Jersey City Police Officer Wins 'Survivor' Again (And $2M)

Hoboken NJ

15 May, 2020

9:45 AM

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JERSEY CITY, NJ — Tony Vlanchos, a Jersey City police officer and dad of two, was revealed as the second ever two-time winner of TV's "Survivor" on Wednesday night. He'll receive a $2 million prize, which he said he'll use carefully after seeing people's financial uncertainly during the coronavirus pandemic. Vlanchos, 46, beat out Hoboken resident Michele Fitzgerald, 30, a travel consultant who hails from Freehold, as well as contestants from all over the country. According to his bio, Blanchos grew up in Jersey City. He's married to a fellow police officer. They have a boy and girl and now live in Allendale, NJ. Vlanchos told Entertainment Tonight this week that the coronavirus pandemic "opened up my eyes to see how [important] financial security is. Anything can happen. Right now we're going through people losing their jobs. The first million that I won with Survivor, I invested in a lot of properties … the best thing to do is to pay off those mortgages and be secure." But he also said he promised his kids he'll get little go carts with gas in them. The all-star 40th season of the CBS reality show competition was called "Survivor: Winners at War." On Twitter, Vlanchos wrote, "I GENUINELY appreciate ALL of you believers and hope I proved it by the way I played!" Got local news? Email [email protected]. To keep up with local breaking news when it happens, and get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.