"Survivor: Second Chances" crowned a winner from amongst the cast of 20 previous losers at CBS Television City on Wednesday night, December 16. (Courtesy of CBS)

(Spoiler Alert: Please do not read if you haven’t watched the finale of “Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance” that aired Wednesday night on CBS.)

Jeremy Collins, a firefighter from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was crowned sole “Survivor” and winner of the $1 million prize on the season finale. He swept the final vote, winning 10-0-0 against fellow finalists Spencer Bledsoe and Tasha Fox, the largest victory in the show’s history. Collins first appeared on the show in the fall of 2014 with wife, Val, who did not compete in this season. The two kept her pregnancy a secret throughout the filming of the series last summer.

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Wednesday night’s two-hour finale and one-hour live reunion capped the longest public-facing season of the reality originator by lasting seven months. This “Second Chance” season actually began back on May 6 when CBS announced a two-week, nationwide, public vote to pick twenty returning players from a field of 32.

Fans will vote 20 alums back on to the show from a pool of 32 in a contest that runs through May 20. (Photo illustration by Mikey Glazer, images via CBS)

Fans voted 20 alums back on to the show from a pool of 32 in CBS’ contest that ran during May 2015. (Photo illustration by Mikey Glazer, images via CBS)

For the first time, CBS allowed the contestants to roam free on the media landscape over ensuing two weeks, making media appearances and touring the podcast circuit. Candidate and full-time Yahoo executive Andrew Savage bought advertisements on show-related websites.

Back in May, Jeff Probst revealed the cast live on-air before they were sequestered and subsequently shipped directly to Cambodia to begin shooting (see video above).

"Tiny Little Shanks to the Heart" - Joe Anglim, Keith Nale, Spencer Bledsoe, Jeremy Collins, Kimmi Kappenberg, Kelley Wentworth, Abi-Maria Gomes and Tasha Fox during the twelfth episode of SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Dec. 2 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The new season in Cambodia, themed "Second Chance," features 20 castaways from past editions who were voted for by fans to have another shot at being named "Sole Survivor." Photo: Screen Grab/CBS ÃÂ©2015 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contestants react to a surprise family visit earlier in the season. (Courtesy of CBS)

In its 31^st season on air since debuting as a cultural phenomenon in summer 2000, the show consistently won its Wednesday 8 p.m. timeslot over the last month of the fall season.

Excluding a flukey double episode aired on an across-the-board lowly rated Thanksgiving eve (unfortunately, a substantive highlight of the season that netted a series low), the show has averaged a 2.1/7 share in the advertiser coveted 18-49 demographic and 9.19 million viewers over the last month.

Also Read: 'Survivor: Second Chance' Contestants Spill the Beans on Pre-Game Alliances (Video)

Season 31 was actually the 32^nd to be produced. It aired out of order ahead of a previously produced season in the same location in early spring 2015. The unaired season (technically “32”) will air in spring 2016.

This multiplied the challenge producers faced. On one hand, they had to come up with new twists to surprise the cast of “32” that they had never seen on-air before. Then, with news, leaks and spoilers from the 32 production available before the “Second Chance” contestants left to play in Cambodia, producers Probst, Mark Burnett and challenge producer John Kirhoffer had to further iterate to keep the returning cast on their toes. They pulled it off.

Over 15 years into its broadcast run, this season saw the first “vote steal” advantage (won by People Magazine blogger, lawyer and “Rob has a Podcast” co-host Stephen Fishbach), immunity idols “hidden” in plain view at group challenges, and a split from two tribes into three early in the game.

Also Read: 2 Dead After Helicopter for MTV Reality Show 'The Challenge' Crashes

“Survivor” returns for the 32nd season on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016. It is dubbed “Brains vs. Braun vs. Beauty,” repeating a successful theme from the spring 2014 season.

22 Most Groundbreaking Reality TV Shows (Photos)

SURVIVOR
Now in its 30th season, viewers have tuned in to the reality game show in droves since 2000 to watch ordinary people physically, mentally and strategically duel with each other in order to win $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.
CBS
AMERICAN IDOL
The first televised competition show to let viewers vote on the talent themselves, "Idol" may no longer be a ratings juggernaut, but it still proves exciting.
Fox
THE BACHELOR
Though the actual long-term success rate remains shockingly low, viewers do seem to love the idea of "the bachelor" selecting from a pool of beautiful women in order to find a wife.
ABC
PROJECT RUNWAY
Even viewers not into fashion can understand this show's appeal: a reality competition that requires its contestants to actually make something to prove they deserve to win.
Lifetime
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY
The originator of the "Real Housewives" brand, "RHOC" showed viewers that being rich doesn't spare people messed-up lives; oftentimes, it actually makes those messes worse.
Bravo
JON AND KATE PLUS 8
Viewers tuned in to get a glimpse of how an exceptionally large family operates, but they stayed once Jon and Kate decided to divorce.
TLC
JERSEY SHORE
The housemates show earned record ratings for MTV, due in large part to controversy of how Italian-Americans on the East Coast were portrayed.
MTV
THE OSBOURNES
At one time MTV's highest rated show, it offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a rock legend and his family. Viewers also tuned in to see if Ozzy was ever not stoned. (He wasn't.)
MTV
THE HILLS
Originally a spinoff of "Laguna Beach," this semi-scripted series initially followed Lauren Conrad's pursuit of a career in fashion, but slowly degenerated into a series of feuds with Heidi Montag.
MTV
THE REAL WORLD
Before it regressed to the mean, "The Real World" was one of the first reality shows to explore issues facing young adults: sex, religion, death, politics and even AIDS.
MTV
AMAZING RACE
Combining a physical reality competition with exotic locales most viewers will never get a chance to see continues to prove a winning formula.
CBS
DEADLIEST CATCH
This fishing boat-based program offers a rarity for viewers: a docu-series about a dangerous profession. Coast Guard rescue squads have frequently been a part of the show.
Discovery
BIG BROTHER
If you throw a number of volatile personalities into a room together, you can bet people will tune in to watch the explosions.
CBS
RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE
If Tyra Banks could find the world's next supermodel, why can't RuPaul do the same for drag queens?
Logo TV
PAWN STARS
It's hard to say what's more appealing: getting a dose of history in everyday artifacts that are brought in for appraisal, or the interactions of the colorful Harrison family that owns the shop.
History
AMERICAN CHOPPER
Centered on the Teutel family and their shop, the series showcased contrasting styles and verbal arguments between Paul Sr. and his son. Arguments drove ratings until Junior's dismissal from the show.
Discovery
TOP CHEF
Fans of good food love this competition show about aspiring chefs cooking their way to the prize money awarded to the winner.
Bravo
HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO
Described as both offensive and exploitative, this spinoff of "Toddlers & Tiaras" instantly became must-see-TV and made its 6-year-old star a cultural lightning rod.
TLC
JACKASS
Who wouldn't want to watch a group of friends torture and humiliate each other? Such is the appeal of "Jackass," which spawned three (and a half) movies and an acting career for Johnny Knoxville.
MTV
KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS
Attracting instant notoriety for a sex tape featuring its star, this Kardashian chronicle has proven to be one of the most popular reality shows of the current era.
E!
DUCK DYNASTY
Following a Louisiana family made wealthy by their duck-hunting products, the Robertsons became cultural icons for their ZZ-Top beards and frank yet cheerful outlooks.
A&E