Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers ended last night with a very suspenseful, entertaining finale where Jack of All Trades Ben Driebergen, the 12th best winner in history, won in a 5-2-1 vote over ultra-strategic and challenge beast Chrissy Hofbeck and social player Ryan Ulrich. The editors did the best job since way back in Season 13, over 10 years ago, Survivor: Cook Islands, of making two of the finalists (Ben and Chrissy) look like they each stood an equal chance. There were rumors of a 4-4-0 tie, there were super fans saying Chrissy would win, yet in the end Ben won fairly decidedly. So, why?
#3 Devon's loyalty vote
Don't get me wrong. By no means do I think Ryan played a bad game. He was quite good pre-merge by kindling his relationship with Chrissy and helping to steer their alliance pre-merge. However, if we're being honest, Ben and Chrissy both played WAY better games than Ryan. Ryan's one vote was from one of his closest allies, Devon, and Devon even admitted that it was a loyalty vote. Had a loyalty vote not have been cast, I think it's safe to assume Devon's vote would have gone to Chrissy for her social connection with him, as well as the fact that they were more similar players to each other than Devon was to Ben. That would have made it a somewhat closer 5-3-0 vote.
#2 The healers votes
In addition to Devon, as just discussed, the healers Desi, Cole, and Joe (all Ben votes), as well as Dr. Mike (a Chrissy vote) had some of the most impactful decisions. If we're being honest, JP's vote was locked in for Ben because they started the game together and were best friends and JP respected alpha male play, Lauren's vote was locked in for Ben (another gameplay respect vote), and Ashley's vote was locked in for Chrissy (girl power vote). So A LOT did come down to the healers. Dr. Mike voted Chrissy because he respected her challenge wins and epic strategy, but the three pagonged healers (the "underdogs" of Desi, Cole, and Joe) respected an underdog which Ben most certainly was. He reminded them of themselves and he succeeded, they didn't, and they respected the heck out of that, so awarded his game style over Chrissy's. And that's what it came down to. As Chrissy admitted on the red carpet she and Ben were both such great but such different players that it came down to whose game play the jury respected, and specifically, the "swing votes" of the healers, and they respected Ben's play more.
#2 Chrissy's social game
There are three key elements to a Survivor game. Strategy, social, and physicality. Ben didn't lack significantly in any of them (the argument can be made he lacked physically but he actually probably would have won several challenges if Queen Chrissy hadn't been around), where to a large extent Chrissy did lack socially. Aspects of her social game (getting to know everyone) were awesome but her overall "energy" and "demeanor" were off-putting to the jury. Desi and Cole both spoke poorly of her in exit interviews, and they were two of the biggest swing votes (if they had both voted for Chrissy instead of Ben it would have been a 4-3-1 vote FOR CHRISSY). Yes, Chrissy played an AMAZING strategic and physical game, and by no means was horrendous socially, but she made some major mistakes in that department, and I don't care what ANYONE says, it DID cost her.
#1 Ben Driebergen
This is what it all boils down to. The other three points all show how if it had gone differently Chrissy may have been able to beat Ben. However, take Ben out of the picture and replace his Final 3 spot with any of the other players this season, and all of a sudden Devon's loyalty vote, the healers' jury power, and Chrissy's social game no longer matter. Chrissy wins decidedly. She was that good. Sa la ve, that's not how it worked out, and Ben was in the Final 3. And yes, if everything had gone differently, maybe Chrissy could have beaten him, but the fact is Ben is SO GOOD at this game, that he was destined to win if he made it to the end. And if he had lost to Chrissy I would be writing an article twice this long about why Ben lost.
SUMMARY: Chrissy played a great game. She dominated physically, strategically, and had enough social graces to win in almost any Final 3. However, a combination of factors including Ben's incredible game, hindered her chances. Nonetheless, for understandable reasons, the 5-2-1 vote was a bit misleading, and we truly had the strongest Winner + Runner-Up combination since Yul and Ozzy in the Cook Islands. A fabulous end to a good season. Oh, and side note, we got all this Chrissy/Ben FTC excitement in the first place because of the awesome new Final 4 twist!
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Understand The Classic Runner-Up Edit
On Episode 2, yes 2, I predicted Chrissy Hofbeck would land second place in Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers. Pretty consistently through the season I maintained that prediction, and it came true. So what exactly did I see?
Survivor editors aren't dumb, and they're getting better. They want us to have a suspenseful finish, so they build two people up, the winner and the runner up, both getting huge edits. But not the same type of edit. They, as well as the winner, are often the only two players with "storylines" but the runners up edit is decidedly weaker. They get the most airtime of any two players, with the runner up often getting slightly more. They get tons of confessionals, but the runner up hardly gets any true winner's quotes. Essentially, it's everything you'd expect of a winner's edit, except the nitty gritty details. The edit also shows the runner up's flaws more than the winner's flaws. We saw a considerable amount more about Chrissy's bad social play than Ben's bad social play, even though he had it too (he was the one that couldn't hold the seven together).
This is the same format for a runner up edit used in many seasons. I spotted Chrissy's runner-up edit due to the edit parrallels of previous runners up (mainly in the last 10 seasons). Classic examples include Monica Culpepper, Carolyn Rivera, Aubry Bracco, Hannah Shapiro, and Brad Culpepper. To a lesser extent, Jaclyn Shultz and Spencer Bledsoe, as well as second runners-up Missy Payne, Tai Trang and Ken McNickle, as well as this season's Ryan Ulrich. Ben's edit, was indeed, much more similar to other winners like Mike Holloway, Jeremy Collins, and Adam Klein. However, notice I named more runners up edits that Chrissy was similar to than winner edits that Ben was similar to. Reason being, the runner up is easier to predict than the winner because there are multiple types of winners edits (Natalie Anderson and Michele Fitzgerald had classic winners edits, but a very different type than the Ben contingent, and Tony Vlachos and Sarah Lacina had obvious winners edits but again, a different type). Add to this, to throw you off editors often add in "decoy winners edits" each season of the other types of winners edits (Devon getting a Michele/Natalie type edit this season would be a prime example). This is not true with runners up, and there is really just one type of consistent runners up edit, and one person receiving a runners up-esque edit each season. So, if you look close enough, you can usually spot that ONE person by the first 2, 3, or at the latest 4 episodes, and impress the pants off of casual fans by correctly predicting the runner up that early. Now watch Survivor realize this and mix things up on us next season, but for now I'll be sticking to this and looking for a Chrissy character very early on in Survivor: Ghost Island.
Survivor editors aren't dumb, and they're getting better. They want us to have a suspenseful finish, so they build two people up, the winner and the runner up, both getting huge edits. But not the same type of edit. They, as well as the winner, are often the only two players with "storylines" but the runners up edit is decidedly weaker. They get the most airtime of any two players, with the runner up often getting slightly more. They get tons of confessionals, but the runner up hardly gets any true winner's quotes. Essentially, it's everything you'd expect of a winner's edit, except the nitty gritty details. The edit also shows the runner up's flaws more than the winner's flaws. We saw a considerable amount more about Chrissy's bad social play than Ben's bad social play, even though he had it too (he was the one that couldn't hold the seven together).
This is the same format for a runner up edit used in many seasons. I spotted Chrissy's runner-up edit due to the edit parrallels of previous runners up (mainly in the last 10 seasons). Classic examples include Monica Culpepper, Carolyn Rivera, Aubry Bracco, Hannah Shapiro, and Brad Culpepper. To a lesser extent, Jaclyn Shultz and Spencer Bledsoe, as well as second runners-up Missy Payne, Tai Trang and Ken McNickle, as well as this season's Ryan Ulrich. Ben's edit, was indeed, much more similar to other winners like Mike Holloway, Jeremy Collins, and Adam Klein. However, notice I named more runners up edits that Chrissy was similar to than winner edits that Ben was similar to. Reason being, the runner up is easier to predict than the winner because there are multiple types of winners edits (Natalie Anderson and Michele Fitzgerald had classic winners edits, but a very different type than the Ben contingent, and Tony Vlachos and Sarah Lacina had obvious winners edits but again, a different type). Add to this, to throw you off editors often add in "decoy winners edits" each season of the other types of winners edits (Devon getting a Michele/Natalie type edit this season would be a prime example). This is not true with runners up, and there is really just one type of consistent runners up edit, and one person receiving a runners up-esque edit each season. So, if you look close enough, you can usually spot that ONE person by the first 2, 3, or at the latest 4 episodes, and impress the pants off of casual fans by correctly predicting the runner up that early. Now watch Survivor realize this and mix things up on us next season, but for now I'll be sticking to this and looking for a Chrissy character very early on in Survivor: Ghost Island.
