Matt Blankinship and Frannie Marin have taken their on-screen alliance off-screen!
The Survivor players are officially dating, Blankinship revealed this week, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
"We're still dating," he told the outlet, confirming their relationship. "We're still going strong."
Of course, Blankinship and Marin's romance should come as no surprise to Survivor viewers. The couple met as contestants on season 44 of the competition survival reality show — currently airing on CBS — and immediately hit it off.
Though they each admitted to crushing on the other in confessionals, they prioritized gameplay over love, keeping things friendly as to not be seen as a power couple in the game.
"I think of myself as a very logical, smart guy," he said. "The one thing you come into Survivor and not do, is get into a showmance 'cause it's a terrible strategy."
That didn't stop Blankinship from being targeted. He was voted out of the game on Wednesday's episode, his fellow players noting how much of a threat he and Marin were together as a pair. Marin is still active in the competition, vying for the title of sole survivor.
After both returned from Fiji, Blankinship and Martin followed through with their desires. "Obviously, there is so much chemistry there. We're two dorky magnets," Blankinship told EW. "We couldn't stay away from each other. And we knew the whole time. ... We literally couldn't help it."
Looking back, Blankinship said that despite his exit, he doesn't think his bond with Marin cost him the whole thing.
"Me and Fran were not that subtle on Soka beach. It was very clear. But we did actually kind of turn it down and come to our senses, right?" he saisd Our heads were in the clouds for a bit. We tightened it up. I don't think that the bond between me and Fran was so obvious to everyone else."
Ultimately, Blankinship had no regrets, and is grateful Survivor brought him and Marin together.
"It's the last thing I expected," he told EW. "You prepare for this game, but you could never prepare for that, right? One of the things I told myself going out there was to just sort of embrace whatever the experience had for me. Go out there with an open mind and just let myself feel the things I was feeling and express them and let myself be whatever, whoever I am in that moment."
"For me, that connection is so strong," Blankinship raved. "That relationship with me and Frannie is so beautiful and so pure. It would be a disservice to me and a disservice to her to not allow that to flourish, regardless of game, you know?
"I'm the real winner of Survivor 44," he said.
