'Survivor' Finale: Jeff Probst Explains Winner's "Desperate" Victory

In Survivor, fire represents your life. It's an old adage within the storied reality franchise's history, and one with special significance as it relates to the recently concluded 35th season, Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.

A season that was already brimming with twists culminated in another hard left turn right at the finish line, with the introduction of a brand new twist: the winner of the final immunity challenge earned the power to bring one of their fellow castaways with them to the final Tribal Council. As a result, the two remaining players would be left to compete in a fire-making challenge for the final seat at the final Tribal. The high-stakes trial by literal fire ended up being a (wait for it) game changer, as the winner went on to win it all: Heroes tribe veteran and war veteran Ben Driebergen, who wound up with the million dollar prize after playing three back-to-back-to-back immunity idols, and winning the aforementioned fire challenge to seal the deal.

"Ben played much harder than even I anticipated," executive producer and host Jeff Probst tells The Hollywood Reporter about the champion of Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. "It really woke me up to how much deeper we are all capable of digging if our need is strong enough."