The Survivor 43 final 5 speak!

Jesse Lopez. Karla Cruz Godoy. Owen Knight. Cassidy Clark. Mike Gabler. One of those people will be revealed tonight as the winner of Survivor 43 and the million dollar check that goes with it. Whoever wins will have to survive a gauntlet of questions and comments from a jury of their peers in the game.

But before all that happens, we have our own questions for the final five. We want to know what they consider their biggest moves. We want to know about their lowest moments. And we want to know who among the jury members they viewed as their biggest competition. Why do we want to know these things? Because we're hella nosy, of course! So we asked them all that and more.

When coupled with what they (and the entire cast) said about how they want to approach the jury at final Tribal Council, it gives a pretty intriguing window into the headspace of the final five as they head into the final three days, and some clues as in terms of what they may want to say to the people holding their financial fate in their hands should they make it to the very end. Read on for more from Jesse, Karla, Owen, Cassidy, and Gabler as the final five speak! And make sure to also check out our Q&A with the jury and finale preview with Jeff Probst.

Robert Voets/CBS (5) Owen Knight, Karla Cruz Godoy, Mike Gabler, Cassidy Clark, and Jesse Lopez of 'Survivor 43'

What is the move you were most proud of in the first 23 days?

JESSE LOPEZ: The move I'm most proud of is… (drumroll)… the double idol flush blindside at final six! How can I not be proud of that?! The idea came to me as I was sitting on the sand, between Karla and Cody, and I thought I was crazy for even thinking it. So for it to unfold exactly as planned was absolutely unreal. I've never experienced the rush of adrenaline I felt when I stood up to play that idol either. I was able to keep the target off of me at six, and blindside two people I viewed as massive threats. I genuinely might be prouder of that move than I am of my PhD. Don't tell my professors!

KARLA CRUZ GODOY: My social and strategic game during my time at Coco is what I'm most proud of. I was able to successfully blindside Lindsay and Geo (who had a Knowledge is Power in his pocket!) all while not raising my threat level! Do you know how hard it was to play in the middle and run back and forth between two alliances? I didn't know I had that in me when I first entered the game.

OWEN KNIGHT: I was most proud of the creativity I showed when cooking up the plan with Noelle to blindside James at the final 10. He was an amazing player and seen as the main decision maker of the Coco "three-headed Hydra"… as Gabler put it. When we saw we had a 3-2 majority with Sami over James and Karla, we knew we had a great opportunity to shake up the power structure of the game. Before the challenge, I was already envisioning using Noelle's Steal-a-Vote to take a Coco vote and send one of them home on a 2-2-1 vote split (and hopefully flush an idol). Once Karla won immunity, that plan was out the window; I needed to think of a way to still get James out.

CASSIDY CLARK: It was one of my philosophies in the game that the "big" move is less often the smart move, and you are likely better off getting to the end with a series of small, calculated decisions that make you appear less threatening but still allow you control. This at least suits my personality best, so I knew I wanted to play sly and pull strings from the shadows. But I never sacrificed my agency or strategic prowess to do that, and it's those moves I'd like to talk about.

First, the votes I participated in always went the way I expected and hoped, regardless of what happened leading up to it. I hadn't experienced a single blindside in 23 days, which is pretty incredible. I also never used my vote in a way that didn't benefit me. Even with the Jeanine vote when it seemed I was "on the wrong side." It's true, I didn't want to see another woman go home, but since I knew all the votes were going onto her, I strategically wrote down Ryan's name to control who went home if Jeanine successfully played her Shot in the Dark and because I knew I could get away with it. Another part of my strategy was taking mental notes of everyone who targeted me, and when the time was right, I successfully got my threats voted out of the game.

I played more subtle than some on my tribe, but I worked hard to secure my position every day. I had a steady stream of bullets to dodge too. No one brought me to the final five but myself, and that is an accomplishment the Survivor super fan in me does not take lightly!

MIKE GABLER: I would have to say, I'm most proud of winning the first individual immunity and bringing attention to our veterans in need who are suffering from PTSD, TBI, and suicide.  They are the one percent that protects the 99 percent, and while I never had the honor of serving in our military, I am proud to have the opportunity to serve them.

CBS Jesse Lopez, Cassidy Clark, Karla Cruz Godoy, Owen Knight, and Mike Gabler of 'Survivor 43'

What was your favorite non-game related interaction you had with someone out there over your first 23 days?

JESSE LOPEZ: This is tough, because what interaction in the game is truly non-game related? Even a minor conversation can inadvertently get viewed through the lens of the game! However, I think because of the fact that me and Cody had such a hold on the game, it was easy for us to have non-game related interactions and let our guard down. I will also say that the conversations that stick out the most are definitely those I had with Karla. There are so many parallels in our own journeys, and we immediately understood each other on a deeper level. We literally graduated from Berkeley the same year, and had shared experiences growing up that most people can't understand. So, we formed a pretty instant bond that went beyond the game.

