‘There were some really terrific players’: Is Dee Valladares the best winner of the New Era of ‘Survivor?’

Ladies, gentlemen, and Survivor superfans of all ages, another castaway has officially taken home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar cash prize…

The lucky lady who was crowned the champion of Survivor 45 last night (December 20) was the one and only Dee Valladares — beating both Austin Li Coon and Jake O’Kane in a 5-3-0 vote — and she might just be the best winner of the New Era of the beloved competition series!

Why was her win so legendary, and why are Survivor superfans, as well as longtime host Jeff Probst, deeming her victory to be more triumphant than Erika Casupanan of Survivor 41, Maryanne Oketch of Survivor 42, Mike Gabler of Survivor 43, and Yam Yam Arocho of Survivor 44?

Keep scrolling to find out for yourself…

Dee’s journey on Survivor 45 was smooth sailing, beginning on the Reba tribe and quickly forming an alliance with three of her tribemates — Austin Li Coon, Julie Alley, and Drew Basile — ultimately making it all the way to the merge as a foursome.

Sparking up a showmance with Austin, as well as friendships with the rest of the cast, Dee’s social game was truly unmatched. There is a reason she was able to sneak by tribal council after tribal council with hardly any votes against her!

Her strong social game was not the only thing the Dee had going for her, as the 26-year-old was a physical threat — winning three Immunity Challenges as soon as the merge hit — as well as a strategic threat.

With her social and physical games aside, Dee’s strategic domination began in episode 11, when she lied to Austin by informing her best friend Julie to play her Hidden Immunity Idol, ultimately foiling the plan to blindside her. This was followed by even more strategic domination in episode 12, when she lied to Austin again and voted out his best friend Drew. This entrepreneur was truly unstoppable!

Given the dominance Dee Valladares had all season long, she has been deemed as a better winner than the other victors from the New Era of Survivor — Erika Casupanan, Maryanne Oketch, Mike Gabler, and Yam Yam Arocho — with longtime host Jeff Probst praising her gameplay in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly:

“There were some really terrific players this season, so Dee’s win is impressive. I thought Dee played a tremendous overall game, which is key to getting deep, but if I had to highlight just one thing that stood out, it would be the pace with which she played. She did a really good job of ebbing and flowing based on the momentum of each day. In the early days, she focused on cementing a solid alliance with Julie, Austin, and Drew. As the game progressed, she decided she could trust that alliance enough to carve out an even deeper alliance with Julie. She continued to pay attention and recognize when the game was shifting to another stage, and that is what she based her decisions on.

Probst concluded passionately:

The key to playing this game is playing the game that works for you. It’s so hard to be courageous enough to trust your gut, because fear can invade and you worry about making the wrong move, but ultimately it is the only path.”

Jeff was not the only one who deemed Dee as the best winner of the New Era of Survivor, with several fans of the franchise, as well as former castaways like Hai Giang from Survivor 42, taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their thoughts:

@rachelshoh: “DEE: THE BEST WINNER OF THE NEW ERA #Survivor45”

@TylerHealy_: “Dee may be the best player of this game. Such a great ending! #Survivor #Survivor45”

@dontclapatjana_: “Dee one of the best winners with one of the most flawless gameplays ughh what an icon #Survivor”

@thedylandeckard: “Dee is the best winner in the 40s by far… beats Erika, Maryanne, Gabler, and Yam Yam. Love them all but it’s true… #Survivor45 #Survivor”

@giangyhai: “Dee is a masterful Survivor player, maybe the best of the new era. It’s been so much fun watching her dominant gameplay this season because she’s incredibly likable. All hail Dee Valladares-Smith-Zaheer-Lopez-Cruz Godoy 👑”

Being the frontrunner of Survivor 45 since day one — as opposed to the underdog stories of Erika, Maryanne, Gabler, and Yam Yam — Dee is truly the best of the best!

To watch Dee Valladares fight her way to victory on the beloved competition series, fans of the franchise can stream the entirety of Survivor 45 via Paramount Plus now. It is truly a must-see!