A constant, big debate in Survivor is whether or not the winner always plays the best game of the season. My opinion: often, but not always. Here is my season by season "best game" list:
Survivor: Borneo -- Richard Hatch (winner)
No question here. Rich came up with the concept of an alliance. Such a basic thing, but it forever shaped the way Survivor would be played. He led the Tagi 4 to victory and in my opinion he ruled the season. A well deserved first ever win.
Survivor: Australian Outback -- Tina Wesson (winner)
Tina is the first classic "social game" winner. Where Richard was all about strategy-strategy-strategy (which, albeit was not nearly as involved as it is today), Tina really set the standard for how to win with a social game. Although she wasn't the most strategic or physical player of the season, I do believe her social game was better than anyone else's game.
Survivor: Africa -- Lex van den Berghe (third place, last boot)
The first non-winner to make the list. Lex played what was arguably the best strategic game in the first three seasons of Survivor, and also was super likable with a great social game. Kim admitted that she voted him out because he was the best player of the season. While I believe Ethan deserved to beat Kim hands down, Lex ruled the season.
Survivor: Marquesas -- Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien (third place, last boot)
Another case of "last boot should have won". Vecepia's social game was impressive and she was a worthy winner against Neleh, but like the Africa final 3, the last boot was the strategic powerhouse of the season and also had a good social game.
Survivor: Thailand -- Brian Heidik (winner)
No question here. Although Thailand was a season full of poor social games, Brian had enough friends on the jury to win, after playing a dominant strategic game (one of the best up until that point in Survivor history). The used car salesman that saw Survivor as a business trip ruled Thailand!
Survivor: The Amazon -- Rob Cesternino (third place, last boot)
This is another "not even close". Rob is often considered one of the best players to never win, and for good reason. Some of his strategic moves are up there with the great ones of even modern Survivor, and he was a super funny guy with a great social game too. It's truly sad he didn't make it to the FTC to win this great season.
Survivor: Pearl Islands -- Darrah Johnson (fourth place)
This was a bit of a tough one. Sandra certainly played well, but in my opinion her HvV and even Game Changers showings were definitely stronger. Darrah on the other hand was a well rounded player that everyone liked, with good strategy and several challenge victories. She had some bad luck near the end of the game and had something gone just a bit differently, I believe she would have made it to the end and won so I would say she's the best player of the season.
Survivor: All Stars -- Amber Brkich (winner)
This might be a bit controversial as people love to claim that Boston Rob ruled the season, but as I laid out in my winners rankings, I believe his wife had some underrated strategy like the Cesternino vote, and that she deserved her win 100%.
Survivor: Vanuatu -- Chris Daughtery (winner)
Not even close. While the likes of Twila, Eliza and Ami all played good games, the subtleties of Chris's game are brilliant things that modern players could learn from. He fought back against six women and beat 'em all with shrewd strategy, cunning manipulation, and darn good social skills. The guy is awesome.
Survivor: Palau -- Tom Westman (winner)
Not even close. A great winner and the star of Palau. A challenge beast, the glue that kept the most dominant tribe in history together, and a bit of underrated strategy. The guy had it all.
Survivor: Guatemala -- Rafe Judkins (third place, last boot)
While both Danni and Stephanie played good games, Rafe was the strategic powerhouse with an awesome social game that was voted out because he would have swept the jury.
Survivor: Panama -- Terry Dietz (third place, last boot)
This is an interesting one where I believe the winner is the third best player. This was a tough choice between Cirie and Terry but I chose Terry because they were both massive targets but Terry lasted longer, and was one challenge (that he could have easily won) away from winning, where Cirie may have been a bit too aggressive and her getting targeted may have been inevitable. A strong group of end gamers though, no doubt.
Survivor: Cook Islands -- Yul Kwon (winner)
Ozzy would have beaten just about anyone except Yul in the FTC and was also no doubt amazing this season, but I stand by my claim that Yul is one of the best winners ever. His amazing strategy and his leadership of the Aitu 4 underdogs to victory is nothing short of incredible.
