Chris Underwood won Survivor Season 38 in 2019 in maybe the most debated fashion ever. Voted off third, brought back by the Edge of Extinction twist, then taking off his immunity necklace at final four in a risk that could have ended his game on the spot. It didn’t. He won, and fans have argued about it for seven years.
These days? He says he’s completely at peace with it.“I feel good about it. I’m still one of the only people to take off an immunity necklace at final four,”he said. And the timing of his vindication is almost poetic. In 2026, his Season 38 castmates are everywhere. Aubry Bracco won Survivor 50. Rick Devens is in the Big Brother 28 final four. Suddenly that season looks less like a fluke and more like a launching pad.
Underwood also opened up about his exit from The Challenge: Cutthroat, which he partly blames on a triple disqualification from an alleged racial incident. He’s honest about the frustration: sometimes you do everything right and the outcome doesn’t happen because of things outside your control. He’d play Survivor again too, though 26 days away from family is a real hurdle. So where do you land on this one, is Chris Underwood the most controversial winner ever, or the most underrated?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.