Toronto’s Erika Casupanan Makes History as First Canadian to Win ‘Survivor’

A Toronto woman has just made history, becoming the first Canadian to win Survivor. Erika Casupanan was crowned the winner of season 41 of the reality series on Dec. 15, winning in a 7-1-0 vote over Deshawn Radden and Xander Hastings.

Casupanan is also the first woman to win in seven seasons and is the first person of Filipino descent to win. She opened up about her win on Twitter, writing, “I must be a witch bc [sic] I just broke a curse.”

When speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Casupanan shared her plans for the million-dollar prize money. “Number one, figure up the U.S. to Canadian taxation situation,” she said. “But my second priority has always been making sure that I set up my parents with whatever they need.”

“My parents worked so hard to make sure I’m in a position to make my dream of winning Survivor come true. So my number one priority is my parents,” she continued. “And then my number three priority is buying some really expensive handbags.”

In a video on Twitter, she told future contestants that anything is possible. “I am a Filipino immigrant woman who lives in Canada, and I won the game,” she said. “I was able to make my dream of dreams come true and win the game. And what I want to say is, if I can do it, anyone can do it.”