Survivor Seasons Ranked 35th-1st UPDATED post Survivor HHH
UPDATED after the season finale of Survivor HHH.
35 seasons of Survivor have each been unique and have been highly talked about by fans. Some are iconic, some are unforgettable and some are some of the best TV in history. Here is a definitive ranking:
35th) Survivor: Redemption Island (winner: Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano)
To me every episode of Survivor is enjoyable. In fact only the episodes of Survivor: Borneo, season 1, were at all boring, but it is still fun to watch because it is the first. season. ever. However, compared to a lot of other seasons, Redemption Island is a snooze fest. It's premiere was decent, the "Rice Wars" episode was iconic, seeing Redemption Island for the first time was fun but other than that it was boring. The casting was BAD, there were no real blindsides, Ometepe kept winning, the challenges were lame and it felt like the season was created to finally give Boston Rob a win. However, what made this the worst season of Survivor in history is that from Day 1 the editing made it clear that Boston Rob would indeed win. He practically got HALF the confessionals the whole season! Add in the fact that Phillip Sheppard and Matt got a WHOLE bunch tons of people including end-gamers Natalie, Ashley and Grant got VERY little airtime.
34th) Survivor: Fiji (winner: Earl Cole)
Unlike Redemption Island, Fiji had okay editing and was not rigged for a specific person to win. However, Fiji did have THE WORST twist in Survivor history (Haves vs Have Nots which was more like Hotel and Restaurant vs Backpacking with no food) which meant that one tribe won ALL the pre-merge challenges, which led to a pagonging making for a boring pre-merge and post-merge! In addition, the casting was lackluster except for Earl, Yau-Man and Dreamz and the entire Car Deal was so awkward that it was the last time there was ever a car reward, which is a real shame. Yau-Man and his awesomeness save this season from being dead last.
33rd) Survivor: Panama (winner: Aras Baskauskas)
You may start noticing a theme here, but one of the reasons Panama is so low is the casting. You truly need a good cast for a good Survivor season and Panama's cast was lackluster. Cirie was gold, Terry was great, Shane was entertaining but everyone else including the winner Aras were pretty boring. In addition, there were no real iconic moments from this season (oh wait, Shane's blackberry was iconic) and the editing was fairly poor. The main storyline was Terry vs Aras which I never really got into. The first Exile Island was fun (though I have never been a huge Exile fan) but overall it just does not compare to the seasons above it.
32nd) Survivor: Tocantins (winner: JT Thomas)
I am almost certainly in the minority ranking Tocantins this low. Somebody once put it pretty clearly: if you love Coach, you love Tocantins, if you hate Coach, you hate Tocantins. Pre-South Pacific I more or less hated (well, strongly disliked), Coach. That means that I dislike Tocantins because Tocantins was the Coach show. Tyson was a A-hole in Tocantins too. JT was fine but I have never been his biggest fan (and he is clearly not as good of a player as people make him out to be given his HvV AND now Game Changers performances) and I DO NOT get the Fishbach love. Taj was awesome but she was one of the only bright spots this entire season. Overall unforgettable.
31st) Survivor: Thailand (winner: Brian Heidik)
Brian was a great winner and it was very entertaining to watch him on his "business trip". Other than him the casting was terrible, the editing highlighted Brian's win from very early on, the culture did not have a nearly large enough influence for such an awesome location, and the entire Ted/Ghandia thing was one of the most awkward storylines in Survivor history. Moving on.
30th) Survivor: Marquesas (winner: Vecepia Towery)
To me there are several "groups" of seasons, and Thailand represents the end of the "worst" group and Marquesas is the beginning of the next group. I have much less negative to say about Marquesas but still not too much positive to say. The rise and fall of the Rotu 4 was one of the first power shifts in Survivor history, it was fun to watch Vecepia play a brilliant social game, Paschal and Neleh's bond was neat but overall it wasn't classic "awesome" Survivor. ALL the religious influence in this season is what puts it on the bottom of its "group" of seasons.
29th) Survivor: The Australian Outback (winner: Tina Wesson)
Overall I for one find Australia similar to Marquesas. It had a few more iconic moments (Skupin falling in the fire, Colby's immunity run, Colby's dumb move) but it had a bit too much Colby for me and not enough of the other players, especially given the (good) quality of what could have been a more evenly-edited cast. With it only being season two Jeff was lackluster and the editing was rough which prevents it from climbing higher on this list.
28th) Survivor: Guatemala (winner: Danni Boatwright)
Guatemala was an okay season with a decent cast (unfortunately, none of the newbies have returned) but overall it just felt like something was "missing". Stephanie was fun to watch, but not as fun as in Palau. The Judd and Jaime craziness is some of the most memorable content, and not for a good reason. The hike through the jungle, the original hidden immunity idol, and a few fun strategic moments keep it this high, but overall it was very unforgettable.
27th) Survivor: San Juan del Sur (winner: Natalie Anderson)
I am a HUGE fan of the Blood vs Water theme but it definitely seems to work better with half returning players. The return of Exile Island was disappointing after the success of Redemption in the first BvW season. The editing was weird, not over-editing Natalie which was good but certainly under-editing Jaclyn and Missy and over-editing Jeremy. Keeping it this high is Natalie. She played a very good and EXTREMELY entertaining game and made the last few episodes quite decent.
26th) Survivor: Borneo (winner: Richard Hatch)
As I mentioned the ONLY episodes of Survivor I find somewhat boring are some of the Borneo episodes. It would be DEAD LAST if it wasn't the season that created the show we love. I don't have much more to say about it, except that it is almost not a "typical" season. To me it is more a "test run" season that had to be ranked somewhere. This was arguably the hardest season to rank. The case can be made that it must be first, because it is the first ever season or that it must be last because it is the most boring season ever. In the end I put it 24th. Moving on.
25th) Survivor: One World (winner: Kim Spradlin)
Although there is a fairly small jump, I do consider One World the start of the next "group" of seasons. I consider myself a One World fan. Well, not a FAN, but a fan. Compared to other Survivor fans, that is. One World is very often ranked in the "dreaded three" with Redemption Island and Fiji. I cannot for the life of me understand why. Yes, Kim's win was somewhat predictable and the challenges were somewhat lackluster but Chelsea, Sabrina and Troyzan were much better edited than any non-Rob people in Redemption Island and overall the editing was much more even. The casting was average at worst and the One World twist was a great experiment that I wouldn't mind seeing again. Overall a season I think of in positive light.
24th) Survivor: Caramoan (winner: John Cochran)
Caramoan is a very interesting season and represents the best and the worst of Survivor all at the same time. Cochran was a fantastic winner that played a great game, was entertaining and easy to root for. Watching him was some of the best TV possible therefore he obviously got a large edit. Too large, however, as most of the other people were under-edited. The casting to begin with was weak. The fans (except for Laura, Michael and maybe a few others) were not fans and the favorites (except for Cochran, Malcolm, Brenda and Erik) were not favorites. There were too many water challenges and camp life was often boring. In addition to Cochran and his awesomeness the only other thing that brings this season up (and in a big way) is that the post-merge tribals were super entertaining with a string of great blindsides.
23rd) Survivor: Nicaragua (winner: Jud "Fabio" Birza)
Fabio is one of my favorite players ever and although I do not by any means consider him one of the best winners he was very entertaining and fun to watch. Brenda was a fan-favorite as was Jane. Marty was TV gold but Chase and Sash totally got on my nerves. The double quit was a buzz killer but the unpredictability was good. The editing was average. This all results in an average season.
22nd) Survivor: Samoa (winner: Natalie White)
Samoa is one of those seasons that could have been a very good season had the editing been better. It's cast was certainly underrated but they all got very little airtime except for Russell and Shambo. Russell and Shambo were so entertaining that I cannot possibly rank this season lower than this, despite bad challenges and bad editing. A buzz killer at the end of the season though when Natalie beat Russell in one of the only wrong jury decisions in Survivor history.
21st) Survivor: All Stars (winner: Amber Brkich)
All Stars was a fun season with all the twists and turns and of course it being the first returning player season in Survivor history. The powerful duo of Romber that was bound to break at somepoint never did which was fascinating TV. Bringing this season down is slightly below-average editing, all the controversy surrounding Sue's & Jenna's quits, Rob and Lex's fight, plus several tarnished legacies (Cesternino, Jenna, Sue, Colby).
