One of the better "Survivor" seasons in the game's recent history concluded with its most-watched finale since the players were stranded on the Marquesas Islands.

About 25.4 million people watched Sandra Diaz-Twine win the $1 million prize on "Survivor: Pearl Islands" Sunday (Dec. 14), according to preliminary figures from Nielsen. Final numbers will be released Tuesday.

The two-hour broadcast and subsequent reunion show (22.7 million viewers) dominated the night in both total viewers and adults 18-49, the demographic group advertisers love most. Its closest competition was the NBC movie "Secret Santa," which brought in about 12.5 million people.

"Pearl Islands" featured breakout personalities in contestants Rupert Boneham and Jon Dalton and the new twist of bringing a pair of booted players back into the game, which helped restore some luster to the franchise. "Survivor" hadn't fallen very far in the ratings, but many fans of the show believed it was becoming a little predictable.

The ratings for Sunday's finale reflected that uptick in interest. The audience of 25.4 million was the largest since May 2002, when about 25.9 million watched the conclusion of "Survivor: Marquesas." The finales of last season's installments, "Thailand" and "The Amazon," averaged 24.1 million and 22.3 million viewers, respectively.

An all-star edition of the series is scheduled to begin following the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 1.