KARLA CRUZ GODOY: I came into the game thinking I was going to keep the fact that I went to UC Berkeley a secret because I thought that would make me a target, but the moment I learned that Jesse was also a Berkeley Bear created an instant connection. I consider this one of my favorite non-game related interactions because we connected about growing up in the inner city, growing up poor, and the impact education has had on our lives and our survival.

OWEN KNIGHT: My other original Bakas have already said this, but we had a BLAST on the beach. We are a dysfunctional family. We had so much fun talking about our lives, families, and food. I also had some great conversations with Cassidy in the early merge about our relationships, and I felt like she was someone I could eventually work with if we ever got on the same page.

CASSIDY CLARK: My relationship with James wasn't shown much, but we were extremely close. He was what I'd call my day 1 in the game. We seemed an unlikely duo, but we clicked instantly. And he had big moments of selflessness in a selfish game, which I found very endearing. For example, he would stay up for hours each night keeping the fire going so that we were all warm. It gets very cold out there at night and I struggled to sleep if there wasn't a fire. James made sure we always had one going even when we lost our flint. He sacrificed a lot of sleep doing it, which is already a precious and limited resource in the game. My pants were so thin and I lost the little fat I had early in the game, so that the fire truly meant life to me. Also, shout out to Owen, who stared loaning me his flannel at night after James left. Those small kindnesses mean so much in such a ruthless game.

MIKE GABLER: My absolute favorite non-game related interaction was back at Baka when we had our "Baka Prom Night!" While taping the show, I had to miss my oldest daughter's Senior Prom. I was counting the days off in my head so I could be aware. The tribe could tell I was sad, so Elie and Jeanine had the idea to do a Baka Prom night at our camp! Everyone loved the idea and immediately began helping.  Me and Elie searched for snails and hermit crabs, Jeanine and Owen searched for coconuts, and Sami got a fire started.

While in the middle of a very contentious game, we all came together for this special moment to celebrate life and all of our loved ones. Each person got 4-5 snails, 1-2 hermit crabs, and a mouthful of toasted coconut.  While eating our "feast," we told stories of our families and loved ones. Finally, after eating, we danced with each other!  We all put the game on hold for a few hours and celebrated our combined adventure and gratitude to be on the best show on television—Survivor!

CBS Jesse Lopez, Cassidy Clark, Karla Cruz Godoy, Owen Knight, and Mike Gabler of 'Survivor 43'

What was your lowest moment out there over the first 23 days?

JESSE LOPEZ: Ironically, my "low" moments always came after what can be considered "highs" for a Survivor game. The things that look the coolest "strategically" on television were the things that left me feeling the lowest personally. So, I'm going to break the rules and name two moments: Dwight's vote out, and the second I looked at Cody's face after playing his idol. Voting out Dwight felt terrible because he's such an amazing person, and a huge fan, and we talked all the time about just making the jury. So when I had to write his name down knowing he wouldn't get the experience of being on the jury, it crushed me (yes, even though I got Jeanine's idol out of the deal).

Also, as cool as it was to play someone else's idol and flush another, sitting back down and seeing the genuine shock and hurt in Cody's face was just a low-point in life. It's easy to sit back and say "I'd do whatever it takes" while you watch the show, but to actually play that way is really jarring on a personal level. You're playing with real people who you have real connections with, and so these great game moves can leave you feeling really low if you dwell on them too long.

KARLA CRUZ GODOY: During the last immunity challenge, I twisted my ankle twice and experienced a degree of dehydration that I have never felt before, resulting in my hands locking up, making completing the challenge difficult. This was the first time I ever felt like my body was giving up even though my mind wanted to keep going. I literally felt like I was at my breaking point and I didn't know what to do. Back at camp on day 23, I couldn't really strategize with people because walking hurt so I knew I was missing out on key moments. Then I go to Tribal and BAM! I'm left out of the vote, which was a complete shock. That combination of physical and mental exhaustion was my lowest point. I don't ever want to feel like that again.

OWEN KNIGHT: The middle of the game was ROUGH for me. Baka implodes and Elie goes out, my new BFF Dwight gets blindsided, and then Jeanine and I try our darndest to get something together, but to no avail. What a horrible three vote stretch! I finally got something going at the final 10, and then BAM, Noelle gets blindsided the next day at the final 8. WTF! Seeing me throw my bag on the ground before my Charlie Brown confessional really encapsulated how I was feeling. Nothing was going right for me, and I just had to laugh through the pain.

CASSIDY CLARK: It was either the day after the Last Gasp challenge or the day of the final 6 reward. Both of those losses hit me hard, and I felt like I had let myself down when I couldn't afford to. I could feel my energy turning sour and I was at war with myself and all of the challenging experiences. But I knew I had to change that quickly if I wanted to continue doing well in the game. The best way I found was taking a long, far swim into the ocean, then some breath work and yoga in the sunshine. You have to find ways out there to stay grounded and anchor yourself when s--- gets stormy, which happens a lot in Survivor. If you let yourself be swept up in the current loss, you miss the next opportunity for gain. Both experiences pushed me harder to reframe my thinking and dig a little deeper, and doing so won me that critical immunity and spot in the final five.

