Amber Brkich, Survivor: All Stars
This is the season Boston Rob should’ve won. As for Amber, she only pulled out the win because the jury hated Rob so much.
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Survivor 46 has come and gone, which means it’s time yet again to dig deep into the series’ 24-year history and rank the show’s best (and worst!) winners of all time.
Sure, we’ve seen two players win twice — Tony Vlachos came out on top in Cagayan and Winners at War, while Sandra Diaz-Twine solidified her queen status in Pearl Islands and Heroes vs. Villains — but does that necessarily make them the best? As you scroll through our list below, you just might be surprised!
Comparing the new era (Seasons 41-46) to some of the franchise’s early days can sometimes feel like apples and oranges, but we did our best to consider strategy, social game, challenge wins and overall season dominance. To a lesser degree, we took likability and entertainment value into consideration. (Hey, we’re only human, people!)
So where did some of the greats like Tina Wesson, Rob Mariano, John Cochrane and Denise Stapley land? And where did we place our brand new winner from Survivor 46?
Read on to review our (obviously spoilerific) ranking, then hit the comments below to tell us what your list would look like.
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Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot -
Natalie White, Survivor: Samoa
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Another result of a bitter jury, Natalie’s greatest move was teaming up with the season’s biggest villain. And even though it pains us to say this: Russell ran circles around Nat and deserved the win.
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Danni Boatwright, Survivor: Guatemala
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Are we a little bitter ourselves after watching Stephenie LaGrossa lose a game she absolutely deserved to win? Yes. But was Danni’s performance mostly forgettable and tame? Also yes.
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Fabio Birza, Survivor: Nicaragua
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Fabio’s “play dumb” technique may have worked, but the season — including his four-immunity run to the finish — was a snooze to watch.
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Mike Gabler, Survivor 43
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS The most shocking aspect of the new era’s worst installment is that Gabler somehow became the Sole Survivor. We never once thought he had it in the bag, so consider his win an underwhelming finish to a less-than-stellar season. He did donate 100% of his winnings to charity though, so we’d raise a glass to that. (Read interview.)
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Tommy Sheehan, Survivor: Island of the Idols
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS We were admittedly a little distracted when Tommy was inching closer and closer to that million-dollar check, but having said that, we still don’t see any reason to notch him higher.
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Mike Holloway, Survivor: Worlds Apart
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot He may have “outlasted” a majority of his competition (while winning a boatload of challenges in the process), but did he really “outwit” or “outplay”?
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Brian Heidik, Survivor: Thailand
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Brian did dominate most of the season, so credit where credit’s due. But was he one of the show’s most unlikable winners while doing it? Yep.
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Ben Driebergen, Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot JUSTICE FOR CHRISSY!
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Bob Crowley, Survivor: Gabon
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot The best fake idol creator of all time! Bob still holds the title for the oldest Survivor winner ever, so despite his modest showing here (the competition is fierce!), at least he has that.
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Adam Klein, Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Adam flipped on the Millennial tribe, misplayed two hidden immunity idols and somehow still made it to the end. He did help orchestrate David Wright’s ouster though, which paved his path to the million. Fantastic season, OK winner.
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Chris Underwood, Survivor: Edge of Extinction
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS The Edge of Extinction twist is a highly polarizing one, but Chris played the best hand with the cards he was dealt. Don’t hate the player, hate the game!
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Nick Wilson, Survivor: David vs. Goliath
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Nick linked up with the right people (Mike and Angelina), and through his combined immunity wins, strategy and social game, found himself sitting at the very end. While he may not be one of the most exciting winners ever, we’ve got to admit: The Davids’ Hail Mary play of combining Christian’s idol, Nick’s steal-a-vote and Carl’s idol nullifier? Pretty great.
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Aras Baskauskas, Survivor: Panama
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot We have to admit, watching his beef with Terry was quite amusing, but ultimately, Aras’ bad attitude left a sour taste in our mouths. If not for a poorly executed last immunity challenge that sunk Terry’s game, Aras may not have even made the Final 2 seats.