20th) Survivor: Gabon (winner: Bob Crowley)
Gabon is a season that has been discussed in length with some people claiming it is the best ever and others claiming it as one of the worst. To me I just don't get the Gabon love nor the Gabon hate. It's just an average season of Survivor. There is really no iconic moment associated with it and the cast was meh. The unpredictability and all the tribe swaps keeps it this high.
19th) Survivor: Worlds Apart (winner: Mike Holloway)
Worlds Apart is definitely the start of the next "group" of seasons in my opinion. I enjoyed it considerably more than Gabon and only slightly less than South Pacific. Mike was a fantastic winner that was a joy to watch and overall the final 5 of that season was pretty strong (Mike, Carolyn, Will, Rodney and Sierra) with only Will playing a bad game. The editing was quite decent, building up both Mike and Carolyn equally with enough attention to Rodney and Sierra that they both were considered winners candidates going into the finale. The challenges were pretty good and there was some fun strategy. Oh and the cast? Killer. Jenn and Shirin didn't last all that long but were SO MEMORABLE. The only real thing bringing this down (and fairly far down) is all the negative attention/bullying surrounding this season with Dan, Will, Rodney, Shirin and Sierra.
18th) Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers (winner: Ben Driebergen)
Our latest season was one of much controversy. Controversial seasons land around 18th-24th generally. No, no not controversial because of a polarizing player like Russell in Samoa, or the tarnished legacies like All Stars, or the sexist stuff in Worlds Apart. Because of the SEASON itself. The theme of this season was a "rollercoaster". And because of that it was flat out awkward from Episode 5 to Episode 12. There was the first Pagonging in many seasons so the editors tried to keep it entertaining, when really it just made it seem corney. There were tons of twists this season, some of which were awesome (the new rules with the double vote, and the Final 4 twist), but others (the Jessica/Devon no vote for example) that made the season way too much of a clusterfuck. However, the pre-merge was decent with a string of great blindsides (Alan, Roark, Ali), the last couple episodes were quite good, the editors mixed up the editing finally and Devon/Chrissy/Ben/Dr. Mike ALL entered the finale as winner candidates, and the finale was, simply put, one of the best ever. I can't recall literally feeling like I was sitting on pins and needles for the ENTIRE finale, ever before. It ended less than an hour ago, but I already want to rewatch the finale. It was amazing, and unlike a lot of the season, wonderfully edited and easy to follow. Most of all, the finale was a PHENOMENAL way to end a season that I will, like most of the 17th-24th place seasons, remember in PRIMARILY positive light.
17th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South Pacific halfway through the rankings but it bewilders me why so many people HATE it. To me it is hands down the most underrated season in Survivor history. The editing was great, cast quite decent, pre-merge even and fun and Ozzy sending himself to Redemption was so much fun to watch. Cochran's flip and the pagonging does bring it down but not to the BOTTOM! Slightly better than average is the worst I can possibly rank South Pacific. In fact just writing this makes me want to rewatch it!
16th) Survivor: Africa (winner: Ethan Zohn)
We are now really in the stretch of seasons that are pretty darn good and that I would never get tired of rewatching. Survivor: Africa is definitely SOLID Survivor! Ethan may not be the best winner but Lex, Kathy, Little Kim, Big Tom, Goldsmith and so many others make this cast one of the better ones. All the attention on the location was awesome and some underrated strategy took place. GOOD SEASON!
15th) Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X (winner: Adam Klein)
Millennials vs Gen X started with a BANG when both tribes had to evacuate on Day 2 for the first time in Survivor history, due to a cyclone. The second episode was awesome with all the excitement surrounding the Mari #blindside. However, most of the pre-merge was dull and predictable, saved only by one player (Michaela) and great challenges. However, the post-merge was nothing but excitement with blindside after blindside including the 3rd ever rock draw which led to one of the leading threats to win being eliminated. Also, the editing was very good with Adam's win not becoming obvious until David was voted out and not even being considered until Episode 11 or 12. All things told, most definitely a solid season. Would be higher if the pre-merge had been more entertaining and if the cast had been somewhat more dynamic as a whole.
14th) Survivor: Palau (winner: Tom Westman)
Palau was a very fun and memorable season. The entire disaster that was Ulong would not be fun to watch every season but for one season it was extremely memorable and fantastic. Stephanie was nothing but gold this season and the entire end game gave us lots of people to root for. Tom's win was impressive and the challenges were great (Ba Ba Buoy, oh yeah!). Would be even higher if the editing had been better (Tom's win was WAY too predictable) and if there had been more strategic moments.
13th) Survivor: The Amazon (winner: Jenna Morasca)
The Amazon really represents so much of what we love about Survivor from Cesternino's brilliant strategy, the Jaburu girls and their drama (who could forget THAT peanut butter moment?), Deena and Christy's gold TV moments, the men vs women theme, some awesome challenges and great editing. There is hardly anything bad to say about this season but in the end 12 others edged it out.
12th) Survivor: Vanuatu (winner: Chris Daughtery)
This is another season that I probably rank slightly higher than most Survivor fans and I am also in the minority preferring it to The Amazon. The opening ceremony was epic, the men vs women battle was just as evident as it was in the first season, the cast was awesome, the all girls alliance dominating and then crumbling coupled with Chris' amazing come from behind victory was just gold. It just is not as AMAZING as the Top 10 but it is certainly Survivor in all its glory.
11th) Survivor: Philippines (winner: Denise Stapley)
The start of the third-to-last "group" of seasons starts with the Philippines. After a string of seasons (Nicaragua, Redemption Island, South Pacific, One World) that were mostly below average Philippines is truly the season that "saved" Survivor. Denise was an awesome winner, the editing was perfect, the disaster that was Matsing was entertaining and the cast was killer. Definitely a legendary season of Survivor that deserves to be in the Top 10 but Game Changers just pushed it out.
10th) Survivor: China (winner: Todd Herzog)
China was an extremely entertaining season worth a re-watch any day. The editing and especially casting were some of the best in Survivor history, watching Courtney's underdog storyline unfold was fantastic, James made his first appearance on Survivor and delivered including THAT double idol vote out and all the cultural reference was nothing short of fantastic.
9th) Survivor: Kaoh Rong (winner: Michele Fitzgerald)
People can scream "recency bias!" all they want but I truly believe that Kaoh Rong is an all-around AWESOME season. Throughout the season Kaoh Rong seemed similar to San Juan del Sur with power shifts at similar times, a similar merge and an under-the-radar female winner. However, if San Juan del Sur came from hell Kaoh Rong came from heaven. The cast was SPOT ON, editing much more even, better challenges and more unpredictability. A few years down the road I think we will still be talking about Kaoh Rong in very high regard.
8th) Survivor: Pearl Islands (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Survivor fans often differ in terms of opinion of how good a season is but MOST fans can agree Pearl Islands is a VERY good season. The pirate theme was so intriguing, the cast was amazing (Rupert, Sandra and Fairplay, need I say more?), the dead grandma lie was so iconic, the editing was great and the challenges were some of the best in Survivor history. So, so, so good.
7th) Survivor: Cook Islands (winner: Yul Kwon)
Cook Islands is right up there with South Pacific for me as the most underrated season in Survivor history. It gets a bad rap for the racial divide twist but for me that was not a bad thing. If that is seen as racist, why aren't men vs women seasons seen as sexist? Doesn't make sense to me. And that only lasted for TWO episodes anyway! EVERYTHING about this season was amazing. The casting (it gave birth to five legends!: Parvati, Penner, Ozzy, Yul and Candice), the comeback of the Aitu 4, the mutiny, and of course the Billy and Candice moment. #MoreLoveForTheCooks
6th) Survivor: Cagayan (winner: Tony Vlachos)
Cagayan is in my opinion the beginning of the semi-final "group" of seasons--the true legends. It also receives the distinct honor as the best all-newbie season in Survivor history. The cast was probably the best all-newbie cast ever, the editing was amazing, the challenges weren't great but also not bad but the unpredictability yet defined and compelling strategy made for a truly fantastic season. Tony is one of the best winners ever. It also has already given birth to six returnees including the best winner in Survivor history, and there are several more (LJ, Jefra, Jeremiah, Trish) that would be great returnees.
