Syracuse University alumnus wins ‘Survivor’ season 44: Buzz

Syracuse University alumnus wins ‘Survivor’ season 44

Call it Orange kismet: A Syracuse University alumnus won season 44 of “Survivor.”

Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho, who attended SU’s Newhouse School from 2004 to 2008, was one of five finalists on the “Survival” season finale Wednesday night, along with castaways Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, Carson Garrett, Lauren Harpe and Carolyn Wiger. In a 7-1-0 final jury vote at the end of the episode, Arocho was crowned the “sole survivor,” winning a $1 million prize.

“This is not real!” Arocho said.

Arocho, a 36-year-old salon owner from Puerto Rico, was a fan favorite on the show and a key member of the Tika Three, a tribal alliance with Wiger and Garrett. He also won an individual immunity in the “Last Gasp” challenge, outlasting Legares-Greenblatt as contestants stayed in the ocean under a grate and had to remain breathing as the tide and water level rise.

The season, filmed last summer in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, is the 44th edition of “Survivor,” hosted by Jeff Probst. That number is special to Syracuse alumni: No. 44 is the jersey number worn by legendary athletes Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little.

“Survivor” will return for another season in the fall on CBS. Arocho’s season can be streamed on Paramount+.

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