‘The perfect duo’: Sue Smey shares who her closest ally REALLY was throughout ‘Survivor 47’

When her closest allies were eliminated not once, but twice, Sue Smey appeared to be a dead woman walking on Survivor 47.

Despite losing her Tuku tribemates turned besties — Gabe Ortis and Caroline Vidmar — relatively early in the post-merge portion of the game, the 59-year-old (or should we say the 45-year-old?) managed to shift some of her relationships around, building a strong bond with eventual “Sole Survivor” Rachel LaMont that coasted her to the Final Tribal Council.

Although Sue fell short of the million-dollar prize — receiving no votes at the Final Tribal Council — the flight school owner managed to make Survivor history nevertheless, becoming the oldest woman to win an Individual Immunity Challenge and the oldest woman to make it to the Final Tribal Council. How impressive is that?

Despite playing a strong physical game, Sue’s social game equally as sensational, seemingly friends with everyone on the beach (besides Kyle Ostwald). We cannot help but wonder who her closest ally really was, though…

Sitting down with Survivor writer and reporter Mike Bloom for an exclusive interview with Parade, Sue talked some of her relationships throughout Survivor 47.

Just like how it translated onto our television screens, Sue confirmed that her closest ally was Caroline, describing them as “the perfect duo.” She even said they had a mother-daughter type of relationship throughout Survivor 47. How sweet is that?

Delving into the details, Sue continued:

“We would sit and we would talk about certain things, certain people, certain strategies, and then she was the perfect communicator to go and make it work… She was the kind person that always wanted everyone to be happy and be okay, and she worked people very, very good. I mean, I give her credit for that. I was more of just the physical person, and we were number one allies.”

Believe it or not, Sue revealed that she had vowed to never write Caroline’s name down at Tribal Council, making that same promise with two other castaways as well. “I had her back 100%, I had Gabe’s back 100%, and Rachel’s back 100%. I would ride or die with them,” the New York native gushed. Sue also opened up about her relationship with Gabe in the exclusive interview. Although their bond was developed first — with Gabe approaching her within minutes of hitting the shores of Fiji — it was not nearly as strong as her relationship with Caroline, but it was important nonetheless.

Reminiscing on the early days of Survivor 47 — when she was “severely sick” as well — Sue explained:

“I had no idea what to expect or how this was going to fall into place. Immediately, Gabe came running up to me. He grabs my arm. He’s like, ‘Sue, I’ve got you,’ and he said it with such determination that I believed him a little bit… The next day, he pulls the advantage out of his pocket. That sealed the deal. I’m like, ‘Gabe’s my guy. I know he trusts me, because if he is willing to tell me he has something, I’m good with him,’ and that’s what solidified him and I.”

Once she and Caroline started connecting, Sue immediately went to Gabe and suggested the idea of a threesome, and the rest is history. “I felt he always had my back. Whether he thought I was a wounded bird or not, he knew that Caroline and I were so tight that he had to have me on board, and he knew Caroline would come,” the 59-year-old concluded.

Outlasting both Gabe and Caroline, to see Sue’s Survivor journey from start to finish, you may stream the entirety of Survivor 47 via Paramount Plus as we speak. After an impressive performance, host Jeff Probst says she is an inspiration to older women all across the globe!