‘Survivor’ Season 37 Had the Show’s Most Recent Showmance — Are They Still Together Today?
Unlike Big Brother, showmances aren’t a regularity in Survivor. Whereas there is a Big Brother showmance almost every season, the contestants in the other CBS reality competition series aren’t too focused on finding love. However, sometimes, the Survivor castaways can’t deny a romantic connection, and they pursue a relationship on the show. And the last time a showmance formed in Survivor was in season 37, aka Survivor: David vs. Goliath.
Kara and Dan had a brief showmance in ‘Survivor’ Season 37
At the beginning of Survivor Season 37, producers placed Kara Kay and Dan Rengering on the Goliath tribe. Kara, a 30-year-old from San Diego, CA, worked as a realtor, and Dan, a 28-year-old from Gainesville, FL, worked as a SWAT officer. And immediately, the two castaways hit it off.
In the first episode, Dan called Kara his “kryptonite.” And Kara said Dan was a “genuine soul” and admitted that she instantly felt connected to him. Since he was drawn to her, she was drawn to him. They joked about becoming a showmance, but Kara clarified that they couldn’t put targets on their backs.
As the days went by, Dan and Kara’s connection grew stronger, and they found themselves allied in the game. When Dan found a hidden immunity idol, he showed it to Kara. And despite the Goliath tribe’s awareness of Dan and Kara’s relationship, they were never in danger of being voted out because of it.
Host Jeff Probst announced a tribe switch in episode 4, which separated Dan and Kara. They both survived until their merge, but they put the game ahead of their showmance. Ultimately, Dan was voted out on Day 25. He played his immunity idol during Tribal Council, but Carl Boudreaux played an idol nullifier against Dan. So all of the votes cast against Dan count, and he joined the jury.
Meanwhile, Kara’s strong social game worked for her, and she made it to Day 38. Unfortunately, she fell one day short of making it to the Final Tribal Council when Mike White beat her in the final four fire-making challenge. So Kara finished the show in fourth place and was the last Survivor Season 37 jury member.
Kara dated another ‘Survivor’ Season 37 castaway after the show ended
As many Survivor fans realized while watching season 37, Dan seemed to be more into Kara than she was into him. And so they didn’t pursue a relationship outside of the show, but Kara did find love with another Survivor: David vs. Goliath castaway.
After filming ended, Kara and Alec Merlino, who was also originally on the Goliath tribe and finished in tenth place, started dating. Alec even broke his non-disclosure agreement with CBS when he posted a picture of himself and Kara on Instagram before Survivor Season 37 aired. And they were in a relationship for a couple of years before breaking up sometime before 2021.
Merlino told Entertainment Weekly, “Kara and I broke up a while ago, being that we’re just in two different places in our lives. However, it was the most normal and amicable breakup. Kara knows I’ll always love her and have a special place in my heart for her. Or, as I like to say, ‘You’ll always own prime real estate ([with an] ocean view) within my heart, Kara.’ We will remain in each other’s lives forever, I’m sure.”
Kara and Alec appeared to rekindle their romance in late 2022 based on social media. So perhaps they will get their happy ending.
And as a fun fact, Kara and Alec appeared on separate seasons of their Survivor tribemate Mike White‘s show, The White Lotus. Alec played one of the hotel workers in season 1, while Kara was one of the guests in season 2.
Which ‘Survivor’ showmances have lasted after appearing on the CBS show?
Only a handful of Survivor couples have made a relationship work outside the CBS reality competition show.
The golden standard, of course, is Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich from Survivor: All-Stars. The two are still happily married with four daughters, and they appeared on the show again for Survivor: Winners at War.
Jaime Dugan and Erik Huffman from Survivor Season 15 are still married and share a son. Survivor Season 39 stars Elizabeth Beisel and Jack Nichting, who didn’t connect until after the show ended, are currently engaged. Joe Anglim and Sierra Dawn Thomas from season 30 are married with two kids. Survivor Season 23 contestants Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan are married and just had a baby.
And even though they didn’t meet on the same season, Survivor: Africa castaway Kim Powers and Survivor: The Amazon contestant Alex Bell met through their involvement with the series and fell in love. They are still married and have one daughter.
All seasons of Survivor are available to stream on Paramount+. And Survivor Season 44 premieres on Wednesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
