NEW YORK - New York City firefighter Tom Westman won "Survivor: Palau" on Sunday night, picking up a million dollars in the live finale of the CBS hit.
Westman, a lieutenant with a Brooklyn ladder company, bested Katie Gallagher, Ian Rosenberger and Jennifer Lyon on the final night of competition. Many of his fellow firefighters were in the audience cheering him on as the Survivor votes were counted.
Gallagher, a radio ad saleswoman from Merced, Calif., won $100,000 as the runner-up.
In a game where over-the-radar power players are usually booted way before the finale, Westman was an anomaly. He dominated the individual immunity challenges, but his strong alliances and strategic relationships kept him from coming under fire.
The 41-year-old father of three from Sayville, N.Y., led the Koror tribe to demolish the Ulongs in every immunity challenge - a "Survivor" first.
Westman said he won by simply being himself.
On the Net:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor10
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