Villains.
The first-time player was the last woman standing in the season, alongside fellow first-time competitors Matt Sharp and Gerry Geltch and returning player from Blood vs Water George Mladenov.
Liz was a challenge beast this season and made it her mission to win the final individual immunity necklace to cement herself in the final three.
(IMAGE: Ten)The 28-year-old spent the majority of her game in a close alliance with three time player Shonee Fairfax and George (aka the Tsar of Samoa) before George blindsided Shonee, much to Liz’s frustration.
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But persevere Liz did, orchestrating the eliminations of many of her rivals, and continuing to work with George to further herself in the game.
Ultimately, Liz’s gameplay, social game and physical domination in many of the challenges saw her come out on top as the obvious contender for the jury who awarded her 7 out of 7 votes.
Liz was furious that fellow alliance member George blindsided her closest ally and friend Shonee. But her revenge was very sweet as Liz voted George off in the final four, making him the final member of the jury.
(IMAGE: Ten)And whilst her win may come as a surprise to some, Liz has been tipped to win since the season began airing some two months ago, with odds to win listed at $1.30 in the weeks leading up to the finale according to betting website Sportsbet.
In a brutal final challenge akin to physical torture, our final four were made to stand on a perch, with their arms above their heads on a platform to remain standing, with Jonathan La Paglia grinding a gear to push pegs into the backs of our contestants at regular intervals.
Not for the faint of heart, this was challenge was a grind (literally), with Gerry stepping down from the platform first after an hour and five minutes and George stepping down after almost four hours.
But after a mammoth effort it was Liz who secured the win, with Matt stepping down from the platform, his body unable to take any more.
Jumping for joy at her win (and the $500k payday that comes with it).
(IMAGE: Ten)After making it to the top three alongside Gerry and Matt, Liz delivered a flawless pitch (whilst Matt and Gerry floundered) to the jury made up of eliminated contestants, where she went through each aspect of her strategy and why she made the moves she did to get herself closer to the win.
Despite her Survivor BFF not being on the jury after a shock twist in the penultimate episode that saw Shonee booted from the jury (we can thank George, Gerry and Matt for that one), it was clear that Liz didn’t have anything to worry about, the jury won over to her side from the moment she started her pitch.
Celebrating with boyfriend Daniel, Liz has now left the world’s greatest game $500,000 richer.
Question is, will she join the ranks of former winners Jericho Malabonga, Shane Gould and Hayley Leake and return to the game for a round two?
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