Did 'Survivor' Season 44 Crown a Gay Winner?

Spoiler alert! This article talks about the outcome of "Survivor," including the winner.

The long-running reality competition series wrapped up its 44th season last night with a win that surprised and thrilled fans, in a finale that, among other things, showed one fan-fave contestant, Heidi, taking on a rival with what TVLine called "a total baller move".

But – here's your very law spoiler alert warning! – it was openly gay competitor Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho who secured the final victory, emerging as the season's ultimate champion – an outcome, Entertainment Weekly decalred, that "once again proved that in the game of 'Survivor,' a dominant social game trumps all."

Yam Yam, "a 31-year-old salon owner from Puerto Rico, defeated Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt and Carolyn Wiger 7-1-0 in the final jury vote. Yam Yam was an integral member of the Tika Three Stooges alliance that played from the middle after the merge – pitting the Soka and Ratu tribes against each other until their numbers sufficiently dwindled and Tika took over," EW went on to detail.

"But it was also Yam Yam's social game that excelled," EW recounted, noting that the out competitor often made "tribemates laugh with his hilarious bon mots," but proved a reliable ally "when he put his own game at risk to help a distraught Carson Garrett practice making fire.

"That could have backfired," EW mulled, but instead it played out beautifully, and as a result "Yam Yam had another jury vote in his pocket."

The nailbiter saw a final immunity challenge in which Heather relinquished "her free pass to the final three to take on Carson in fire, believing she needed to pad her résumé if she ultimately wanted to win the jury's respect.

"Still, it was not enough to defeat Yam Yam," EW narrated, noting that his "colorful personality and superior social game prevailed, and the jury rewarded him as the player most deserving of the Sole Survivor title and the million dollars that goes with it."

The hugely popular show has had a number of out LGBTQ+ contestants over the years, including the winner of the very first season, Richard Hatch. In 2004, lesbian contender Amy Cusack brought her partner into a challenge, and, in a subsequent season, out gay competitor Colton Cumbie competed together with his fiancé, Caleb Bankston. (Tragically, Bankston died in a work-related accident in 2014, before the two were wed.)

In 2016, Brett Labelle confided, in a standout moment, to fellow contestant Zeke Smith that he was gay. In a subsequent season, Zeke himself was outed by another contestant – also a member of the LGBTQ+ community – as trans. (The outing got the offender booted.)

Though many seasons have featured out cast members – and several seasons have had multiple LGBTQ+ competitors, with Seasons 16, 37, and 39 each having three – the last out gay "Survivor" champion was Season 15's Todd Herzog, in 2007.