Survivor Fans Think They Have Unearthed A Post-Showmance Between Two Former Winners

Summary

Fans are buzzing about a potential showmance between Wendell Holland and Dee Valladares, both former Survivor winners.
Holland confessed to a breakup and revealed his involvement with Valladares, expressing remorse for his actions.
Despite controversy, fans defended their right to privacy, speculating on a possible return to Survivor for both Holland and Valladares.

Showmances tend to make up some of the most entertaining moments of reality TV, and Survivor is no different. The excitement that comes with two players falling for each other in the full view of the world is unmatched, but fans felt they found one blossoming away between two former winners.

There is arguably no greater Survivor love story than that between Season 8 winner Amber Brkich and “Boston” Rob Mariano, deemed in some quarters as the best player of all time. He also got the chance to come back and emerge victorious in Survivor: Redemption Island (Season 22).

Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien and “Boston” Rob Mariano

Survivor Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien Was Furious At 'Boston' Rob Mariano, Does She Hate Him Now?

Survivor Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien felt utterly betrayed by "Boston" Rob Mariano but she may feel differently about him now.

Posts

Of all the showmances that the CBS series has given its fans over the years, the one between Rob and Amber remains the only one between two winners.

Is that all set to change in 2024, though, with fans thinking they discovered a fling between two, more recent winners?

Fans Noticed Signs Of A Relationship Between Wendell Holland And Dee Valladares

The two former winners who have been on fans’ lips about a potential relationship are Wendell Holland and Dee Valladares. The former competed and emerged victorious in Season 36 of Survivor, which was titled Ghost Island.

Some of Survivor's Most Famous Showmances

Contestants	Season	Post-show Status
Matt Elrod & Andrea Boehlke	22 (Survivor: Redemption Island)	Showmance died before the end of the season.
James Clement & Parvati Shallow	16 (Survivor: Micronesia)	Never went beyond flirting, which most believe was simple gameplay.
Rob Mariano & Amber Brkich	8 (Survivor: All Stars)	Still married in 2024.
Tyson Apostol & Rachel Foulger	27 (Survivor: Blood vs. Water)	Married before competing together on Survivor, still married in 2024.
Amanda Kimmel & Ozzy Lusth	16 (Survivor: Micronesia)	Broke up after the show, amid allegations of infidelity.

He returned to try for the record $2 million prize money in Winners at War, the 40th season of the show, and the final one of the old Survivor era. He lasted 35 days this time around, voted out as the 10th boot of the season, and became the seventh member of the jury.

Dee Valladares made her debut five seasons later, and played one of the most dominant games in a long time. Like Holland before her, she was crowned Sole Survivor at the first time of asking. Intriguingly, the Miami-based entrepreneur had also been involved in an active showmance in the course of her season, with fellow finalist Austin Li Coon. The pair agreed to keep details of their relationship private after the end of Survivor 45, but it wasn’t long before fans started to conclude that their spark had died out. Austin was rumored to be involved with Jeff Probst’s niece, while Dee was said to be going out with Holland.

Every Survivor Winner Ever Ranked From Worst To Best, According To A Superfan

A Survivor superfan who loves debating the show provides his ranking of every Survivor winner ever.

Posts

The whispers kicked off when eagle-eyed sleuths on social media spotted the pair hanging out with each other on a few different occasions.

Wendell Holland Confirmed He Had Broken Up With His Girlfriend

Wendell Holland girlfriend — Wendell Holland poses for a photo at a maternity shoot with his then-girlfriend, Chelsea Brooks.

It wasn’t too long after the rumors of a fling between Wendell Holland and Dee Valladares started, that he decided to take the bull by the horns and come clean. The popular Survivor shelter master posted on X, taking responsibility for how things turned out.

“Although I think people's private lives should remain private, I'll clear the air with a few facts,” Holland wrote. “My gf and I broke up. I take responsibility for that. I'm sorry to her for all that has transpired.”

He went on to confirm that indeed he and Valladares had gravitated towards each other, but he also revealed that he had been equally deceitful to her. He said: “The person the internet keeps attaching me to deserves an apology from me as well. We got close in the end of November through December, and I was dishonest about my family life with her.”

Holland claimed that he had already apologized to both Valladares and his girlfriend, but felt that he also owed the Survivor family at large a demonstration of remorse.

“I created a situation that was unfair to both parties, and although I've apologized to both privately, I would like the community to know that I'm sorry as well. Thank you.”

Jeff Probst, Julie Chen and Phil Keoghan

6 Reality Shows To Watch If You Are A Fan Of 'Survivor'

When 'Survivor' fans are looking for something new but still familiar, there are several shows they can watch next.

Posts

It wasn’t long before Holland deleted the comment from his X, but the cat was already out of the bag at that point.

Fans Defended Wendell Holland And Dee Valladares’ Right To Privacy

There was a lot of disquiet on social media following Wendell Holland’s brief admission of impropriety. Particularly, many fans expressed concern at the fact that the entire episode unfolded while his girlfriend was expecting their child together.

Even so, the consensus appeared to be that both Survivor millionaires had the right to handle their business without involving the public.

One such opinion was expressed on Reddit, with the author saying: “In terms of accountability what do you suggest should be done? He should apologize to a bunch of internet strangers that have nothing to do with the situation? Anything that should be done should be done privately.”

The same sentiment was echoed by a seemingly even more measured fan. They wrote: “Am I correct that he cheated on his pregnant girlfriend with Dee? If I have that wrong, let me know… Is that trash behavior? Sure… However- that seems like a personal matter and has nothing to do with us. People cheat- I wish they wouldn’t. But people are not perfect.”

CBS Threatened To Sue A Survivor Player For $5 Million For Making The Show Look Bad

After a player from Survivor's first season made accusations about the show's producers, they threatened her with a $5 million lawsuit.

Posts

On YouTube, one person questioned how much Dee Valladares knew before reportedly getting involved with Holland. “So is the idea that Dee KNEW Wendell had a girlfriend with his kids? If she didn’t know the story is different.”

Will Dee Valladares And Wendell Holland Ever Return To Survivor?

Survivor 45 cast — Jake O'Kane, Dee Valladares, Austin Li Coon Katurah Topps and Julie Alley in an episode of Survivor 45.

Wendell Holland last played Survivor in 2019, as he was filming for Season 40, Winners at War. Since then, his television career has outgrown the boundaries of the CBS series. In 2020, he debuted in the home improvement show Hot Mess House on HGTV.

He also featured in the first season of Prime Video’s reality comedy series The GOAT, which was hosted by Daniel Tosh. The Survivor: Ghost Island winner struggled to get a foothold in the game, as his reputation saw him targeted for elimination by his fellow contestants.

Dee Valladares won Survivor nearly half a decade after Holland, and largely stayed out of the limelight in the months that followed her triumph. With both being strong fan favorite winners, though, many would deem them strong candidates for a future return to the show.

Season 50 of Survivor will likely air in 2026, and has been confirmed as a returnee installment.

Fans have already been vocalizing the legends they would like to see featured again, with some even predicting an early winner.

It remains to be seen whether either or both of Holland and Valladares will receive the call for 50. But their beloved status among fans—a rumored illicit fling notwithstanding—grants them a great chance of playing the game again at some point in the future.