At the final five of Survivor: Winners at War, Sarah Lacina, Ben Driebergen and Tony Vlachos had a decision to make between Natalie Anderson and Michele Fitzgerald. With the knowledge that Natalie had an idol, the tight trio was going to be forced to guess who the idol might be played on. Then, Ben threw a wrench into the plans, informing Sarah that he wanted to be voted out to give her a resume-booster and a better chance to beat Tony in the end.
It was a stunning move, but not an unprecedented one. In season 10, Ian Rosenberger forfeited a lengthy immunity challenge in the final three so that Tom Westman could vote him out and take Katie Gallagher to the end. The following season, Rafe Judkins gave Danni Boatwright permission to take Stephenie LaGrossa to the final two instead of him. They each highlighted the importance of the social game, and how a strong bond can supersede strategic gameplay. With Ben, the move was headscratching on its surface, especially given the gravity of the fortieth season and the fact that two million dollars was on the line. So why did Ben, in effect, quit?
Ben told Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross that he knew he didn't have a chance to win enough jury votes after Natalie returned to the game from the Edge of Extinction. She gave the contestants a heads up as to where the jury's heads were at, and it was clear that Tony was the front-runner. Ben said, "I knew I wasn't respected on the jury. I played very hard, I built a lot of relationships, and then those relationships fell apart and ultimately ended up hurting me in the long run."
Not wanting to be lambasted by a critical jury, Ben bowed out, giving his blessing to Sarah to beat Tony. At the final six tribal council, Sarah spoke about gender bias and how deceitful moves by women aren't often treated with the same respect as those by men in Survivor. This message resonated with Ben. He knew she needed a move that was not tied to Tony to beat him in a jury argument in the end.
Ultimately, the Sarah victory that Ben desired never came to fruition. Instead, the audience was treated to a closely contested, emotionally moving scene when Tony outlasted Sarah in the final four fire-making challenge. Tony beat Natalie and Michele in the final three with a 12-4-0 win, claiming a seat on the throne alongside the only other two-time winner, Sandra Diaz-Twine.
Source: EW