Meridian Man Wins $1 Million on Survivor

Season 43 of Survivor on CBS wrapped up with Meridian’s Mike Gabler winning the grand prize.

Gabler filmed the show for 26 days in the Mamanuca Islands in late May. He had to outplay, outwit, and outlast 17 other, younger contestants to win the $1 million grand prize.

The 52-year-old is an aneurysm and trans-catheter heart valve specialist, so he knows how to deal with complex and stressful situations. While a medical background may not prepare you for 26 days of reality television, being an avid fan and viewer of all 41 previous seasons doesn’t hurt.  He and his wife are huge fans of the show and have been since the beginning.

While Gabler was the oldest contestant on his Survivor season, he’s not the oldest to win. Bob Crowley, a physics teacher from Portland, Maine, won season 17 in Gabon at age 57.

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He becomes the second Treasure Valley resident to win the 1 million dollar prize. Ben Driebergen, a real estate agent and former Marine and grocery store worker from Boise, won the 2017 Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers edition, which was season 35.

Gabler beat out fellow contestants Cassidy Clark and Owen Knight to become the Sole Survivor. He formed good relationships with the cast members on the jury. Mike received all but one vote in the season finale. 

He's definitely the guy you want to see if you ever need to have a procedure in the cardiac cath lab.  He came off friendly and seemed to have a big heart.  He says he plans to donate his winnings to Veterans In Need to honor his father.

See his big moment on Mana Island in Fiji, where this season was filmed, below!

Courtesy: CBS Entertainment