To know him is to love him — Jake O’Kane was a true joy to watch fight for the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar cash prize on Survivor 45.
Jake’s journey on the beloved competition series was rather lackluster, trying to make a big move by blindsiding Julie Alley (and failing), trying to make a big move by blindsiding Dee Valladares (and failing again), finding himself on the chopping block on numerous occasions, falling short in every single Immunity Challenge, and more.
While he might not have stolen the hearts of the jury — making it to the final three and receiving zero votes — he sure did capture the hearts of Survivor superfans nationwide, with viewers taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to gush about how much they love this castaway.
One X user wrote, “What an absolute gift Jake has been to this season, and the show as a whole. #Survivor #Survivor45”
“I literally love Jake so much oh my god #Survivor #Survivor45,” another dished.
“Jake deserved more than zero votes but I adore that he made the finale. The true underdog, what a king #Survivor #Survivor45,” shared a third.
Nonetheless, while Jake O’Kane had his ups and downs (mostly downs) on Survivor 45, there is one moment that sticks out to him as his favorite memory on the beloved competition series, and perhaps his favorite memory from his 26 years of life. Keep scrolling to find out what said moment is…
Facing defeat over and over again — comparable to Charlie Brown trying to kick the football in the Peanuts comics that we know and love — Jake O’Kane had one massive win during his journey on the beloved competition series that he deemed to be not only his favorite memory from Survivor 45, but “one of the best moments in [his] life” as a whole.
That moment was the infamous final four fire-making challenge, where he begged Dee Valladares to put him into the challenge, passed with flying colors, and ultimately terminated Katurah Topps‘ time on Survivor 45 once and for all.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, reality TV reporter Dalton Ross asked, “Let’s get into the fire making. You wanted that big signature moment all season long and you finally got it with that dominant performance. How satisfying was that and was it just a major relief for something to finally go right?”
After being asked this thought-provoking question, Jake sang like a bird, admitting that he “needed it mentally and emotionally, and it was such a huge thing.” We are thrilled that the Massachusetts native got at least one win under his belt after feeling defeated all season long!
“It’s like you try and try all season, and nothing ever works out, and at the end of the day with fire, it was just down to me. I’m the only one who can do it. No one was going to sit there and build it for me, so I really just needed it mentally,” he gushed. “I felt really kicked down a lot, you know what I mean? Not that anyone was disrespectful or anything, but I needed it so much mentally, and it was just such a relief to finally feel like I had an actual win in something.”
Admitting that he will “remember that feeling forever,” Jake concluded the conversation with the statement, “That’s one of the best moments in my life — making fire.” How sweet is that?
While he might not have taken home the title of “Sole Survivor” and the million-dollar cash prize, to watch Jake O’Kane’s journey on the beloved competition series from start to finish, fans of the franchise can stream the entirety of Survivor 45 via Paramount Plus now. It is truly a must-see!