The 'Survivor' 43 Finale Is Already Around the Corner

Season 43 of Survivor has already had its fair share of ups and downs. After a historic and eventful 42nd season, many fans have voiced their discontent with this season, between the lack of big plays and the amount of women getting voted out. When Maryanne Oketch won Season 42, Survivor fans were hopeful for the future, so we're hoping for the best from the Season 43 finale.

Wait a minute, it's time for the finale already? We're down to the show's final 10 contestants and with the 26-day season, the game is moving faster than ever. But what will the finale be like? When is it airing and will there be a reunion? Will anything change from the last season to the current season when it comes to the finale format? Keep reading for all the details.

On Nov. 16, a double elimination left us with the final eight castaways. By Nov. 30, a Final Seven vote in which a historical three people were immune resulted in Sami's downfall. On Dec. 7, tribal council will leave us with the final five castaways. It's still far too early to predict who the final five could be, but many are predicting a Karla or Owen win. Now, it's confirmed that Survivor will air its three-hour finale on Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. EST.

So far, 39 out of the previous 42 seasons finished with a live finale. Season 41 was the first season since Season 1 in Borneo during which Jeff Probst read the final votes immediately after final tribal. Because of COVID-19 restrictions and the inability to film in front of a live audience, Survivor producers made the call to film the reading of the final votes on the spot in Fiji. In an interview with EW, Jeff explained that it was a decision made by weighing risks.

“Should we risk it and do what we always do in the hopes we can do a live finale back in the States?” he wondered. “Or do we risk it and announce the winner in the jungles of Fiji and hope the secret stays a secret? What would you do?”

As many fans already know, Seasons 41 and 42 were filmed back to back, so very few changes were made between the two seasons. Season 43 has mimicked the other New Era seasons in many aspects, so we expect an island winner announcement this season as well.

In Season 42, we saw a three-hour finale that led to Maryanne's win. We fully expect a similar format for the Season 43 finale. We'll likely find out who the winner is about two and a half hours into the episode, followed by a "reunion" to close out the finale.

Traditionally, the Survivor finale is filmed after the season has aired. So contestants have had a chance to watch the series before learning who wins and celebrating all together. One of our favorite parts of a typical Survivor season is getting to see the players' transformations after a few months back home. But in the "new era" of Survivor, the traditional reunion hasn't been taking place.

In Seasons 41 and 42, Jeff simply kept the players around after reading the winning vote while the crew did a live "scene change," bringing food to the very hungry finalists, as well as to the jury to celebrate the end of the season. However, losing players won’t have as much time to move past the events of the game, so if anyone in the jury is still feeling bitter, that may impact the mood of the "reunion."

On the other hand, Season 43 doesn't have to deal with as many obstacles when it comes to COVID-19, so perhaps the live reunion will be making a comeback!

Tune into Survivor 43 every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS up until the three-hour Survivor finale on Dec. 14 at 8 p.m.