Frannie Marin

On the Soka tribe, Frannie gravitated towards Matt Blankinship, with whom she shared a "showmance" for their duration together in the game. After the merge, Frannie became a key number for the Soka Alliance, but her allies slowly distanced themselves from her as she came into her own as a challenge threat. When the Soka Alliance fractured, Frannie's record of individual wins became too much for the Va Va tribe to overlook, and she was voted out at the final eight.

Profile[]

Retrieved from Parade.com

Age: 23
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn.
Current Residence: Cambridge, Mass.
Occupation: Research Coordinator
3 Words to Describe You: Curious, calculating, zesty!
Why do you want to be part of SURVIVOR? SURVIVOR is like a four-course meal for the brain, body, and spirit! Where else can you untangle complex social webs, perform extreme physical feats, and learn your own limits (only to exceed them!)??
What's one life experience you feel has prepared you for the game? I worked at an intense, high-traffic nail salon for five years, where I had to balance the needs of customers with those of 20 Vietnamese women, many twice my age and with ranging language barriers. I had to navigate very different perspectives to keep everyone happy, sometimes with grown adults literally screaming in my face about their nails.
Which previous player do you identify with the most? Who do you think you will play most like? There are so many players I'd like to say here, but I identify most with Gabby and Aubry. I hope to play like those two strong women with that extra spunk that we saw from Maryanne.
What will you value in an alliance partner? Someone who is interested in talking through every possible outcome. I never want to move forward with a plan before considering alternatives.
Favorite Hobbies: Collecting leaves, game nights, collaging
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I (somehow) got a perfect score on the MCAT!
What is something we would never know from looking at you? I work at a center for mindfulness and compassion, and I have a daily practice in yoga and mindfulness meditation.
Who in your life is your biggest inspiration and why? I think Sophie Clarke is actually the coolest person ever. She was such a badass on the show and in her life, and I try to emulate that whenever I can. Runner-up is the Scarlet Witch.
Why will you be the Sole Survivor? I will be the Sole Survivor because I have two superpowers in this game: enthusiasm and adaptability. I am always learning and shifting based on my surroundings, and I'll weather any storm with a smile.^[4]

Survivor[]

Frannie started the game on the Soka tribe. During her tribe's streak of immunity wins, Frannie was able to connect with her tribemate Matt Blankinship. The "two dorky magnets" started a friendship that eventually became more romantic in nature. This worried Claire Rafson, whom Frannie and Matt had sought out as a potential ally, as well as the other Sokas, who began to consider voting out Matt after he had lost his vote at the journey. However, when Matt found Danny Massa's fake Hidden Immunity Idol, Danny reassessed his plan and saw the value in working with Frannie and Matt with the goal of using the fake idol against Matt later in the game. When Soka lost their only Immunity Challenge on Day 7, Claire was targeted for her lack of contributions in challenges. Frannie initially tried to save Claire by campaigning against Josh Wilder, but because Matt did not have a vote, she decided to go with the majority and vote Claire out.

After Soka resumed their challenge dominance, Frannie and Matt's game entered a period of dormancy for the rest of the tribal phase. Despite being joined by Jaime Lynn Ruiz at the tribe switch, Frannie and Matt decided to stick with their alliance with Danny and Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt, though the alliance was upset that they could no longer target Josh since he had been switched to Tika. At the commencement of the individual game, Frannie and Matt were both on the winning team at the Earn the Merge challenge, and the Soka Alliance finally got rid of Josh when the rest of the castaways agreed that his possible possession of an idol posed too much of a threat.

At the final eleven, the newly merged Va Va tribe was split up into two groups ahead of the Immunity Challenge, where the last person standing overall in the endurance challenge would win immunity for their whole group. Against all odds, Frannie outlasted every member of the opposing team to win her first individual challenge, simultaneously protecting her orange team from the vote. She was, however, met with the predicament that her "showmance" partner Matt was left on the other team and she had no way of saving him. Fortunately, the orange team was given a chance to hunt for an advantage. When Heidi found the advantage, she shared that it was a "Control a Vote" advantage that allowed her to force one of the purple team members to vote as she dictated. Immediately, Frannie campaigned for Heidi to use the advantage against Yam Yam Arocho, which she eventually complied with at Tribal Council. Still, the play did not affect the Ratu Alliance's plans; they successfully voted Matt out, leaving Frannie alone and emotionally devastated.

Seeing Matt's elimination as a declaration of war, the Soka Alliance rallied and vied for the support of the Tika Three. After Lauren Harpe won the Immunity Challenge, the Ratus were resolved to vote Frannie out. At the same time, Danny told Frannie and Heidi that he had an idol, which he planned to use for the benefit of the alliance. Initially, Danny was clear on using it for Frannie after hearing about the Ratus' plan, but when Heidi told Yam Yam and Carson Garrett that he had an idol, he was concerned that the Ratu faction might change their vote. At Tribal Council, Carson and Yam Yam played double agent by siding with the Ratu vote, correctly anticipating Danny's idol play for Frannie. With this, Frannie was saved, and the Ratu leader Brandon Cottom was blindsided in a 4-0 vote.

The next day at camp, Frannie began to develop a friendship with Carolyn Wiger over their idiosyncrasies. At the Immunity Challenge, Va Va was offered rice in exchange for four tribe members sitting out. Frannie chose to compete, proceeding to win her second individual Immunity Challenge and ostensibly growing the target on her back. In the ensuing strategic scramble, Frannie suggested that her alliance join forces with the Ratus to take out one of the Tika Three to loosen their grip on the game. However, Danny shut this plan down and, ultimately, Frannie was left out of the vote to blindside Kane at Tribal Council, leaving her confused and frustrated.

On Day 18, Frannie won her third individual challenge and got to spend a night at the Survivor Sanctuary, which she shared with Carolyn, Heidi, and Lauren. The women agreed that it was in their best interests to vote Danny out next. Upon their return to camp, Frannie learned that Jaime had apparently gotten her idol flushed when Kane was voted out, but she did not believe the "tall tale". Frannie then lost the next Immunity Challenge to Carson and her prior record of challenge wins was raised as a reason to take her out. Danny shared this plan with Heidi, who then relayed it to Carolyn. Meeting Heidi with disbelief and a general sense of distrust, Carolyn tried to rally Frannie, Jaime, and Lauren to turn on her. Carolyn also shared her plan with Carson and Yam Yam, who contemplated the plan. However, at Tribal Council, Carolyn proved unable to secure her numbers as Danny got his way as Frannie left the game in a 5-2-1 vote. She finished in eighth place and was the fourth member of the jury.

At the Final Tribal Council, Frannie joined the jury in voting for Yam Yam to win the title of Sole Survivor; he won in 7-1-0 vote over Heidi and Carolyn.

Post-Survivor[]

• After the season, Frannie and Matt continued dating.^[5]
• On April 8, 2024, Frannie and Matt attended Maryanne Oketch's wedding along with a few other contestants.

Trivia[]

• Frannie is the youngest member of Soka and the youngest woman to compete on Survivor 44.
• Frannie received the most votes cast against any castaway in Survivor 44, with 11.

References[]

Survivor 44 Castaways
Brandon Ratu	Bruce Tika	Carolyn Tika	Carson Tika	Claire Soka	Danny Soka	Frannie Soka	Heidi Soka	Helen Tika
Jaime Ratu	Josh Soka	Kane Ratu	Lauren Ratu	Maddy Ratu	Matt Soka	Matthew Ratu	Sarah Tika	Yam Yam Tika