Michele Fitzgerald
…but I sort of feel like I took a butter knife to a gunfight… Survivor 40, E13
Played on
78 days played
Game record
Vote alignment57%of 21 ballots
25th percentile of 423 castaways
Immunity record4career immunity wins
97th percentile of 751 castaways
Jury vote share22%of 23 jury votes
42nd percentile of 125 finalists
Occupation at casting Bartender, Business Development Manager Hometown Hoboken, New Jersey
Played with 36 castaways across 2 seasons See every connection ↓ Fitzgerald has shared a beach with thirty-six castaways, inside the most-connected tenth of everyone who has played.
Biography
Michele Fitzgerald won Survivor: Kaoh Rong (Season 32) with a strong, relationship-driven social game that the jury ultimately rewarded over a flashier rival. A young bartender, Michele quietly built the connections that mattered and defeated the more strategically vocal Aubry Bracco in a final vote that fueled years of "social versus strategic" debate.
Her win was so often underestimated that she returned for the all-winners Survivor: Winners at War (Season 40) determined to prove her doubters wrong, delivering one of that season's grittier individual performances.
Michele Fitzgerald is remembered as a champion who won on likability and adaptability, a divisive but deserving winner whose Kaoh Rong title, and spirited Winners at War return, argued the case for the underrated social game.
Get to know Michele Fitzgerald
Michele Fitzgerald's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.
- Claim to fame
- My time at Rock the Earth, where I toured and worked with bands raising money for environmental issues. I was able to travel, listen to amazing music and educate people about important causes.
- Hobbies
- Travelling, reading and rock climbing.
- Pet peeves
- Overpriced alcohol, close talkers and self-important people.
- Inspiration
- Harry Potter. His character chose bravery in the face of darkness and adversity. I appreciate anyone who overcomes obstacles without pitying themselves for being dealt a bad hand. Plus, magic.
- Castaway they say they are most like
- Parvati. She was able to read people and form alliances that took the spotlight off of her. She took respectable chances, never silenced herself to get further, and dominated in challenges.
- Why they wanted to play
- The adventure junky in me wants take myself out of my comfort zone, but ultimately, I'm applying to win. It's all about the money, honey! My car shakes at any speed over 50 mph so I desperately need to replace that tin can.
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 Michele Fitzgerald in or out?
Tap to vote and see what fans think 2,055 community votes
Community votes are fan estimates for fun, not a scientific survey.
Seasons
| Season | Result | Days | Tribes | Votes against | Confessionals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kaoh Rong Season 32, 2016 | 39 of 39 days
| Gondol Chan Loh Dara | 2 | 57 | |
 Winners at War Season 40, 2020 | 39 of 39 days
| Sele Koru | 4 | 37 |
Castaway network
Michele Fitzgerald’s connections
The strongest overlaps are surfaced first; every castmate is organized by season below.
- 36
- castaway connections
- 21
- tribemates
- 4
- other-show overlaps
- 20
- winners
Connections worth exploring
Repeat pairings, other-show overlaps, tribe overlap, winners and Survivor veterans rise to the top.
Every castaway, by season
Open a season for the complete cast list and the context behind each connection.
Kaoh Rong 17 castaways 1 winner 4 returning players View cast
- Aubry Bracco Shared the cast4 seasons Winner
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Caleb Reynolds Shared a tribe2 seasons -
Debbie Wanner Shared a tribe2 seasons -
Tai Trang Shared a tribe2 seasons -
Alecia Holden Shared the cast1 season -
Anna Khait Shared a tribe1 season -
Cydney Gillon Shared a tribe1 season -
Darnell Hamilton Shared the cast1 season -
Elisabeth Markham Shared the cast1 season -
Jennifer Lanzetti Shared the cast1 season -
Joseph Del Campo Shared the cast1 season -
Julia Sokolowski Shared a tribe1 season -
Kyle Jason Shared a tribe1 season -
Neal Gottlieb Shared a tribe1 season -
Nick Maiorano Shared a tribe1 season -
Peter Baggenstos Shared the cast1 season -
Scot Pollard Shared the cast1 season
Winners at War 19 castaways 19 winners 19 returning players View cast
- Rob Mariano Shared a tribe5 seasons Winner
- Parvati Shallow Shared a tribe4 seasons Winner
- Tyson Apostol Shared the cast Both on The Challenge4 seasons Winner
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Sandra Diaz-Twine Shared the cast4 seasons Winner -
Jeremy Collins Shared a tribe3 seasons Winner - Sarah Lacina Shared the cast Both on The Challenge3 seasons Winner
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Tony Vlachos Shared the cast3 seasons Winner -
Ethan Zohn Shared a tribe3 seasons Winner -
Amber Mariano Shared the cast3 seasons Winner -
Adam Klein Shared a tribe2 seasons Winner -
Nick Wilson Shared a tribe2 seasons Winner -
Wendell Holland Shared a tribe Their story together →2 seasons Winner -
Yul Kwon Shared a tribe2 seasons Winner - Ben Driebergen Shared a tribe Both on The Challenge2 seasons Winner
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Danni Boatwright Shared a tribe2 seasons Winner -
Denise Stapley Shared a tribe2 seasons Winner -
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe Shared the cast2 seasons Winner -
Sophie Clarke Shared the cast2 seasons Winner - Natalie Anderson Shared a tribe Both on The Challenge2 seasons Winner