5th) Survivor: Heroes vs Villains (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Very often considered the best season ever, Heroes vs Villains is certainly a Survivor gem. The cast is one of the best ever, the game play is hard to beat (Parvati's double idol play MAY be my favorite moment in Survivor history) and of course we had our first ever two-time winner (though it should have been a different person, but that's another story). Would be even higher if the strategy and editing had been more well defined (it just felt "jumpy" at times).
4th) Survivor: Micronesia (winner: Parvati Shallow)
Micronesia's cast, like Cambodia, was FULL of people there to PLAY the game. The final 4 Black Widow Brigade members (Parvati, Amanda, Cirie and Natalie) almost certainly comprise the best final four ever. The string of Ozzy/Jason/Erik blindsides was amazing and the pre-merge is certainly underrated. It was the best season ever for a long time but then came:
3rd) Survivor: Blood vs Water (winner: Tyson Apostol)
When Heroes vs Villains did not trump Micronesia and then we had that string of bad seasons many fans were starting to believe that Micronesia would forever hold the title of best season ever and that Survivor would never return to it's glory days. Well then came along Season 27, Blood vs Water. To me it became the best season in history. The loved ones twist was so refreshing, Redemption Island redeemed itself, the cast was amazing (Ciera is my all-time favorite Survivor player) and we had someone vote their mom out. Oh yeah, there was a freakin' rock draw too! Truly a season to be remembered for a long, long, long time.
2nd) Survivor: Cambodia (winner: Jeremy Collins)
Blood vs Water did not hold its title for too long because along came Survivor: Cambodia--Second Chance. Because the fans voted the castaways in they felt the need to PLAY hard not only for themselves and their family but for America. Every single person came to play their own game. We had two tribes become three tribes. We had a record number of tribe swaps. We had one of the harshest seasons in terms of conditions. And through it all the season gave birth to "voting blocs" which will forever change the way Survivor is played. A true icon.
1st) Survivor: Game Changers (winner: Sarah Lacina)
I'd always considered the five seasons of Cagayan, HvV, Micronesia, BvW and Cambodia to be the "final group" of season, the true legends, all so good that they're hard to rank. Well along came Survivor: Game Changers, and from close to the beginning I knew it would be in that "final group" but by the end of the season it was clear that it was truly in a league of its own. People can scream "RECENCY BIAS!" when they read this but I truly did not know Survivor could get this good, and it absolutely deserves this spot. There were twists and turns at every corner, voting blocs were deployed once again, and we watched the best single game in Survivor history getting played before our eyes. There were a record number of twists, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not, but these all worked to perfection. The double-tribe tribal was so epic that it must happen at least once every season from here on out, IMO. The luxurious exile was brilliant and I want to see it again. The new final tribal format was SO MUCH BETTER and fairer, and YES, I NEED to see it again! Queen Sandra also cemented her legacy as best player in Survivor history, as did Cirie hers as the best to never win. There were redeemed legacies in Sierra and Culpepper. Some people sight the Final 14 Tribal Council as something that heavily "taints" the season but to me it ended up being a beautiful thing and added a little bit of cultural relevance in a season that otherwise lacked it. It only made the season better. And then on top of it all there was that legendary Final 6 tribal where Cirie was eliminated in historic fashion. The only negative thing I have to say about this season is that Sarah's edit was a bit too strong for most of the season but most people got "enough" air time including runner-up Culpepper who got a large enough edit to make us still wonder at least a little bit going into the vote reveal. Overall, it truly is way better than I ever thought possible!
35 seasons of Survivor have each been unique and have been highly talked about by fans. Some are iconic, some are unforgettable and some are some of the best TV in history. Here is a definitive ranking:
35th) Survivor: Redemption Island (winner: Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano)
To me every episode of Survivor is enjoyable. In fact only the episodes of Survivor: Borneo, season 1, were at all boring, but it is still fun to watch because it is the first. season. ever. However, compared to a lot of other seasons, Redemption Island is a snooze fest. It's premiere was decent, the "Rice Wars" episode was iconic, seeing Redemption Island for the first time was fun but other than that it was boring. The casting was BAD, there were no real blindsides, Ometepe kept winning, the challenges were lame and it felt like the season was created to finally give Boston Rob a win. However, what made this the worst season of Survivor in history is that from Day 1 the editing made it clear that Boston Rob would indeed win. He practically got HALF the confessionals the whole season! Add in the fact that Phillip Sheppard and Matt got a WHOLE bunch tons of people including end-gamers Natalie, Ashley and Grant got VERY little airtime.
34th) Survivor: Fiji (winner: Earl Cole)
Unlike Redemption Island, Fiji had okay editing and was not rigged for a specific person to win. However, Fiji did have THE WORST twist in Survivor history (Haves vs Have Nots which was more like Hotel and Restaurant vs Backpacking with no food) which meant that one tribe won ALL the pre-merge challenges, which led to a pagonging making for a boring pre-merge and post-merge! In addition, the casting was lackluster except for Earl, Yau-Man and Dreamz and the entire Car Deal was so awkward that it was the last time there was ever a car reward, which is a real shame. Yau-Man and his awesomeness save this season from being dead last.
33rd) Survivor: Panama (winner: Aras Baskauskas)
You may start noticing a theme here, but one of the reasons Panama is so low is the casting. You truly need a good cast for a good Survivor season and Panama's cast was lackluster. Cirie was gold, Terry was great, Shane was entertaining but everyone else including the winner Aras were pretty boring. In addition, there were no real iconic moments from this season (oh wait, Shane's blackberry was iconic) and the editing was fairly poor. The main storyline was Terry vs Aras which I never really got into. The first Exile Island was fun (though I have never been a huge Exile fan) but overall it just does not compare to the seasons above it.
32nd) Survivor: Tocantins (winner: JT Thomas)
I am almost certainly in the minority ranking Tocantins this low. Somebody once put it pretty clearly: if you love Coach, you love Tocantins, if you hate Coach, you hate Tocantins. Pre-South Pacific I more or less hated (well, strongly disliked), Coach. That means that I dislike Tocantins because Tocantins was the Coach show. Tyson was a A-hole in Tocantins too. JT was fine but I have never been his biggest fan (and he is clearly not as good of a player as people make him out to be given his HvV AND now Game Changers performances) and I DO NOT get the Fishbach love. Taj was awesome but she was one of the only bright spots this entire season. Overall unforgettable.
31st) Survivor: Thailand (winner: Brian Heidik)
Brian was a great winner and it was very entertaining to watch him on his "business trip". Other than him the casting was terrible, the editing highlighted Brian's win from very early on, the culture did not have a nearly large enough influence for such an awesome location, and the entire Ted/Ghandia thing was one of the most awkward storylines in Survivor history. Moving on.
30th) Survivor: Marquesas (winner: Vecepia Towery)
To me there are several "groups" of seasons, and Thailand represents the end of the "worst" group and Marquesas is the beginning of the next group. I have much less negative to say about Marquesas but still not too much positive to say. The rise and fall of the Rotu 4 was one of the first power shifts in Survivor history, it was fun to watch Vecepia play a brilliant social game, Paschal and Neleh's bond was neat but overall it wasn't classic "awesome" Survivor. ALL the religious influence in this season is what puts it on the bottom of its "group" of seasons.
29th) Survivor: The Australian Outback (winner: Tina Wesson)
Overall I for one find Australia similar to Marquesas. It had a few more iconic moments (Skupin falling in the fire, Colby's immunity run, Colby's dumb move) but it had a bit too much Colby for me and not enough of the other players, especially given the (good) quality of what could have been a more evenly-edited cast. With it only being season two Jeff was lackluster and the editing was rough which prevents it from climbing higher on this list.
28th) Survivor: Guatemala (winner: Danni Boatwright)
Guatemala was an okay season with a decent cast (unfortunately, none of the newbies have returned) but overall it just felt like something was "missing". Stephanie was fun to watch, but not as fun as in Palau. The Judd and Jaime craziness is some of the most memorable content, and not for a good reason. The hike through the jungle, the original hidden immunity idol, and a few fun strategic moments keep it this high, but overall it was very unforgettable.
27th) Survivor: San Juan del Sur (winner: Natalie Anderson)
I am a HUGE fan of the Blood vs Water theme but it definitely seems to work better with half returning players. The return of Exile Island was disappointing after the success of Redemption in the first BvW season. The editing was weird, not over-editing Natalie which was good but certainly under-editing Jaclyn and Missy and over-editing Jeremy. Keeping it this high is Natalie. She played a very good and EXTREMELY entertaining game and made the last few episodes quite decent.
