If you watched Survivor 44, chances are that self-proclaimed “dorks” Matt Blankinship and Frannie Marin stole your heart with their connection, getting extremely close with one another while serving as members of the Soka tribe together, ultimately becoming even closer after their respective eliminations. The Survivor franchise was in need of a strong showmance!
After both parties got their torches snuffed by longtime host Jeff Probst, the pair reconvened at Ponderosa, where their relationship grew even stronger. Frannie gushed about their oh-so romantic reunion in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“It was joyous. Kane [Fritzler], Brandon [Cottom], and Matt weren’t really sure what my energy was going to be when I came into Ponderosa, right? Sometimes people are devastated, but I ran up the boardwalk and I was like, ‘I’m giving everybody hugs! We’re here to have a good time!’ Of course, I literally ran like a slow-motion movie and jumped into Matt’s arms and we had the best hug, and then we talked until like 4 AM and it was so amazing. I mean, literally two dorky magnets. We cannot separate from each other. It’s such a beautiful thing.”
While things seemed to be smooth sailing for the two lovebirds immediately after their respective eliminations, where do Matt and Frannie stand several months later? Keep scrolling to find out for yourself…
Who is Matt Blankinship from Survivor 44?
Matt Blankinship, a “joyful, empathetic, and persistent” security software engineer from Albany, California, is known for having a Survivor journey that was less-than-ideal.
Starting out on the Soka Tribe, the 28-year-old was a member of the Soka Alliance, which carried him to the merge alongside Frannie Marin. After an unexpected twist that split the castaways in half for two separate tribal councils — ultimately separating the Survivor showmancers — Matt found himself at the mercy of the Ratu Alliance, who voted him out in order to break up the connection between Matt and Frannie that was beginning to form.
Forgetting his bag back at camp with all of his belongings — including his Shot In The Dark — he was ultimately sent to Ponderosa after being on the wrong side of a 3-2 vote. Poor guy!
Who is Frannie Marin from Survivor 44?
Frannie Marin is a 24-year-old from St. Paul, Minnesota, currently working as a research coordinator at a center for mindfulness and compassion, but doubling as a force to be reckoned with within the Survivor world.
Starting out as a member of the Soka tribe alongside Matt, the “curious, calculating, and zesty” castaway was a key number for the Soka Alliance post-merge, however, her strong social, strategic, and (most importantly) physical game caused her allies to distance themselves from her relatively early. Winning three out of five challenges post-merge, it was too risky having Frannie around, causing her to be eliminated at the final eight in a 5-2-1 vote as soon as she failed to win the Immunity Challenge.
Who knows, perhaps she can take her superb competition skills to The Challenge: USA next season…
Are Matt Blankinship and Frannie Marin of Survivor 44 still together?
To the delight of Survivor superfans everywhere, Matt Blankinship and Frannie Marin’s romance continued beyond the beach, and they are seriously as cute as can be.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly this past April, published just a few hours after Matt’s gut-wrenching elimination, the Survivor 44 castaway revealed where his relationship stood with Frannie.
“We’re still dating. We’re still going strong. Obviously, there is so much chemistry there. We’re two dorky magnets. We couldn’t stay away from each other, and we knew the whole time. I think of myself as a very logical, smart guy. The one thing you come into Survivor and not do is get into a showmance, because it’s a terrible strategy, but we literally couldn’t help it… We’re still going strong. We did get Ethiopian food. We’re planning that road trip. We’re making it happen.”
Similarly, after Frannie’s devastating elimination one month later, she gushed about Matt in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly as well, revealing how things have been progressing between them post-Survivor.
“We’re doing long distance, but Matt is such a great guy. He’s so kind, he’s so patient, and he’s the best person to do long distance with. I feel like we just communicate so well, and we’re making it work. Also, I’m considering making a little cross-country move in the near future, but don’t tell anyone.”
According to their respective Instagram profiles, this “cross-country move” has not occurred just yet, but things seem to be smooth sailing for the two lovebirds, grabbing some donuts together in August, hitting the Minnesota State Fair together in September (alongside Carolyn Wiger and Carson Garrett), heading to The Big Easy together in December, and more.
The duo even celebrated their anniversary on June 27, with Frannie sharing a heartfelt Instagram post to commemorate their lovey-dovey relationship that might have had us shedding a few tears.
“I’m not wild about anniversaries, but I am wild about these pictures that I was too nervous to post while season 44 was airing, so here’s to one beautiful year with this joyful, patient, loving man 💛 Pls enjoy this blurb from my journal, written on day 1 of Survivor pre-game, days before Matt and I ever exchanged a word: ‘I have already developed a mild affinity for [Matt]. This is problematic as I want to be best friends with him and will likely a) trust everything he says and b) tell him every thought in my head. Halt, emotional being! Enough with reaching your wretched tendrils! Steel yourself!’”
With the way things are going, Matt and Frannie might become the next Rob and Amber Mariano. How sweet would that be?
To relive Matt and Frannie’s relationship from the very beginning, Survivor superfans can stream the entirety of Survivor 44 via Paramount Plus. It is nothing short of spectacular!