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Kenzie Petty, Survivor 46
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS There are both positives and negatives to Kenzie’s game, all of which leaves us pretty indifferent to her as a winner. She formed a tight alliance of three early on in the game (good!), but she also slept hard on that Q vote (bad!) despite wanting him gone. She’s likable, sweet and charming, yes, but she even said herself that she didn’t talk strategy with that many people post-merge. But as we’ve seen in the new era, recent juries seem to reward socially adept players and Kenzie certainly feels more like an Erika or Yam Yam than a Natalie Anderson or Kim. She added a lot of personality to the overall season, but in our humble opinion, it should’ve been Charlie.
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Erika Casupanan, Survivor 41
Image Credit: CBS screenshot Don’t blame Season 41’s hourglass fiasco on the woman who wielded the hammer. Sure, the season had a lot of wonky gimmicks, but Erika was able to bob and weave through the new era’s advantage-heavy twists, influencing key votes on the downlow. Her edit seemed to do her game a disservice, but at the end of the day, she deserved the cash. (Read interview.)
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Jenna Morasca, Survivor: The Amazon
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Jenna walked so Parvati could run. Her cutesy, flirt-with-the-boys strategy paid off, though it did wear thin after a while. But she stayed loyal to her tribe and won when she had to, outlasting her biggest competition, the strategically dominant Rob Cesternino. Not bad for a 21 year old from Pennsylvania.
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Maryanne Oketch, Survivor 42
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Maryanne said it herself: You don’t have to be the best player in the season, you just have to be the best player to make it to the end. She was fun, likable and wore her heart on her sleeve, even during the savage blindside of her island bestie Omar. In a season full of gamers and strategists, Maryanne not only came out on top, but was a hoot to watch. (Read interview.)
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Tina Wesson, Survivor: The Australian Outback
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Tina’s loyalty to her original Ogakor tribe and powers of persuasion helped her become the very first woman to win the game of Survivor. Luckily, she attached herself to the castaway winning most of the late-game immunities (Colby Donaldson), so her social prowess also paid off in spades.
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Yam Yam Arocho, Survivor 44
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Yam Yam’s strong connection with the Tika 3 gave his group of underdogs a leg up once the tribes merged into one. Despite being on the bottom, he helped his alliance make it to the Final 4, and when he sat in one of the finale’s hot seats, he was rewarded for being the strategist of his crew. He also gets a few extra scoops of the crispy for being so dang likable. (Read interview.)
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Chris Daugherty, Survivor: Vanuatu
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot In a season that pitted men against women, Chris had to outlast six ladies as the lone male left in the game. The fact that he was able to convince them to eat each other as he slid into the Final 2 more than earns his mid-level spot here.
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Vecepia Towery, Survivor: Marquesas
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Underrated. Vecepia knew exactly when to lay low and when to jump ship, eventually helping the season’s outliers overtake the majority alliance. Can we put some respect on her name?
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Michele Fitzgerald, Survivor: Kaôh Rōng — Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS We get it. We all wanted Aubry to take home the season, but Michele was no slouch! She played a killer social game and remained extremely adaptable in sticky situations. Plus, she used inner tribe drama to her advantage. So while she maybe wasn’t our first choice, she’s generally undervalued as a winner.
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Dee Valladares, Survivor 45
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Dee proved to be a solid winner for the game’s new era. She made close bonds early in the game that carried her deep, while securing her safety with three individual immunity wins, including arguably the most important one — the Final 4 challenge. While she technically was a part of a showmance, she never let her feelings for Austin cloud her judgment; she continued making moves and decisions that benefitted her game over his. And that final Tribal Council performance? Not too shabby! (Read interview.)
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Earl Cole, Survivor: Fiji
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Yes, it was a lackluster season, but Earl’s dominating game was impressive and no one can take that away from him. Bonus points for being the first person to win in a unanimous jury vote!
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Wendell Holland, Survivor: Ghost Island
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Wendell played against a very formidable opponent in Domenick, but his smartest move? Recognizing his competition and teaming up with him. Using each other as shields and for votes, the men slid into the Final 3 together and in a nail-biting tie-vote finish, Wendell eked out the win. Plus, he won the fire-making challenge, so put another feather in the cap of this very capable, strong winner.