Survivor: Fiji -- Yau-Man Chan (fourth place, last boot)
While Earl played a great social game and was hands down the best player in the FTC, this is another case where the last boot would have been the inevitable winner had he just made it one. step. farther. A strategic powerhouse, idol king, and amazing social alliance leader, Yau-Man is another I always have on a list of best non-winners.
Survivor: China -- Todd Herzog (winner)
China had a strong cast, but there's not a question in my mind that Todd was a notch above them all. Great strategy, good social game, and one of the best FTC performances ever.
Survivor: Micronesia -- Cirie Fields (third place, last boot)
Another stacked cast with a great winner in this truly epic season. However, Cirie was this close to winning Micronesia. Had there not been that shock final three, she had it in the bag. And to me that makes it easy to declare her the best player of the season.
Survivor: Gabon -- Matty Whitmore (fourth place, last boot)
I am rewatching Gabon right now because I don't have the best memory of each person's gameplay. I remember I was impressed by Sugar's and even more so, Matty's, and not very much by Bob's, but I can't name too many details. Stay tuned for thoughts after my rewatch.
Survivor: Tocantins -- J.T. Thomas (winner)
J.T./Stephen/Taj dominated Tocantins together and they each brought their own strengths to their alliance, but I do believe J.T.'s social and physical games as well as his eventual win make him a step above everyone else.
Survivor: Samoa -- Russell Hantz (runner up)
As I laid out in an essay a couple years back, I have no shame in saying that one of the last boots played better than the winner, but you'll almost never hear me say that a runner up deserved to win. The whole motive of the game is to convince the jury you're a better player than the one or two people sitting next to you. If you succeed you played the best game. With two exceptions. Samoa is one of them. Russell absolutely dominated the game and the jury was flat out bitter. It's a real shame.
Survivor: Heroes vs Villains -- Parvati Shallow (runner up)
HvV is the second exception where the runner up truly deserved to win. Another bitter jury that left a sower taste in my mouth. Parvati flirted, socialized, strategized, idoled, and won her way to the FTC. Had she won HvV I would have called it the best single game in Survivor history. I truly believed she deserved to win this season.
Survivor: Nicaragua -- Holly Hoffman (fourth place, last boot)
While I love Fabio to bits and also think Chase played a decent game, Holly was the best player in this season of dumb players. Not that she was amazing or anything, but she had a great evolution through the game, and it was pretty much understood that the reason she was booted is that she would have won at the end.
Survivor: Redemption Island -- Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (winner)
Not even close. This was another not-so-bright cast but Rob dominated the game in every aspect on his way to his well earned win.
Survivor: South Pacific -- Sophie Clarke (winner)
As I've established here, I generally believe that if the last boot would have won against any combination of the final ¾, they are the best player of the season. This is a bit different. It was pretty much thought that if Ozzy made it to the end, he had the win locked up (yes, even against Sophie, no question). But in order to do that he had to win the final challenge. And he didn't. Who beat him? Sophie. That challenge, when Sophie won and Ozzy didn't, made her the best player of the season, in my opinion. Let's also not forget, Coach played a good game too, and unlike the couple seasons before it, South Pacific had a very good cast, especially the end gamers.
Survivor: One World -- Kim Spradlin (winner)
No. Question. About It. This girl ROCKED the season, and although the gameplay was subtle, not flashy at all, I stand by the fact that Kim is one of the very best winners this game has seen. Her amazing social and strategic leadership combined with her challenge wins make the entire rest of the cast look weak. Even though they're not.
Survivor: Philippines -- Denise Stapley (winner)
The "teen" seasons were dominated by men but the early 20s were dominated by women. Denise is the third female winner in a row on this list, and she is a heck of a great one. Surviving every single tribal council is no small feat, and she did it by putting her social, strategic, AND physical skills to use. A true triple threat.
