Ben Driebergen wins Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers

Who won Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers? Well, the title for the article effectively gives that way. This was an interesting, exciting finale given that there were a number of different twists we didn’t anticipate. Take, for example, Ben getting a chance to compete for a spot in the final three via a fire-making challenge. He got very lucky in that instance, but he also fought his way there by finding a number of hidden immunity idols. We give him all sorts of credit for never giving up. It probably wasn’t all that easy over the course of the journey, especially when there were so many people along the way who wanted to vote him out.

It’s a little too early right now to figure out precisely where Ben Driebergen is going to stand after winning tonight’s finale but the one thing we know is this: It was a hard-fought win. You can make a case that Chrissy really should have won and we won’t fight you on it. She won the final immunity challenges of the season and were it not for Ben getting a chance to play in that fire-making task it’s hard to fathom a way in which she loses. (We love Devon, but we do think that Chrissy would’ve beaten both him and Ryan.) We do like that she did get some votes and Ryan even got one! Typically there’s one person in the final three who is a complete dud.

While there are some strategic winners on the show over the years we’d quality Ben as an emotional one. His emotional story coming back from the military is one that isn’t often told — he’s a real guy with real struggles and while we probably would’ve voted for Chrissy, it’s hard to be upset about his story being out there. It’s also really great that CBS acknowledged a way for viewers to give back to men and women in uniform during the reunion show.

We’re going to have a full interview with Ben tomorrow where we will break down more of his game but, for now, we have nothing but the utmost respect and adulation for him for going out there and fighting his way to the very end.

What did you think about the Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers finale? Be sure to share in the comments below right now!

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