Survivor couples who broke up

These are the showmances, engagements and marriages that ended, from brief post-game relationships to divorces years later.

Updated July 13, 2026

The couples and their stories

Open any couple’s story for the full timeline, from how they met to what happened after filming and where the relationship stands now.

Abi-Maria Gomes and Peter Yurkowski

Latest update: Former couple; exact breakup date not public

How they connected: They met as Tandang tribemates and close strategic allies on Survivor: Philippines in 2012, then dated after filming.

Their on-island bond was strategic; the romance emerged after the season and was directly confirmed as a former relationship in 2026.

Played together on Survivor 25 Read their story

Alec Merlino and Kara Kay

Latest update: Split; Alec described it as amicable in 2021

How they connected: They met as castaways on Survivor: David vs. Goliath and began dating after the game.

Alec and Kara left David vs. Goliath as a real-world couple, then eventually separated on good terms.

Played together on Survivor 37 Read their story

Amanda Kimmel and Oscar Lusth

Latest update: Split after dating post-Micronesia

How they connected: They met and began a showmance while competing together on Survivor: Micronesia.

The Micronesia favorites carried their romance into real life, but the relationship lasted only months after filming.

Played together on Survivor 16 Read their story

Courtney Yates and Stephen Fishbach

Latest update: Split after a relationship that began in 2009

How they connected: They competed on different seasons and met through the Survivor community in 2009.

The New York-based fan favorites met through Survivor in 2009, dated off-camera, and later went their separate ways.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Carolina Eastwood and David Murphy

Latest update: Engagement ended; they never married

How they connected: They played on different seasons and began dating after David returned from filming Redemption Island.

A live-reunion proposal made their relationship public; the engagement ultimately ended without a wedding.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Austin Li Coon and Dee Valladares

Latest update: Split before the Survivor 45 finale aired

How they connected: They met, aligned, and developed a showmance while competing together on Survivor 45.

Their strategic bond turned romantic on Survivor 45, but the post-show relationship ended before viewers saw the finale.

Played together on Survivor 45 Read their story

Michele Fitzgerald and Peter Yurkowski

Latest update: Briefly dated in early 2020

How they connected: They competed on different Survivor seasons and were publicly linked through the franchise and a series of social-media exchanges in 2020.

Their public flirting became a short-lived relationship, but neither castaway released a detailed dating or breakup timeline.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Jamie Newton and Noura Salman

Latest update: Former couple; public dates were never established

How they connected: They played on different Survivor seasons and dated off-camera before the relationship became publicly known in 2019.

A fellow Guatemala castaway disclosed the cross-season relationship in 2019; its dates and circumstances remain private.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca

Latest update: Split in February 2013

How they connected: They met through Survivor around The Amazon finale and began dating in 2003 after winning separate seasons.

The two Survivor winners built a long post-show partnership before jointly confirming their separation after ten years.

Played together on Survivor 8 Read their story

Jessica Figueroa and Taylor Lee Stocker

Latest update: Split by October 27, 2016

How they connected: They met as Vanua tribemates on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and developed an on-island showmance.

Their on-island chemistry became one of season 33’s defining romances, then real-life circumstances ended it soon afterward.

Played together on Survivor 33 Read their story

Gregg Carey and Jennifer Lyon

Latest update: Dated briefly after Palau; later remained friends

How they connected: They met and formed a close romantic bond while competing together on Survivor: Palau.

The Palau castmates dated for several months, chose to remain friends, and stayed part of each other’s lives afterward.

Played together on Survivor 10 Read their story

Erik Huffman and Jaime Dugan

Latest update: Separated; divorce filed in May 2024

How they connected: They met and began dating while competing together on Survivor: China.

The Survivor: China couple married in 2009, but a 2024 arrest and divorce filing changed their public relationship status.

Played together on Survivor 15 Read their story

Jenna Bowman and Sebastian Noel

Latest update: Split after dating for about five years

How they connected: They first connected while traveling to film Survivor: Ghost Island and began a relationship around their shared season.

Their connection started around Ghost Island and lasted for years, but Sebastian later described the relationship in the past tense.

Played together on Survivor 36 Read their story

Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly

Latest update: Engagement ended in March 2016

How they connected: They were already dating when both were independently considered for Survivor: San Juan del Sur and cast as a loved-one pair.

The Broadway couple’s Survivor partnership led to a public proposal, but their engagement ended the following year.

Played together on Survivor 29 Read their story

Hayden Moss and Kat Edorsson

Latest update: Split after Blood vs. Water; exact date unconfirmed

How they connected: They met through reality-television circles and were dating before competing together on Survivor: Blood vs. Water.

Their relationship survived the game and continued for years, but the reality-TV couple eventually separated.

Played together on Survivor 27 Read their story

Mary Sartain and Ryan Opray

Latest update: Engagement ended; they did not marry

How they connected: They played on different seasons and were introduced through the Survivor community shortly after Mary returned from filming Micronesia.

The contestants played different seasons, met after Mary returned from Micronesia, and announced a short-lived engagement.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Dean Kowalski and Michele Fitzgerald

Latest update: Split before Michele’s 2021 Challenge debut

How they connected: They competed on different Survivor seasons and were friends before that connection became romantic during the 2020 quarantine period.

The cross-season fan favorites began seeing each other in New Jersey during quarantine, but the relationship ended before 2021.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Justin Starrett and Michele Fitzgerald

Latest update: Former couple; later friends and teammates

How they connected: They competed on different Survivor seasons, met through the franchise, and dated years before partnering on The Challenge: Ride or Dies.

Their romance belongs to the past; Ride or Dies helped the Survivor alumni repair the friendship that followed it.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Michele Fitzgerald and Wendell Holland

Latest update: Split before Winners at War filmed in 2019

How they connected: They won consecutive-era Survivor seasons, met through the post-show community, and dated while Ghost Island was airing in 2018.

Both Survivor winners agree they dated; Michele called Wendell an ex-boyfriend, while Wendell described the relationship as casual.

Played together on Survivor 40 Read their story

John Fincher and Parvati Shallow

Latest update: Former spouses; divorce filed August 24, 2021

How they connected: They played on different seasons and met through Survivor alumni while traveling to an Ethan Zohn charity soccer event around 2013–14.

The contestants never shared a season; a charity event connected them years later, leading to marriage, parenthood, and eventual divorce.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Malcolm Freberg and So Kim

Latest update: Former couple by February 2021; breakup date not public

How they connected: They played on different seasons and met off-camera through the wider Survivor community in late 2014 or early 2015.

They met through the Survivor world after playing different seasons; the relationship later ended without a public breakup date.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story

Spencer Duhm and Todd Herzog

Latest update: Split; exact date not public

How they connected: They played on different seasons and met off-camera in fall 2008, about a month before Spencer Duhm’s Tocantins season began.

The China winner and Tocantins contestant met between their seasons, dated off-camera, and later went separate ways.

Played in different Survivor seasons Read their story