How Many Couples From Survivor Are Actually Still Together?
Turns out that being stuck on an island with little food, an uncomfortable bed, and others constantly plotting against you can be a great aphrodisiac. Survivor, the seemingly unstoppable show, premiered its 40th — yes 40th — season in 2020. Throughout those years, close quarters, hot bodies, and maybe even host Jeff Probt's magic sparked romance.
Season 33, Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen X, saw young contestants Taylor Stocker and Jessica "Figgy" Figueroa — a.k.a. FigTails — instantly click. But after filming stopped, the fling flamed out just like their torches. "It's definitely a good thing we didn't get married," Figueroa told CBS, "because I would have filed for divorce real quick." However, other couples went long-term once back in civilization. "It's actually proven that Survivor couples have a higher success rate than couples from The Bachelor," former contestant Jaime Dugan claimed to The Sway. Take Survivor alums Alex Bell and Kim Powers, who got hitched in 2006. Not much else is known about their relationship other than the fact that they are, indeed, still together. But we do know a whole lot about some of the other couples who have ... survived. Some pairs had children, a few faced setbacks along the way, and in one of these reality TV couples, each member is a millionaire.
What was your favorite romance on the show? Grab your touch — it's time to find out, how many couples from Survivor are actually still together.
Southern lovers Jaime Dugan and Erik Huffman met on Survivor
On the way to film Survivor: China, the fifteenth season filled with shady contestants, Jaime Dugan noticed a South Carolina sticker on another contestant's guitar case, but she couldn't inquire. At that time, "The cast was forbidden from talking or even looking each other in the eye until they all arrived to the filming location," according to The Sway. At the first chance she got, Dugan approached the mystery man, Erik Huffman. "It's crazy because our first conversation is recorded," Dugan told the media outlet. "We spoke for the very first time on national television." Turns out the two grew up only 30 miles from each other, hence the Palmetto state connection.
After the show, the pair returned to their home state and tied the knot in 2009. The wedding naturally featured "an Asian and tropical-themed reception" and other reality TV contestants from The Amazing Race, according to People. Dugan and Huffman had a son together, and in April 2020, she posted on Instagram in celebration of their eleventh wedding anniversary.
The hidden Survivor relationship between Jenna Bowman and Sebastian Noel
On the flight to Fiji to begin filming Season 36, Survivor: Ghost Island, Jenna Bowman and Sebastian Noel found themselves seated next to each other. The contestants weren't supposed to interact, "but our TVs weren't really working, so there was a few, brief moments where we could kind of discuss things," Bowman told Entertainment Tonight. As the plane neared paradise, she recalled telling Noel, "Let's just move here and get married and have all the kids." And his response? "OK."
On the island, the two stayed close but tried their best to not be overtly open about their feelings, given Survivor's history of voting out couples. "We would sleep next to each other and hold hands all night, but in the day, we just really wouldn't communicate and keep it down low," Bowman said. That, and producers had their own agenda. "Another thing with Survivor is they don't show a lot of our relationship on the show," Noel revealed in a YouTube video, adding to the well-known fact the show is heavily edited in spots.
Ironically, Noel helped orchestrate the tribal council to vote out Bowman. But there were no hard feelings, and the two made no secret about their feelings for each other after the season ended. Bowman and Noel are still together and have a joint Instagram account and YouTube vlog documenting the two traveling the world as "Tarzan and Jen."
Sierra Thomas and Joe Anglim rode off into the sunset after Survivor
In Season 30, Survivor: Worlds Apart, Sierra Thomas and Joe Anglim were two of the strongest players in the competition. So, it's no surprise that even if feelings existed between the pair, strategy took precedence. And sure enough, Thomas struck first and joined with her tribe mates to vote out Anglim. "He's going to win everyone's heart, and then he's going to win the damn game," Thomas reasoned to The New York Times. She, too, left the island without winning, but both players got a second chance at a million dollars. Thomas returned for Season 34, Survivor: Game Changers and Anglim in Season 38, Survivor: Edge of Extinction. Though their flames once again were extinguished, a different kind of fire had already started to grow.
The two stayed in touch after their initial season together, started dating three years later, and by the end of 2019, they were married. "We're both lucky because Survivor treated us so well," Thomas said. "We got awesome edits and not much hate. So when people see us out, they're super excited. Even if we're on a date night, we always take that time to talk to people." According to the article, the couple even started breeding horses together, "though Mr. Anglim has yet to take up riding."