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Rob Mariano, Survivor: Redemption Island
Image Credit: CBS screenshot Rob played a stellar game, yes, but it took him four tries to perfect it. Plus, he played against one of the weakest and worst casts of recruits the show has ever seen. In our opinion, this W deserves a bit of an asterisk.
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Sophie Clarke, Survivor: South Pacific
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot Sophie doesn’t get enough credit for her strategic thinking, power of persuasion and overall smarts. Plus, she had to deal with Coach that entire time!
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Ethan Zohn, Survivor: Africa
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Not only did Ethan adeptly navigate the game’s first-ever tribe swap, but his social skills were solid enough to earn him a finalist spot despite losing the last two immunity challenges to Kim Johnson. But at the end, he accomplished what he set out to do: prove that the game can be won with honesty.
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J.T. Thomas Jr., Survivor: Tocantins
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Zero votes for elimination and winning by a unanimous jury vote? No one can take J.T.’s flawless game from him. He also co-created one of the best partnerships the game has ever seen with his alliance-mate Stephen Fishbach. We’ll just pretend his Game Changers and Heroes vs. Villains performances never happened, so we can bask in his very respectable victory here.
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Sarah Lacina, Survivor: Game Changers
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS We always felt that Sarah was voted off Cagayan far too soon, and her second appearance on the show proved us right. In Game Changers, she was more assertive and strategic than ever, finding and correctly playing advantages when it mattered the most. By the time she sat in the finals next to Brad and Troyzan, her win was more or less a done deal.
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Todd Herzog, Survivor: China
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS A strategic threat? Check. Part of a dominating alliance? Check. But that final Tribal Council performance? To quote host Jeff Probst: “That’s how you do it on Survivor!”
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Natalie Anderson, Survivor: San Juan del Sur — Blood vs. Water
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Despite her sister Nadiya becoming the first player voted out of the game, Natalie was able to regroup, forming strong bonds that carried her far in the game. After her ally Jeremy was blindsided, she relied on her physical strength, smarts and tactical gameplay to get to the end and best the competition.
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Jeremy Collins, Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Not even a season of consistently shifting voting blocks could prevent Jeremy from perfecting his second shot at the million. With the help of some cleverly played idols and meat shields Joe and Savage, Jeremy was able to slide right into the Final 3, winning out unanimously against Tasha and Spencer.
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Denise Stapley, Survivor: Philippines
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot The woman attended each and every Tribal Council this season and still survived to tell the tale! She was also a great observer and a master strategist who cut her No. 1 ally Malcolm when he wouldn’t promise her the endgame.
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John Cochran, Survivor: Caramoan — Fans vs. Favorites
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot From his surprising challenge performances to his management of big (and we mean BIG!) personalities, Cochran effectively worked with the Stealth R Us alliance to knock out power players like Andrea and Brenda, and sail his way to the end. While his ally Dawn’s game was largely under-appreciated, nothing could’ve possibly prevented Cochran from running away with the win.
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Tyson Apostol, Survivor: Blood vs. Water
Image Credit: YouTube screenshot Third time was the charm for Tyson, who after essentially voting himself out of Heroes vs. Villains, came back to play in a big way. He never once took his eye off the prize, playing a bold and fearless game once his girlfriend Rachel was voted out. He even faced one of the most dangerous rock draws in the game’s history, which gave him a 1-in-3 chance of being automatically sent to Redemption Island. Ultimately, he survived and his gutsiness inched him even further toward his eventual payday.
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Yul Kwon, Survivor: Cook Islands
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Yul is quite possibly one of the most intelligent players the show has ever seen, which makes it surprising that no one tried to take him out early. He successfully found a hidden immunity idol on Exile Island, which he smartly used to get Jonathan Penner to flip. The pivotal move changed the course of the game for the Aitu 4, and in the end, he narrowly cinched the victory, defeating challenge beast Ozzy by a 5-4 vote.
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Tom Westman, Survivor: Palau
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Following in Ethan’s footsteps, Tom set out to play an honest game, and for the most part he was successful. As Koror absolutely decimated the opposing Ulong, Tom led his tribe using fairness and openness, despite competing in such a vicious game. His five individual immunity wins was impressive as hell. As for his social game? Ian threw the final immunity challenge to him simply because he liked the guy! And it lasted nearly 12 hours. When we talk about what playing a clean Survivor game looks like, Tom’s a prime example.
