'Survivor' Star Rachel Is "So Proud" of the Life She's Built with Husband Derek

When Survivor Season 47 aired, it became quickly apparent that this was another of those unusually exciting seasons with some cutthroat competitors looking to scramble their way to the top. But as the season wound down, it all came down to four competitors in the second half of the finale: Sue Smey, Teeny Chirichillo, Sam Pahlen, and Rachel LaMont.

Rachel is one of those contestants who came from behind and has really carved a name for herself in the Survivor fandom. Yet as our love for the competitors increases, it becomes obvious that fans might not know everything about their personal lives. So here's what we know about Rachel's husband Derek, and her past run-in with the Survivor world.

When she joined Survivor as a competitor, Rachel was living in Michigan. But she was born in Bangkok, Thailand. In an interview with Parade, Rachel explained, “I didn’t speak Thai growing up. We moved to the U.S. for my mom’s job from when I was 7. So, for the first seven years of my life, I couldn’t speak to my own grandfather. He didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Thai or Chinese.”

Once they were in the U.S., she had to assimilate and learn quickly.

When she's not kicking rear and taking names on Survivor, she's working as a user interface designer. She married a man named Derek LaMont, and they share two pets together. Rachel shared with Entertainment Weekly that their life includes "so many incredible friends and family loving and supporting us, good jobs, traveling adventures, a home with our dog Eva and cat Maeby. I just couldn’t ask for more and that makes me so d--n proud.”

Derek, who works as the senior art director for the marketing agency MRM, loves Rachel in all her quirky glory. She explained in a CBS interview, "I’m weird and I’m quirky and just a little neurotic and a little too much at times. And I think my husband Derek is the absolute foil to my personality. We just really balance each other out.”

When she first took to the screen in Season 47, it became clear that Rachel was the player to beat. Strategic, intelligent, and an ace at winning challenges, she may well pan out to be one of the legendary Survivor greats.

As the season played out and the finale approached, fans felt confident that Rachel was a shoe-in to win with only Sam potentially beating her when it came down to the wire. The fandom will surely be sad to see Rachel go whether she wins or loses, but there's an interesting bit of lore that some fans may not know that proves she's a Survivor competitor through and through.

Rachel was almost on Survivor before. She was tapped as an alternative for Season 46 and fully expected to participate after flying out to Fiji just to be given the bad news. Although she was devastated initially, Rachel told Parade, "I am the kind of person that believes that everything happens for a reason, and timing is everything."

And the timing for her to come out swinging on Season 47 seems to be perfect.