26th) Survivor: Borneo (winner: Richard Hatch)
As I mentioned the ONLY episodes of Survivor I find somewhat boring are some of the Borneo episodes. It would be DEAD LAST if it wasn't the season that created the show we love. I don't have much more to say about it, except that it is almost not a "typical" season. To me it is more a "test run" season that had to be ranked somewhere. This was arguably the hardest season to rank. The case can be made that it must be first, because it is the first ever season or that it must be last because it is the most boring season ever. In the end I put it 24th. Moving on.
25th) Survivor: One World (winner: Kim Spradlin)
Although there is a fairly small jump, I do consider One World the start of the next "group" of seasons. I consider myself a One World fan. Well, not a FAN, but a fan. Compared to other Survivor fans, that is. One World is very often ranked in the "dreaded three" with Redemption Island and Fiji. I cannot for the life of me understand why. Yes, Kim's win was somewhat predictable and the challenges were somewhat lackluster but Chelsea, Sabrina and Troyzan were much better edited than any non-Rob people in Redemption Island and overall the editing was much more even. The casting was average at worst and the One World twist was a great experiment that I wouldn't mind seeing again. Overall a season I think of in positive light.
24th) Survivor: Caramoan (winner: John Cochran)
Caramoan is a very interesting season and represents the best and the worst of Survivor all at the same time. Cochran was a fantastic winner that played a great game, was entertaining and easy to root for. Watching him was some of the best TV possible therefore he obviously got a large edit. Too large, however, as most of the other people were under-edited. The casting to begin with was weak. The fans (except for Laura, Michael and maybe a few others) were not fans and the favorites (except for Cochran, Malcolm, Brenda and Erik) were not favorites. There were too many water challenges and camp life was often boring. In addition to Cochran and his awesomeness the only other thing that brings this season up (and in a big way) is that the post-merge tribals were super entertaining with a string of great blindsides.
23rd) Survivor: Nicaragua (winner: Jud "Fabio" Birza)
Fabio is one of my favorite players ever and although I do not by any means consider him one of the best winners he was very entertaining and fun to watch. Brenda was a fan-favorite as was Jane. Marty was TV gold but Chase and Sash totally got on my nerves. The double quit was a buzz killer but the unpredictability was good. The editing was average. This all results in an average season.
22nd) Survivor: Samoa (winner: Natalie White)
Samoa is one of those seasons that could have been a very good season had the editing been better. It's cast was certainly underrated but they all got very little airtime except for Russell and Shambo. Russell and Shambo were so entertaining that I cannot possibly rank this season lower than this, despite bad challenges and bad editing. A buzz killer at the end of the season though when Natalie beat Russell in one of the only wrong jury decisions in Survivor history.
21st) Survivor: All Stars (winner: Amber Brkich)
All Stars was a fun season with all the twists and turns and of course it being the first returning player season in Survivor history. The powerful duo of Romber that was bound to break at somepoint never did which was fascinating TV. Bringing this season down is slightly below-average editing, all the controversy surrounding Sue's & Jenna's quits, Rob and Lex's fight, plus several tarnished legacies (Cesternino, Jenna, Sue, Colby).
20th) Survivor: Gabon (winner: Bob Crowley)
Gabon is a season that has been discussed in length with some people claiming it is the best ever and others claiming it as one of the worst. To me I just don't get the Gabon love nor the Gabon hate. It's just an average season of Survivor. There is really no iconic moment associated with it and the cast was meh. The unpredictability and all the tribe swaps keeps it this high.
19th) Survivor: Worlds Apart (winner: Mike Holloway)
Worlds Apart is definitely the start of the next "group" of seasons in my opinion. I enjoyed it considerably more than Gabon and only slightly less than South Pacific. Mike was a fantastic winner that was a joy to watch and overall the final 5 of that season was pretty strong (Mike, Carolyn, Will, Rodney and Sierra) with only Will playing a bad game. The editing was quite decent, building up both Mike and Carolyn equally with enough attention to Rodney and Sierra that they both were considered winners candidates going into the finale. The challenges were pretty good and there was some fun strategy. Oh and the cast? Killer. Jenn and Shirin didn't last all that long but were SO MEMORABLE. The only real thing bringing this down (and fairly far down) is all the negative attention/bullying surrounding this season with Dan, Will, Rodney, Shirin and Sierra.
18th) Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers (winner: Ben Driebergen)
Our latest season was one of much controversy. Controversial seasons land around 18th-24th generally. No, no not controversial because of a polarizing player like Russell in Samoa, or the tarnished legacies like All Stars, or the sexist stuff in Worlds Apart. Because of the SEASON itself. The theme of this season was a "rollercoaster". And because of that it was flat out awkward from Episode 5 to Episode 12. There was the first Pagonging in many seasons so the editors tried to keep it entertaining, when really it just made it seem corney. There were tons of twists this season, some of which were awesome (the new rules with the double vote, and the Final 4 twist), but others (the Jessica/Devon no vote for example) that made the season way too much of a clusterfuck. However, the pre-merge was decent with a string of great blindsides (Alan, Roark, Ali), the last couple episodes were quite good, the editors mixed up the editing finally and Devon/Chrissy/Ben/Dr. Mike ALL entered the finale as winner candidates, and the finale was, simply put, one of the best ever. I can't recall literally feeling like I was sitting on pins and needles for the ENTIRE finale, ever before. It ended less than an hour ago, but I already want to rewatch the finale. It was amazing, and unlike a lot of the season, wonderfully edited and easy to follow. Most of all, the finale was a PHENOMENAL way to end a season that I will, like most of the 17th-24th place seasons, remember in PRIMARILY positive light.
17th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South Pacific halfway through the rankings but it bewilders me why so many people HATE it. To me it is hands down the most underrated season in Survivor history. The editing was great, cast quite decent, pre-merge even and fun and Ozzy sending himself to Redemption was so much fun to watch. Cochran's flip and the pagonging does bring it down but not to the BOTTOM! Slightly better than average is the worst I can possibly rank South Pacific. In fact just writing this makes me want to rewatch it!
16th) Survivor: Africa (winner: Ethan Zohn)
We are now really in the stretch of seasons that are pretty darn good and that I would never get tired of rewatching. Survivor: Africa is definitely SOLID Survivor! Ethan may not be the best winner but Lex, Kathy, Little Kim, Big Tom, Goldsmith and so many others make this cast one of the better ones. All the attention on the location was awesome and some underrated strategy took place. GOOD SEASON!
15th) Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X (winner: Adam Klein)
Millennials vs Gen X started with a BANG when both tribes had to evacuate on Day 2 for the first time in Survivor history, due to a cyclone. The second episode was awesome with all the excitement surrounding the Mari #blindside. However, most of the pre-merge was dull and predictable, saved only by one player (Michaela) and great challenges. However, the post-merge was nothing but excitement with blindside after blindside including the 3rd ever rock draw which led to one of the leading threats to win being eliminated. Also, the editing was very good with Adam's win not becoming obvious until David was voted out and not even being considered until Episode 11 or 12. All things told, most definitely a solid season. Would be higher if the pre-merge had been more entertaining and if the cast had been somewhat more dynamic as a whole.
14th) Survivor: Palau (winner: Tom Westman)
Palau was a very fun and memorable season. The entire disaster that was Ulong would not be fun to watch every season but for one season it was extremely memorable and fantastic. Stephanie was nothing but gold this season and the entire end game gave us lots of people to root for. Tom's win was impressive and the challenges were great (Ba Ba Buoy, oh yeah!). Would be even higher if the editing had been better (Tom's win was WAY too predictable) and if there had been more strategic moments.
13th) Survivor: The Amazon (winner: Jenna Morasca)
The Amazon really represents so much of what we love about Survivor from Cesternino's brilliant strategy, the Jaburu girls and their drama (who could forget THAT peanut butter moment?), Deena and Christy's gold TV moments, the men vs women theme, some awesome challenges and great editing. There is hardly anything bad to say about this season but in the end 12 others edged it out.
12th) Survivor: Vanuatu (winner: Chris Daughtery)
This is another season that I probably rank slightly higher than most Survivor fans and I am also in the minority preferring it to The Amazon. The opening ceremony was epic, the men vs women battle was just as evident as it was in the first season, the cast was awesome, the all girls alliance dominating and then crumbling coupled with Chris' amazing come from behind victory was just gold. It just is not as AMAZING as the Top 10 but it is certainly Survivor in all its glory.
