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Way to outwit, outlast and outplay the competition on the 18th edition of Survivor,  James "J.T." Thomas Jr.!

The Alabama cattle-rancher came out on top of Survivor: Tocantins last night, as he was selected the unanimous winner at the show's final tribal council.

Not only did Thomas win the one-million dollar prize, but host Jeff Probst named him the fan-favorite, which included an extra $100,000 bounty. During the finale, J.T. won the immunity idol twice and earned all seven votes in the final tribal council.

The coyboy welled up as he was announced the unanimous champion.

"I can't help it," he said during the live reunion show in New York. "I'm happy - it's probably the happiest I've ever been in my life, obviously."

Survivor: Tocantins, set in the Brazilian Highlands, premieres on February 12. Check out a preview for it now.

Meanwhile, here's your first look at the 16 castaways that will try to outwit and outlast one another:

• Sandy Burgin, a 53-year-old bus driver from Louisville, KY
• Stephen Fishbach, a 29-year-old corporate consultant from New York, NY 
• James Thomas Jr., a 24-year-old cattle rancher from Samson, AK 
• Spencer Duhm, a 19-year-old college student from Lakeland, FL 
• Sydney Wheeler, a 24-year-old model and interior designer from San Diego, CA 
• Jerry Sims, a 49-year-old U.S. Army sergeant from Rock Hill, SC 
• Candace Smith, a 31-year-old actress/model and event planner and former lawyer from Los Angeles, CA 
• Tyson Apostol, a 29-year-old bike-shop manager and former professional cyclist from Linden, UT 
• Sierra Reed, a 23-year-old model from Los Angeles, CA 
• Erinn Lobdell, a 26-year-old hairstylist from Waukesha, WI 
• Carolina Eastwood, a 26-year-old bartender from Los Angeles, CA 
• Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George, a 37-year-old from Nashville, TN 
• Joe Dowdle, a 26-year-old commercial real estate broker from Austin, TX 
• Benjamin Wade, a 37-year-old soccer coach and part-time orchestra conductor from Bolivar, MO 
• Debra Beebe, a 46-year-old middle-school principal from Auburn, AK 
• Brendan Synnott, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from New York, NY

At 58, Bob Crowley is the oldest Survivor winner of all-time.

But that doesn't mean the reality TV champion is forgetful. In a new interview with BuddyTV, he recounts his favorite moment in Africa...

When I won the Sprint phone and I was gonna get to see a video of Peggy and I was sitting there on the couch with a beer and a pizza. Jeff had completely convinced me that we were gonna look at some stupid little video, which I was so glad they didn't tell me Peggy was there or I would've hurt myself trying to win the challenge.

I turned around and saw my wife standing in Africa, which I had no idea she was there. It was almost like a ghost had arrived. It was one of those moments in my life that is now burned so deeply into my memory, I will never forget it. It was the highlight of Peggy's summer and mine. It was just a wonderful event.

Congratulations are in order for Bob Crowley.

The 58-year old physics teacher became the oldest winner in Survivor history last night, as he was chosen the winner of Survivor: Gabon, the seventeenth edition of this long-running reality show.

"My plan was to fly under the radar as long as I could, be necessary, and be a nice guy so people would like me," Crowley said after host Jeff Probst announced him as the competition's victor.

Crowley, who won five of the game's final six challenges, earned Survivor: Gabon's $1 million grand prize for his efforts to outwit and outlast his fellow contestants.

Our New Year's Resolution? Watch even more reality television!

Here are season premiere dates for two of the most popular shows in this genre:

• Survivor: February 12
• The Amazing Race: February 15

Jeff Probst is blogging about the current season of Survivor.

Each week, he'll share his thoughts with readers of Entertainment Weekly. Here's an excerpt from his most recent entry:

First we lost Michelle, then Gillian, and now Paloma. Whew. Relief. Three people who will not be missed. I say that with all due respect to the aforementioned, although, as my buddy Lopez reminds me, whenever you say “with all due respect” you’re actually saying without any respect at all.

Yes, I am aware that if I keep up this lippy attitude for the entire season that I may end up buried to my neck in sand at the live reunion show. The problem is I write these in the afternoon, typically when I’m most hungry and therefore a bit cranky. Not an excuse, just a fact.

Jeff Probst - sorry, Emmy Winner Jeff Probst - says that Gabon was an African country far from ready for a reality show.

"It was clear to us, from the moment we set foot there, that this was an untapped, undiscovered part of the world,'' he said in a recent interview. "They've had virtually no tourism, and so nobody's been there."

Moreover, midway through filming, Probst thought he had wandered into a scene from Jurassic Park.

"There's a moment where they encounter an elephant in the camp, and they're all trying to deal with it. And I thought, 'This looks like a Spielberg movie.' And then I realized: 'This is not a zoo; you're in their back yard. You've set up shop to do this dumb game. What are you doing?!'''

Survivor: Gabon premieres this Thursday night.

But that's way too long for most fans to wait. Check out the opening few minutes of this Survivor season below:

Based on his last name alone, Marcus Lehman will have no success on Survivor: Gabon this year.

But investment banks jokes aside, the competitor is actually afraid that being a doctor won't make him an appealing candidate to fellow castaways.

Jeff Probst doesn't seem to agree, though. The host told Entertainment Weekly:

''Marcus is a physician, as he likes to remind people. And he is a true leader, an extremely bright guy. He's a hero. He is a huge threat to win the game, for sure. He has looks, he's got smarts, he's probably the fittest guy out there, so he's got a lot of things going for him."

As a hairdresser and part-time teacher, it's safe to assume Susie Smith will see her net worth increase tremendously if she conquers all on Survivor: Gabon.

Does host Jeff Probst give this 47-year old mom from Iowa a chance of accomplishing that feat?

''Susie is a mom, and she likes to talk. That's definitely her biggest obstacle to overcome, that she can't shut up. If I went in and played this game and got teamed up with Susie, I would be wary of her hanging in there with me, because she seems to go with the wind and doesn't even seem like she's paying attention at times.''