Yam Yam Arocho

I love to do bearded drag at Halloween. Survivor 44

Winner

Played on

26 days played

Game record

Vote alignment70%of 10 ballots

50th percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record1career immunity win

77th percentile of 751 castaways

Jury vote share88%of 8 jury votes

94th percentile of 125 finalists

Occupation at casting Salon Owner Hometown San Juan, Puerto Rico

Beyond Survivor

The Traitors

Played with 17 castaways across 1 season See every connection ↓

Arocho has shared a beach with seventeen other castaways.

Biography

Yam Yam Arocho won Survivor: 44 with a warm, funny, socially masterful game that made him a fan favorite and a deserving champion. A salon owner from Puerto Rico, Yam Yam charmed his castmates while quietly steering the strategy, then defended his game in a persuasive final Tribal Council to earn a 7-1-0 victory.

His blend of humor, heart and genuine strategic control made him one of the new era's best-liked winners, beating out fellow standout Carolyn Wiger in a memorable finale.

Yam Yam Arocho is remembered as a champion who proved likability and cunning are not opposites, an endlessly entertaining player whose Survivor 44 win combined big personality with a genuinely sharp, relationship-driven path to Sole Survivor.

Get to know Yam Yam Arocho

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

Hobbies: Taking care of my plants, going to the beach with my husband, hanging out with my girlfriends and traveling.
Inspiration: My mother, Sandra, because of her tenacity to always be a better version of herself. And her unconditional help to others.

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.