‘Survivor 44’ Crowns Yam Yam Arocho As The Unlikely Winner, Giving Us Some Richard Hatch Flashbacks

With a three-hour finale that kept fans on the edge of their couches, Survivor 44 has officially come to a close with a new legend being born.

In a nearly unanimous vote, Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho outwit, outplayed and outlasted both Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt and Carolyn Wiger at the final tribal council, ultimately taking home the title of “Sole Survivor” and a check for $1 million. 

Even though Yam Yam may not have been as strategic and/or physically dominant as some of Survivor‘s other big winners over the years, there is no doubt that the Puerto Rico native will go down in Survivor history as one of the best social players to date.

Yam Yam used his charm and charisma to get exactly what he wanted, tribal council after tribal council, all while staying in the good graces of his fellow castaways. He made it his goal to eliminate every contestant who had written his name down in the past, and with the help of his Tika tribemates, he was on the right side of the votes almost every single time.

The iconic Tika three managed to play in the middle the entire season without burning any bridges, ultimately leading to their dominance as Survivor 44 progressed. It is no surprise that a Tika member was deemed victorious!

While Yam Yam had a heartwarming win that left nearly all jury members and viewers at home with ear-to-ear smiles, Survivor’s inaugural winner, Richard Hatch, had a slightly different story.

On the surface, Yam Yam and Hatch have quite a few similarities that extend beyond the physical: both served as boisterous, entertaining players who kept the game of Survivor relatively lighthearted, as well as both being openly gay men who were not the least bit afraid to talk about their sexuality on-camera.

Despite the commonalities between these two “Sole Survivors,” let the record show that they were very different as players — and we’re not just talking about Hatch’s penchant for dropping trou. Yam Yam and Hatch played the game of Survivor with two wildly different strategies, both of which led them to victory.

For those who may need a refresher, Hatch is truly the original king of Survivor. The corporate trainer holds the first ever “Sole Survivor” title, beating Kelly Wiglesworth in a vote of 4-3 on Survivor: Borneo, then going on to play Survivor: All-Stars just a few years later.

The two larger-than-life characters are known for utilizing their original tribemates to maintain an alliance that outlasted the others, ultimately advancing their individual games all the way to the final tribal council. While Yam Yam remained in the Tika alliance and Hatch was instrumental in forming the original Tagi alliance, each castaway left with a completely different reputation.

Yam Yam treated all of his Survivor 44 competitors with kindness, regardless of whether or not they were allies, managing to maintain good relations with members of the Ratu, Soka and Tika tribes. Because of this, the salon owner won the season in a nearly unanimous vote, losing only the vote of Danny Massa at the final tribal council.

On the contrary, Hatch is known for being extremely manipulative, using deception to his advantage throughout the entirety of Survivor: Borneo. He was truly a cutthroat player, burning bridges and doing whatever needed to do to advance his gameplay, ultimately causing him to go down in Survivor history as an extremely polarizing player. (See: Sue’s infamous speech about rats and snakes!)

At the final tribal council, the three jury members from the Tagi tribe voted for Hatch, while the three jury members of the Pagong tribe voted for Kelly. Greg Buis made the infamous decision to utilize the “pick-a-number” strategy, and Hatch’s number fell closer to his, ultimately causing the Rhode Island native to earn a game-winning vote from the Pagong member.

After reflecting upon both Yam Yam and Hatch’s Survivor wins, we are left with just one burning question: Would Richard Hatch’s controversial gameplay have earned him the title of “Sole Survivor” in 2023, or was that kind of behavior simply a thing of the past?

Yam Yam’s satisfying win, as well as the recent victories of Mike Gabler, Maryanne Oketch and Erika Casupanan, has reinforced that in the “new era” of Survivor it is more important to have a strong social game instead of a dominant strategic and/or physical game. All four players had more under-the-radar gameplay within each of their respective seasons, however, their kindness and good relations with those on the jury allowed them to prevail as “Sole Survivors.”

It is refreshing to see that Yam Yam captured elements of Hatch’s “old school” Survivor gameplay, with a slightly “new school” twist. Survivor superfans, both young and old, have considered Yamil “Yam Yam” Arocho to be the most deserving winner within Survivor’s “new era,” serving as arguably the most well-rounded champion we have seen in the seasons to follow Survivor: Winners At War.

Will Survivor 45 keep up the trend of socially-driven games coming out victorious? Only time will tell…

Tune in to CBS and/or Paramount+ this fall to see for yourself!

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Melanie Rooten is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Melanie has a true passion for all things pop culture, and she tends to spend her free time going to concerts and music festivals, binging her favorite TV shows, spending time with her friends and family and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners (of course). You can connect with her on Twitter (@MelanieRooten) to see all of her recent articles.