“Survivor 45” star Jake O'Kane reacts to being disqualified from final challenge

The third-place finisher also calls his fire-making win "one of the best moments of my life."

He didn’t win Survivor 45, but Jake O’Kane won the Survivor 45 finale.

Jake had perhaps the most topsy-turvy roller coaster finale ride of any Survivor player ever. He won an advantage to a challenge! And then lost both his keys and a puzzle piece in that challenge. He played an immunity idol! But then played it incorrectly on a player who did not need it and who also changed her vote to leave him with a stray vote that didn’t matter. He won at the final four fire making! But it was after he was disqualified in the final immunity competition after stomping on and breaking the contraption holding it together.

In the end, Jake made it all the way to the end, but received zero votes to winner Dee Valladeras (five) and runner-up Austin Li Coon (three). Still, his underdog story was irresistible to viewers, and seeing the player finally get that long-sought-after win at fire was a terrific end to a fascinating arc.

We spoke to the third-place finisher to get the scoop on all that finale insanity that went down, and the lawyer from Boston did not disappoint. (Also check out our finale interviews with Dee, Austin, Katurah, Julie, and host Jeff Probst.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How were you feeling walking into that final Tribal Council in terms of your chances?

JAKE O’KANE: Oh, pretty much after final five didn't work out, I didn't think it was going to happen, but it's just about putting the best argument forward that you can and that's all you can do. So it was fun. It was such a blessing to even be in final Tribal Council, but I don't think I had a shot under any circumstances sitting next to them in that manner.

Any votes surprise you?

I thought there was a possibility I could have pulled out Bruce or Kaleb. That might've been a possibility, but I still think it was kind of a long shot. I worked really hard, but looking at the résumés that are sitting right next to me, I am probably not voting for me! Which is really hard. That sucks, but it is what it is. Austin and Dee are great players.

You told me before the season that Dr. Frankenstein could not create a better monster to handle speaking at final Tribal, so how do you think you did?

That whole day is kind of like a blackout for me in memory just because this whole compression of the game in that world, and then the immediate release of the pressure and things being kind of over immediately after final Tribal. I felt like I did good with what I had. I made an argument at the beginning, which was “Don't judge me based on a dominant game. Sandra Diaz-Twine doesn't really do good when she's in a dominant position. And then Boston Rob doesn't really do good when he's in a maybe more submissive position in the game. And so that's what I was trying to really highlight, but I get it.

I’m not sure there’s anything more difficult in all of Survivor than having to lose at final Tribal Council and then go straight into the after-show party celebration with champagne and pizza as you’re still processing things, so how was that for you?

It was nice to see everybody. I was just happy because everyone out there is truly a wonderful person. So it's nice just to chill and decompress. But it is tough doing that right after. I do wish it was a little bit longer, but it is what it is. That's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.

Let’s get into all this stuff from the finale. You win the advantage for the first challenge and you’re kind of kicking ass at it, but you forget the key and then you misplace a puzzle piece. Even with the immunity idol that kept you safe, how much were you beating yourself up about that?

It was almost like I didn't really have the opportunity to beat myself up about it too much because those last couple of days of the game, it was just like rapid fire. It's like, “What am I going to do? Sit there and be upset about it? I don't want it to distract from the other things I have going on.” It did really hurt in the moment. You feel like Jeff from Big Brother’s clown shoe moment, and that's exactly what it is and it's exactly what it was. But yeah, I really didn't have the opportunity to be that upset because it's like, “Okay, how do I go into tonight maximizing my idol in that positioning?”

Let’s talk about that. You had your idol, you wanted to make a big splash at Tribal Council, but then because Katurah changes her vote, not only did she not need the safety, but you’re the only person that puts your vote on Dee. Take me through your emotions as that all unfolded.

That was definitely tough to swallow and that didn't work out. It was kind of like, “What else can you do? I really needed that to work out, and I think if that does work out and certain things work out after that, I think I have a shot depending on who's sitting in final three with me. My plan was to go with Austin and Katurah. If I could have determined that outcome, throwing myself into fire, try to make fire against Julie if that was a possibility — but at final five, everything just kind of fell apart.

