Julie Alley: 5 Things to Know About the Estate Attorney & ‘Survivor’ Season 45 Finalist

Julie Alley, or “Mama J” as they call her on the island, has exceeded all expectations on Survivor 45. Despite being the oldest contestant on the season, Julie, 49, has been a key player thanks to her challenge strength and impeccable social game. However, some of the other castaways have eyed Julie as someone they don’t want to sit next to in the final three because of her strong gameplay. Julie has made it to the December 20 finale episode with a big target on her back.

Julie came into Survivor after changing her life in a big way. Learn more about Julie below!

Julie lives in Tennessee.

Julie currently lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, according to her CBS bio. Julie is the only Tennessee resident on the Survivor 45 cast.  

Julie is an estate attorney.

Julie went to law school at the age of 40. Four years later, she passed the bar on her first try! Julie currently works as an estate attorney. She’s one of three attorneys on the Survivor 45 cast; the others are Katurah Topps and Jake O’Kane. 

Julie is divorced.

Julie got divorced in her 30s, which led to her taking a huge leap of faith by going to law school. She told Parade magazine that she made her life-changing decision while she was at divorce mediation.

“I go through mediation, which is grueling and terrible. But all I’m doing is, ‘This is my new life. This is what I’m gonna do,’ ” Julie recalled. “Because I have two kids, they’re in middle school at that point. And so I remember I called my mom because she was watching my kids. And she was like, ‘How’s mediation going?’ And I was like, ‘Screw mediation. I’m being an attorney!’ ” Julie continued, “I immediately took the test to get into law school, and I did it. So, I graduated law school within a week of my daughter graduating high school. We took our cap and gown pictures!”

Julie has two kids.

Julie has a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Taylor. Christopher is a student at Vanderbilt University and will graduate in 2024, according to his Instagram bio. Taylor graduated from Vanderbilt in May 2022.

Julie is the oldest contestant on Survivor 45.

At 49 years old, Julie is the oldest cast member on season 45 of Survivor. The second-oldest contestant is 47-year-old Bruce Perreault. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the youngest player on Survivor 45 is 22-year-old Drew Basile.