Reality AF: The 10 Greatest Survivor Players in Franchise History
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Survivor premiered on May 31, 2000 and is still going strong. A big reason for why the series still resonates after all this time are its players.
Over the course of 24 years and 46 seasons, there have been 697 castaways, and it’s been an eclectic group. They’ve ranged in age from 18-75, have had a myriad of jobs (former federal agent?, grave digger, ice cream scooper, mechanical bull operator, gay mormon flight attendant), and make up every kind of personality type imaginable.
We know all the big names—Boston Rob, Parvati, Rupert, Cirie—and we all have our favorites. But who played the game the best? After watching and writing about the series for decades, here are my picks for the five best winners and five best non-winners. Think of it as Survivor Mount Rushmore, if there were 10 faces instead of four.
Top 5 Non-Winners
Rob Cesternino
Seasons: 6, 8
Jeff Probst has called Rob “the smartest player to have never won Survivor.” Today, Cesternino jokingly refers to himself as “the Rob who sucks,” as casual fans sometimes confuse him with Boston Rob. Funny, smart, and self-deprecating, Rob was an innovator, becoming one of the first players to view alliances as a tool, not just a shield. His legacy continues well past his playing days with Rob Has a Podcast and Rob Has a Website, popular destinations for Survivor fans and alums.
Cirie Fields
Seasons: 12, 16, 20, 34
It’s hard to imagine a player who displayed more growth or disappointment during their time on Survivor than Cirie. In Panama, she lost in a final four fire-making tiebreaker. In Micronesia, she was booted on day 38, and in Survivor: Game Changers she suffered probably the most unfair boot in series history. Because every other person left in the game had immunity, Cirie was sent to the jury on day 36 without a single vote being cast against her. At least she has a Traitors title to her credit.
Russell Hantz
Seasons: 19, 20, 22
Russell came into the game like the Tasmanian Devil, dumping water bottles, hiding socks, and finding idols as easily as a fifth grader can find Waldo. Russell was the first Survivor bully, but eventually, like all bullies, got his comeuppance. This is why it was so glorious watching Russell cry on Redemption Island, then throw his tribe under the bus on his way out the door in his last appearance where he finished in 17th place. Even after that fiasco, his place in Survivor history was secure.
Domenick Abbate
Season: 36
No contestant has come as close to winning Survivor and having it slip through his fingers like Dom. Immensely likable and intelligent, Dom came out on the wrong side of the closest vote in series history. During the Ghost Island season, the final vote ended with a 5-5 tie, leaving fellow finalist Laurel Johnson to cast the last vote for Wendell Holland, Dom’s partner in crime all season long. Here’s hoping Dom plays in an all-star Survivor in Season 50.
Stephenie LaGrossa
Seasons: 10, 11, 20
Tough, clever, and athletic, Stephenie is the ultimate underdog. In Palau she watched her tribe, back in the two-tribe days, get whittled away to nothing until she was the last person standing. The very next season, Steph made it to the finale of Guatemala, but had to deal with a bitter jury that gave Danni Boatwright a win. Then, she separated her shoulder in Heroes vs Villains but was still so threatening no one wanted to work with her. Stephenie is an underrated warrior.
Top 5 Winners
Tony Vlachos
Seasons: 28, 34, 40
In his first season, Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, Tony was a manic, spy-shack-building, Cops-R-Us alliance-breaking maniac and still won. After getting outplayed by eventual winner Sarah Lacina in Game Changers, Tony was brilliant against the strongest roster of Survivor players ever in Season 40. Tony Vlachos is the greatest winner in Survivor history.
Dee Valladares
Season: 45
Claim recency bias all you want, but unlike so many other players that have come before her, Dee always kept her eye on the prize but did it in a way that never negatively impacted her game. This is rare. Dee won the final immunity challenge, her third, when she needed it most. She also deftly used her ally Austin to get information without giving any, then outmaneuvered him with great gameplay at the final tribal council to earn the win. Dee’s easily the best winner of the New Era, and has the challenge-winning toes to prove it.
Jeremy Collins
Seasons: 29, 31, 40
Jeremy made the jury in both San Juan del Sur (when he played with his wife, Val) and Winners at War, but it’s his almost flawless performance in Second Chance that gets him on this list. One of the most well-liked players ever, Jeremy drove Season 31 and was smart enough to save his best move for the just right moment. When asked about his second chance story before the finale vote, Jeremy emotionally discussed his family. He had the jury hanging on every word and won by a 10-0 margin.
Kim Spradlin
Seasons: 24, 40
While Kim ended up finishing in 9th place after trying and failing to get eventual winner Tony out in Winners at War in her second season, she put on one of the most dominant performances in Survivor history in her first season, One World. A physical, social, and strategic threat, Kim controlled her initial season of Survivor like no other player before or since.
Parvati Shallow
Seasons: 13, 16, 20, 40
One of the game’s all-time greats, Parvati managed to take the black widow strategy first used by Survivor: Australia’s Jerri Manthey and put it to practical use. After winning Micronesia, arguably one of the best seasons of Survivor ever, Parvati almost won for a second time in Heroes vs. Villains. Due to her close ties to Russell Hantz, who she used like a puppet, Parvati lost to Sandra in a 3-5 vote that probably should have gone her way.
Why didn’t Boston Rob and Sandra make the cut?
Boston Rob is my all-time favorite Survivor player, but it took him four tries to actually win, and even then it was with a group of players that idolized him. As for Sandra Diaz-Twine, her “anyone but me” philosophy is one I just can’t get support. Sandra didn’t go out like a winner either. In her final Survivor episode she was condescending to her fellow winners. Then got out hustled by Denise, right after Sandra had given her an idol. And after, Sandra immediately quit Edge of Extinction when she could’ve fought to get back into the game. It’s hard to root for a queen when she leaves a bitter taste in her final appearance.
Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not applying to be on Survivor for the 100th time, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.
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