UPDATED after the season finale of Survivor: Game Changers
34 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. Having not watched two seasons,
Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala, please find my rankings of the
other 32 seasons, 32nd-1st!:
32nd) 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.
31st) 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.
30th) 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 ever hidden immunity idol was cool but
it was never played and 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.
29th) 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.
28th) 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.
27th) 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.
26th) 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.
25th) 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.
24th) 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.
23rd) 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.
22nd) 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.
21st) 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.
20th) 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.
19th) 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).
18th) 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.
17th) 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.
16th) Survivor: South Pacific (winner: Sophie Clarke)
I may be one of the only Survivor fans on the planet to rank South
Pacific in the top half of seasons 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!
15th) 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!
14th) 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.
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, our most recent season, 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!
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Survivor Winners Ranked 32nd-1st UPDATED post-Game Changers
Through 34 seasons of Survivor we have seen 34 different winning games
get awarded with $1 million checks. Having not watched Survivor: Palau
and Survivor: Guatemala, please below find my rankings of the 32 other
winning games, 32nd-1st!
32nd) 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.
31st) 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.
30th) 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.
29th) 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.
28th) 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.
27th) 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.
26th) 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.
25th) 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.
24th) 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.
23rd) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is ANOTHER 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.
22nd) 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.
21st) 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.
20th) 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.
19th) 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.
18th) 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.
17th) 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).
16th) 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, in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
15th) 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!
14th) 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.
13th) 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.
12th) 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.
11th) 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.
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!
32nd) 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.
31st) 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.
30th) 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.
29th) 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.
28th) 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.
27th) 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.
26th) 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.
25th) 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.
24th) 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.
23rd) Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
Earl certainly deserved to beat Cassandra and Dreamz but Fiji is ANOTHER 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.
22nd) 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.
21st) 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.
20th) 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.
19th) 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.
18th) 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.
17th) 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).
16th) 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, in the top half of winners and beating out some big names.
15th) 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!
14th) 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.
13th) 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.
12th) 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.
11th) 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.
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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