Maryanne Oketch, a competitor on the iconic American reality show Survivor, has been named the winner of the game’s 42nd season.
The show follows a group of contestants who have been purposefully marooned in a remote place and must fend for themselves by providing food, water, fire, and shelter.
The show’s winner is usually given a life-changing $1 million prize (Sh116 million at May 26 exchange rates).
One of the most talked-about contestants was Ms Oketch. Her love for the game was undeniable.
“I am in such a good mindset right now. And not even when it comes to Survivor, just in general,” she said.
The contestants compete in challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination,” she said in an interview with US media.
The players are gradually eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their peers, until only one contestant remains to be declared the “Sole Survivor” and granted the big prize.
Oketch, who was born in Kenya but raised in Canada, is the first Black woman to win a season of Survivor since Vecepia Towery in Season 4, which was more than 20 years ago.
“Honestly, it’s so wild that it’s exactly almost 20 years since a Black woman won, and I’m the second one to do so. And I think the thing that makes it so powerful is because, as the casts get more diverse, you’re going to see more firsts,” she said.
The seminary student grew up in Canada after being born in Germany.
She has resided in Ontario, London, Toronto, and Kingston, among other places.
Ms Oketch not only won Sh116 million, but she also met her present partner, who matches her description of gorgeous men.
“He reached out before kind of, but nothing happened. And after I confessed my love for skinny white guys, he reached out again. He was more personable, so we got to chatting and then, you know, we basically started talking and we never stopped and he actually was here for the final party. So he got to experience that with me,” she said in an interview.