Jon Misch and Jaclyn Schultz showed water can be thicker than blood on Survivor
The theme of Season 29, Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, was "Blood vs. Water" — meaning the contestants were paired up in relationships. This meant family, like brothers or mother-daughters, in addition to spouses. Jon Misch and Jaclyn Schultz entered as a "currently dating" couple, via their CBS bio. Both were excellent players on the show, with Misch coming in sixth place and Schultz as the runner-up. And the relationship survived all the backstabbing and hardships that come along with playing the game.
The two held their wedding ceremony in 2015, as reported by People. Sticking with the reality TV theme, Pnina Tornai of Say Yes to the Dress fame found Schultz's wedding dress. Castmates from the couple's season attended the ceremony, as well, including Natalie Anderson, who beat out Schultz for the winning prize. Apparently, there were no hard feelings. "Our cast has become really close," Schultz said. The couple have since expanded their family with two cute dogs, per Schultz's Instagram account.
Survivor couple Jeremy and Val Collins have a huge tribe of their own back home
Going into the "Blood vs. Water" theme of Season 29, Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, contestants knew that the relationship aspect would create unique challenges. Jeremy and Val Collins entered the game as husband and wife, ready to win the big prize for their family. But according to his CBS bio, Jeremy felt that "playing with my loved one would be stressful and emotional." He added, "I know it is going to be tough out there and I will worry about my wife being hungry, cold and tired." Though the couple got voted off one-by-one, Jeremy got a second chance and competed on Season 31, Survivor: Cambodia. He made the most of the "Second Chance" theme and earned the title of "Sole Survivor" — plus the million dollar prize that goes along with it.
As reported by People, Jeremy got an unexpected update during his time on the island. While filming his second season, "Val broke the news to Jeremy that she was expecting a son — Remy Bodhi," their third child. Then, in 2017, the couple welcomed baby No. 4, rounding out their own tribe to two sons and two daughters. As a previous winner, Jeremy returned to the game for a third time in the 40th season, Survivor: Winners at War.
Survivor's John and Candice Cody are brainiacs
Contestants on Season 27, Survivor: Blood vs. Water, actually got a little extra time on the island with their loved ones. Host Jeff Probst suggested the "Day Zero" idea for each pair to have a night together by themselves before starting the game, Entertainment Weekly reported. John and Candice Cody were one of the duos competing in the season, but while John was the newcomer, wife Candice had entered the game for the third time, having already competed on Survivor: Cook Islands and on the hero team for Survivor Heroes vs. Villains. For her CBS bio, Candice fondly talked about playing alongside her husband: "I can't think of anybody I would trust more to be on my side as a teammate. I'm very proud of my husband and I want to show him off!" As for newcomer John, he said, "There's nobody in this world I trust more than Candice and this will be a crazy story for us to tell our kids someday."
He held true to the prediction and the two later added more tribe members to the Cody clan. In 2017, the couple welcomed their second child, People reported. The Codys also have the brains to go along with their survival skills, since both are doctors: Candice is an anesthesiologist and John is an orthopedic surgeon. Honestly, what can't this Survivor couple do?
Monica and Brad Culpepper went from the gridiron to the Survivor island
Survivor: Blood vs. Water was arguably the season of love, what with all the couples participating — including, as mentioned, John and Candace Cody. Meanwhile, Big Brother winner Hayden Moss and his girlfriend, Kat Edorsson, also competed, though the two eventually broke up and Edorsson was later arrested (via TMZ). But Monica and Brad Culpepper were one of the strongest performing couples. It was her second time competing on the show and, according to the couple's CBS bio, she said having her husband on the island was like "having my 'shield' out there." The protection worked, and Monica performed even better than before, claiming the runner-up spot for the season. Brad called Survivor a "once in a lifetime opportunity," but when it came to his wife, he said, "I will always place her before me as I would never want to jeopardize her Survivor flame."
Brad is an ex-NFL player, so his son, Rex Culpepper, pursued a similar path to play football rather than leaning into potential reality TV stardom. After making the Syracuse University football team, Rex sadly was diagnosed with testicular cancer, according to the team's website. However, Rex thankfully beat the disease and was listed as quarterback for Syracuse's 2020 season.
Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson continued to compete after Survivor
Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson didn't hide their affection for each other when competing on Season 23, Survivor: South Pacific. "The duo was spending 24/7 together fishing, cooking, and surviving in the wilderness," CBS recapped. Or, as Duncan phrased it, by the third day together, she "knew she was 'in trouble' with Keith." Neither of the duo made it to the end, but their journey on TV was far from over. Duncan later decided to pursue country music and made her next TV appearance, competing as a finalist on Nashville Star, according to Taste of Country.
