Survivor: Apex – Week Four in Review, The Finale

Dear Beloved UVA Law Survivor Community,

 It is with a heavy heart (and a lighter wallet) that I write to you for the final time. As all good things must, Survivor: Apex has officially come to an end. It has been such a joy for the Jeffs to put on this case study of 3Ls finding any excuse to skirt their law school duties and instead embroil themselves in this silly game.

 But, as ever, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s rewind.

 When we last chatted, Silver-Tongued Frontrunner Shayon Malek ’25 was blasted out of the game by his current ally CJ Wittman ’25 and his former allies in the Three Stooges (Shevani Mehta ’25, Elle Ondeck ’25, and Micki Drucker ’26). That seemingly put the voting bloc that voted with Shayon—Danielle Ramsay ’25, Ugomma Uche ’25, and Wes Jung ’25—on life support.

 But if I took anything away from Disney, it’s what Selena Gomez taught me via song: “Everything is Not as it Seems.” Unbeknownst to Shayon and Wes, Danielle and Ugomma conspired against them with CJ—they’d known that CJ was turning but voted alongside Shayon and Wes to keep up the facade of their alliance.

 In the first Challenge of the week, the Players competed in “NO JOKE,” a version of Cards Against Humanity in which Players filled in blanks of a phrase before three Jeffs voted for the funniest answers. Hot off his big move, CJ won and proved he’s not only a male-model-to-be, not only a strategic force—but also a comedic genius!

 The Three Stooges devised a plan with CJ and Wes to take down Danielle and Ugomma while the girls were vulnerable. But the boys had other plans. In a 4–3 vote, the Majority Four realigned to send “Medium-Rare Steak” Queen Shevani Mehta to the Bench as Juror #7.

 The Players advanced to the Final Six Challenge, “Finger of Death,” which was played in rounds and had our Players blindfolded (amen). Each round, one Player was randomly selected to be the “Pointer” and selected another Player by pointing a finger at them. The selected Player would guess who selected them. Pick right, and you stay in—and that dastardly Pointer would be eliminated. Pick wrong, and you’re out, and the villain who picked you lives on.

Danielle and CJ then advanced to the Final Round, where they competed in a Survivor classic: they had to stack four blocks with four colors in the single configuration in which all four sides had each color with no repeats. After a grueling fight, it was Danielle that emerged victorious.

With two Idols in her back pocket and the Individual Immunity Necklace around her neck, Dripped-Out Danielle Ramsay immunized not only herself, but also allies Ugomma Uche and CJ Wittman. That left only three remaining options to be voted out: Elle Ondeck, Micki Drucker, and Wes Jung. Despite their former alliance with him, the Power Three voted out Wes because they saw him as the biggest remaining challenge threat. Rest in Power, Boy Genius (and Juror #8) Wes Jung.

The Players then took on the next Immunity Challenge, “A Trip Down Memory Lane,” in which Players had to recall facts about the Game, its former Castaways, Challenges, and everything in between. In an absolute rout, Trivia Master and Game-Knower Elle Ondeck crushed the competition in the biggest blowout of the season.

With Elle safe, the Power Three saw only one path forward: eliminating their slippery rival, Master of Card Games and Wearer of Iconic Sweatshirts Micki Drucker. Micki and Elle both appealed to CJ and Danielle/Ugomma, but to no avail—the Power Three stood strong and delivered the final blow to Micki, who took her seat on the Bench as Juror #9.

That brings us to the Final Four. The Players did not face a vote at the Final Four, but rather the infamous Firemaking Challenge. First, the four Players would compete in the Immunity Challenge. The winner of the Immunity Challenge would be guaranteed their spot at the Final Three and gain the power to bring one other Player with them to the Final Three. The remaining two Players would fight to the death in a “Firemaking Challenge” in which the winner would take the final seat in the Finale, and the loser would take the final seat in the Jury.

First, Immunity. The Players faced “Good Knight, Sweet Prince,” which required Players to move on a human-sized chessboard (think Harry Potter) in the L-shape pattern of Knights. CJ locked down his second Immunity Win, cutting through chess boards like butter.

The Jeffs then drove the Players to a second location (my apartment) for the Firemaking Challenge. Once there, it was time for CJ to make the all-important decision. After careful deliberation and a dramatic drumroll, CJ revealed he’d bring Ugomma (against an earlier promise to bring Elle) to the Final Three, leaving Elle and Danielle to face off in the “Firemaking Challenge.”

In a Hoang Survivor first (and a regular Survivor norm), the “Firemaking Challenge” … was to make fire. Elle and Danielle were given matches, twigs, and a dream. In the end, it was Mother of Dragons Elle Ondeck that not only prevailed in the Firemaking Challenge, but sent the undisputed frontrunner Strategic Mastermind and Advantage Hound Danielle Ramsay out of the game.

The Final Three was set. Socialite and Puppeteer Ugomma Uche. Underdog and Survivalist Elle Ondeck. Strategist and Challenge Beast CJ Wittman.

At Final Tribal Council, questions from our Jurors were incisive in analyzing each Finalist’s Game, their strategies, their thought processes that helped them navigate to the end where eighteen Players before them failed. And the Finalists were nothing short of brilliant in their responses: Ugomma played on her social control, CJ emphasized the efficacy of his timing, and Elle highlighted her threat management.

Ultimately, the Ten Jurors were faced with the impossible task of deciding between them and voting for the rightful winner of Survivor: Apex. Nick Hoffman ’25, Master of Ceremonies, revealed the votes, one by one.

 First vote: Ugomma. Second vote: CJ. Third vote: Elle. We’re tied, 1-1-1.

 Fourth vote: Ugomma. Fifth vote: CJ. Sixth vote: Elle. We’re tied again, 2-2-2.

 Seventh vote: Ugomma. Eighth vote: CJ. Ninth vote: Elle. We’re tied again, 3-3-3.

 Last vote… and the winner of Survivor: Apex and the accompanying $630…

 …

 … is Elle Ondeck!!! The crocheting extraordinaire delivered a truly flawless Final Tribal Council that secured her place in UVA Law Survivor History as Sole Survivor of Survivor: Apex, alongside beloved victor Seth Coven ’25 of Survivor: Wolfsbane.

 I’d be remiss not to thank the Players, my fellow Jeffs, Garrett Coleman ’25 at Law Weekly, and all of you for making this adventure possible. It has truly been such a highlight of my time here to live out this silly Survivor dream, but more importantly to get closer to all of you icons. <3

 Thank you for tuning in—it means the world!

 Signing off,

The Jeffs

A Tribute to the Week Three Fallen, Finalists, and Sole Survivor: