"Survivor: Philippines" winner is Denise Staley

Denise Stapley, the winner of CBS' "Survivor: Philippines" walks the red carpet at CBS Televison City on Dec. 16, 2012, in Los Angeles. / Frederick M. Brown

Iowa sex therapist Denise Staley emerged Sunday as the winner of "Survivor: Philippines."

She beat out "Survivor" veteran Michael Skupin and former child star Lisa Whelchel to claim the $1 million prize in a two-hour finale, delayed in some areas of the country for an hour by a longer-than-expected football game and coverage of President Obama's remarks at a memorial service for victims of Friday's school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

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"Survivor: Philippines" finale

Host Jeff Probst opened the one-hour reunion show that followed the finale with a moment of silence for the shooting victims.

A strong and feisty player, Staley called the prize "life-changing."

"In Iowa, " she told Probst, waving the check he had just given her, "you can do a lot with this."

Staley had the distinction of playing on all three tribes and attending -- and surviving -- every one of the season's tribal councils. She was voted the game's winner by a jury consisting of the last eight castaways voted out of the game.

Whelchel,who played Blair Warmer in the 1980s sitcom "Facts of Life," won Sprint"s $100,000 Player of the Season award, chosen by online fan voting. Whelchel managed to fly under the radar, with only two of her fellow cast members aware of her career. One of them told the other members of the jury about it just before the final vote.

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"Survivor: Philippines"

Whelchel narrowly edged out California bartender Malcolm Freberg for that fan honor. A "Survivor" fan since he was 12 years old, Freberg dominated in the challenges and was strong in strategizing. He made it into the final four and was voted out of the game in the last tribal council Sunday night.

Skupin, the third finalist, was pulled from season two's "Survivor: The Outback" after he fell into the campfire and was badly burned. He was one of three castaways this season who had been medically evacuated from previous season's games. The other two were Jonathan Penner and Russell Swan.

The other secret celebrity in this season's game was World Series MVP Jeff Kent. Like Whelchel, he managed to keep most of his fellow castaways in the dark about his former fame.

[ChrisW_79]

@david...I think she was talking about malcom...she has a crush on him so she thinks he deserves it cause hes cute *rolls eyes*

[DavidDigby]

And dont give me any crap about reading the news about Survivor. If you type in 'Survivor Full Episodes', one of the LINKS says in big print, DENISE STALEY WINNER OF SURVIVOR. Unbelievable.

[DavidDigby]

ARE YOU FRICKING SERIOUS!!!??? I was looking for episodes and now this article just ruined the whole show for me.

[ChrisBaron123]

I am really happy that Denise won because she clawed her way back from the brink early in the season, and played very well in the end. I wish Malcolm had won the Player of the Season award because he was such a powerhouse in the challenges, and his social game was pretty good too. I was talking to a coworker at DISH who thought that Lisa only won the fan vote because of her emotional trials, and not her actual game play. I had totally forgotten that they moved the finale to Sunday, but thankfully my DISH Hopper recorded it with Primetime Anytime. Having it record everything during primetime on the four major networks is such a lifesaver when they mix the schedule up. I am really glad that I caught it because the comments from some of the jury were rather unexpected and interesting.

[tjcranda]

I would have thought somebody would have checked Denise's last name before they printed this on the internet. It's STAPLEY

[kamikazee196]

whats with malcolm being mad at denise..didnt he shake with skoopin and lisa to shaft denise??? heck they were partners and he shafted her so he could cuddle up to skoop and lisa to get rid of denise!! ha ha malcolm last laughs on you buddy you should have stuck with her

[ikizdim]

So tired of people saying someone shouldn't win one of these things because "they don't need the money." Being on this show isn't based on financial need, it's based on how you play the game and Fan Favorite is based on how you are perceived by the viewers. I'm thinking there isn't a clause in the rulebook that says "If you are rich, you can play but you cannot win."

And I'm with Montana5, spoilers are for when the show hasn't aired. Once it's aired, talking about it is fair game.

[barbj918]

I, also, think that they should "disqualify" Lisa because of her being a child star and really not needing the money--just wanting to be on Survivor for the "thrill" and "adventure" and still give the money to the guy with the ponytail.

[ChrisW_79]

Well Barb your lack of brains is showing...Almost every child star of the 80's was paid very little money and if they did get money there parents normally took it all.

[barbj918]

I think that Lisa Welchel should NOT have won that money. It is not like she needed it. She's married and has 3 children. She still has money from "The Facts of Life" TV show and gets money every time it is being played on tv. Her husband has a good decent job and they live in a real nice house.
She should give the money to the guy with the pony tail.
He needs it more than she does.

[HobartSchmenge]

BARBJ918:

I think you're confusing the actress with the character she played on Facts of Life. The character, Blair, was from a well-off family and wouldn't have needed the 100 grand unless she had forgotten her purse and needed to pick up the check for lunch or an afternoon of shopping. The actress, Lisa, is quite possibly a washed-up former TV child star desperately in need of some moola as the benjamins are no longer rolling in for her and her Hollywood career prospects are nil.

[MS1206]

Barb, What she did in her life does not matter. She is a divorced mother of 3. You have NO CLUE what residuals she makes so you may consider checking your facts and keeping a "soft" opinion to yourself next time.

[manda70]

While I am happy Denise won and am happy Lisa won the Sprint Player of the game, I do believe that Malcolm was the better choice. He played really hard and was very good at the game. He reminds me of Ozzy. He is a natural Suvivor player!!

[Belldl]

I totally agree! Malcolm is a lot like Ozzy and should have one the Sprint Fan prize. He played a GREAT game!! Lisa was lost and confused most of the time and played the conflicted christian card until she got a little too hungry for the money then it was "screw you, I'm first". She wasn't great in challenges and her strategy sucked. If it were not for Stoop (who was also lost but managed to win some challenges), she wouldn't have made it that far. Soooo glad Denise won. Of the three she deserved it. Well done Denise!