Although she played the game well and was in the final three, Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel - and Survivor veteran Michael Skupin - lost to Iowa sex therapist Denise Stapley, 41, who emerged victorious Sunday on Survivor: Philippines.
Stapley, waving the $1 million check, said, "In Iowa, you can do a lot with this."
The show was delayed in some areas by a football game that went into overtime and coverage of President Obama's remarks at a memorial service for victims of Friday's school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Host Jeff Probst opened the one-hour reunion show that followed the finale with a moment of silence for the shooting victims.
Whelchel, 49, didn't go home empty-handed. She won Sprint's $100,000 Player of the Season award, chosen by online fan voting.
