These Survivor 44 Contestants Are Dating After Meeting on the Island

WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Survivor 44

He may be gone, but his fire is certainly still burning.

That's because according to Survivor 44 jury member Matt Blankinship, his showmance with Frannie Marin has continued off the island.

"The Frankinship is riding the wind," he told Parade in an interview out April 13. "We are sailing full speed. We're still dating, we're still together. We've done the Ethiopian food; we've got road trips coming up. We're going strong."

Matt's journey on the show came to an end on the April 12 episode when he was voted out in a rather frustrating post-merge twist that put only four out of the 11 remaining contestants up for elimination. In an even crueler bit of irony, it was his No. 1 ally Frannie's immunity win that set his eventual fate at tribal council into motion.

In the end, their undeniable chemistry proved to be too much of a threat to their competitors.

"I can't express enough how much you need somebody that you can trust out there, someone who you feel super confident has your back," he noted. "I think Frannie and I were that for each other. In another universe, we eventually would have to stab each other in the back. I'm sure some fireworks would go down."

But did Matt expect to see his bond with his fellow Soka tribe member so heavily featured on the show?

"There are a lot of little moments that were so cute and it feels so sweet and dear to me. I wasn't sure if they would make edit, because there's a lot to have to show on the show," he shared. "All of these adorable moments at the fledgling stages of our relationship, that means the world. And we got a montage!"

And despite coming in 11th place on the reality competition, Matt admitted the entire experience was worth playing for.

"It's Survivor 101, the ABCs, you don't get into a frickin' showmance," he said of finding love in Fiji. "It's dumb. And I knew that we both knew that. But I mean, it was two dorky magnets—we couldn't separate from each other. The chemistry was immediate."

Matt added, "It was totally unexpected and caught me off guard. But in all honesty, it made my life and made the whole thing so much richer for me."

See how the rest of Survivor 44 plays out Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Plus, see the status of other fan-favorite Survivor couples, below...

They dated! Despite competing on different seasons, the pair turned their friendship into something more during quarantine. "Summer lovin'," Dean shared on Instagram back in August 2020. The couple would ultimately part ways before Michele appeared on MTV's The Challenge.

After competing on Survivor: San Juan del Sur, the couple said "I Do" in August 2015 near Detroit. In September 2020, the couple announced they were pregnant through IVF. 

Parvati Shallow, a fan-favorite from multiple iterations of Survivor and the Sole Survivor of Fans vs. Favorites, started dating John Fincher of Survivor: Samoa in 2014. They married in 2017 and welcomed a daughter in 2018, with Parvati returning to compete in Winners at War just months after giving birth. In August 2021, the couple would file for divorce. 

These two Survivor lovebirds met in 2014 during Worlds Apart. Although they didn't start dating immediately after the show, they became a couple a few years later and announced their engagement on April 9, 2019. Just before Thanksgiving 2019, the couple said "I Do" in a magical Utah wedding ceremony.

In 2022, the couple is expecting their second child. 

One day after reuniting for Survivor season 39's finale, the two contestants confirmed on Instagram that they were dating. "WOAH. Did you guys hear the news?" Elizabeth wrote on Instagram. "I've got a curly haired boyfriend named Jack and he is simply the most wonderful human being I know. And yes, we share hair products."

These Survivor: Ghost Island contestants are so intertwined they started a vlog and a couples Instagram account: Tarzan and Jen.

This pair from 2011's Survivor: South Pacific had almost instant sparks. Their relationship took them on The Amazing Race together, and they wed in 2014.

After competing on Season 37 or Survivor: David vs. Goliah, the two contestants formed a romantic relationship in San Diego, Calif. "We shared so much chemistry and friendship on the island," Kara explained to E! News. "And then we got home and we both knew." Unfortunately, the pair privately split with Alec telling Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that it was "the most normal and amicable breakup." 

The two winners off-camera romance was revealed during an episode of Survivor: Winners at War when the tribe swap resulted in the exes being placed on the same tribe. 

"How the heck did I get stuck stranded on an island with my ex-boyfriend? [Laughs.] Wendell and I dated briefly which is a saga in itself," Michele revealed in the Mar. 11 episode after a tribe swap went down. "Even though our relationship didn't necessarily work out, I'm hoping this can work a little better than our dating."

Oh, Boston Rob and Amber. These two took showmance to the next level. They met in 2003 while on Survivor: All-Stars, got engaged in 2004, and had a TV wedding in 2005. They competed on The Amazing Race in season seven and returned for The Amazing Race: All-Stars in 2007. They have four daughters together and both returned for another shot at winning the title of Sole Survivor for season 40. 

After competing on Survivor: Blood vs. Water together, which Apostol won, the couple got married 2015 after getting engaged on the finale of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars' second season.

They've since welcomed two daughters and Tyson most recently competed on Winners at War.

The couple were introduced by Johnny Fairplay and were engaged, but the relationship didn't last.

After production on Survivor: Vanuatu wrapped, Probst, the longtime host of the CBS series, reached out to Berry. The two started dating, but kept the relationship a secret until after Berry's season aired. They were together for a few years, but eventually split.

Todd Herzog, the winner of Survivor: China, met Survivor: Tocantins contestant Spencer Duhm in 2009. The couple eventually split, and Todd later appeared on Dr. Phil for an intervention with his alcohol addiction.

Courtney Yates of Survivor: China and Stephen Fishbach of Survivor: Tocantins never competed on the series together, but met in 2009 and struck up a romantic relationship, but it didn't last. Stephen got married in 2018.

These two Survivor winners met during the finale of Survivor: The Amazon. They started dating in 2003 and were together for 10 years, even appearing on The Amazing Race.

"It is with much consideration and a heavy heart that we are announcing that after 10 years of a loving relationship, the decision was made to move on without each other," a rep for the couple told E! News in 2013. "We will carry with us the memories of a relationship grounded in love, laughter, support and friendship."

"We have experienced some of life's greatest joys and toughest challenges together, and our decision to be apart can never diminish that. We want to thank everyone for their support and we ask that our privacy be respected as we move forward." Ethan is now married and is one of the 20 winners back for season 40.

The Survivor: China contestants met on the show in 2007 during the competition. They married two years later and have since welcomed a son. 

Alex Bell, from Survivor: The Amazon, and Kim Powers, from Survivor: Africa, met through the show and got married in 2006.

Carolina Eastwood, a Survivor: Tocantins contestant, and David Murphy, a Survivor: Redemption Island contestant, got engaged on TV during the Redemption Island reunion. However, the marriage didn't happen and they later split.

Lusth and Kimmel met on Survivor season 16, Survivor: Micronesia, where a showmance quickly developed. They continued dating after cameras stopped rolling, but eventually split.