The winner, who delayed her wedding to be on the show, recently announced she is expecting her first baby in September.
This post contains spoilers from the May 22 finale episode of Survivor.
An unpredictable finale for Survivor’s record-breaking 46th season ended with social threat Kenzie Petty winning against Taylor Swift-loving law student Charlie and musician Ben.
“Less than 700 people have played, less than 45 have won, less than 20 of those are women,” Kenzie wrote on Instagram after the finale, putting her win into context before thanking a slew of people and herself. “And thank you to myself, for never giving up and for taking a chance. It paid off in a million more ways than I could have ever imagined when I sent in that [audition] video on a whim. If I can do it, you can too.”
Season 46 will go down in Survivor history for breaking the series record for most players voted out with idols in a single season. Survivor introduced hidden immunity idols into gameplay during season 11 in 2005, and since then, only 27 players have been voted out with idols — with season 46 seeing Jem, Hunter, Tiffany, Venus and Q all eliminated in this manner.
The season’s 13th episode, “Friends Going to War,” saw the final five castaways battle to secure the three spots in the final tribal council.
Here’s how Kenzie, Charlie and Ben made it to the final three.
Who Was Voted Out During the Season 46 Finale?
CBS
During the final five immunity challenge, all eyes were on challenge beast Maria, who had won three immunity challenges earlier in the season.
As a clear physical threat, the mom of three needed to win the immunity necklace here to avoid being targeted at the next tribal council.
In a Survivor first, two players teamed up to ensure Maria didn’t win her fourth immunity challenge, which would have put Maria in a tie for the most won by a female since Survivor premiered in May 2000.
Kenzie and Liz’s tag-team strategy paid off, with Kenzie securing immunity, eventually leading to Maria being voted out and sent to the jury.
“I want to be you when I grow up,” Kenzie said while casting her vote for Maria. “You literally would have wiped the floor with us.”
Who Lost the Final 4 Fire-Making Challenge?
CBS
A sleep-deprived Ben, who admitted he’d been getting only two hours of sleep a night, pulled out a surprise win at the top four immunity challenge.
Ben was tasked with choosing which of those three players he would take to the final three. He chose Charlie, leaving Kenzie and Liz to earn the final spot in a fire-making challenge.
Applebee’s lover Liz lost the fire-making challenge to Kenzie.
Who Was in the Final 3?
CBS
Law student Charlie, musician Ben and salon owner Kenzie survived their way to day 26 of season 46, giving them the chance to plead their case to the jury, which consisted of players they voted out earlier in the season.
Who Won Survivor Season 46?
CBS
Kenzie won Survivor season 46, earning five jury votes to secure the title of Sole Survivor. Kenzie beat Charlie, who finished second with three jury votes, and Ben, who received zero jury votes, during the May 22 finale.
Kenzie delayed her June 2023 wedding (when season 46 was filmed) to compete, a storyline highlighted in the penultimate episode.
Upon returning home from Fiji, Kenzie married her husband Jackson Petty in September 2023. They announced in May 2024, a week before the May 22 finale, that they’re expecting their first baby in September.
“I’ve gotten really good at keeping secrets and going on adventures this year, but it’s finally the perfect day to tell y’all WE’RE HAVING A BABY!! Sweet lil Petty popping up in September,” Kenzie wrote on Instagram.
