Tony Vlachos has officially become the second person to ever win Survivor twice during the Winners at War finale on May 13. In the finale, Tony was up against Sarah Lacina, Natalie Anderson, Michele Fitzgerald, Denise Stapley and Ben Driebergen. With an immunity idol in his pocket and an extremely close alliance with Sarah, Tony had a good shot at making it to the final three. However, when he had to use his immunity idol at the final 6 tribal council, he had to fight hard to earn his spot by winning an immunity challenge and beating Sarah in the final four fire-making challenge. He ultimate won with a 12-4-0 vote against Natalie and Michele.
From the very beginning of Winners at War, Tony has been playing an extremely strategic game. He purposely laid low for the first several weeks of the competition, since his antics got him voted out early the last time he played. However, when he won his first individual immunity challenge ever during the April 15 episode, he began to take the game into his own hands. With a couple of more immunity wins and an idol, Tony was able to take control of things, and he and Sarah were able to pretty much run the show — until Natalie re-entered the game from the Edge of Extinction and switched things up. Here’s more to know about Tony ahead of the finale:
1. He won ‘Survivor: Cagayan’. Tony’s first season of Survivor was on the show’s 28th season, Cagayan. This is where he first met Sarah, and they formed an early alliance. However, at the merge, Tony turned on Sarah and blindsided her. On the surface, Tony played rather erratically, but he was able to find hidden immunity idols and dominate the strategic aspect of the game. He was extremely convincing when talking to his fellow tribe members before tribal council, and unanimously beat Woo Hwang to win the $1 million.
2. He also played ‘Survivor: Game Changers.’ Tony returned for season 34 of Survivor: Game Changers. He was the second person voted out after getting into a memorable feud with the show’s only two-time winner (so far), Sandra Diaz-Twine. However, despite his short time on the show, he kept viewers entertained with his usual antics.
3. He’s a police officer. Tony notoriously lied about his profession as a cop the first time he played Survivor. He has worked as a police officer in Jersey City, New Jersey since 2000.
4. He’s married with kids. Tony married a fellow police officer, Marissa, in June 2012 (they began dating in 2007 and got engaged in 2010). The couple’s daughter, Anastasia, was born in Feb. 2013 (he left to film Survivor just five months later). They also have a son, Constantine, who was born in June 2014.
5. He’s a longtime fan of ‘Survivor’. Tony has been watching Survivor since the very first season and still keeps up with the show to this day.
