MA Woman Runner-Up in 'Survivor' Finale

Cambridge's Aubry Bracco emerged from this year's "Survivor" as the first runner-up, receiving the second most votes in the finale.

After a hard fought season, New Jersey's Michele Fitzgerald was crowned the winner, though it was anyone's competition up until the final votes were cast.

The finale also saw a "Survivor" first - the winner of the final challenge was asked not to vote off one of the remaining contestants, but to send a tribal council jury member home.

Patch congratulates Bracco, one of its former editors (no, really), on her season.

9:50 p.m.

The final tribal council begins. The jury members ask the final members questions about their strategy during the competition or make statements about each one's performance.

9:42 p.m.

As Aubry, Michele and Tai prepare to plead their case to the council, the three weigh themselves and look in the mirror, in awe of how much their bodies have changed over 39 days.

9:27 p.m.

After much deliberation, Aubry, Michele and Tai converge on the tribal council, where they inform the jury one of them will go home. Michele weighs the options and decides to vote for someone who not only wouldn't have voted for her, but would have convinced the jury to not vote for her as well. She votes Neil, who leaves with some nasty words for her.

9:10 p.m.

The remaining three are stunned to learn they have to participate in another challenge. But this time they are not competing for immunity; they will vote out a jury member. The three have to create a stack using balls and stands, a challenge that requires precision. It comes down to Michele and Aubry, but on the last ball, Aubry's stack falls. Michele wins the opportunity to vote out a jury member.

8:55 p.m.

Cydney and Aubry go head to head in the fire making challenge. Though she took a quick lead, Aubry's fire collapsed opening the door for Cydney to come back. Cydney was unable to get her fire burning, and Aubry recovered, burning through her rope and winning the fire making challenge. She is now in the final three, with Michele and Tai.

8:46 p.m.

Aubry, Cydney, Michele and Tai vote. It ends in a tie and Michele and Tai say they are locked in. The competition goes to a fire making challenge.

8:42 p.m.

Now that Michele has immunity, the remaining three are scrambling to cultivate alliances. Though Aubry suggests to Tai they form an alliance, she says she's not sure where Tai stands. Michele suggests to Cydney that they vote Aubry, as she would pose a threat to them in the final three.

8:29 p.m.

The four complete a complex series of obstacles for a spot in the final three, in addition to becoming the eighth member of the jury. Though Aubry took a commanding lead during the physical aspect of the competition, she was stumped during the puzzle portion. Michele, in dead last throughout, came from behind in spectacular fashion and made quick work of her puzzle. She now has immunity and a highly coveted spot on the jury. Aubry, Tai and Cydney are now in danger of being voted off.

8:26 p.m.

Michele suggests an alliance to Tai, given the bond between Aubry and Cydney. She suggests they vote Aubry out if one of them wins the next challenge. Tai accepts it as an option, though he says he has not fully given up on Aubry.

8:15 p.m.

The race begins. The four crawl under a net, compete in a shuffleboard event and then stack their tiles on top of a machete to make it through a series of obstacles and complete a matching puzzle. After an intense competition, Aubry emerges victorious and wins a meal to refuel. She decides to double it and selects Cydney to receive a meal as well, creating an alliance for the next immunity challenge.

8:10 p.m.

Tai, the sole man left in the final four, suggests to Aubry that they form an alliance with Cydney as the final three. Meanwhile Cydney suggests to Michele that they form an alliance with Aubry, leaving the women as the remaining three contestants.

Cambridge girl Aubry Bracco is one of the final four contestants vying to win tonight's season finale of "Survivor."

While a former Salem Patch editor seems no match for an extended stay on a dog-eat-dog reality contest based in Cambodia, Bracco has proven more than capable of winning the $1 million prize.

Patch will be updating this story throughout the night

Bracco, 29, a 2004 Phillips Exeter Academy graduate and Hampton Falls, NH, native, represents the Brains tribe. It took her awhile to make her mark, but through some ingenuity and clever play, she had made the Final Four.

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Here's what she told the show's website at the beginning of the season:

I’m an expert listener and a journalist at heart so I’m inherently observant and social. I look for the most genuine and self-aware person in the room so I can connect with them, and I'm on the prowl for the most fake person in the room so I know what I’m dealing with. I want to prove to myself that I have what it takes to manage personalities under pressure with $1,000,000 on the line.

The end of the latest season of "Survivor" will be broadcast tonight on CBS at 8 p.m. It will be followed by a "Survivor" reunion.

Photo via Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll’s Twitter account.

Alex Newman (Patch Staff) contributed to this story.