It is impossible to rank Survivor players without acknowledging the objectivity that plays a part in this exercise. So much of Survivor is circumstantial; while there are certain skills necessary to excel – social acuity, a strategic mind, the ability to make fire – the factor of luck cannot be overlooked as a vital part of the equation.
Nonetheless, Survivor, which celebrates its 20th anniversary two weeks from today, has a history so rich and a significance so enduring to its genre that it is often tempting to debate which figures have been most adept at mastering the greatest game. Since it has lasted for 40 seasons and counting, some of the players considered to be the best have lost. Many who make the list of the Top 40 Survivor competitors are batting .1000, one-time champs with legacies that have withstood the test of time. And many others have never won, but have proven to be adroit at balancing the Survivor tenet of Outwit, Outplay, Outlast.
There are several honorable mentions, players who deserve a celebratory nod but fall just shy of a Top 40 that feels exclusive considering the vast amount of contestants who have donned a buff since the turn of the millennium. Runners-up Carolyn Rivera and Chrissy Hofbeck each came close to garnering enough votes in the end, despite being in a demographic that often struggles to win. Rick Devens was revolutionary in his showmanship to the jury in season 38, but the fact that he was voted out fourth and relied on idols to bail him out in the post-merge knocks him down a few spots. Chris Underwood was incredible down the stretch of that season as well, but the sample size for him is simply too small. J.T. Thomas might have been Top 10 had he retired after Tocantins, but his inability to calculate consequences of his bold moves on his subsequent appearances without the help of another honorable mention, runner-up and strategic mastermind Stephen Fishbach, leaves him on the outside looking in. Guatemala finalists Danni Boatwright and Stephenie LaGrossa shined on their original attempts, but their stock fell when they each returned for their respective all-star seasons. And finally, David vs. Goliath provided us with Christian Hubicki, whose inability to hide his threat level was his own undoing, and Mike White, who may have been held in much higher regard if he’d concocted a more convincing final tribal speech.
Through two decades, here’s what is sure to be the first of many Top 40 rankings of Survivor players this offseason:
40. Andrea Boehlke
A victim of two epic blindsides and one determined Boston Rob, Andrea making the merge on all three of her showings is a credit to more than her utility in challenges.
39. Vecepia Robinson
Vecepia understood the game as well as anyone else in the first few seasons. The Marquesas winner kept it simple. Avoid conflict. Stay friendly with everyone. Keep a pulse on the direction of the game. Go to the end with someone you can beat.
38. Ben Driebergen
If Ben hadn’t asked to be voted out in the Winners at War finale, we’d probably be talking about a guy who made the final tribal council in both tries. That doesn’t happen by accident.
37. Ozzy Lusth
Ozzy has long been hailed as the ideal physical specimen to thrive on Survivor, while he has often been criticized for a strategic game that lags behind. It’s hard to discredit Ozzy, though, since he was dangerously close to winning Survivor not once, but twice. Accomplishing that feat takes more than an ability to climb high and dive deep.
36. Amanda Kimmel
The knock on Amanda is she was never able to successfully plead her case for the million. The argument towards Amanda being on this list is she was the first to make final tribal council twice…and in back-to-back seasons no less!
35. Malcolm Freberg
A wasted advantage in the final four immunity challenge of Philippines and a controversial twist in Game Changers prevented Malcolm from being higher on this list. Despite never winning, he remains one of the most well-rounded players in Survivor history.
34. Ciera Eastin
Being a mother voter has always been Ciera’s claim to fame. But that qualifier covers up some of the impact she made on Blood vs. Water, a season designed for a returnee to win, and the game as a whole. Her aggressive gameplay paved the way for a new era in Survivor. Being first boot in Game Changers can almost be overlooked, considering the legendary company she welcomed to pre-merge Ponderosa.
33. Rob Cesternino
Rob’s Amazon game was a harbinger for so many who followed in his stead. He was playing chess while others were playing duck duck goose. Unfortunately, he found himself in check mate before he even had a chance to make his first move in All-Stars.
32. Spencer Bledsoe
One of the great strategists of the modern era, Spencer has stumbled at the finish line both times he played. Still, Spencer deserves credit for advancing as far as he did against two of the strongest casts in the history of Survivor.
