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!