Judkins is the latest in a string of recent Brown graduates to make it to the final rounds of reality TV shows but fall short of winning. Danni Boatwright, a sports radio host and former beauty pageant contestant, beat out "Survivor" veteran Stephenie LaGrossa to take the $1 million grand prize.
The two-hour season finale Dec. 11 kicked off when a group of locals performed a traditional Mayan sacrifice of a chicken to the gods. Later, the players debated whether to eat the burnt chicken to ease their hunger. In the end, only Judkins chose not to partake, out of respect for the Mayan ceremony.
Judkins got off to a strong start in the competition, winning the first immunity challenge to secure a spot in the final three. He was able to race through a massive maze to collect puzzle pieces and assemble an image before three other competitors. At the next tribal council, Judkins, Boatwright and LaGrossa voted off longtime underdog Lydia Morales.
That set up the final immunity challenge, the winner of which would advance to the final two and pick the other contestant to go with him or her to face the jury. Judkins felt he was in a secure position because both Boatwright and LaGrossa had promised him they would take him to the final two if they won the challenge.
The challenge was one of endurance. Each of the final three contestants had to balance on a small, wobbly platform that tilted in 360 degrees. At the beginning, the players were allowed to hold onto ropes suspended from crossbeams above the platforms. After an hour, each player had to release one rope. All three tilted to one side, but they all grabbed onto support poles and leaned against them to keep from falling. After another half-hour, they had to release the other rope, using only their backs against the poles to stay in the challenge. At that point, host Jeff Probst told the contestants they could no longer use their hands. But just five minutes later, Judkins lost his concentration and used his hand to adjust his position on the pole. Probst called him out, and Boatwright went on to win.
Seeing LaGrossa crying after putting in a worthy effort, Judkins immediately ran to Boatwright and absolved her of her promise to take him to the final two. Judkins had tried to take the moral high road throughout the "Survivor" season and said he wanted LaGrossa, his best friend on the show, to have a chance.
Boatwright was conflicted, but she voted Judkins out of the game. She knew she had a better shot at swaying the jury to her side over LaGrossa, who had backstabbed a number of players. Indeed, only Judkins voted for LaGrossa to win.
Though Judkins said he had no regrets, his own actions appeared to seal his fate in the finale. Had he made it to the final two, he seemed to have a good chance of winning against any of the other final four competitors. And he openly considered voting off Boatwright when he had the chance, which would have virtually guaranteed him a spot in the final two, but he ended up removing Morales.
Then, of course, was his decision to release Boatwright from her pledge to him. Judkins said on CBS.com's "Survivor Live" Dec. 12 that it was "the right thing to do at the time" and he "would do it all over again," but he also called the choice "so, so wrong." He said he was still working Boatwright to take him to the final two and thought his personal relationship with her would pave his way there.
Judkins now hopes his earnings from the show will pave his way to a different goal. He said on "Survivor Live" that he plans to move to Los Angeles with his boyfriend and use his winnings to support his dream of becoming a screenwriter. The third-place finisher earns about $95,000.