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Tony Vlachos, Survivor: Cagayan — Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty and Winners at War
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Tony’s game was manic, aggressive and turned up to 11, which is exactly what helped him win the game twice. From eavesdropping in his “spy shacks,” to double-crossing allies and finding a super idol, he was able to conquer one of the best casts Survivor has ever seen (Cagayan). When he returned for Winners at War, he learned from his mistakes on Game Changers and adapted accordingly, solidifying strong bonds and keeping a lower profile. After winning the fire-making challenge and rightfully earning his spot in the finals, not even a returning Edge of Extinction player could diminish his accomplishments. (Plus, he was top notch entertainment!)
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Richard Hatch, Survivor: Borneo
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot Hatch may have been the first reality TV contestant to ever utter the genre-defining word “alliance.” Playing a brand new game no one had ever seen before, he knew he needed allies, and that if a core group of people stuck together, they could carry themselves to the end. And that’s exactly what he did alongside Sue Hawk, Rudy Boesch and Kelly Wiglesworth. He also knew that come merge, he’d need to eliminate Pagong’s most powerful players right off the bat — sorry, Gretchen! — in order to ensure a smooth path to the end. In short, Hatch wrote the blueprint for how to win a competitive reality TV season and frankly, we’re still shocked he didn’t make the cut for Winners at War.
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Parvati Shallow, Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Micronesia is ranked very high on our list of the show’s best seasons, so it makes sense that Parvati would be near the top here, as well. Helping form the Black Widow Brigade, she established one of reality TV‘s only successful all-female alliances, blindsiding an idol-holding Ozzy, while later setting her sights on the rest of the game’s men. She was charming, flirty, manipulative and oh-so-fun to watch. Her third attempt in Heroes vs. Villains may have been even more impressive, leading many to debate whether Parvati instead of Sandra should’ve become the show’s first two-time winner.
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Sandra Diaz-Twine, Survivor: Pearl Islands and Heroes vs. Villains
Image Credit: Paramount+ screenshot With her “anyone but me” strategy, Sandra stayed adaptable during her first outing, persuading her tribe to always look at larger targets in the game instead of her. Her social savviness and cunning gameplay quickly made her a legend, and when she returned for Heroes vs. Villains, she was up for the challenge of taking on some of the show’s biggest and baddest characters, including Russell Hantz, Parvati Shallow, Colby Donaldson and more. Plus — and it’s a biggie — she became the show’s first two-time winner. The queen will always stay queen.
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Kim Spradlin, Survivor: One World
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS While her game may not have been as flashy as some of the others in this Top 10, Kim proved herself to be a triple threat thanks to her well-rounded mix of strategy, social skills and challenge performance. One could compare Kim’s game to Tom’s, but she had far more twists and turns to contend with. Despite One World’s chaotic theme, she stayed the course, aligning herself with other powerful women, while maintaining control the entire time. All of our hats are forever off.
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Most Commented
Sandra and Boston Rob will always be my two favorite winners. Rob should indeed have won All-Stars. I became fond of Sandra because it was the first season I ever watched Survivor and it had Rupert on it. I loved Rupert.
CHRISSY WAS ROBBED!!
The worst part of this article is just recalling all of those bad gimmicky themed shows. Please, Survivor, don’t retread any of those!
I haven’t watched Survivor in years, but my favorite winner from the seasons I watched was Ethan John. Like the previous poster, Lisa H, I also liked Rupert. He was probably my favorite “character”.
Tell Sandra to take that hat off with the rank she never earned or deserved!!
Jealous that you never were military or on Survivor?
Horrible list. Tony is #1 by a mile.
This is the worst list I have ever see. It’s laughable.
I’m not a fan, but Richard Hatch should be at the top. He went in there cold on day one, not knowing what to expect, and dominated and manipulated everyone.
Totally agree.
Anyone that didn’t win their first time playing should be at the bottom of the list.
Then Parvati is rated too high.
Natalie deserved to win over Russell. Anybody who believes otherwise fundamentally does not understand Survivor.
Goodish list otherwise. I think you’ve got DvG’s winner too high though. Angelina carried him and that season on her back over 50 foot high ladders while giving everybpdy rice and asking for nothing but mere jackets in return.