11th) Survivor: Philippines (winner: Denise Stapley)
The start of the third-to-last "group" of seasons starts with the Philippines. After a string of seasons (Nicaragua, Redemption Island, South Pacific, One World) that were mostly below average Philippines is truly the season that "saved" Survivor. Denise was an awesome winner, the editing was perfect, the disaster that was Matsing was entertaining and the cast was killer. Definitely a legendary season of Survivor that deserves to be in the Top 10 but Game Changers just pushed it out.
10th) Survivor: China (winner: Todd Herzog)
China was an extremely entertaining season worth a re-watch any day. The editing and especially casting were some of the best in Survivor history, watching Courtney's underdog storyline unfold was fantastic, James made his first appearance on Survivor and delivered including THAT double idol vote out and all the cultural reference was nothing short of fantastic.
9th) Survivor: Kaoh Rong (winner: Michele Fitzgerald)
People can scream "recency bias!" all they want but I truly believe that Kaoh Rong is an all-around AWESOME season. Throughout the season Kaoh Rong seemed similar to San Juan del Sur with power shifts at similar times, a similar merge and an under-the-radar female winner. However, if San Juan del Sur came from hell Kaoh Rong came from heaven. The cast was SPOT ON, editing much more even, better challenges and more unpredictability. A few years down the road I think we will still be talking about Kaoh Rong in very high regard.
8th) Survivor: Pearl Islands (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Survivor fans often differ in terms of opinion of how good a season is but MOST fans can agree Pearl Islands is a VERY good season. The pirate theme was so intriguing, the cast was amazing (Rupert, Sandra and Fairplay, need I say more?), the dead grandma lie was so iconic, the editing was great and the challenges were some of the best in Survivor history. So, so, so good.
7th) Survivor: Cook Islands (winner: Yul Kwon)
Cook Islands is right up there with South Pacific for me as the most underrated season in Survivor history. It gets a bad rap for the racial divide twist but for me that was not a bad thing. If that is seen as racist, why aren't men vs women seasons seen as sexist? Doesn't make sense to me. And that only lasted for TWO episodes anyway! EVERYTHING about this season was amazing. The casting (it gave birth to five legends!: Parvati, Penner, Ozzy, Yul and Candice), the comeback of the Aitu 4, the mutiny, and of course the Billy and Candice moment. #MoreLoveForTheCooks
6th) Survivor: Cagayan (winner: Tony Vlachos)
Cagayan is in my opinion the beginning of the semi-final "group" of seasons--the true legends. It also receives the distinct honor as the best all-newbie season in Survivor history. The cast was probably the best all-newbie cast ever, the editing was amazing, the challenges weren't great but also not bad but the unpredictability yet defined and compelling strategy made for a truly fantastic season. Tony is one of the best winners ever. It also has already given birth to six returnees including the best winner in Survivor history, and there are several more (LJ, Jefra, Jeremiah, Trish) that would be great returnees.
5th) Survivor: Heroes vs Villains (winner: Sandra Diaz-Twine)
Very often considered the best season ever, Heroes vs Villains is certainly a Survivor gem. The cast is one of the best ever, the game play is hard to beat (Parvati's double idol play MAY be my favorite moment in Survivor history) and of course we had our first ever two-time winner (though it should have been a different person, but that's another story). Would be even higher if the strategy and editing had been more well defined (it just felt "jumpy" at times).
4th) Survivor: Micronesia (winner: Parvati Shallow)
Micronesia's cast, like Cambodia, was FULL of people there to PLAY the game. The final 4 Black Widow Brigade members (Parvati, Amanda, Cirie and Natalie) almost certainly comprise the best final four ever. The string of Ozzy/Jason/Erik blindsides was amazing and the pre-merge is certainly underrated. It was the best season ever for a long time but then came:
3rd) Survivor: Blood vs Water (winner: Tyson Apostol)
When Heroes vs Villains did not trump Micronesia and then we had that string of bad seasons many fans were starting to believe that Micronesia would forever hold the title of best season ever and that Survivor would never return to it's glory days. Well then came along Season 27, Blood vs Water. To me it became the best season in history. The loved ones twist was so refreshing, Redemption Island redeemed itself, the cast was amazing (Ciera is my all-time favorite Survivor player) and we had someone vote their mom out. Oh yeah, there was a freakin' rock draw too! Truly a season to be remembered for a long, long, long time.
2nd) Survivor: Cambodia (winner: Jeremy Collins)
Blood vs Water did not hold its title for too long because along came Survivor: Cambodia--Second Chance. Because the fans voted the castaways in they felt the need to PLAY hard not only for themselves and their family but for America. Every single person came to play their own game. We had two tribes become three tribes. We had a record number of tribe swaps. We had one of the harshest seasons in terms of conditions. And through it all the season gave birth to "voting blocs" which will forever change the way Survivor is played. A true icon.
1st) Survivor: Game Changers (winner: Sarah Lacina)
I'd always considered the five seasons of Cagayan, HvV, Micronesia, BvW and Cambodia to be the "final group" of season, the true legends, all so good that they're hard to rank. Well along came Survivor: Game Changers, and from close to the beginning I knew it would be in that "final group" but by the end of the season it was clear that it was truly in a league of its own. People can scream "RECENCY BIAS!" when they read this but I truly did not know Survivor could get this good, and it absolutely deserves this spot. There were twists and turns at every corner, voting blocs were deployed once again, and we watched the best single game in Survivor history getting played before our eyes. There were a record number of twists, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not, but these all worked to perfection. The double-tribe tribal was so epic that it must happen at least once every season from here on out, IMO. The luxurious exile was brilliant and I want to see it again. The new final tribal format was SO MUCH BETTER and fairer, and YES, I NEED to see it again! Queen Sandra also cemented her legacy as best player in Survivor history, as did Cirie hers as the best to never win. There were redeemed legacies in Sierra and Culpepper. Some people sight the Final 14 Tribal Council as something that heavily "taints" the season but to me it ended up being a beautiful thing and added a little bit of cultural relevance in a season that otherwise lacked it. It only made the season better. And then on top of it all there was that legendary Final 6 tribal where Cirie was eliminated in historic fashion. The only negative thing I have to say about this season is that Sarah's edit was a bit too strong for most of the season but most people got "enough" air time including runner-up Culpepper who got a large enough edit to make us still wonder at least a little bit going into the vote reveal. Overall, it truly is way better than I ever thought possible!
Survivor Winners Ranked 35th-1st POST Survivor: HHH
Through
35 seasons of Survivor we have seen 35 different winning games get
awarded with $1 million checks. Here is my definitive ranking UPDATED post-Survivor HHH.
35th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay last year, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
34th) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
33rd) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
32nd) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
31st) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
30th) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
29th) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically 100%, did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
28th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
27th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
26th) Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the most strategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
25th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
24th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
23rd) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
22nd) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
21st) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
20th) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
19th) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
18th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her best friend. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, almost in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
17th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy inclusion in the top half of winners!
16th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
15th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 13th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
14th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
13th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. A very good winner!
12th) Ben Driebergen (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers)
And ladies and gentlemen, as of an hour ago we have another winner of Survivor and it is Mr. Driebergen! Ben played an incredible pre-merge game weasling his way into a good position on both his pre-merge tribes, quite similar to Jeremy in Second Chance. His entire pre-merge was very similar to Jeremy's, "steering" the game with quiet strategy and strong social bonds, aided by a strategic ally (Spencer for Jeremy, Chrissy for Ben). His game kind of fell apart after the merge and his strong group of 7 turned on him, which Jeremy's never did, and that's the precise reason I have him ranked lower than Jeremy or a similar player, Tom. The end of his game showed how capable he truly is though, finding three idols in a row, a Survivor first, and being the sole person to send someone home, another first. He was a late-game underdog that clawed his way to the end like Mike Holloway but did it with strategy rather than challenge wins and had a larger overall impact on the outcome of the season, so is ranked higher than Mike. Ben was a very worthy, fitting winner with a rollercoaster game, on a rollercoaster season.
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
Tom played a very balanced, very good game. Because Koror avoided tribal for so long, strategy was not a huge part of the season but Tom did have a very good social/strategic game and may be the best challenge competitor in the history of the game. He is nearly solely responsible for Koror performing so well, and then tied the record for individual immunity wins. His game had its flaws (getting arrogant around the Final 5) but overall he did nearly as well as he could in this season.
