"It's, like, 'New season, who dis?'"
As anyone knows, it's always awkward the first time you see an ex after a break-up. Now imagine you are stuck on a stranded island with your ex and you are battling it out for $2 million. That is exactly the situation Survivor winners Wendell Holland and Michele Fitzgerald have found themselves in, with Michele revealing their off-camera romance during the Mar. 11 episode of Survivor: Winners at War.
The Survivor: Kaôh Rōng winner confirmed their romance after the former couple found themselves on the same five-person tribe after Jeff Probst announced a surprise tribe swap at the beginning of the CBS reality hit's hour.
"I don't think they ended on good terms and now they're on the same tribe," tribe mate Parvati Shallow said, summing it up perfectly. "I'm, like, cringing for her. I can't even imagine having dated someone, having it ended badly and then being on the smallest, tiniest tribe with them. [Laughs.] Nowhere to hide, nowhere to go."
And their first encounter at camp was pretty awkward, with Michele, 29, joking, "You're stuck with me now," and Wendell, the winner of Ghost Island, responding, "Sucks to be me!"
But it quickly got a little uncomfortable when Michele asked if things were going to be awkward, and Wendell, 36, said, "You don't need me to be talking to you first thing...the first time...the first minute on this island. Or do you?"
Michele didn't love the way Wendell handled their history, later telling Parvati he "scolded" her. She then said she wasn't surprised he was keeping his distance from the two women as "that's the way he was in our relationship in the first place."
Explaining that her ex-boyfriend "thinks he's hot s--t," Michele said it's "hard not to have bad blood because I want to be like, 'You've broken my trust in real life and you hurt me because of it.' Of course I don't want to get burned by Wendell again in this game like I got burned dating him...Better believe that I can separate my relationship with Wendell from playing this game and I will take him out if necessary."
Fortunately for him, Wendell didn't have to worry about his ex-girlfriend voting him out just yet as their team won immunity.
But Wendell and Michele are far from the first castaways to find love while attempting to outwit, outplay and outlast one another...and they're not the first castaway couple to call it quits.
Still, many have managed to find happily ever after, blindsides and all. Check in on all of Survivor's couples...
Dee Valladares and Austin Li Coon
After making it to the season 45 finale together, Dee, who was crowned the winner, and Austin are playing coy when it comes to their current relationship status.
"We kind of want to keep that a little private for now, just because things have been so crazy," Austin told Entertainment Weekly. "The finale just aired and I don't think I'm ready quite yet for dealing with all the fans and giving out the answers. So going to keep that private for now."
Frannie Marin and Matthew Blankinship
It was pretty much love at first sight for Matt and Frannie when they stepped on the beach for season 44. And their showmance continued beyond Fiji and they are still dating.
On their one-year anniversary, Frannie shared a blurb she wrotein her journal on the first day of Survivor.
"I have already developed a mild affinity for [Matt]. This is problematic as I want to be best friends with him and will likely a) trust everything he says and b) tell him every thought in my head," she shared. "Halt, emotional being! Enough with reaching your wretched tendrils! Steel yourself!"
After competing on Survivor: San Juan del Sur, the couple said "I Do" in August 2015 near Detroit. In June 2022, Jaclyn and Jon welcomed their son Logan Samuel.
Parvati Shallow, a fan-favorite from multiple iterations of Survivor and the Sole Survivor of Fans vs. Favorites, started dating John Fincher of Survivor: Samoa in 2014. They married in 2017 and welcomed a daughter in 2018, with Parvati returning to compete in Winners at War just months after giving birth. In August 2021, the couple would file for divorce.
These two Survivor lovebirds met in 2014 during Worlds Apart. Although they didn't start dating immediately after the show, they became a couple a few years later and announced their engagement on April 9, 2019. Just before Thanksgiving 2019, the couple said "I Do" in a magical Utah wedding ceremony.
The couple are parents to daughter Della Dawn, 3, and son Vander Joseph, born in August 2022.
They dated! Despite competing on different seasons, the pair turned their friendship into something more during quarantine. "Summer lovin'," Dean shared on Instagram back in August 2020. The couple would ultimately part ways before Michele appeared on MTV's The Challenge.