31. Aubry Bracco
Her Kaoh Rong game was so strong that it was hard for many to accept it when she didn’t win. Aubry followed that performance up with a fifth place finish in Game Changers, despite having few allies to trust. She falls a few positions for being the first returnee voted out of Edge of Extinction.
30. Nick Wilson
He won of one of the highest regarded seasons in Survivor and made it to the final seven of Winners at War. Although season 40 showed that Nick may not be top-tier, he made enough big moves in David vs. Goliath to warrant a spot in the Top 40.
29. Denise Stapley
It took 26 tribal councils across two seasons to vote Denise out of the game. Twenty-freakin’-six! Denise rewrote her legacy in Winners at War, when she singlehandedly ended the Queen’s reign with a sly idol play.
28. Tina Wesson
After Sandra left Edge of Extinction on Winners at War, the question became who would join her as the only other two-time winner. Before Sandra came back for a third or fourth time, there was another potential two-time winner in Tina, who battled back from Redemption Island on Blood vs. Water to give Tyson Apostol and Co. a run for their money.
27. Mike Holloway
Mike covered up some social blunders by dominating the physical part of the game and making some wise strategic moves late in the game. Few have singularly wreaked havoc post-merge like Mike did in Worlds Apart.
26. John Cochran
Cochran made up for his ill-fated flip in South Pacific by steamrolling the competition in Caramoan. The only complaint about his unanimous victory is that it came against a cast that contained more than its fair share of unskilled players.
25. Kelley Wentworth
The second-highest ranked woman who hasn’t won, Kelley was an immunity challenge away from a Second Chance win that would have likely gotten her cast on season 40. While she didn’t fare as well on the other two seasons, one could argue the decks were stacked against her from the onset on each of the other appearances.
24. David Wright
David has one of the greatest single-season arcs of all time, from fish out of water in the premiere of Millennials vs. Gen X to the guy many thought would win the season. He was strong in his return on season 38 as well, never the target until his eventual ouster.
23. Earl Cole
The first unanimous winner, Earl wasn’t a fan of Survivor before he stepped foot in Fiji. That makes the game he played that much more impressive. Some people are just made to play Survivor, and Earl proved to be one of them.
22. Richard Hatch
We’ll never know how Rich’s game would hold up in the modern era. His formation of an alliance in Borneo sounded radical then. Now we’ve come full circle to the point where it seems crazy to stick with an alliance for the entire 39 days.
21. Domenick Abbate
The highest ranked man on this list who has never won, Domenick’s only misstep was not taking off his immunity necklace to battle Wendell in fire. His and Wendell Holland’s games were so inextricably linked that it’s difficult to rank one too much higher above the other on this list.
20. Wendell Holland
Wendell proved that a cutthroat game doesn’t always win, and his willingness to ride to the end with Domenick was a risk that proved to be worth it. He drops a few spots after Winners at War, though he likely didn’t play as poorly as the edit made it seem.
19. Brian Heidik
Arguably the greatest winner pre-All-Stars, Brian made all the right moves against an admittedly weak cast. We won’t see him play again, which might only help his legacy as a player.
18. Adam Klein
He earned all the votes in Millennials vs. Gen X and voted out Boston Rob in Winners at War. It’s hard for Adam to harness his super duper fan-ness, which can paint a target on his back, but he understands how to play the game like few others do.
17. Chris Daugherty
Chris was so good at the game that it didn’t matter that he was the weakest on his tribe when they went to the first tribal council. It didn’t matter that he was the only man remaining at the final seven. He knew exactly what to say to sway the votes in his favor, especially at final tribal council.
16. Yul Kwon
Yul proved he didn’t need a super idol to control a game, as he was firmly in control on Dakal beach in Winners at War. The swap to three tribes hurt Yul and unmasked one of the only flaws in his game.
15. Tommy Sheehan
Tommy trashed the script of his season and carved his own trinketless path to the end. In an era in which many deemed idols and advantages a necessary tool to win, Tommy lowered his threat level just enough to fool everyone into thinking there were bigger fish to fry.
14. Sophie Clarke
Say it with me: Sophie is not a lower-tier winner. She revealed as much in Winners at War. And if not for one of the best moves in Survivor history, Sophie might have been a two-time winner.
