With a devastating blindside sending Kellie Nalbandian packing last night (November 15), Survivor 45 is starting to heat up!
With just nine castaways remaining — four original Reba members Dee Valladares, Julie Alley, Austin Li Coon, and Drew Basile, four original Belo members Katurah Topps, Kendra McQuarrie, Bruce Perreault, and Jake O’Kane, and one original Lulu member Emily Flippen — the stakes are at an all-time high, with individual immunity up for grabs, alliances starting to shift, showmances starting to develop, and more.
With Survivor 45 continuing to progress week after week, it has been much easier for viewers to pinpoint who is playing a stronger game than their fellow castaways, with several Survivor superfans solidifying their winner picks as the season starts to dwindle down.
According to Reddit, two individuals have the best chance at being crowned the champion of Survivor 45, and spoiler alert, it’s not challenge beast Austin Li Coon, strategic mastermind Drew Basile, or social butterfly Julie Alley. Keep scrolling to find out what people are saying…
@ben_s16 got the conversation started via Reddit, proposing that the castaways who are most likely to take home $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor” at the end of Survivor 45 are Dee Valladares and Katurah Topps, contrary to popular belief.
“If I was asked to guess the winner between these two a few weeks ago, I’d have said Dee in a heartbeat and without question, but after last night, I’m starting to shift my thinking into believing that it might actually be Katurah, but I’m still just not sure tbh. What’s y’all assessment regarding these two, and what do y’all think needs to happen for their games and in the edit for either of these two to possibly be the winner?
Naturally, Survivor superfans replied to the thread, giving their reasons as to why both Dee and Katurah have the potential to win Survivor 45.
As for a more traditional winner, viewers think Dee will take the cake, likely due to her strong performance in challenges, as well as her stellar social and strategic gameplay. After all, her edit on the beloved competition series has been nothing short of spectacular!
“Dee’s edit is kinda just purely making her look good… Her winning makes a lot of sense with her story, and not to mention the fact that she has a clear motive of family, and on top of that we’re actively seeing how her game is going every episode, which puts her really high on my radar. I think this is truly what a winner’s edit would look like for a player like Dee, so I’m like 99.9% sure it’s her”
Seemingly having Austin Li Coon, Drew Basile, and Julie Alley wrapped around her finger, things could be smooth sailing for Dee from here on out, as long as she does not make herself come across as too big of a threat.
While Dee appears to be getting a winner’s edit on the hit competition show, we have seen in the “New Era” of Survivor that underdogs tend to emerge as victorious in the end. After all, nobody expected Mike Gabler to win Survivor 43 due to his kooky persona!
With individuals saying that Dee is striking them as more of a “decoy winner,” like Omar Zaheer in Survivor 42 and Jesse Lopez in Survivor 43, Katurah has had the perfect underdog story thus far, making her a great candidate for $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor.”
“Dee’s edit seems more like a traditional winner, but Katurah’s edit seems more unpredictable, which seems to be the trend with the ‘New Era’ winners. As of right now, I’m leaning slightly Katurah — like 52-48. I almost think if she comes out of this Kaleb vote unscathed, she’s getting an underdog winner edit. Files in with the Rebas, and becomes the last Belo standing at the end.”
With Kellie Nalbandian being eliminated just last night, and with Bruce Perreault and Jake O’Kane having massive targets on their backs, Katurah is one step closer to being the final original Belo member standing.
To see how the rest of Survivor 45 unfolds, and to see if either Dee Valladares or Katurah Topps take home $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor,” catch 90-minute episodes of the beloved competition series every Wednesday at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.
