Laurel Johnson: 5 Things To Know About Strategic ‘Survivor’ Finalist

Courtesy of CBS

Laurel Johnson is competing to win $1 million on the season finale of ‘Survivor’ May 23, and you can get to know her right here!

1. What was her journey like on ‘Survivor’? Laurel Johnson began on the Malolo tribe for Survivor: Ghost Island, and although they didn’t have much luck in challenges, she quickly did a good job forming relationships with other players on her team. Particularly, she got close to Donathan Hurley, and they’ve remained tight allies ever since. At the tribe swap, Laurel and Donathan were put on Naviti, where she formed a secret alliance with Wendell Holland Jr, and, through him, Domenick Abbate. Laurel has remained loyal to Wendell and Dom vote after vote, even though other players have been warning her more recently that she’s just a pawn in their game. Still, they’ve remained equally as loyal to her, and it’s gotten them all this far. But with Donathan starting to question the alliance, Laurel will have to decide in the finale if she wants to make a big move with her original ally and try to vote Dom and Wendell out once and for all!

2. She was actually almost cast for a different season! Laurel has watched Survivor since season one, so she’s a longtime fan of the show, who’s applied to be on it in the past. In fact, she was even considered as a contestant on season 33, Millennials vs. Gen X, but she was eventually cut because the casting “didn’t seem right,” according to Jeff Probst. However, Laurel kept in contact with the powers that be, and they finally found a fit for her on season 36!

3. She was a college athlete. Laurel attended Yale University, where she was on the volleyball team. Her team even won the division championship one of the years she was playing! Laurel credits her time as a college athlete in the “competitive environment” of Yale for giving her skills needed for Survivor.

4. What’s her job? Laurel grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but she currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she works as a Financial Consultant.

5. She has a serious boyfriend. Laurel has mentioned her boyfriend, Will Harris, in interviews, and has photos with him posted on her Instagram. However, he didn’t even watch Survivor until she was going to be on the show! Luckily, she was able to turn him into a superfan!