WARNING: Spoilers ahead are unmarked. You have been warned.
The author has a heavy focus on Character Development in this season, so it has no shortage of Heartwarming Moments.
- Kadie comforting Eliza after she has an emotional breakdown thinking that she made a mistake by volunteering to go to Exile Island, which is the first building block to their lasting friendship throughout the whole season. Kadie even takes a picture of them on the island together for them to celebrate their beginning of the game together.
- Eliza and Kadie's relationship as a whole is one big series of Heartwarming Moments. Despite not starting on the same tribe, the two of them become very close through their mutual trip to Exile Island for the first three days, are incredibly excited to get to see each other again and eventually do after the swap, and always stand by each other's side even when times get tough. When Bryce goes home, Eliza comforts Kadie and agrees to never turn her back on her, when Eliza gets relentlessly attacked by Sam, Kadie drops her usually sunny deposition and fights back defending her, and the two of them work together to get out of the minority and never throw each other under the bus in spite of the desperate situation they're in. And to close it all off, when Kadie is sitting in the Final Tribal Council and Eliza is talking to her as a juror, Eliza remarks how Kadie was like the younger sister she never had, and asks as her only question to her to take a picture of the two of them together at the Final Tribal Council, right before going on to vote for her to win, showing just how close the two had become throughout the season and cementing them as True Companions. D'aww...
- Sasha revealing her story to C.A.S. and then later the entire tribe of being falsely arrested for a crime she never committed, and her tribe being completely supportive of her and believing her in spite of the fact that she is technically a "criminal". The Lupa Tribe treats her with nothing but respect and kindness after this reveal, and work to make her experience as fun as possible out in the game.
- Eliza opening up about her backstory of her parents disappearing to Lily when Lily doubts if she and Kadie can relate to her. Both Eliza and Lily had lost their parents, and Eliza opening up to Lily made Lily finally feel like she had someone who she could fully relate to, and the two of them get along very well afterwards.
- Kadie and Bryce's father-daughter relationship throughout the season. Kadie sticks with him to the bitter end, even when he gets himself into trouble time and time again, and this friendship is so strong that Bryce comes back in the season finale after Kadie wins with his first words to Kadie being "I'm so proud of you."
- Kadie and Yash's mother-daughter relationship throughout the merge that is kept hidden throughout most of it also qualifies, as the two of them become so close that Kadie is willing to possibly lose to her in the end just to keep her safe at the final five, complete with the two of them calling each other affectionate nicknames, most notably Yash referring to Kadie as "Sunshine".
- The romance that develops between Eliza and Gaz throughout the swap. They both have many flaws that they are willing to help the other overcome, with Gaz being the only member of the majority alliance really getting to know Eliza on a personal level, and Eliza wanting desperately to help Gaz be able to repair his relationship with his parents. The two of them become very affectionate for each other and are willing to make many sacrifices for each other to make their relationship work.
- Nathan finding out that Sam is his birth mother after his father Harry visits him at the family visit, revealing this at the final seven tribal council and breaking down into tears. Nathan was seen as nothing as a joke and a bit of a dick for most of the game, but he finally got to reunite with his mother out on the island, and Sam is more than pleased to accept a member of her family back again.
- C.A.S.'s backstory of playing for his physically handicapped creator, who is a Survivor superfan, and having him be able to live his dream through him. Doubles as a tear jerker.
- Lily and Noonan making up right before Lily gets voted out after the two of them have a broken friendship post-Clyde vote and try to constantly get each other out.
- Todd reuniting with his friend Johnny, who he had lost contact with for over two years, at the family visit.
- Eliza's final words where she states that even though she's absolutely heartbroken to have been betrayed by one of her closest friends, that she got to do so much in the game and she's extremely grateful for everything she did and all the wonderful people she met, right before finally giving Gaz a kiss on the cheek and saying she wants the two of them to continue to pursue their relationship after the show.
- Yash's final words as well, stating that in spite of how heartbroken she is that she came so close and fell just short, that she proved a lot for people her age that they can do so much more than they think if they put their minds to it, and that she thinks she made her kids proud in the end after everything she overcame.
- Nathan winning the fan favorite award, being genuinely shocked by it and even humbled since everyone in the game hating him, and breaking into tears on-stage at the reunion when it's revealed.
- Kadie not only winning the game after everything she went through, but winning it almost entirely by The Power of Friendship with the incredibly strong personal bonds and friendships she made throughout the season, especially the likes of Bryce, Eliza, C.A.S., Gaz, Lily, and Yash. Watching her win as a Survivor superfan through the help of all the friends she made and the giant smile and tears down her face in the end is priceless, and she even states in the Final Tribal Council how Survivor helped her be more willing to tackle the challenges of life in adulthood head on that she was once afraid of.
