In a fittingly spectacular ending to a stellar season, Survivor 42 crowned its winner: 24-year-old seminary student Maryanne Oketch. Maryanne became the second Canadian to win the game when she bested Mike Turner and Romeo Escobar in a 7-1-0 vote. Maryanne won in an exact replication of the jury vote total that clinched her fellow Canadian, Erika Casupanan, the win in Survivor 41.

Maryanne started off on the Taku tribe along with other endgame players Jonathan Young, Lindsay Dolashewich, and Omar Zaheer, but she found herself near the bottom of the tribe in the pre-merge portion of the game. She then played quietly during the first few votes at the merge but took control of the game at the Final Six vote, ousting Omar in an massive 3-2-2 plurality blindside while also securing herself a spot in the Final Four with a Hidden Immunity Idol she kept completely secret. It turned out that she didn't even need the Idol, as Mike played his own Idol for her at Final Five before Romeo, the final immunity challenge winner, took Maryanne with him to the Final Three, where she handily secured the win against him and Mike.

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In terms of her overall strategic ranking as a winner, Maryanne easily lands in the top half of winning strategists, if not significantly higher. She played one of the most impressive Survivor endgames in the history of the show, with her colossal move against Omar being an instant classic. That play alone is sure to be remembered among the greatest Survivor moves ever, up there with the legendary Erik Reichenbach blindside from Micronesia and Cirie Fields' similar plurality split in Survivor: Panama. By pulling off that vote, Maryanne skillfully set herself up for the win. It's all the more impressive given that she knew she had protection at Final Five with her secret Idol, which she wielded in the Final Tribal Council to display to the jury just how much agency she had in getting herself to the end. Her endgame is reminiscent of San Juan del Sur's Natalie Anderson, another exceedingly strong winner who dominated the latter portion of the game on her way to victory.

Survivor 42 Winner Maryanne Oketch

The only knock against Maryanne's game is that she was in danger of going home early due to what she admitted was a "sloppy" social game at the original Taku beach. Her energetic and enthusiastic personality didn't always mesh with the sensibilities of her tribemates, and she likely would've been voted out had Taku gone to another Tribal before merge. However, Maryanne adjusted after the merge and fine-tuned her strategy to make up for some of the shakiness in her pre-merge game.

Taking every aspect of her Survivor 42 journey into account, Maryanne will go down as one of the show's most memorable and legendary players. She's one of the ultra-rare Survivor winners who not only won the game but are also unforgettable Survivor characters. Maryanne can count herself among winners like Tony Vlachos and Boston Rob Mariano as a major personality who also played an incredible game. Additionally, from a cultural standpoint, it can't be overstated how monumental Maryanne's win is for the show, as she's only the second Black woman to win the game and the first Black woman to win since Vecepia Robinson won Survivor: Marquesas in 2002, a gap of exactly 20 years separating their wins. All in all, Maryanne's Survivor 42 triumph is an immense achievement, and she should be extremely proud of her victory.

Next: Survivor 42: Why Is There No Live Finale And Reunion?