Having aired 37 seasons, Survivor has had hundreds of players, and even more single games, so it's understandable that some are forgotten over time. However, there are a handful that I believe do not deserve to be forgotten. These 15 single games are drastically underrated in my opinion. Read on to find out why. Ranked from 15th to most underrated:
#15 Tijuana Bradley (Survivor: Pearl Islands) -- Tijuana who, you say? Tijuana -- queen of the PI pre-merge, I say! She was an underdog throughout the game going to the first three tribal councils, and luck is not the reason she stayed in the game. She was a challenge beast and had an impeccable social game. She was ultimately screwed by the outcasts twist. People say that Savage could have won the Pearls if the outcast twist hadn't happened, which is true, but Tijuana could have as well.
#14 Libby Vineck (Survivor: Ghost Island) -- Most fans remember Libby as yet another "blonde girl that was cast for her looks" but Libby had a lot more game than most people in her archetype. She was a key element of the famous Morgan vote and subtly led the strategy for much of the pre-merge.
#13 Heidi Strobel (Survivor: The Amazon) -- I struggled as to where to place Heidi on this list. The argument could be made that Heidi played one of the best games of anyone on this list, and although her game is underrated, I feel it does get at least some credit, so it's not so drastically underrated. The next time you re-watch The Amazon, please watch Heidi. People talk about Cesternino as "the" mastermind of that season, but Heidi made so many big strategic moves too, and paved the way for Jenna to eventually win.
#12 Chelsea Meissner (Survivor: One World) -- Yes, Kim played super well, and I'm not saying that Chelsea should have won One World, but it bugs me when Sabrina gets the credit as Kim's righthand woman. Chelsea was literally right there alongside Kim for the whole damn game and helped her make the moves that she did. She was also a force in challenges, and if you ignore her admittedly bad FTC performance, she could have easily won the game if next to anyone other than Kim.
#11 Michelle Schubert (Survivor: Milennials vs Gen X) -- Take everything I said about Tijuana and Libby and knock it up a few notches. Michelle was a lead contender to win based not only on her edit but her gameplay during the pre-merge of MvGX. She spearheaded the Mari vote and then helped orchestrate the CeCe vote. We also can't forget that she was excellent in challenges and had a stellar social game going on. She was dealt bad luck at the merge and was voted out because she didn't have an idol; not because she was a big threat or did something silly to get herself on people's radar. Michelle would be a very worthy returnee on a second chance-type season.
#10 Brandon Hantz (Survivor: South Pacific) -- Just a reminder that this a ranking of single games so Brandon's Caramoan game is a complete non-factor with this ranking. People remember Brandon for his train wreck Caramoan game, his struggles with Mikayla in the pre-merge of South Pacific, and giving away immunity. What they forget is that in his first season, once Mikayla was voted out, he actually played quite a decent game, helping Coach and Sophie with their moves, and yes, believe it or not, playing a very good social game. Several cast members said that had he not given up immunity, he actually stood a decent chance of winning South Pacific!
#9 Helen Glover (Survivor: Thailand) -- Helen made it to Day 37 and was the one person that could have possibly beaten Mr. Heidik in Thailand. Yet she never gets the credit she deserves. It was ultimately a misheard conversation, yes, you read that correctly, that got her voted out two days shy of FTC. She was good in challenges so if that misheard conversation never happened, she could have possibly won the FIC, voted out Heidik, and won the whole game. Why she's never talked about in the same light as Kathy/Lex/Darrah as another "fell short at the last minute but almost won" player is beyond me, but she deserves that same legacy.
#8 Laurel Johnson (Survivor: Ghost Island) -- Say what you will about Laurel's missed opportunity to take out Wendell/Domenick, that was one. mistake. Yes, one that quite possibly tossed her a million dollars, but it was one mistake nonetheless. Except for that miscalculation, she played a wonderful game, and it's fair to say that her loyalty and strategic brain was a key reason that WenDom did make it to the Final 2. She led the strategy for several votes, especially right around the merge, and never gets the credit for it. She's remembered as the person that broke the first ever final vote tie, but she deserves to be remembered for so much more as well.
