How old is Jake O'Kane? Meet Survivor 45 finalist

Survivor 45 the popular survival reality TV show aired the finale on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, with Dee Valladares being named the winner. Valladares, the "Sole Survivor" took home a cash prize of $1 million. While she won Survivor 45, co-contestant 26-year-old Jake O'Kane was named the second runner-up. The two were a part of the final five, who included Julie Alley, Katurah Topps, and Austin Li Coon.

O'Kane, an attorney, gave Dee a fierce fight till the end and admitted that although he was treated as an underdog initially, he managed to survive till the end. He was a part of the Belo tribe at first but switched his alliance to Lulu mid-show.

During his stint on Survivor 45, Jake has made multiple personal revelations including one about his struggle with binge-eating. In one episode, Jake O’Kane explained that he lives with his grandmother and wishes to use the ultimate prize money to move out of her house.

Throughout his journey on the show, Jake received a formidable competition especially from players Austin Li Coon and Dee Valladares who were among the final three contestants.

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How old is Survivor 45 finalist Jake O'Kane?

The 26-year-old began his professional career as an attorney just before participating in Survivor 45. Notably, he wasn’t the only attorney included in the cast of this season. Also joining the bandwagon were players Julie Alley and Katurah Topps.

Though hailing from Hanson, Massachusetts, Jake currently resides in Boston. Before joining law school, he also tried his luck in theatres but had to detach his passion for prioritizing his law studies.

Jake’s Survivor story is nothing less than a roller-coaster ride. From braving upheavals to getting disqualified from a challenge after breaking a piece of equipment, he managed to garner his fair share of limelight during the show. Maneuvering through reward and immunity tasks, he kept himself from being eliminated and eventually landed in the finale.

Viewers were surprised when the 26-year-old confided in fellow player Austin about having a Hidden Immunity Idol that nobody knew. He also opened up about one of his biggest struggles with serious binge eating and how he ended up conquering it.

He said that when he was overweight, he didn't feel "too great" about himself and confessed to having a "serious binge-eating problem."

“I know there are a lot of people out there who do that and they just don’t talk about it and they try to ignore their problems. But you’ve got to face them. I knew what I was doing. I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I ignored it, I hid it.” he said.

Breaking down in tears about the neglect, he explained that he managed to commit to change. In his last address to the jury, Jake spoke about how he had been an underdog in the show and deserved credit for being one of the final three. However, he received zero votes during the final vote-out session by the tribal council.

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Who won Survivor 45?

As mentioned earlier, 26-year-old Dee Valladares won the latest season of the survival reality show in the finale aired on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. She was a part of the final five, including Jake, Austin Li Coon, Julie Alley, and Katurah Tops.

A jury of eight tribal councils, who were the eliminated contestants of the show, cast a final vote leaving Dee to win a majority of five votes. She was crowned the winner and also took home the cash prize of $1 million.

Season 45 of Survivor kick-started on September 27, 2023 and was filmed in Fiji. All the episodes of Survivor 45 ran for 90 minutes barring the finale which was a three-hour special. The show is available to stream on Paramount+.