Clearly you don’t remember the dust up between Richard and Sue during All Stars. There’s a reason Richard wasn’t invited to Winners at War and why Survivor will never acknowledge him again.
Parvati is the Queen, I was never a Sandra fan, and I don’t even remember the one you picked at the top. I’d wait in line to let Parvati lie to me.
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Hmmm, Tyson Apostol.., any relation to William Apostol (AKA: Billy MF STRINGS)???
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There are a lot here that I just don’t even remember.
Survivor Wish List:
1) Instruct final jury to eliminate “bitterness” when selecting a winner.
2) Instruct final jury to only ask questions about gameplay. “What are you going to do with the money?” has no relevance in deciding who played the best game.
3) How about some order during tribal council? Probst has allowed them to enter Jerry Springer territory. A little conversation is fine but a talk show / therapy session is too much. No more popcorn and candy either!
4) Return to voting to determine the Final 3! Eliminate the fire challenge.
5) Or better yet… return to a Final 2!
6) How about a global edition of Survivor? Would love to see citizens from other countries play alongside Americans and Canadians.
Only agree with the rankings of about one third of this list. Too many lousey players like Parvarti, Yam Yam, Jenna, Tyson, Natalie A,
Sophie, Adam and others are ranked way too high while much mu
h better players like Jeremy, Earl, Ethan, Boston Rob, Danni, Tony, Tina, Brian and a few others are ranked much to low! Even Dee and Tommy and Kenzie are ranked too high. Earl and Ethan definitely shouldn’t been top 1 & 2!
Honestly this list is such crap. Definitely one person’s opinion, not an overall consensus of many people. I would agree with a few points made, like even though Boston Rob is seen as an Idol of survivor, it did take him 4 tries and some aren’t given as much credit as they deserve. But NO WAY Kim is the #1 winner. She was great in her season, and I like her a lot but c’mon.
It’s tough making these lists, especially when it’s about a reality show that has been proven to have pre-determined factors by producers and where many of the greatest contestants per season haven’t won, so it wasn’t horribly put together by any means. I strongly agree with the bottom three entries and the bottom five entry too. Those were easily the weakest winners ever that won by bitter jury members. Still, in my opinion, there were so many issues with the rest of the rankings.
No joke, I spat out my drink in laughter when I saw #1. I’m sorry, but Kim was a painfully average player who just played with an entire cast of easily the worst, lowest IQ, and most annoying players in Survivor history, in an unbearable and awful season. She wasn’t great and she’s by no means a Parvati 2.0 that people like to overhype her as. She was just one of the only players who knew how to play the game properly. She’s a middle-of-the-pack winner.
The same goes for Natalie and Rob who were unbearable themselves at moments throughout those seasons, similar to how Coach was in that one season where he was like a cult leader, especially Rob’s where it was basically “Survivor: Give Boston Rob A Million Dollars.” Michele should be a low lower on the list too. She was literally a sea shell throughout 95% of the competition, won a couple of challenges at the very end, then won, because the jury hated the other 2 finalists and wanted them to lose, despite playing better games.
While I do agree with some of the high placements for winners who were hated for not being anywhere near the best contestants throughout the seasons, as they were still great ones and some of the better ones that weren’t undeserving, there were other better ones near the bottom of the list you did the opposite with that made no sense to me and are better than around half of the people in the top 20-25.
Survivor: Nicaragua might’ve been an atrocious season and Fabio might’ve only won from benefitting from that and the weak cast and being one of the weakest winners at the time, but he still played a better game than so many other weak winners in later years and still played his strategies well, ones which people praised contestants such as Tina for doing.
Putting him behind Mike is just inexcusable and shows bias for hating on the season rather than judging the contestants on their own merits. Putting some contestants who played a phenomenal game, such as Erika, solely because they were on a bad gimmicky season is also crazy.
In no specific order, Tony, Sandra, Richard, Yul, and Parvati are at the top in my eyes and for each having their different strengths that combine the show perfectly overall. Parvati would probably be #5 though, because she wasn’t amazing and strong enough over others to win on her 1st attempt. Tom also misses out as he got lucky that one dude basically gave up his spot in the finals for him.