Denise Stapley

I don't pray for anything. Anything that's going to get me to the end of the game is going to be me. Survivor 25, E2

Winner

Played on

75 days played

Game record

Vote alignment68%of 25 ballots

47th percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record3career immunity wins

94th percentile of 751 castaways

Idol impact1of 2 idol plays canceled a vote

57th percentile of 45 idol players

Occupation at casting Sex Therapist Hometown Marion, Iowa

Played with 36 castaways across 2 seasons See every connection ↓

Stapley has shared a beach with thirty-six castaways, inside the most-connected tenth of everyone who has played.

Biography

Denise Stapley won Survivor: Philippines (Season 25) with a remarkable feat of endurance: she attended every single Tribal Council of the season and survived them all. A sex therapist with a calm, therapeutic touch, Denise weathered constant tribal turmoil, forged a key alliance, and out-lasted the field to claim the title.

Her resilience and steady social game made her one of the more respected winners of her era, and she returned for the all-winners Survivor: Winners at War (Season 40).

Denise Stapley's ability to be perpetually on the chopping block, yet never voted out, remains one of Survivor's most impressive winning stat lines, the therapist who talked and toughed her way through every Tribal Council to become Sole Survivor.

Get to know Denise Stapley

Denise Stapley's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.

Hobbies: Sprint triathlons, reading and playing dress up/goofing off with my kiddo.
Pet peeves: My number one pet peeve is laziness and people who expect that change will happen without them having to put in any real level of effort. Life is what you make it folks... dig deep!
Inspiration: At this point in my life, I struggle to identify any one hero, but a hero in my eyes is someone who follows their passion.
Castaway they say they are most like: I really like Stephenie from. If that wasn't "digging deep" I don't know what is. She has sheer will power and determination. That is what drives me.
Why they wanted to play: Believe it or not, for the experience!

Alliances fans have named

Survivor never names an alliance on screen. These names, and who counts as a member, are how the fan community records the game rather than an official record of it.

Birthplace, pre-game profile and alliance facts adapted from Survivor Fandom and Wikipedia, retrieved 2026-07-21. Licensed CC BY-SA.

Fan poll Players

Survivor Hall of Fame: is Denise Stapley in or out?

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Seasons

Denise Stapley's Survivor seasons and results
Season	Result	Days	Tribes	Votes against	Confessionals
Philippines Season 25, 2012		39 of 39 days	Matsing Kalabaw Dangrayne	6	37
Winners at War Season 40, 2020	17th voted out	36 of 39 days	Sele Dakal Koru	8	20