Mike Gabler: 5 Things To Know About The ‘Survivor’ Season 43 Winner

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Image Credit: Robert Voets/CBS

Mike Gabler won season 43 of ‘Survivor’.
Mike beat out Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight to become the Sole Survivor.
He earned all the final jury votes except for one.
Gabler is donating all of his winnings to charity.

Mike Gabler is the season 43 winner of Survivor. After beating Jesse Lopez in the final four fire making challenge, Gabler earned a spot in the top three against Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight. He revealed before the final tribal council that he would donate his winnings to charity if he was named the winner.

Gabler struggled with the elements of the show throughout the season. However, he won an immunity challenge and formed close relationships with every member who ended up on the jury. Even though he played a low-key game post-merge, he was able to establish himself above Cassidy and Owen. Learn more about Gabler below.

Mike Gabler on ‘Survivor 43’ (Photo: Robert Voets/CBS)

1. Gabler is from Texas.

Mike is from Houston, Texas. But his current residence is Meridian, Idaho. He spends a lot of time outdoors which he documents on his Instagram.

2. Gabler is a heart valve specialist.

Mike works as an aneurysm and trans-catheter heart valve specialist. He works at Edwards Lifesciences, which is a medical technology company. “I play a role on a heart team, working with top surgeons and top cardiologists,” he told Parade about his job. Mike also explained that there are “high-pressure situations” that occur at work which he thinks could help him navigate Survivor.

3. Gabler is married with two children.

Mike has two daughters with his wife. The entire family has been Survivor fans for a long time. “We’re one of those families that watches with the pause button,” he told Parade. “So when something big is about to happen or drop, we’ll hit pause, we kind of queue the room. I’ll ask my two daughters and my wife what they think. We all make our best guess. And then we hit play.”

Mike Gabler on ‘Survivor 43’ (Photo: Robert Voets/CBS)

4. Gabler was the oldest contestant on ‘Survivor 43’.

At 52 years old, Mike is the oldest contestant on Survivor 43. The second-oldest contestant is 43-year-old Nneka Ejere, who is on a different tribe than Mike. By comparison, the youngest contestant on the season was Mike’s Baka tribemate, 19-year-old Sami Layadi. Mike is now the second oldest player to win Survivor.

5. Gabler grew up in a military family

Mike’s father was a Green Beret. Gabler played Survivor in honor of veterans who are suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. After the final tribal council, he announced that he’d be donating his $1 million to people who fought for our country like his family members.

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SURVIVOR announced today the 18 new castaways who will compete against each other on SURVIVOR when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 42nd season with a two-hour premiere, Wednesday, March 9 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The series is also available to stream live and on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+*. Pictured Top Left to Right: Lydia Meredith, Rocksroy Bailey, Marya Sherron, Jonathan Young, Mike Turner, Drea Wheeler, Romeo Escobar, Lindsay Dolashewich, Hai Giang, and Chanelle Howell. Pictured Bottom Left to Right: Zach Wurtenberger, Tori Meehan, Daniel Strunk, Maryanne Oketch, Jackson Fox, Jenny Kim, Omar Zaheer, and Swati Goel. Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment 2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.