Before Survivor cameras even started rolling, Matt Blankinship remembers his first impression of contestant Frannie Marin.
“Before we were allowed to talk to each other, I saw Franny and she was wearing a shirt that said, ‘Kidney Health Matters,’” Matt exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 18. “I thought, ‘This is a dork. We’re going to get along.’”
While Frannie didn’t think people would immediately see her as the “nerd girl,” she was also drawn to Matt from afar.
“I saw him wearing glasses and I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be good,’” she joked to Us. “I think Matt and I had both just felt like normal people when we were looking at each other.”
More than two years after arriving in Fiji as total strangers to participate in Survivor 44, the two reality stars are still dating and can’t believe the CBS competition show brought them together.
“At the time that we played Survivor, Matt was living in San Francisco and I was living in Boston,” Frannie shared. “We did that long distance for a while, and I think we did it really well, but there came a point where I was like, ‘I just want to see you every day. I just really do.’ So I moved across the country, moved into this apartment in San Francisco. Truly, perhaps the best decision I’ve ever made. I love it here.”
Date nights for the couple usually entail sushi at their favorite neighborhood restaurant or trips to a Bay Football Club soccer game.
While some couples formed on reality TV tend to document all their special moments on social media, both Frannie and Matt try to stay off the grid.
“I live under a social media rock and I like it that way,” Matt told Us. “It’s simpler. It’s quieter. At least for me, it’s a very conscious decision.”
Frannie added, “I just so enjoy being present in the life that we lead together that I very rarely stop to think, ‘We should take a picture for the online.’ I just love living with you and hanging out with you and that’s what’s really important at the end of the day.”
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It’s a fresh perspective that millions of Survivor viewers fell in love with while watching the pair go from costars to something more in a matter of weeks. Although they only made it to the jury, both Matt and Frannie have a theory as to why fans connected with them so quickly.
“I think it’s because — how do I say this in a way that’s respectful to ourselves — we’re not, like, hot people,” Frannie said with a laugh. “I think it was just very clear that what was happening was genuine. Also, I think a big part of it is I think it came across on the show that we were sort of trying to fight it.”
Matt added, “I think the relatability factor is here, similar to I think a lot of the times you have these really, really big personalities and people who are, like, all out. And I don’t know. Maybe we just felt kind of normal.”
Looking toward the future, Matt would be more than open to competing on The Amazing Race with his girlfriend — even if she has apprehensions.
“I am very much a type A planner type person,” Frannie explained. “My whole life, I planned trips down to the moment. I’ve never missed a flight. I start dating Matt. I’ve missed two flights. We would not thrive on The Amazing Race.”
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As for another season of Survivor, the answer is clear.
“I think both of us would go back for Survivor in a heartbeat,” Matt confirmed. “If they said, ‘Get on a plane in two hours,’ I’d be like, ‘Yes.’”
Survivor 47 premieres on CBS Wednesday, September 18, at 8 p.m. ET. It is also available to stream on Paramount+.
