When looking back at Survivor 45, the only showmance we'll be gushing over from here on out is the one that happened after the show wrapped.
In a co-Instagram post over the weekend, former cast members Katurah Topps and Sabiyah Broderick hard-launched their relationship and shared some insight into their journey in an interview with Out Magazine. They are also Survivor's first Black queer female couple.
While both contestants on Survivor 45, Katurah and Sabiyah started on different tribes—Belo and Lulu, respectively—and never actually interacted on the show since Sabiyah was voted out on day 7, the day before a tribe swap would have possibly put her and Katurah on the same tribe.
Katurah ultimately made it to the Final Four, where she lost the fire-making challenge and ended up as the final jury member of the season. But of course, she's one of the most memorable castaways from Survivor 45, being one of the two secret lawyers on the show as well as an overall incredible strategic threat.
She also had two of the most emotional scenes from the season, including a very vulnerable moment where she opened up about her experience growing up in a cult as a child bride, only to run away and be put in school for the first time at a level she didn't meet. She worked to catch up with her classmates, ultimately excelling due to an inner strength she discovered in herself and going on to finish college, law school, and become a Civil Rights Lawyer.
Katurah was also a part of the letters from home reward, where she received a message from her mother, whom she revealed she had cut off communication with about a year prior to filming. She wasn't sure how to feel about getting that letter and expressed as much to the other women at the reward meal with her. To have to go through a real-life emotional rollercoaster while still inside a psychological game could not have been easy.
Since their paths never actually crossed in Fiji—except for the brief, conversation-less glances in early promo shoots and challenges—Katurah and Sabiyah didn't officially meet until a full cast trip took place between the filming and release of their season.
"We'd talked on the phone for a bit [prior to the trip], but this was the first time we saw each other in person and the true beginning of our friendship," Katurah told Out.
They eventually realized that their status as best friends started to feel like something more, officially becoming girlfriends on Jan. 20 of this year. They waited until their six-month anniversary to announce their relationship publicly.
Though Sabiyah was gone fairly early and we didn't get to know her as well, I had picked Katurah as my predicted winner for Survivor 45 and was rooting for her the entire time. After all that she went through getting to this point in her life, I'm so happy to hear she and Sabiyah have found so much joy with each other.
Happy anniversary and happy Pride to the newest Survivor couple!