Spoilers ahead for Survivor: Winners at War season finale.
Tony Vlachos played a great game throughout Survivor: Winners at War, and it was arguably no surprise that he won the season. Vlachos nailed every strategy and challenge, and he managed to reach the end of the season without getting a single vote go against him. However, now that the season is over, Vlachon has reflected back on Winners at War and revealed how “disappointed” he was with the finale voting.
Suffice it to say, Tony Vlachos was the Survivor champion who played the hardest and smartest all season. He landed four immunity challenges, cleverly took out his competition, and even managed to swing the vote in his favor at the last second. But along with the highest of highs came the lowest of lows. During the Winners at War jury vote, Vlachos was surprised to find that four of the castaways — Parvati, Tyson, Ethan, and Jeremy — didn’t vote for him, and instead gave their votes to Natalie. Here’s what he told EW about why he was upset:
I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in Parvati actually, because I know Parvati respects the game, and I'm not knocking Natalie whatsoever. She did amazing. I watched it on the TV, but just because she did great in the game for the last five days, I did great for 39 days. So I was kind of upset. If the votes weren't going to come to me, I think Michele deserves to get the votes, because she played 39 days in the game, dodging bullets. It's a war, and she had to be there dodging landmines, and the game is part of a strategy, influence and goals. It's a lot to do with that.
It sounds like Tony Vlachos walked away with some hard feelings as well as bragging rights. The competitor did play a great game, so it’s understandable why he believed those votes should’ve been his and not Natalie's. Parvati was voted out earlier in the Winners at War season, but considering how skilled a player she was, it’s no wonder that Vlachos (wrongfully) assumed her respect for the game would cause her to side with him during the vote.
Strangely enough, Vlachos’ disappointment didn’t extend to the other players who voted for Natalie. In fact, he was rather understanding of why they didn’t vote for him at all. Here’s how he put it:
Natalie did crush it on the Edge, and that's a whole totally different game as far as I'm concerned, but I was shocked that Pavarti did that. Ethan again, for no fault of my own, I never got to meet him. So he, like, how's he going to vote for me? He never even got to talk to me or say hello to me. But I wasn't surprised that Jeremy, I know why he voted for Natalie. I definitely understand that. Natalie's like family to him. So, family comes first.
Regardless of who voted for him or for Natalie, the season ended with Tony Vlachon taking home the prize money. Winning the Survivor: Winners at War season officially made him the second two-time champion in show history, having previously won Survivor: Cagayan. Hats off to Vlachon for playing a fantastic game.
At the end of the three-hour finale, Jeff Probst revealed that Survivor would be back in the fall, but stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on any production delays that might be forthcoming. In the meantime, swing by our summer TV premiere guide for more on what to watch.
