BENTON – The limousine pulled up the driveway to the Underwood Strawberry and Vegetable Farm at 5:45 Friday morning.

Ashley Underwood had stayed overnight with her parents at the house she grew up in. Now, joined by her boyfriend, Chris Markwood, Underwood boarded the limo just after 6 a.m. and headed south to the Portland International Jetport.

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Ashley Underwood, a native of Benton, is among a handful of finalists on “Survivor: Redemption Island.” The season finale airs at 8 tonight on CBS. Photo from TV screen

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She was bound for New York City, where the answer to a lingering question will be revealed tonight: Is Underwood the “Sole Survivor”?

Local family and friends of the Benton native are eagerly waiting to find out. Underwood, 26, is among the handful of finalists in the running to win the $1 million prize in the season finale of “Survivor: Redemption Island,” at 8 tonight on CBS.

The final episode will be immediately followed by a live reunion show from the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan.

After the limo provided by CBS arrived Friday, her family prepared for the trip to New York as well, according to her parents, Chuck and Theresa Underwood. They planned to leave Saturday morning with sons Justin and Isaiah.

Ashley planned to meet Friday with her sister, Lindsay, who lives in New York, her father said.

Tonight, the family will be in the theater to watch the finale, and then Ashley will join the other castaways on stage for the reunion.

“We have great seats in the audience, but we only got six tickets, so it covered our immediate family,” her father said.

He said the family has often watched “Survivor” episodes at Justin Underwood’s home in Hallowell, with a large group of people and a big-screen TV.

That was where they were this past Wednesday night as they watched Ashley pull off her most impressive performance to date, winning her first immunity challenge and staving off a plan to boot her from the game.

“We didn’t know if she was going to hang in there,” Chuck Underwood said. “Anything can happen now.”

Her mother said she was nervous during last week’s episode, but was blown away by her daughter’s performance.

“She made it this far,” Theresa Underwood said. “After she won immunity, that was, like, awesome for me. I’m so proud of her.”

Family and friends, he said, have also been faithfully texting for Ashley in a contest to select the fan favorite of the season.

Once in New York, Chuck Underwood said, the families of the contestants likely will spend time together. Theresa Underwood became friendly with many of them when she traveled to the show’s Nicaragua location as part of brief family reunions for Ashley and several other contestants.

Theresa Underwood said that since the trip, she has developed a friendship with Tracie Tenerelli, mother of Natalie Tenerelli — on the show, Natalie Tenerelli and Ashley Underwood have become friends.

“We’ve become very close,” Theresa Underwood said. “We have stayed in contact with each other since we got back, usually once a week.”

Ashley Underwood — and the other contestants — will all be checking into their hotel in New York City under false names for security reasons, Chuck Underwood said.

“I don’t know what Ashley’s is,” Chuck Underwood said. “It’s all pretty secure.”

And what does the proud father think of his daughter’s chances?

“I think she’s going to win it,” he said. “But it’s going to be real close. You look at her, all-state basketball, playing at the University of Maine, to where she is today, and she’s not through. It’s gone very well for her. She’s been very blessed.”

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