Survivor: Caramoan -- John Cochran (winner)
The mid-jury South Pacific poor challenge performer flipper would never be on this list for his first game, but on his second one he came back and became a triple threat himself. Another winner that dominated every aspect of the game and earned his win.
Survivor: Blood vs Water -- Tyson Apostol (winner)
Yet another dominant winner that ruled the game. He found idols, played them correctly, and nearly swept the jury. However, he couldn't have done it without help from Ciera Eastin, who was arguably a "flashier" player and I considered ranking her, but if we're being honest, her game had more flaws, and Tyson was just too in control to not rank.
Survivor: Cagayan -- Tony Vlachos (winner)
Another all time great winner that dominated the game in every aspect. A true game changer, Tony proved that aggressive game play could be rewarded. The Cagayan cast was stacked with amazing players, but there's no question that Tony was much better than all of them.
Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Natalie Anderson (winner)
The "20s" seasons were stacked with winners that earned it and Natalie is no exception. She played idols, made big moves, subtle moves, social moves, and won challenges. She scrammed "power" and absolutely deserved her win in every aspect.
Survivor: Worlds Apart -- Mike Holloway (winner)
Challenge beast Mike! Although he had great moments of social play and strategy, it's his amazing feat of being immune at the last six tribals (5 challenge wins + 1 idol) that make him a unique winner and the best player of the season.
Survivor: Cambodia -- Ciera Eastin (tenth place)
This was a tough one as the entire cast was one of the best ever where the last boot, winner, and runner up all played amazing games. In the end, I couldn't pick any of them. Ciera's game was the one true "masterpiece" of the season in my opinion. She played from Day 1 until she was voted out and fought from the bottom up to the top after the merge making four BIG moves in a row. She was eventually idoled out and I firmly believe had she not been that she would have kept making big moves and had truly great odds to win the game.
Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- Cydney Gillion (fourth place, last boot)
A truly awesome final 4 in Kaoh Rong where three of them truly deserved to win. Unfortunately, only one could, but I do believe Cydney likely beats any of them had she won that fire making challenge. She orchestrated the Debbie vote, she was always in the majority, and she had the perfect combination of social and strategic play when the winner lacked strategy and the runner up lacked social.
Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X -- David Wright (fourth place, last boot)
Another season with a stacked cast and many great players including a very good winner, however it was universally agreed upon that thanks to his amazing journey through the game as well as unexpected challenge wins and big moves/idol plays, that David would have won had he made it to the FTC. One of the better modern Survivor players we've seen, we can look forward to seeing David again on Survivor 38 to see if he can play another awesome game.
Survivor: Game Changers -- Sarah Lacina (winner)
In my opinion, Sarah not only played the best game in Game Changers, but the best game in Survivor history! As I laid out in my winners rankings, she did what she had to do to get to the top and made so many big moves while remaining everyone's friend. Her game was a work of art and I stand by it.
Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers -- Ben Driebergen (winner)
This will always be a controversial season where people claim Ben never deserved to win because of the new fire twist. I say Survivor is a game of constantly changing twists and Ben took advantage of them and with unique strategy, epic idol plays, and a good social game, he earned his win 100%.
Survivor: Ghost Island -- Wendell Holland (winner)
Our most recent season, our most recent winner, our most recent player of the season. Ghost Island was another season with a stacked cast and as we saw when we had our first ever tie vote, the runner up played a truly masterful game too, but I do believe Wendell's subtle moves make him the best this season.
To sum it up: 21 out of the 38 "players of the season" are the winners of their respective season. 14 are last boots, 2 are runners up, 1 is a fourth place player in a season with a final 2, and 1 is an absolutely amazing 10th place finisher. So the odds are the best player of the season will be the winner, but not for sure. If it's not, it's almost certainly the last boot that was voted out because they would have won had they made it to the end.
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