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 34 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers) (new entry)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
35th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay last year, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
34th) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
33rd) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
32nd) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
31st) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
30th) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
29th) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically 100%, did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
28th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
27th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
26th) Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the most strategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
25th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
24th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
23rd) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
22nd) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
21st) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
20th) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
19th) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
18th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her best friend. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, almost in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
17th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy inclusion in the top half of winners!
16th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
15th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 13th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
14th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
13th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. A very good winner!
12th) Ben Driebergen (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers)
And ladies and gentlemen, as of an hour ago we have another winner of Survivor and it is Mr. Driebergen! Ben played an incredible pre-merge game weasling his way into a good position on both his pre-merge tribes, quite similar to Jeremy in Second Chance. His entire pre-merge was very similar to Jeremy's, "steering" the game with quiet strategy and strong social bonds, aided by a strategic ally (Spencer for Jeremy, Chrissy for Ben). His game kind of fell apart after the merge and his strong group of 7 turned on him, which Jeremy's never did, and that's the precise reason I have him ranked lower than Jeremy or a similar player, Tom. The end of his game showed how capable he truly is though, finding three idols in a row, a Survivor first, and being the sole person to send someone home, another first. He was a late-game underdog that clawed his way to the end like Mike Holloway but did it with strategy rather than challenge wins and had a larger overall impact on the outcome of the season, so is ranked higher than Mike. Ben was a very worthy, fitting winner with a rollercoaster game, on a rollercoaster season.
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
Tom played a very balanced, very good game. Because Koror avoided tribal for so long, strategy was not a huge part of the season but Tom did have a very good social/strategic game and may be the best challenge competitor in the history of the game. He is nearly solely responsible for Koror performing so well, and then tied the record for individual immunity wins. His game had its flaws (getting arrogant around the Final 5) but overall he did nearly as well as he could in this season.
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 34 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers) (new entry)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
Friday, December 8, 2017
Survivor Winners ranked 34th-1st
Through 34 seasons of Survivor we have seen 34 different winning games get awarded with $1 million checks. Here is my definitive ranking now that I've watched every single season:
34th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay last year, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
33rd) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
32nd) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
31st) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
30th) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
29th) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
28th) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically 100%, did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
27th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
26th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
25th) Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the most strategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
24th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
23rd) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
22nd) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
21st) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
20th) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
19th) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
18th) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
17th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her best friend. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, halfway through the ranks of winners and beating out some big names.
16th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy inclusion in the top half of winners!
15th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
14th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 13th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
13th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
12th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. He sat in the Top 10 winners for a good while but was just bumped out when Sarah won Game Changers.
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
Tom played a very balanced, very good game. Because Koror avoided tribal for so long, strategy was not a huge part of the season but Tom did have a very good social/strategic game and may be the best challenge competitor in the history of the game. He is nearly solely responsible for Koror performing so well, and then tied the record for individual immunity wins. His game had its flaws (getting arrogant around the Final 5) but overall he did nearly as well as he could in this season.
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 34 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers) (new entry)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
34th) Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
As I touched on in an essay last year, I generally believe that the best finalist wins the season. Survivor is about finding a way to get to the end while still having an impressive enough resume to win and having enough relationships with the jury members to make them want to award you a million dollars. If someone gets to the end and earns the jury respect, they have pretty much done that. However, once in a GREAT while I believe the jury makes the flat out WRONG decision. Yes, Samoa jury, I'm looking at you. Russell didn't play the best social game. I understand that. Yet he did play one of the best strategic games in Survivor history. Add in the fact that he was next to someone that should be considered one of the biggest goats ever, yes, in my opinion, the jury did make the wrong decision. Natalie was a goat that did not deserve to win a million dollars but did. For that she IMHO earns the title of worst winner in Survivor history.
33rd) Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
Bob definitely did more than Natalie and although I would not have voted for him if I was on the Gabon jury (I believe that Sugar played the best game that season) I do not believe he is an "unworthy" winner. Kudos to him for being so old yet doing so well in challenges and creating an impressive fake idol, but that's about it. Overall unmemorable and lackluster, which to me speaks for most of the Gabon cast.
32nd) Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
I am almost certainly in the minority of Survivor fans ranking Tina this low. Her performance in Blood vs Water was impressive but in Australia she coasted along on her social game but had essentially no strategy and no physical prowess. Her social game was not OUTSTANDING either, just solid. If I had been on the Australia jury I would have voted for Colby. Moving on.
31st) Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama)
Ahh, the first winner on this list that I would have actually voted for to win! He was certainly better than Danielle, but that is not saying a whole lot. He was carried along by Cirie for most of the game and his main resume point is "beating Terry" but it was actually Danielle that won that final immunity challenge. Cirie or Terry would have been much worthier winners of Panama, but alas they did not make FTC.
30th) Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
Jenna flirted and then won her way to the top which has to be commended but the fact is Heidi and Cesternino did most of the strategizing in The Amazon and Jenna was along for the ride for most of the game. C- strategy, B social, A- physical. In a tough crowd, that lands you 27th spot.
29th) Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
Ethan played an incredible social game, did well physically but was carried by Lex strategically. Certainly deserved to beat Kim Johnson at the FTC but it is a real shame that Lex did not make the FTC as he would have been a much worthier winner.
28th) Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
Another situation where I would have voted for a different person, however that does not mean Sophie played a bad game. She was a Coach follower strategically 100%, did not play a brilliant social game but was decent physically including BEATING OZZY. That is certainly enough to consider her a "worthy winner", just not one of the best ones.
27th) Amber Brkich (Survivor: All Stars)
A lot of fans consider Amber to be at the bottom of the rankings with Natalie White but I strongly disagree. Amber played a very good social game playing Rob and knowing when to let him call the shots, won a couple challenges and had some underrated strategy (the Cesternino vote out was her idea). Yes, Rob dominated strategically and I probably would have voted for him but by no means is Amber a goat and she is a worthy winner.
26th) Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
Vee played a VERY good social game in Marquesas but Kathy dominated strategically and physically and also played a good social game. Another case of "last boot should have won" but of course Vecepia deserved to beat Neleh.
25th) Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
ANOTHER case of "last boot should have won" as Rafe dominated strategically, and another season where I would have voted for the runner-up out of the Final 2. However, Danni by no means played a bad game. The best thing I have to say about Danni's game is that she knew how to adjust. She knew she wasn't the most strategic, social, or physical, but she adjusted so that she was just strategic, social, and physical enough to get to the end, and earn jury votes. Other than that, she just sort of coasted through the game but she was definitely more game aware than some of those ranked lower than her.
24th) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is yes, ONE MORE case of "last boot should have won". Yau-Man dominated physically and strategically and both Yau and Earl played great social games. Not a goat, but a follower for most of the season.
23rd) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands)
Most people would now never rank a Sandra performance this low but when ranking individual games you have to remember what her reputation was pre-Heroes vs Villains. Her "anyone but me" strategy was valid but in the Pearls she did not play a great social game and she is squat in the challenges. UPDATED RANKING: I believe that in the most recent season of Game Changers the editors actually did the best job of highlighting Sandra's brilliant game play, despite it being her shortest game. After watching her dominate the early game Game Changers and rewatching a couple of her other seasons, I am convinced she was more in control and in better positions throughout the game than Vecepia and Earl so I have decided to move her up two spots.
22nd) Jud "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
I am probably in the minority ranking Fabio this high but I loved him, thought he played a great game and was a worthy winner. His "goofiness" was a legit STRATEGY, he had some other underrated strategy and was quite decent physically. Certainly not one of the best but by no means one of the worst winners.
21st) Natalie Anderson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur)
We are now really in the group of winners that deserved to win, played very good games and was the best player in the FTC (and usually, the season). Natalie is no exception. Despite a quiet start appearing to be a Jeremy pawn, she really kicked it into gear mid-season and dominated strategically, socially and physically. Would be higher if she had played at such a high level all season.
20th) Chris Daughtery (Survivor: Vanuatu)
Chris started out slow, performing poorly in challenges and following Bubba and Sarge but sped up at the end of the game winning challenges and manipulating the women (Twila, Leann and Scout) to turn on the other women (Ami, Eliza and Julie) which was VERY impressive. Chris also made some other subtle moves (convincing Twila to be hostile towards the jury was brilliant). He was certainly a worthy winner and deserves all the credit he gets but we cannot ignore that he was a bit of a "one trick pony" and that is why he is not higher than he is on this list.