MIKE GABLER: My lowest moment came early. The first week was brutal. When I left Idaho, it was snowing. When I landed in Fiji it was 101F with more than 90 percent humidity.  We were all dying — sweating out all of our salts, sugars, and minerals. The bugs LOVED us! I literally had bug bites on my bug bites?! Plus, we were dehydrated, sunburned, dirty, sleep deprived, hungry, too cold or too hot, no teeth brushing, my feet were rotting off … I'm having a flashback just remembering this! Ha!

Then, after about a week, our bodies adjusted.  It was amazing to see and feel. Ironically, I got stronger. It was part of an attitude you got from breaking down your mental and physical barriers. Everyone got lean and mean. Survivor was one of the hardest and coolest things I have done in my entire life. It showed me I was stronger than I ever thought possible. The experience has changed me and I'm grateful to everyone for everything — all of my S43 castaways, Jeff, and the amazing crew.

CBS The 'Survivor 43' final five

Of the six people already on the jury heading into the finale, who was the biggest threat to win the game and why?

JESSE LOPEZ: The biggest threat to win was Cody. We made all of the same moves, and both built great bonds with a lot of people. It didn't make sense for us to both trip over each other at the end to try to take credit for the moves we made. Plus, Cody is just Cody! I didn't want to underestimate his ability to turn on the charm and sweep votes away from me (see. J.T. & Fishbach 2008).

KARLA CRUZ GODOY: I mean, everyone was a threat to win the game! You had Noelle and Jeanine who were constantly working towards making a move against the majority. Shoot, when Noelle had that incredible reward win and used her Steal-a Vote, I knew she was a big threat and overall badass. There was James, who in my opinion, played an incredibly strong game and came off looking like the "Godfather" because everyone perceived him to have made all the moves at Coco, which would not have been good for me if he got to the end. In watching the season air, I was VERY shocked to see the game Sami was playing, because I never knew he was working the middle like that. Finally, Cody, the salesman would have talked us into buying an elevator in Fiji if he made it to the end with his charisma and suave demeanor.

OWEN KNIGHT: That's hard to say! Cody is an obvious answer since he made it so close to the endgame and had a clear path to victory. It took a historic blindside to take him out! I was very impressed watching the season and realizing what an astute player he is.

Then there's players like James and Noelle who had all the tools to be a winner, but we don't know what their path could have looked like. James was a brilliant strategist with a majority, and Noelle has a fire inside her unlike anyone I have ever met in my life. I personally don't think it's right to exclude someone from an alliance/final 3 plan just because of their story, so I hope and think I would have kept working with her.

CASSIDY CLARK: I think Noelle could've mopped the floor with almost any of us. She had an incredible story, was a challenge dominator, and experienced some huge wins and comebacks in the game. She also had great relationships with basically everyone. I think it would've been hard to convince a jury not to give her the million if she got to the end.

MIKE GABLER: Wow, that's an awfully big question for this season! Below is what I think of all six if any had made it farther in the game:

1. Jeanine is very smart and caring. She was a puzzle and endurance master who made strong bonds and had a good compass before she got tripped up. I could see her blazing bright at a final Tribal.

2. James was a powerhouse player. He worked hard at camp and helped everyone. His game-play was strong — maybe too strong at times.  At challenges, he never quit. Plus, he had many allies — including me!

3. Ryan's smile alone would get him votes! He has a heart of gold. Aside from potentially going on an individual immunity winning streak, Ryan has some Jeremy Collins vibes when he talks about his family.

4. Noelle's a real-life hero who inspired me. Not just because she lost her leg, but because of her heart. She has a zest for life that attracts others. I could see her crushing a final tribal and so could everyone else!

5. Sami is wise beyond his years, funny as anyone I've ever met, and a hard worker. He loves the game and played his heart out. If he would've made it to the final three, he would've been a real contender.

6. Cowboy Cody is one of a kind. Our "Ride or Die" alliance (me, Cody, Jesse) was probably the most important of the game and no one knew until it was too late. He pushed everyone to be better; in my individual immunity win, where we both shattered the old record, he forced me to dig deep. That said, I'd rather face him again at the grip challenge than sit next to him at final Tribal!

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Jeff Probst says to prepare for a punishing Survivor 43 finale

• The Survivor 43 jury speaks!

• Survivor 43 finalists reveal how they want to approach the jury

• Cody Assenmacher says Jesse's Survivor idol play was 'the maddest I've ever been'

• Survivor 43 recap; Jesse is an assassin

• Jeff Probst addresses his future at Survivor host

• Sami Layadi says he fell victim to the Cassidy Curse on Survivor 43

• Jeff Probst explains how two players beat a Survivor challenge

• The Survivor 43 loved ones that never were

• Jeff Probst weighs in on the future of Survivor returning player seasons