And the Winner of 'Survivor 44' Is...

After a season that was entirely about celebrating being your authentic self, the finale of Survivor 44 was a jampacked few hours full of tears, smiles, and many comments about the personal journeys of the Final Five. And at the end of it, only one was left standing, as one of the biggest characters in the show's history ended 26 days a million dollars richer.

Check out more information about the results from tonight's finale episode below.

Related: Everything to Know About Survivor 44

Who won Survivor 44?

Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho

As Yam Yam himself said, "Words are my weapons." The hair salon owner knew he had a gift for gab, and built a game on relationships and using his sense of humor to endear himself to everyone around him. But in secret, he was putting in the work, an important part of the Tika trio that dominated the endgame. Making his way to the Final Three, Yam Yam boasted about his ability to read others' emotions to figure out if they were lying to him, with a few jokes to boot. And the man who set up a revenge narrative for anyone who wrote his name down was happy this time to see it happened again, this time getting nearly all the jury votes.

Who was eliminated on Survivor 44 tonight?

Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt

As Heidi mentioned in her final Tribal Council pitch, she had one of the most up-and-down journeys in the game, going from a decision-maker to losing some of her tightest allies. But her hustle was unquestionable, as she found advantages while also making inroads to join up with the new Tika majority. And her stock rose as quickly as her flame did on Day 25, when she won immunity and chose to put herself in to take out the game's biggest threat. While that had the jury in disbelief at the time, and it translated to a few jury votes, it wasn't enough to take home the win.

Carolyn Wiger

Carolyn is one of the most unique contestants in Survivor's history, unabashedly herself when it comes to making odd noises or reactions to everything she experienced in Fiji. She played that perception to a tee, counting on being counted out so she could make some of the biggest moves of the season as part of the Tika trio. Everyone suddenly took notice of what Carolyn was capable of, giving her a heck of a story going into the Final Three. Unfortunately, the nerves of self-sabotage perhaps did Carolyn in, as she would up in third place.

Carson Garrett

Carson is a self-proclaimed lover of chaos, so it makes sense his game went down in literal flames. After extensive preparation before coming onto the show, his practice paid off when he became one of the biggest players of the season, masterfully playing multiple sides and being a major force behind how the Tika three were able to control the entirety of the postmerge. Unfortunately, Carson's skill set was something his competition was becoming incredibly aware of as well. After being saved with idol plays and immunity wins, he was forced into one trial by fire that was between him and an assumed victory. Unfortunately, all of Carson's insecurities came flooding back at the worst moment, as he got blown out by Heidi and just missed out on Day 26.

Lauren Harpe

Lauren's game crumbled around her halfway through the season, losing both a powerful majority in her original tribe as well as an advantage she got in the very first Tribal Council. But through some clutch immunity wins and tight bonds with the Tika majority, she was able to surprise herself and get to the endgame. But when the castaways moved to a new island, they looked at old bonds. Feeling Lauren was too threatening in a Final Three, they kept her as far from it as they could by voting her out. Lauren was far from blindsided, but invigorated by what this experience taught her about herself and how she could be a parent.

Was there a reunion show for Survivor 44?

Yes! As was the case with seasons 41-43, Survivor 44 did have a reunion following the winner reveal, albeit in a different way than many seasons before it. The jury votes were read on the island right after they were cast. Then the finalists and jury came together to debrief about the season. As host and executive producer Jeff Probst told Parade, the decision was initially made on location to not deprive the contestants an opportunity to debrief if the COVID-19 situation had not let up by the time to allow for live events.

Will Survivor return for season 45?

Yes! A release date has yet to be announced for Survivor 45. But it will return in the fall and, for the first time, be regularly airing 90-minute episodes.

Next, read our interview with Jaime Lynn Ruiz, who was voted out in Survivor 44 Episode 12.