While Duncan and Tollefson were engaged, the couple got another chance to win big in the CBS reality TV sphere. Both Duncan and Tollefson competed on The Amazing Race, traveling the world together on someone else's dime. Of course, both wanted to win the million dollar prize to help start off their marriage, but Tollefson also had another reason. He hoped to learn "increased appreciation and patience for her," according to their CBS bio. "Couples tend to lose this slowly as time goes on," he said. In 2014, Duncan and Tollefson tied the knot in Tennessee, so it seems he has a lifetime to work on that patience.
Parvati Shallow and John Fincher went from Survivor villains to parents
Parvati Shallow is one of the most popular Survivor players ever. She first appeared on Season 13, Survivor: Cook Islands, and came back through popular demand on Season 16 as the winner of Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites. That season, she earned the title of "Sole Survivor" and a million dollars, according to her CBS bio. Then, during Season 20, Shallow competed for a third time on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains as part of the "Villains" tribe. Though John Fincher competed on a different season, Survivor: Samoa, the two met and were engaged in 2017, People reported. The next year, the couple married and welcomed their first daughter, according to Entertainment Tonight.
Since Shallow previously won Survivor, she returned for her fourth attempt in the all-victors Season 40, Survivor: Winners at War. As if going against the most clever and cutthroat players ever wasn't hard enough, Shallow left to compete when her second child was just ten months old. But as she told CBS, "I have a new stamina and capacity that comes from knowing that I can survive six months of sleep deprivation with a newborn. And, I know that I can connect with people in a completely different way as a mother."
Rob and Amber Mariano: the Survivor superstars
Any Survivor fan knows power couple Rob and Amber Mariano. The pair met on Season 8, Survivor: All Stars, having both previously competed in other seasons. In a script even the producers couldn't dream of, Amber (née Brkich) beat out her future husband, Rob, who was the runner-up for the season. In an interview for Entertainment Tonight, Rob said, "America got to see us really fall in love on [the show]." Rob proposed during the 2004 live reunion show, according to CBS News, and the couple married shortly thereafter.
Jump to 2020: the Marianos have four children together and have collectively been on seven seasons of Survivor and two seasons of The Amazing Race. And what are their hobbies? "Being a mom of four equals no time for hobbies,” Amber quipped in her CBS bio. "Any free time we have is spent together as a family. Whether it's playing a game, going on a bike ride, or having family movie night ... we love hanging out as a family!" In addition to their 15th wedding anniversary in 2020, it was an equally big year showbiz-wise, since both veterans of the TV series competed on Season 40, Survivor: Winners at War.
Survivor couple Rupert and Laura Boneham conquered TV
Rupert Boneham made his TV debut on Season 7, Survivor: Pearl Islands. He came back the very next season for the "All Stars" edition, but fell short of the big prize once again. However, during the live reunion show, producers added a twist where the public voted for their favorite player to also win a million dollars. According to Entertainment Weekly, 38 million fans voted and Boneham walked away with the money. He later capitalized on his popularity by appearing as a "hero" on Season 20, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and then with his wife, Laura Boneham, on Survivor: Blood vs. Water. Rupert considered it an amazing opportunity to play alongside his wife on the island, saying in the pair's CBS bio, "You can describe what Survivor is like, but until you've lived it, it is hard to understand."
The couple stayed together and tried their luck on The Amazing Race, and the Survivor experience helped prepare Laura for the challenges. "Survivor empowered the s**t out of me! Survivor taught me to expect the unexpected. I feel like I can conquer any challenge reality TV or life throws my way," she said in her CBS bio for the show. During one challenge, the couple interacted with school children and thought about their life back home. "We were missing our daughter, and it definitely helped fill us up," Laura later told Parade. "There was the cool energy of the kids laughing at us and clapping."
Survivor's Tyson Apostol and Rachel Foulger took their relationship to the next level
Tyson Apostol is another well-known player who got his start on Season 18, Survivor: Tocantins. His love-to-hate strategy earned him a spot on the "villain" tribe two seasons later on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Though Apostol lost both seasons, he joined up with his girlfriend, Rachel Foulger, to try once again during Survivor: Blood vs. Water. In his CBS bio, Apostol said, "I returned to Survivor to play with my loved one so we could make some sweet cash, have a rad experience and an excuse to take all life's responsibilities off for a couple months." He got his sweet cash, earning a million dollars and title of "Sole Survivor."
After the season ended — and with a check in hand — the couple appeared on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. During the season finale, the Survivor winner got down on one knee and proposed to Foulger, People reported. The two held their 2015 wedding ceremony in Utah, as shown by a YouTube video by Martha Stewart Weddings. Later, the couple had two children, announcing baby No. 2's arrival on Instagram in 2018. As a previous winner, Apostol returned to island life on Survivor: Winners at War two years later.