After 48 seasons over 25 years, Survivor has earned its place as a cultural institution. With its epic blindsides, remarkable longevity, and unforgettable players, the reality series solidified its legendary status long ago.
Beyond making household names out of reality icons like Boston Rob Mariano and Parvati Shallow, and turning the phrase “The tribe has spoken” into a memorable way to send anyone packing, Survivor is also known for stirring up powerful emotions. From tears of joy to heartbreak, the show has a knack for evoking deep feelings. With that in mind, here are my picks for the 10 most emotional and tear-inducing scenes in Survivor history.
10. The Worst Medical Evac
Season: 32, Survivor: Kaoh Rong
Episode: 4, “Signed, Sealed and Delivered”
What Happened: Over 48 seasons there have been 19 medical evacuations on Survivor, but the most emotional came after a reward challenge that left multiple castaways down for the count. After the tough challenge, Cydney Gillon and Debbie Wanner required medical attention due to the Cambodian heat. However, it was Caleb Reynolds, one of the youngest and strongest players that season, who suffered the worst. After securing a second place finish for his tribe, Caleb collapses from heat exhaustion and a helicopter is brought in to evacuate him while his shocked tribemates wave goodbye.
9. Timber Tina’s Sad Goodbye
Season: 12, Survivor: Panama — Exile Island
Episode: 1, “The First Exile”
What Happened: Tina Scheer, a professional lumberjill from Wisconsin, had a tough start on Survivor: Panama. Her tribe lost the first immunity challenge and she immediately found herself on the wrong side of the numbers after targeting a then-unknown castaway, Cirie Fields. But Tina’s struggles weren’t just strategic, they were personal. Just months before filming, her 16-year-old son, Charlie, died in a car accident. Though she never shared the heartbreaking story with her tribemates, the emotional toll is clearly overwhelming. Despite being a hard worker around camp, Tina became the first person voted out of Season 12.
What Happened: Exiled to the Edge of Extinction, Ethan Zohn joins fellow castaways Amber Mariano, Natalie Anderson, and Danni Boatwright in a brutal test of endurance for a chance to earn a Fire Token. With no food, little water, and barely any sleep, the exiles are tasked with completing a punishing vertical climb to retrieve 20 logs, one at a time. Though they have the entire day to finish, the challenge takes a toll on Ethan, a two-time cancer survivor. With just four logs remaining, he collapses and briefly passes out. After receiving medical attention, Ethan pushes forward, fueled by the same resilience that helped him beat cancer.
7. Terry’s Second Chance Ends Unexpectedl
Season: 31, Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance
Episode: 6, “Bunking With the Devil”
What Happened: It’s rarely a good sign when Jeff Probst shows up at camp unannounced and on Day 13 of Survivor: Cambodia, the unexpected visit was especially alarming. In the middle of the night, Jeff arrives at the Ta Keo camp and wakes up Terry Deitz with devastating news: his teenage son, Danny, has been hospitalized, and Terry needs to go home immediately. It’s a nightmare scenario for any parent, and the rest of the tribe is left stunned and shaken. At the time, Terry didn’t know the details. But after rushing home, he learns that Danny has a serious heart condition and needs a transplant. Thankfully, Danny went on to have a successful surgery and today he’s thriving as an artist.
6. Cirie and the Reward Challenge
Season: 34, Survivor: Game Changers
Episode: 8, “A Line Drawn in Concrete”
What happened: Cirie Fields has delivered countless unforgettable moments throughout her time on Survivor, but it’s her fourth appearance that stands out as perhaps the most powerful. During a grueling water-based reward challenge, Cirie is the last to take on an obstacle course for her tribe and she struggles. Badly. So much so that the opposing team finishes the entire challenge before she even reaches the final obstacle. But with encouragement from her tribe and host Jeff Probst, Cirie pushes through, tearfully completing the course. The moment is a testament to the heart of a legendary player who represents every fan who dreams of getting off the couch and into the game.
What happened: Noelle Lambert isn’t the first amputee to compete on Survivor—Chad Crittenden (Vanuatu) and Kelly Bruno (Nicaragua) came before her—but she is the first to win an individual challenge. In Episode 10, she finds herself struggling in a late-season reward challenge, fighting to stay on a balance beam with her prosthetic leg. As other players repeatedly attempt and fail to win the challenge, it looks like Noelle might not even get to the last section but she refuses to quit. Battling against time, fatigue, and a prosthetic starting to slip off from sweat, Noelle stages a stunning comeback from last place, ultimately clinching the win.
4. Jeremy’s Final Tribal Council Speech
Season: 31, Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance
Episode: 13, “Lie, Cheat, and Steal”
What happened: The last question at the final tribal council on Season 31 is asked by Kelley Wentworth, who wants to know what everyone’s Second Chance story is. During his three Survivor seasons, Jeremy Collins has always made it clear he plays for his family and nothing else. He tells the jury that during the loved ones visit his wife Val, who competed with him on Blood vs Water, tells him she’s pregnant and having a boy. Jeremy wanted to tell his fellow castaways but admits he didn’t because he didn’t want to mess up his game because he’d be seen as sympathetic in a final tribal. Jeremy would go on to win by a unanimous vote.
3. The Best Loved Ones Visit Ever
Season: 40, Survivor: Winners at War
Episode: 10, “The Full Circle”
What happened: The loved ones visit, a long running Survivor staple, is always a tear-jerker. There’s just something about the way people let their guards down when they see someone they love for the first time in weeks. While every visit is memorable, the most poignant happened during Winners at War. For the first time ever, there was no loved ones challenge. Every player got to spend time with their family, which included countless kids. Even players on the Edge of Extinction received quality family time. It’s a beautiful segment that takes up half the episode and I still cry like a baby when I rewatch it.
2. Adam’s Heartbreaking Loss
Season: 33, Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X
Episode: 14, “Live Reunion Show”
What happened: The tears actually start flowing in this emotional moment in episode 13 titled “I’m Going for a Million Bucks.” This is where eventual winner Adam Klein tells the final tribal jury that he’s on Survivor to play for his mom, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer seven months prior. However, the emotional weight of Adam’s loss deepens even further during the reunion episode when he describes the heartbreaking reunion with his mother. After returning home from the show, he was able to tell her he had won. She passed away shortly after.
1. The Moment that Made Jeff Probst Cry
Season: 48
Episode: 5, “Master Class in Deception”
What happened: In episode five, Eva Erickson is struggling during an immunity challenge. Each tribe member must maneuver a ball through a maze and land it in a slot. As the last person to go for her tribe, Eva’s frustration grows with every failed attempt, and the pressure of another tribe breathing down her neck becomes overwhelming. Her support system, Joe Hunter, is the only person there who knows she has autism but isn’t available to help her after a tribe swap.
Eva, fighting back tears, manages to complete the challenge, securing immunity for her tribe. But as the weight of the moment sinks in, she breaks down. In a touching father-daughter moment, Joe helps Eva regain her composure. Unaware of the full context, Eva is able to open up and share her story with the other castaways. It was such a powerful moment that even Jeff Probst was brought to tears, something viewers had never seen before.
Terry Terrones is a Television Critics Association and Critics Choice Association member, licensed drone pilot, and aspiring hand model. When he’s not dreaming of being on Survivor, you can find him hiking in the mountains of Colorado. You can follow him on Twitter @terryterrones.
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