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First-ever Survivor New Zealand winner declared

By Cody Williams

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 05: Avi (C) reacts as he wins Survivor NZ with Tom (L) and Barb (R) during the Survivor NZ Live Final at Civic Theatre on July 5, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for TVNZ)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 05: Avi (C) reacts as he wins Survivor NZ with Tom (L) and Barb (R) during the Survivor NZ Live Final at Civic Theatre on July 5, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images for TVNZ) /
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Survivor New Zealand just wrapped up its inaugural season and, after 20 episodes, the first-ever winner was crowned on Wednesday’s finale.

Survivor New Zealand traveled to Nicaragua for its first-ever season in 2016, but season 1 didn’t air until this summer (in the United States, at least). And frankly, the off-shoot of the CBS reality game is a bit more intense than the original, especially what the original has become.

The 16 contestants on Survivor NZ were sent to the Central American nation and were very much asked to survive, given the bare minimum and a much more intense social experiment than American fans are accustomed to seeing. But after 40 days, the winner was finally crowned on Wednesday’s finale.

Avi Duckor-Jones was declared the winner at Final Tribal Council, which was announced on the live finale on Wednesday (h/t to Stuff New Zealand). Duckor-Jones outlasted 15 other contestants, beating Tom Paterson and Barbara Raos to claim the title of Sole Survivor. Unlike the American version, Duckor-Jones receives only $100,000 for his win on the inaugural season.

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Duckor-Jones is a 32-year old Youth Expedition Leader from Wellington, performed well throughout the first season, creating a number of strong alliances. Though season 1 has been somewhat difficult to watch in the United States, Evan Francis of Inside Survivor has done a fantastic job recapping each episode.

What’s interesting from what we’ve seen and the analysis from those recaps, though, is that Francis just recently didn’t see Avi as a winner, per his episode 18 recap. Though he mentioned that Duckor-Jones received a favorable edit, he noted that he would want to take him to the end because his gameplay wasn’t all that strong.

Despite numerous medical evacuations given the dire nature of New Zealand, the first season seems to have been a hit. With the offseason for American version being so brutal for fans, let’s hope NZ becomes more accessible in the future. It’s a vastly new experience in comparison to what fans stateside see.

Next: Survivor Game Changers: Ranking All 33 Previous Seasons

But in the meantime, congratulations to Duckor-Jones on a big victory, becoming the first-ever winner. Given what it took to outlast the other 15 competitors, it’s a wildly impressive feat.

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