MIDDLEBURY — Some Middlebury College graduates go on to gain acclaim in science, medicine and politics. On Sunday, one recent graduate stormed to fame on longtime CBS reality TV show “Survivor.”
Sophie Clarke of Willsboro, N.Y., graduated from the college in May and is currently enrolled at the Mount Sinai College of Medicine in New York City. On Sunday, when the final episode of  “Survivor: South Pacific” aired, Clarke beat out the two other finalists and claimed the $1 million prize.
The 23rd season of the desert-island reality show attracted a following at Middlebury College, with campus news blog MiddBlog posting recaps on Clarke’s performance after each episode. Clarke shared the reality show spotlight with Frank Sweeney, another 2011 Middlebury grad who is currently participating in season 26 of MTV’s “The Real World.”
During Sunday’s final episode of “Survivor,” 22-year-old Clarke went up against the two other remaining contestants, 39-year-old Benjamin “Coach” Wade and 26-year-old Albert Destrade. She won six votes from the jury of nine former players.
According to CBS News, Clarke said after her victory that she’d had a good feeling about the results of the final voting round, though she wasn’t sure.
“I think I had my finger on the pulse of the game the whole time,” she said.