19th) J.T. Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
J.T. certainly played a masterful social game and has to be commended for playing the first ever "perfect game" in Survivor history but like Chris he was a bit of a one trick pony in that he was surprisingly weak physically and Fishbach did most of the strategizing. Certainly a worthy winner just not one of the best.
18th) Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
Brian is yet another winner that fits the mold of a very talented "one trick pony". His strategic game was, arguably, the best we had seen up to that point in Survivor history but his physical game was lackluster and his social game had its huge flaws (that's why Clay ALMOST beat him).
17th) Michele Fitzgerald (Survivor: Kaoh Rong)
Following Michele's win there was a lot of backlash about how Aubry should have won and people were even comparing her to Natalie White. That could not be farther from true. Michele played a very good game and was a very well-rounded player with a very good social game, 4 individual challenge wins (more than anyone else in Kaoh Rong) and some underrated strategy including voting out her best friend. The case could be made that she should be higher than this but for now she sits here, halfway through the ranks of winners and beating out some big names.
16th) Adam Klein (Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X)
Our MvGX winner played a wonderful game balancing shrewd strategy with relationship building and challenge wins as well as a great FTC performance which led him to a 10-0-0 jury sweep. Adam would be even higher if he had been more of a "leader" driving the direction of the season, and/or if he could have won against more people. The fact is that David (Final 4 boot) or Jay (Final 6 boot) could have probably beaten Adam at the FTC. Nonetheless, a very worthy inclusion in the top half of winners!
15th) Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
Todd dominated strategically and had what may have been the best FTC performance EVER and built great social relationships with Amanda and Courtney which held his alliance together but overall he didn't build as many social friendships as Amanda which almost lost him the game. He would be higher except some of the players above him had more balanced social/strategic/physical games.
14th) Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Heroes vs Villains)
If this was a ranking of best players Sandra would be first but looking at individual games, her better winning game in HvV cannot be considered better than 13th. She perfected the "anyone but me" strategy, played a decent social game but of course was squat physically. Although she is a bit of a "one trick pony" she is the best one trick pony the game has ever seen and deserves to sit in this very respectable spot.
13th) John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
Overall I consider Cochran similar to Michele having played a "balanced" game winning several challenges and playing a social game though I feel his strategy was just a little clearer and more well-defined than Michele's. Certainly a fan-favorite, good player and worthy winner.
12th) Mike Holloway (Survivor: Worlds Apart)
I am probably in the minority ranking Mike this high as he is often seen as an amazing challenge beast, and nothing more. But there is way more to Mike. In addition to being one of the best challenge competitors in Survivor HISTORY, he had legit strategy (successfully throwing the challenge to save Kelly, finding and successfully using an idol etc) and an underrated social game. He sat in the Top 10 winners for a good while but was just bumped out when Sarah won Game Changers.
11th) Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
Tom played a very balanced, very good game. Because Koror avoided tribal for so long, strategy was not a huge part of the season but Tom did have a very good social/strategic game and may be the best challenge competitor in the history of the game. He is nearly solely responsible for Koror performing so well, and then tied the record for individual immunity wins. His game had its flaws (getting arrogant around the Final 5) but overall he did nearly as well as he could in this season.
10th) Jeremy Collins (Survivor: Cambodia)
Although he was pretty poor physically (winning the final immunity challenge was impressive though) his social game and unique strategy ("meat shields", playing idol for Fishbach, finding two idols to begin with etc etc) as well as the fact that he basically steered the entire direction of the game in Cambodia make him a worthy inclusion to this elite league of winners.
9th) Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
Denise did not play an in control game like someone like Jeremy however she was the ultimate underdog earning the title as only person in Survivor history to go to every. tribal. council. She used a great social game and some serious strategy to fight from bottom to top and was also no slouch in challenges. An absolutely worthy and great winner.
8th) Tyson Apostol (Survivor: Blood vs Water)
If this were a ranking of Survivor PLAYERS, Tyson would never be this high. His first two games were train wrecks including voting himself out in Heroes vs Villains. However when he returned for Blood vs Water we saw a complete 180 and it was a joy to watch. His winning game was a work of art managing a dominant alliance, injuring himself early but continuing on, winning the last two immunity challenges, finding two idols and successfully using them etc. Would be even higher if this had been his first go-round.
7th) Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
Unlike Tyson, Rob's first games were not trainwrecks, however it still took him four times to finally win and his winning game was against one of the worst casts in Survivor history in a season that may have even been created to give Rob the best chance of winning. All of those things though do not take away from the spectacular game that Rob did play in Redemption Island but he would be even higher if it had been on his first, second or third go-round or against a better cast.
6th) Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
On Season 34 Rich Hatch would never win with the game he won with on Season 1 and now he would be seen as boring, underwhelming and totally undeserving. However backtrack 17 years and 34 seasons and this man "created" the game that we still love today. Who knows how Survivor would be played now, or even if it would be played now at all, if Hatch hadn't created the concept of alliances. Although one of the least exciting winners, he is absolutely deserving of a spot in the elite tier of all-time winners.
5th) Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
Parv played a fantastic game in Micronesia flirting, strategizing and winning her way to the end pulling off some of the biggest and best blindsides in Survivor history along the way. However, I can't put her above #5 as she wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the BEST player in Micronesia and the best player to never win Survivor, ms. Cirie Fields.
4th) Kim Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
One World is often tainted as having a bad cast. I disagree. The cast is flat out SOLID. But when you're playing with Kim Spradlin, just about anyone would look bad. Kim played FLAWLESSLY in One World dominating an alliance, making everyone trust her and winning her way to the end. Truly one of the best of the best.
3rd) Tony Vlachos (Survivor: Cagayan)
Ever since Cagayan aired I have been back and forth as to whether Tony or Kim is a better player. In the end Tony edges out Kim for the fact that he had a slightly more balanced game dominating strategically, socially and is underrated physically whereas Kim heavily relied on her social and physical games. Tony's ability to build spy shacks, find idols and lie and make people believe him but still convince them to give him their jury vote showcases what an absolutely amazing player he really is.
2nd) Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
I am certainly in the minority ranking Yul this high but to me he truly could not have played any better given the hand of cards he was dealt. He single handedly (in terms of strategy) led the Aitu 4 through one of the (dare I say BIGGEST) biggest comebacks in Survivor history. His use of his idol was the most unique but arguably successful use of an idol in history. Many people paint him as a "bad physical player" for only winning one individual immunity but you must remember that the entire time he was competing against one of the, if not the very, best individual challenge competitor in Survivor history, Ozzy. Remove Ozzy from the scenario I guarantee you Yul wins WAY more challenges. Add in the fact that Yul played against one of the very best casts ever including five Survivor "legends" and yes, to me he absolutely deserves to be this high on this list.
1st) Sarah Lacina (Survivor: Game Changers) (new entry)
I can hear "recency bias" screams already but to me Sarah played so well in Game Changers, better than anyone else in Survivor history, that she truly exhibited gameplay that I did not think could be exhibited in Survivor. She revolutionized how this game is played and won and undoubtedly deserves this top spot. One thing that Sarah critics love to sight is that she didn't go to Tribal until Day 16. While that is very true and certainly didn't hurt her game, I have no reason to believe she would have been in any trouble had she gone to tribal. And unlike some players that didn't go to tribal until late in their winning games (Sandra both times, Michele, and others) she was already playing way before she went to tribal. She bonded with Troyzan immediately after the early tribe swap and that was clearly an important bond as she ended up in the FTC with him. She was constantly reaching out to people and WORKING the game, from start to finish. Her strongest strategic moves came in the mid-late jury faze. Her #1 biggest move was rallying the minority to vote out Sierra at the Final 9 and then fake frustration and shock of Sierra's blindside to successfully trick Sierra into willing Sarah her legacy advantage. We saw just how important that move was at the Final 6 when Sarah played it the one night she had enough votes to be sent packing. Sarah's absolutely brilliant gameplay was once again on display at the Final 7 when she outplayed an all-time great, Cirie to gain allies and for the first time ever successfully play the vote steal advantage. These are just a couple of her biggest moves but overall she played like Tony all season long, flipping back and forth, blindsiding people left right and center, but maintaining an A+ social game that she was rarely targeted and had enough friends on the jury to win in a fairly commanding 7-3-0 jury vote against a worthy competitor. Sarah also finally became the first female to win with an aggressive style game. Jurors have long struggled to award aggressive female players but hopefully Sarah and the Game Changers jury just proved it's possible and now hopefully it will happen more and more. Props to you, Officer Sarah, on the best single game in the history of Survivor!
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