That morning, Katurah and I talked about doing Julie, and it was mostly because the perception of Julie was that her and Dee were both big threats. I think Dee was always the bigger threat to win from my perception. But I think the more concerning part about maybe getting Julie out that night versus getting Julie out at four was that we were worried about Julie being amazing at fire. So Katurah made a great argument. I was thinking Julie, and Katurah made an amazing argument and I'm like, “Geez, you're right. It’s Dee. That's what it's got to be. What do you want me to swear on?”

I did, and I told Katurah more information than other people in the game. I lied about the rings thing and I understand that, but I do think sometimes you need to take the leap of faith and just throw that punch. And that wasn't able to happen and it's really disappointing, because I feel like I had a good plan. I do think telling Austin was the right move. I was pretty confident that it was going to go to Dee. I didn't know if it was going to get to Julie, but I felt like it might. So then in my head, I'm like, “Okay, I'm getting no votes. Julie's definitely not going to vote for herself.” So my thought is that Dee and Julie are going to vote Katurah, Austin might vote Julie. It didn't really matter. And then me and Katurah vote, and Dee’s gone.

That makes Katurah look weaker. She had a big reaction, which I think would've played to my benefit, had it worked out, and then Austin's out of the loop on another vote. And by me playing the idol, it makes me look like I'm controlling the situation, which I think really could have helped me had I gotten into final Tribal in that circumstance.

Let’s talk about you becoming what I believe is the first person in Survivor history to be disqualified for breaking a challenge when you walked all over that contraption. What was going on there?

It’s on me. Just looking at it, I was right behind Dee for a good period of time and I was like, “I need to catch up.” And looking at the contraption, I'm like, “Oh, these look like bungee cords to me. These aren't breaking.” So when you shake the grid, you weren't allowed to stabilize it with your hands, you got to stabilize it with your feet. So it's like, “Why am I going to high step over this whole thing where this isn't going to break it, and then I can just slowly let it up with my foot when I get to the end?” So I really thought I was making a high IQ move, but in reality, as a clumsy oaf, I broke it.

Let’s get into the fire making. You wanted that big signature moment all season long and you finally got it with that dominant performance. How satisfying was that and was it just a major relief for something to finally go right?

I needed it mentally and emotionally, and it was such a huge thing. It's like you try and try all season, and nothing ever works out, and at the end of the day with fire, it was just down to me. I’m the only one who can do it. No one was going to sit there and build it for me. So I really just needed it mentally. I felt really kicked down a lot, you know what I mean? Not that anyone was disrespectful or anything, but I needed it so much mentally, and it was just such a relief to finally feel like I had an actual win in something. And honestly, I'll remember that feeling forever. That's one of the best moments in my life — making fire.

How upset would you have been if Dee had just put you through to the end?

I don't know how I would've handled it. I would've just been so gutted. I just couldn't. I knew I was looking really like a fresh goat, but I needed it. It would've destroyed me if I didn't do fire. I told Dee, “Look, let me do fire. You probably beat me if I win anyway, so it doesn't matter.”

You said you wanted to experience everything Survivor has to offer and other than winning, you kind of did, right? The highs, the lows — all of it.

Absolutely. It's such a blessing. I got every little ounce of it. There wasn't anything I really got to miss out on. That's the beauty of Survivor, because there are those such high highs and those low lows, and that juxtaposition just makes the highs so much better. And even though the lows get even lower and you feel that way, I overcame that. I overcame those lows and it really just adds to the high for me. And just getting to witness every single nook and cranny of that game is just an absolute blessing.

People loved watching you on this season because it's so relatable seeing someone struggling yet fighting through those obstacles. How concerned were you in terms of how some of this was going to be portrayed?

I was definitely concerned. Seventeen out of 18 people are going to look like dum-dums. You know what I mean? I was really nervous when I came home, but I said, “I don't have to be viewed as a great Survivor player. I don't need that. I just want everyone to know that I gave everything within myself.” And that's what I did. And I feel like that came across on the show and that's what the response has been from them. So I've appreciated how everything has worked out in terms of that.

What’s something that happened this season that didn’t make it to air that you wish we had a chance to see?

I wish you guys saw me and Bruce joking around. I think I called him old man around the merge. Me and Bruce joked around a lot — two Northeast guys. We get each other's humor, and I wish we saw a little bit more of him and me joking around and busting each other's chops.

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