Survivor season 43 winner Mike Gabler, 54, unveiled a stunning, colorful, full leg sleeve tattoo on August 28, and fans of the reality competition are completely blown away by the “special tribute.”
“Thank you, [Darcy Nutt] & [Chalice Tattoo Studio] for all of your hard work making this dream become a reality,” said the champion while showing clips of his tattoo journey, from its inception to completion. “This is a special tribute to Survivorseason 43 and all of the castaways and fans who were on this epic adventure.”
Related: Jeff Probst Is ‘Embarrassed’ by This Outdated ‘Survivor’ Rule
The tattoo artist, Nutt, also highlighted some of the special details included in the the expansive tattoo and the meaning behind them, including:
The purple octopus, which was “the mascot specifically for season 43.”
The alligator, or AlliGabler, which “is a reference to Mike from the last episode of season 43. “
The season 43 immunity necklace.
ADVERTISEMENTStatues and flowers to “represent Fiji, where the season was filmed.”
Mike’s very first tattoo, “which is the shark silhouette on the outside of his ankle.”
The artist also revealed that the piece of art won Best Sleeve at the Boise Tattoo Convention, and called Gabler “a badass, a friend, and all-around inspiration.”
Fans and friends alike were blown away by the tattoo, and took to the comments to show their admiration. “Holy s–t balls! That’s crazy!” wrote Survivor legend and House of Villains star Johnny Fairplay, while season 43 tribemate Noelle Lambert wrote, “So [fire emoji]!!!! Nice touch on the left leg.”
Mike Gabler Won Season 43 of Survivor
Gabler won season 43 of the show despite being the oldest contestant on the season, and one of the oldest champs ever. He shocked fans by donating his entire $1 million prize to veteran causes.
“It was my honor to be able to serve those who served us, and it was very important to me to be able to do something special,” he told VA News in March 2023. “To be able to save lives, even one life, would be incredible. I know we’re on the way to doing that now. That money’s going to do a lot of good for a lot of people for many years to come.”
Next: ‘Survivor’ Icon Reveals Wild Behind-The-Scenes Story That Got Him ‘Heavily Reprimanded’ by Producers
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
