The common room in Sewickley Academy was filled with cheerful, enthusiastic children and adults, shouting at the screen between bites of pizza while watching the next-to-last episode of "Survivor: Guatemala" last week.

Rresidents of Sewickley and nearby communities had come to cheer on contestant Rafe Judkins in his pursuit to get into the elite final four.

Originally set up by Rafe's mother, Lani Lee, parties had been held in different locations until Ken Goleskim, Sewickley Academy's dean of students, offered to host the "Survivor" parties in the common room of the school. The parties have been held there ever since.

"I got into this a month or two ago," fan Susie Reuter says. "It's really been growing and it's so much fun."

The former Sewickley Aca-demy student graduated in 2001, and ironically enough was voted, "Most Likely to Be on 'Survivor.'"

Rafe appeared to be a formidable contestant before the first episode even aired, due to his extensive interest and experience in the outdoors.

He has been to all 50 states, visited 14 different countries and was the manager of Brown University's Outdoor Leadership Training. His profession? Wilderness guide.

Although usually on par with his competitors in physical challenges, Rafe's audience looked on in dismay as he failed to get anywhere near winning a new car last Thursday. Attempting to balance on thin wooden boards while trying to untie three knots, Rafe lost his footing, eliciting groans from the audience and forcing the Kilbuck native to start back at the beginning.

Contestant Cindy Hall defeated the remaining four and secured the new Pontiac Torrent. But there was a catch -- no one who has won the car has ever won the $1 million grand prize.

She had the opportunity to trade in her new car for four Pontiacs for her fellow contestants, but chose to keep the car for herself.

Her decision surprised Rafe and his supporters at home. After the audience booed Hall, the next tribal council began to take shape. Hall had created vehicular suicide, earning herself three votes, and was the next contestant to put out her tiki torch, delighting the Sewickley crowd.

The room pulsed with cheers, screams and applause as Rafe was officially in the final four.

Rafe and his family thanked all of their supporters and were planning to get home in the three inches of snow that had fallen during the show. Their next stop: an early flight to Los Angeles for the season finale.

In the end, Rafe was sold out by his alliance partner, Danni Boatwright, who had previously promised to take him to the final two, if given the opportunity.

He placed third in the mentally and physically challenging contest and watched his former partner win it all.

However, Lani couldn't be prouder of her son for the way he played the game.

"I think so many things showed his integrity," she says.

"He respected other people's religions. He refused to eat chicken when he was starving and he was so skinny when he came home.

"I just cried last night. We're really proud of him. For a 22 year old to make it to the final four is amazing."

Referring to the chicken, there was an occasion during the season finale when a group of Mayans visited to perform an ancient ritual.

They sacrificed a newly killed chicken. The other contestants had Spanish-speaking Lydia Morales ask the Mayans if it would be O.K. to eat the cooked chicken when they were finished. The leader told them they were not allowed, because it was an offering to the Mayan gods.

Two contestants went back later to the site of the ritual to remove the chicken and brought it back for everyone to eat, but Rafe refused, despite his shrinking frame and obvious hunger.

"I would lose everything I learned from the ritual, because the ritual was about not eating the chicken," he informed his tribemates.

Lani partially credits Rafe's final three victory to his close experience with females. When only five members of the show remained, the women were dominating, and Rafe was the only male in the mix.

During his final year at Brown University, Rafe roomed with two females and quickly understood much more about how women worked and thought.

"He really learned how to get along with (women)," Lani says. "He was even more understanding with me after that."

When Lani originally heard that her son was going to be on "Survivor," she was thrilled...and terrified.

She was excited that Rafe would finally be able to live out one of his dreams, but she also knew of the pain and suffering he would go through.

While her son was gone, she checked the weather in Guatemala religiously, often finding that the heat was in triple digits.

"I knew he was suffering," she says. "I knew the bugs would be terrible. He came home with scars all over him from the bugs. (The contestants) go through a lot."

With the finale airing and the "Survivor: Guatemala" reunion taking place Sunday, Lani had a chance to meet all of the contestants and their families.

One of the most enjoyable things for her was to see how much her son was liked by the others.

"He's talking to all of the contestants around here and everyone likes him," she remarks. "He's genuine and everyone can sense that."

Because Rafe was in the final four, his family was treated to seats front and center, and the hotel they are staying in is beautiful, as are most of the other contestants, Lani comments.

Lani wouldn't change a thing about how her son played, except for the outcome, which she believed could have been completely changed by only one thing.

"He didn't get rid of Danni when he should have," she says. "He fell for her and that was his downfall."