Are Dee And Austin Still Together?

Summary

• Survivor
  season 45 featured a showmance between Austin and Dee, who had undeniable chemistry and an obvious romantic connection.
• On December 23, 2023, Austin and Dee revealed that they were still together.
• Austin and Dee have shared some details about their feelings, but they haven’t been as open as some reality TV couples.

Survivor season 45 featured a classic showmance between contestants Austin Li Coon and Dee Valladeres, and it’s time to talk about whether the two are still together. Austin and Dee worked together from the very start – both began as members of the same tribe. Week by week, they tried to eliminate others, often by blindsiding other contestants.

Aside from their compatibility in the game, there was an undeniable chemistry and romantic connection between Dee and Austin. In a game in which strong partnerships are often the difference between winning or losing, this alliance served them both well. During Tribal Council, the two didn’t hold back, as they spent their final moments taking shots at each other. In the end, Dee won the million dollars and the Sole Survivor title, while Austin came in as her runner-up. It’s time to talk about what happened to their Survivor showmance after the cameras stopped rolling.

Are Dee And Austin Still Together?

They Seem To Be A Couple, Just Like Rob and Amber Mariano

Austin and Dee are still together as of late winter 2023, and they’ve shared some facts about their Survivor romance. Also, Austin and Dee follow each other’s family members on social media and are constantly sharing/liking posts. This could imply that they are in a relationship. Additionally, during the finale, Jeff Probst talked about how Dee and Austin reminded him of Amber and Rob Mariano, who met on the show. They later got married and had kids.

Some took this to mean that Jeff knew something more than he was letting on about Austin and Dee’s status.

What Austin Says

Developing romantic feelings for Dee complicated Austin’s strategy. His alliances and game play put him on top of the power pyramid, with two idols in his pocket. However, he gave one of his idols to the fellow Survivor cast member Julie Alley for safekeeping – she never gave it back. Still, Austin and Dee went to the finale together.

Unfortunately for Austin, he lost to Dee in a close 5-3 jury vote. In an interview with Yahoo, Austin was asked to update his relationship status with Dee, and he revealed that they had seen each other

”
so many times
”

since the show. He added that they have chosen to keep things private for now.

What Dee Says About Austin

Dee didn’t let the showmance with Austin cloud her vision. It may have impacted Austin’s judgement. During the final Tribal Council of the season, Dee told the jury that after Austin secretly let her know that they were going to blindside fellow ally Julie, Dee went behind his back and told Julie to play her immunity idol. The Survivor contestant also revealed that she’d blindsided Austin again when she voted out his ally, Drew Basile.

Like Austin, Dee emphasized wanting to keep the relationship private in her Entertainment Weekly interview. “This has been a whirlwind of emotions and we have decided to keep it low key for now,” the winner said. After so much public scrutiny, that’s understandable.

More Of Survivor’s Dee & Austin’s Quotes Tell A Story

They’ve Exposed Their Emotions

According to an exclusive interview with PopCulture, as per YouTube, Dee’s Survivor experience was a wild ride. During the last Tribal Council, she said that she was shocked that Caleb voted for her. In the clip above, see her discuss that pivotal moment. She said Caleb’s vote:

really surprised me.

However, Dee won more than a reality series and a life-changing amount of money. She also won Austin’s heart. In the quotes added earlier in this article, the two shared some feelings, but they had more to say.

Austin opened up with Parade via an exclusive interview with the publication. He talked about the time he realized that he really enjoyed being with Dee and wanted to spend more time with her. Even in a harsh environment like Survivor‘s, where the general mood is challenging and cutthroat, there can be romantic moments. Rob and Amber had the same experience. Austin said:

I think Day 20 really is true to what happened. Because on Day 20, that night, it rained the entire night. And Dee and I were next to each other on the bamboo. And it got really cold. We’re kind of huddled up next to each other, locked arms and stuff. And we’re like, “Okay, this is kind of nice.” And then we did that the next day. It rained for like four hours. And then the next night, perfectly sunny, nothing was wrong, clear skies. And we’re like, “Okay, well, that was kind of nice. So why don’t we just do that again?” So I think that’s when that really kicked it in. But I guess there are parts throughout the game. And you kind of see it too, if you rewatch it. I knew what was gonna happen, so I was kind of attuned to this throughout the season. There are moments where you can definitely see that there’s some feelings there.

In the interview, Austin’s essential sweetness shines through. He went into the game as a “chameleon,” as per Parade, and felt that his social skills would help him to make progress. However, as is the way on the punishing reality series, blindsides and betrayals were in the distance. Despite issues with Dee, he decided to forgive but not forget. Known for his smiling, relaxed personality, Austin seems to be able to move on from grudges quickly. When people did him wrong in the game, he seemed more hurt than angry.

This is a type of person that can be a good partner. So, when Dee re-earned Austin’s trust, she may have received a prize more valuable than cold, hard cash – of course, having a nice boyfriend and a million bucks is pretty much ideal. While the duo is quiet in 2024, there’s no proof that they’ve split up.

Austin hasn’t been active on his Instagram in 2024, and while Dee has been, she hasn’t posted about Austin. So, there’s always the chance they’re no longer together. However, they may be keeping their romance quiet. On IG in 2023, Austin got very real about the psychological impact of enduring misery and hunger on the show, and then returning to civilization. He said the trolls swarmed him, and he was disturbed by some of the hate that he received. Austin commented:

You thought playing Survivor was hard?? Just wait til you read 1000s of comments, tweets, DMs, and posts about how much you suck! People can be savage, and it can get especially frustrating when you feel like your side of the story wasn’t fully told (spoiler: you will feel this way)

His attitude may be one major reason why Dee and Austin are keeping things quiet, if they’re together. Dee seems very happy on IG in 2024 – she’s been promoting the show that’s been good to her. On May 7 of this year, Dee took to Instagram to let followers know that she hosted an exciting event:

Big love to the entire tribe that made the CBS x Miami Survivor early screening an EPIC event! Massive shoutout to all the alumni that blessed us with their presence, and all the local fans who made the night extra special.

450+ IN ATTENDANCE BROUGHT THE HEAT to my alma mater
@fiuinstagram
🔥! Me encanta ver mis latinos unidos! It’s clear how much passion we all have for the show.

While I’m no Jeff, hosting this event was another dream come true. Thanks for letting me be me on the stage.

HOW 👏🏼 FUN 👏🏼 WAS 👏🏼 LAST 👏🏼 NIGHT

Another issue may have made the couple decide to go radio silent about their relationship. As per Distractify, Dee possibly cheated on Austin with Wendell Holland in late 2023. They apparently got through that drama (there’s no proof yet that it really happened, though, just speculation). As per the publication, Dee was a bit coy about how things stood, owning up to their former “showmance” status but teasing an offscreen future. She stated:

Dee: It was both! It was a showmance and it did continue. Once we can finally post, you’re gonna see a lot of pictures of us on vacation.

Austin seemed to forgive again – hopefully, the Survivor alum doesn’t forgive too much. It’s easy to get caught in that kind of toxic dynamic. While Dee’s a great person, he might want to reconsider staying with a person who was unfaithful. It just tells a story about how she really feels. Sometimes, making up is worth it – often, it’s just not. Hopefully, both of these reality alums will share information about their relationship in the future. For now, they seem solid, but that’s not absolutely confirmed. They were a duo in late 2023.

Sources: Yahoo, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Austin Li Coon/Instagram, Dee Valladeres/Instagram, Distractify