#7 Ashley Underwood (Survivor: Redemption Island) -- Boston Rob is remembered as the only person that played in Red. Island, and when you say the name "Ashley Underwood" people usually think of her as one of his goats (alongside the likes of NatTen, Philip, and to an extent, Andrea). Ashley really wasn't his goat at all. Yes, she followed him strategically, but she also made her own moves, and was ready to blindside Rob but then he went on a winning streak. She was awful close in some of those immunity challenges though, and had she won one, she likely would have won the game.
#6 Ashley Nolan (Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers) -- Like Underwood, Ashley Nolan played a UTR but very strong game, making subtle strategic moves, holding her own in challenges, and playing a standup social game. The edit made sure to highlight this and she was actually my winner pick in the episodes leading up to her elimination at the F6. It was a disagreement with Ben that eventually led to her elimination, but it's beyond me why people don't think of her as someone that could have possibly won HHH. She was a lot closer than people ever give her credit for.
#5 Baylor Wilson (Survivor: San Juan del Sur) -- Like the two Ashleys, Baylor was an end-gamer that could have won if things had gone just a little differently, but people think of her only as a bratty girl and not the real player that she was. Sure she made some mistakes but it was ultimately an idol that took her out of the game, and had Jaclyn gone home that night instead, Baylor had a shot to win Final Immunity, take out Natalie, and win the game. I'm not saying she played a flawless game or would have won if it wasn't for the idol, but she should get the credit for keeping Missy in the game and playing hard all the way through. She deserves another shot in a returnee season.
#4 Cao Boi Bui (Survivor: Cook Islands) -- Cao Boi is, deservedly, remembered for his kooky personality and forehead red dots, but people forget that he was actually playing the game too, and he deserves to be this high on the list for one simple move: inventing the split vote strategy. It seems so basic, and it wasn't even executed the night he came up with it, but Plan Voodoo truly changed the way Survivor is played. Yul himself referred to the plan as "genius" and who knows how differently so many other seasons would have gone down if it wasn't for Cao Boi's crazy dream.
#3 John Hennigan (Survivor: David vs Goliath) -- I can hear "recency bias" screams already but I truly believe that the Mayor of Slamtown deserves this ranking. Why? Mainly because he was hardly ever referred to as a strategic player, but I believe he played one of the best games in the DvG pre-merge. While Angelina was overplaying and taking the bullets for all the big moves, John was right there alongside her subtly steering the direction of the game, similarly to how Mike did later in the game. It was him that "suggested" Jeremy go before Natalie. He accomplished what he wanted to without being a big target, and like Baylor, it was eventually an idol that took him out. If it wasn't for Nick's brilliant minority split vote plan, who knows how long John would have lasted.
#2 Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Cook Islands) -- It was my recent re-watch of Cook Islands that actually inspired this Top 15 when I saw how underrated Parvati's CI game was. Heck, I'd even been underrating it. She's always remembered for her Micronesia and HvV games, but when it comes to the Cooks people think of her as a flirt and nothing more. Yes, she flirted a lot, but it was legit strategy that worked. If it wasn't for Yul's super idol and Ozzy's winning streak, Parvati could be our winner of Cook Islands. Let that sink in, let it sink in how underrated her Cooks game is.
#1 Trish Hegarty (Survivor: Cagayan) -- And ladies and gentlemen, it comes down to this. Trish Hegarty of Cagayan, the most underrated single game in the history of Survivor. Like others on this list, Trish was a "backseat" player behind a bold player, in this case, Tony. But she was with him for the entire game and helped him make the moves he did. Specifically, the ultra-crucial Kass flip at the merge. Trish was the one that went out and convinced Kass to flip. If she hadn't done that, the Solanas were going to get totally Pagonged. Like Yul in the Cooks, Tony was protected by idols including a super idol, but had he not been, Trish would have been a, or the, lead contender to win Cagayan.
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