Rachel LaMont reflects on the shade thrown at Mike Holloway and Ben Driebergen during the ‘Survivor 47’ finale

While a strong physical game can certainly earn you the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar prize — as exemplified by Survivor: Worlds Apart winner Mike Holloway and Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers winner Ben Driebergen — you need a strong social, strategic and physical game to be deemed a “good” winner within the Survivor community.

Fortunately, Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont had it all, with longtime host Jeff Probst going so far as to say she “will go down as one of the best overall players to ever compete on Survivor” — how wild is that?

As mentioned, Rachel played a strong social, strategic and physical game throughout Survivor 47, overcoming adversity when her closest allies — her Gata tribemates, Anika Dhar and Sierra Wright — got their torches snuffed relatively early. Seemingly avenging those who were closest to her, the Michigan native pulled a 180. She formed connections with some other castaways (notably Sue Smey), found and played advantages — a Hidden Immunity Idol, a “Block-A-Vote,” her “Shot In the Dark” and more — and went on an impressive run of immunity wins, ultimately earning her the title of “Sole Survivor” and the coveted cash prize.

Additionally, by winning four individual immunity challenges in a single season, Rachel tied the female record, joining Survivor GOATs Kelly Wiglesworth, Jenna Morasca, Kim Spradlin and Chrissy Hofbeck — is there anything she can’t do?

Because of her impressive run of immunity wins, the jury (specifically Andy Rueda) wondered if Rachel had played a game that was physically-focused rather than socially or strategically-focused, comparing her to both Mike and Ben at the final Tribal Council. Believe it or not, this comparison draws back to a conversation Rachel and Andy had during his final few days in the game. The Survivor 47 champion spilled all the tea in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly. Keep scrolling for the nitty-gritty details.

In a conversation with longtime Survivor writer and reporter Dalton Ross, Rachel began by rehashing a conversation she had with Andy (as well as Sam Phalen) during his final few days in the game. “I’m like ‘I’ve kind of played this Mike Holloway-esque game and that’s pretty crazy,'” Rachel reminisced, explaining how winning individual immunity challenges — and ultimately tying the female record — was not on her Survivor bingo card.

She then delved into Andy’s comments from the final Tribal Council, specifically.

The way that Andy brought it up, where he was saying, ‘I know your perspective as the superfan, and you don’t view these winners in the same light as you view some other winners,’ and I think that it’s one of those things that when you sit on your couch at home, and you watch people play Survivor, and you’re like, ‘That game just seems easier, and it’s just a different type of game.'”

According to the graphic designer herself, once you actually play Survivor, you have an entirely different perspective…

“I was at the bottom of the tribe,” Rachel reminisced once again, remembering times in which Sam and Genevieve Mushaluk wanted to throw her under the bus. “Well, this is the path that I have and okay, let’s walk it then. If that’s the option, let’s do it,” she told herself at the time, and winning individual immunity challenges was her only way to avoid elimination.

Because of this, Rachel has “grown to empathize and understand that type of game a lot more as one of those players,” concluding the conversation with a smile on her face. Perhaps she is more similar to Mike and Ben than it seems on the surface!

Nevertheless, to determine whether or not Rachel should be deemed a “good” winner, relive her journey from start to finish by streaming the entirety of Survivor 47 via Paramount Plus as we speak. Additionally, keep your eyes peeled for more information regarding Survivor 48, because it is right around the corner.