13. Michele Fitzgerald
The only person to play two or more times and never be voted out, quit or medevaced, there’s a reason Michele hasn’t yet had her torch snuffed. She’s one of the best social players the game has seen in 20 years, and there’s no shame in being a zero-vote finalist in Winners at War because the two people she was up against happen to be ahead of her on this list.
12. Tom Westman
Tom’s tour de force in Palau was so masterful that the edit didn’t even bother hiding that he was going to win the season. His tribe decimated the Upolus and then he picked off the Korors before Ian Rosenberger stepped down in the final immunity challenge to let him win. Also, Tom blindsided Cirie Fields in Heroes vs. Villains prior to his own early exit.
11. Todd Herzog
Up against two strong final three competitors in Courtney Yates and Amanda Kimmel, Todd delivered what may still be the best final tribal speech. He hasn’t had the chance to return to Survivor yet, leaving his impeccable legacy from China intact.
10. Kim Spradlin-Wolfe
Kim takes a bit of a hit failing to topple the Tony Vlachos empire on Winners at War. Her One World remains flawless and one of the clearest examples of what a perfect game looks like.
9. Jeremy Collins
Jeremy’s biggest bugaboo has been diminishing his own threat level once he reaches the merge. He did an exceptional job at that in Second Chance, but couldn’t manage to shield himself in San Juan del Sur or Winners at War.
8. Natalie Anderson
Natalie has the highest average placement of any Survivor who has played more than once. There is an argument to be made for her to be higher up on this list. But it has to be taken into consideration that even though she was the runner-up of Winners at War, she was also the first voted out.
7. Tyson Apostol
Tyson was born to play Survivor. He has the physical tools to endure and excel and the social skills to charm and disarm. He has won Survivor one out of four times he’s played, which for Tyson and all he brings to the game seems like an underachievement.
6. Rob Mariano
In Winners at War, we saw both the best and worst of Rob’s game. His ability to control others, as he did at original Sele despite being in a minority alliance, is unparalleled. But his unwillingness to adapt his game, as we saw in his boot episode when he made the entire Yara tribe stay in the shelter, is why he’s not higher up on this list.
5. Cirie Fields
The only criticism against Cirie is that she’s never won. That’s it. Beyond that, she is one of the greatest Survivor players of all time. The game sometimes comes down to luck. She was eliminated in the final six of Game Changers with no votes, taken out in fire making in Panama and surprised by a final two twist in Micronesia. Just because the cards don’t always fall her way, we can still recognize her as the queen she is.
4. Parvati Shallow
Even though Parvati won Micronesia, the most visible showcase of her talents lies in Heroes vs. Villains. In that season, she was the one nearly everyone on her tribe wanted to get rid of, and she found a way to last all 39 days. Parvati continued to keep the majority of votes away from her on Winners at War until a swap to three tribes that doomed her game. At her best, there is almost no one better than Parvati.
3. Sandra Diaz-Twine
If we look at Sandra’s last two appearances as victory laps, then it’s easier to put into perspective just what she was able to achieve on her first two times out. Never a physical threat, Sandra always used her social game to her advantage, pitting enemies against one another and watching the wreckage from afar while she collected her million dollar check. Sandra should hardly be docked for back-to-back pre-merge boots. In fact, it was a wonder she made it that far in either of those seasons in the first place.
2. Sarah Lacina
Why is Sarah number two on this list? She has outlasted Sandra multiple times, out-manipulated Cirie and outplayed nearly everyone. That is, except for one person. Tony may be Sarah’s closest friend in Survivor, but he’s also her Kryptonite. The last episode we saw from Sarah was her worst showing. Nonetheless, Sarah’s social game is better than anyone else in the history of Survivor. She makes bonds that are deeper than anything we’ve seen before, and she isn’t afraid to exploit those social connections to advance deeper in the game. If she had beaten Tony in fire making, there’s a real chance she wins. In that case, she may be number one.
1. Tony Vlachos
You can come out from your spy nest now, Tony. The secret is out. You’re the best player in Survivor history. Game Changers aside, Tony has proven to the audience that there is a method to his madness. Whatever factory he was created in gave him every skill he needs to be successful on Survivor. And if he does return sometime down the road, who are we to ever doubt him again?
