'Survivor: Philippines' Reunion: Lisa Whelchel Wins 'Player Of The Season,' Talks About Her Struggles (VIDEO)

'Survivor' Reunion: Lisa Wins 'Player Of The Year'

After a hard-fought season, the "Survivor: Philippines" reunion special brought the cast back to dish about a wild 39 days. Lisa Whelchel came into "Survivor: Philippines" as a known commodity to a lot of TV viewers from her days on "The Facts Of Life," though most of the people on the show had no idea who she was until Jonathan Penner outed her during the final Tribal Council.

For most of those days, she wore her heart on her sleeve and really struggled with how to play the game while holding onto her moral compass. It wasn't until her brother came during the "Loved Ones" episode that she really got her head into the game.

She talked about that struggle during the reunion, saying, "Nothing about ‘Survivor’ is the kind of thing that reflects, you know, the character of God, so it was a total internal struggle until I realized ... It’s OK to be human, and it’s OK to be sometimes good and sometimes bad."

She said the experience and what she learned about herself was worth more than the million dollar prize, which she didn't win. Whelchel finished in a tie for second place with returning player Michael Skupin, while Denise Stapley took home the top prize. Whelchel did, however, win the $100,000 "Player of the Season" prize, voted on by fans.

Tune in for the new season of "Survivor," bringing back the "Fans vs. Favorites" format, starting February 13, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

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