After a grueling 39 days of competition in Nicaragua, Natalie Anderson captured the title of sole survivor and the million dollar prize on the "Survivor: San Juan Del Sur" finale Wednesday night, reports Huffington Post.

Mother-daughter team Missy Payne and Baylor Wilson, Jaclyn Schultz, Keith Nale and Anderson battled in the final immunity challenges, but Anderson, Schultz and Payne made it to the final tribal council. Following the jury's vote, host Jeff Probst announced Anderson, 28, as the winner at the "Blood vs. Water" reunion show.

Probst had been an Anderson fan all along, telling Entertainment Weekly before the last episode, "I think Natalie's big plan is that you have to do each thing at the right time and you have to have certain numbers at a certain point in the game, and then there's a point where you can get rid of your nemesis." She did exactly that when she caught Schultz's boyfriend, Jon Misch, off guard in last week's episode. She outwitted, outplayed and outlasted her opponents in the game.

When asked her reason for being on "Survivor," Anderson wrote, "The million dollars! Also, winning "Survivor" makes you a certified bad ass!"

Anderson told CBS News that she barely recognized herself when she saw her reflection in a mirror after "Survivor." "My body was wrecked," she said. "My hair was falling out. I lost all my muscle. I was so frail."

Once she returned to civilization, Anderson said she ate Krispy Kreme and Chick-fil-A for the first time to fatten up.

As a CrossFit coach and Physical Therapy student, Anderson knew she couldn't continue to eat an unhealthy diet.  Her twin sister Nadiyah, who also competed on the show, helped her get control of her diet. She now eats a Paleo diet of meat and vegetables and works out at the gym regularly.

"Survivor: Worlds Apart" premieres Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.