Is Austin Li Coon From Survivor 45 Dating Jeff Probst's Niece?

Summary

Social media rumors suggest Survivor's Austin Li Coon is dating Jeff Probst's niece, following a tradition of showmances on the show.
Probst himself had a past fling with a contestant, showing the potential for love connections to develop during and after the show.
Despite fan speculation, there's no concrete proof of Austin's reported relationship, leaving the situation open to interpretation.

Social media is abuzz with rumors that Austin Li Coon from Season 45 of Survivor is in a relationship with the niece of host Jeff Probst.

If true, it wouldn’t be the first time that the show has become a platform for someone within the game to find love. In fact, there is quite a good number of showmances between people who met on the show that are still going strong today.

Probst himself was caught being “googly-eyed” for Season 9 contestant Julie Berry. He later admitted that he did have a brief fling with the former youth mentor after the show. This was, of course, before he married his wife Lisa Ann Russell.

Austin Li Coon might have just joined the special club of people who met their significant other only because they featured in Survivor.

The stories purporting that Austin Li Coon was in a relationship started when a photo of him alongside an unidentified person, said to be the niece of Jeff Probst, was posted on X. In the picture, the pair are standing back-to-back inside what appears to be a boxing gym.

They are also in corresponding regalia. Austin is towering over his companion, demonstrating his massive 6’1 frame. The former Survivor is wearing a half-menacing smile, while the lady is grinning more freely.

The photo was posted on former Twitter by a user going by the handle @JulieAlleysIdol, clearly an aficionado of the long-running CBS reality series. They captioned it: “Austin from Survivor is dating Jeff Probst’s niece????” and added three crying emojis.

The first response was by a fan who described themselves in their profile as “Reality TV Fan & Part-time Scream Queen.” They expressed their dismay simply by writing two question marks. The original user responded, saying, “Apparently they’ve been dating since November and wanted to keep things off social media.”

The original post garnered more than a quarter million interactions, including dozens of comments and reposts, as well as nearly 1,500 likes. Other than the photo, however, there was no other concrete proof that there was any credence in the rumors of a fling between Austin and Probst’s reported niece.

Austin Li Coon Was In A Showmance With Survivor 45 Winner Dee Valladares

Dee and Austin — A graphic depicting Dee Valladares and Austin Li Coon from Season 45 of Survivor.

While he was still playing Survivor in Season 45, Austin Li Coon actually found himself gravitating into a showmance with Dee Valladares. They both started out the season as part of the red Reba tribe.

Survivor Showmances That Are Still Going Strong In 2024

Showmance Pair	Survivor Season
Amber Brkich & Rob Mariano	Survivor: All-Stars (Season 8)
Jaime Dugan & Erik Huffman	Survivor: China (Season 15)
Whitney Duncan & Keith Tollefson	Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23)
Tyson Apostol & Rachel Foulger	Survivor: Blood vs. Water (Season 27)
Jaclyn Schultz & Jon Misch	Survivor: San Juan del Sur (Season 29)
Joe Anglim & Sierra Dawn Thomas	Survivor: Worlds Apart (Season 30)
Jenna Bowman & Sebastian Lowe	Survivor: Ghost Island (Season 36)
Elizabeth Beisel & Jack Nichting	Survivor: Island of the Idols (Season 39)
Matt Blankinship & Frannie Marin	Survivor 44

Within that bigger group, they also formed an alliance of four that consisted of Drew Basile and Julie Alley as well. With this coalition seemingly unbreakable, they made it all the way to the last six. Dee and Austin managed to make their way to the Final Three, alongside underdog Jake O’Kane from the blue Belo tribe.

Dee emerged victorious in the end, in a 5-3-0 vote split from the jury. It was an outcome that surprised some, considering the fact that two of the three finalists were involved in a showmance with each other.

Those two were Austin and Dee, yet they managed to win all votes for that Final Tribal Council. In more recent times, showmances are seen as an extreme threat by other tribe members, and almost always end up with both parties being voted off the island.

Somehow, this did not apply to the pair from Survivor 45, although the reports on social media might suggest things did not quite work out for them romantically after the show.

Some Fans Feel Austin Li Coon Is Angling For A Spot In Survivor 50

Austin Li Coon Survivor 45 — Austin Li Coon in Survivor 45.

Austin Li Coon is yet to confirm whether he is in fact seeing the niece of Jeff Probst. This hasn’t stopped fans from talking about it, though. Some appear to be leaning towards a theory suggesting that the 45er is looking for a way to secure a spot in Survivor Season 50.

In the aftermath of Austin’s season—and before the subsequent one finished airing in May 2024—Probst announced that the half-century season would comprise a cast of returning players. The following month, CBS confirmed the news, as Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach revealed that the network was planning for a year-long celebration of Survivor.

“I think this show can go on for a really long time,” the exec told Deadline in an interview. “We will absolutely be celebrating and I would consider it kind of a year-long celebration. We do that really well on CBS. We will have a lot of plans in the works… it’d be the first time in the new era that will have returning players. That’s really exciting.”

The assertion that Austin could be dating Probst’s niece to seal a place in this landmark season might not hold much water, though. The idea of a close friend or family member to the host of such a show being cast would be deemed by most people.

What Happened To Austin Li Coon And Dee Valladares After Survivor 45?

Austin Li Coon spent the pre-merge phase of his season right next to Dee Valladares in Reba, but it wasn’t until after the merge that their showmance truly blossomed. When that pandora’s box was opened, there was no going back, as their special connection became an open book for everyone to read.

Rumors of a relationship between Austin and Jeff Probst’s niece more than 12 months later would suggest that the fling between him and Dee did not work out well. Had people been keener, however, perhaps the signs were always there.

During her exit interview after winning Survivor, she was asked for an update on their romance.

“I know this isn’t what the fans want to hear, but we do want to keep this private for now just because things are so crazy,” she insisted. I don’t know if I’m capable right now of dealing with all that, so we’re just gonna keep that private for now. Sorry!”

Austin shared similar sentiments, as well, saying, “I know this isn’t what the fans want to hear, but we do want to keep this private for now just because things are so crazy.”