One day after reuniting for Survivor season 39's finale, the two contestants confirmed on Instagram that they were dating. "WOAH. Did you guys hear the news?" Elizabeth wrote on Instagram. "I've got a curly haired boyfriend named Jack and he is simply the most wonderful human being I know. And yes, we share hair products."
And the Island of the Idols pair announced theit engagement in November 2022.
These Survivor: Ghost Island contestants were so intertwined that they started a vlog and a couples Instagram account: Tarzan and Jen.
Alas, they broke up, with Sebastian going on to enjoy a brief showmance with Tori Deal on The Challenge: USA season two.
Whitney Duncan and Keith Tollefson
This pair from 2011's Survivor: South Pacific had almost instant sparks. Their relationship took them on The Amazing Race together, and they wed in 2014 and have a 14-month-old-son, Duncan.
After competing on Season 37 or Survivor: David vs. Goliah, the two contestants formed a romantic relationship in San Diego, Calif. "We shared so much chemistry and friendship on the island," Kara explained to E! News. "And then we got home and we both knew."
Unfortunately, the pair privately split with Alec telling Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that it was "the most normal and amicable breakup."
The two winners off-camera romance was revealed during an episode of Survivor: Winners at War when the tribe swap resulted in the exes being placed on the same tribe.
"How the heck did I get stuck stranded on an island with my ex-boyfriend? [Laughs.] Wendell and I dated briefly which is a saga in itself," Michele revealed in an episode after a tribe swap went down. "Even though our relationship didn't necessarily work out, I'm hoping this can work a little better than our dating."
Spoiler alert: Neither won the season.
Oh, Boston Rob and Amber. These two took showmance to the next level. They met in 2003 while on Survivor: All-Stars, got engaged in 2004, and had a TV wedding in 2005. They competed on The Amazing Race in season seven and returned for The Amazing Race: All-Stars in 2007. They have four daughters together and both competed for the title of Sole Survivor on season 40.
After competing on Survivor: Blood vs. Water together, which Apostol won, the couple got married 2015 after getting engaged on the finale of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars' second season.
They've since welcomed two daughters and Tyson most recently competed on Winners at War.
The couple were introduced by Johnny Fairplay and were engaged, but the relationship didn't last.
After production on Survivor: Vanuatu wrapped, Probst, the longtime host of the CBS series, reached out to Berry. The two started dating, but kept the relationship a secret until after Berry's season aired. They were together for a few years, but eventually split.
Todd Herzog, the winner of Survivor: China, met Survivor: Tocantins contestant Spencer Duhm in 2009. The couple eventually split, and Todd later appeared on Dr. Phil for an intervention with his alcohol addiction.
Courtney Yates of Survivor: China and Stephen Fishbach of Survivor: Tocantins never competed on the series together, but met in 2009 and struck up a romantic relationship, but it didn't last. Stephen got married in 2018.
These two Survivor winners met during the finale of Survivor: The Amazon. They started dating in 2003 and were together for 10 years, even appearing on The Amazing Race.
"It is with much consideration and a heavy heart that we are announcing that after 10 years of a loving relationship, the decision was made to move on without each other," a rep for the couple told E! News in 2013. "We will carry with us the memories of a relationship grounded in love, laughter, support and friendship."
"We have experienced some of life's greatest joys and toughest challenges together, and our decision to be apart can never diminish that. We want to thank everyone for their support and we ask that our privacy be respected as we move forward." Ethan is now married and is one of the 20 winners back for season 40.
The Survivor: China contestants met on the show in 2007 during the competition. They married two years later and have since welcomed a son.
Alex Bell, from Survivor: The Amazon, and Kim Powers, from Survivor: Africa, met through the show and got married in 2006.
Carolina Eastwood, a Survivor: Tocantins contestant, and David Murphy, a Survivor: Redemption Island contestant, got engaged on TV during the Redemption Island reunion. However, the marriage didn't happen and they later split.
Lusth and Kimmel met on Survivor season 16, Survivor: Micronesia, where a showmance quickly developed. They continued dating after cameras stopped rolling, but eventually split.
Survivor: Winners at War airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.