As Season 42 of Survivor rages on, and in the aftermath of the show's biggest season: Winners at War, the series has sent a massive number of castaways off to exotic locations in places like Fiji and Borneo. Castaways have ranged from young to old, super strong to superfan, and celebrity to unknown.
But, of the hundreds of players who have made the long journey to try to become the Sole Survivor, only a few have succeeded, and only a few will be ed as the greatest castaways to ever play.
Cirie Fields
Regularly hailed as the best to never win, Cirie Fields starred in Survivor: Panama, Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains, and Game Changers. Having placed in the top 10 in three different seasons, Cirie is often regarded as one of the greatest strategic threats. Though not gifted in challenge performance, her ability to walk circles around the rest of the cast strategically can't be disregarded.
Cirie has had her share of disappointments on the show, unfortunately, losing Game Changers in one of the most controversial vote-outs in Survivor history, culminating in her elimination without a single vote cast. But as one Reddit , SoulExecution, put it, "The one time this woman was voted out no strings attached was in [Heroes vs. Villains]... and even then they had to use an idol!"
Earl Cole
The winner of Fiji, Earl managed one of the greatest comebacks in the show's history by rising from a winless tribe to take the victory. A social player through and through, Earl managed to cultivate strong alliances on the way to becoming the first unanimous winner in Survivor history.
Many Survivor fans on Reddit agree that he may be one of the greatest to ever play. Reddit Flinion says, "Earl is an underrated pick here. Had only watched, like, one episode going in and gave us one of the best social games ever." The only disappointing part of Earl's game is that fans weren't able to see him return in future seasons due to scheduling issues.
Kim Spradlin
Few castaways have dominated a season quite like Kim Spradlin. A competitor in One World and Winners at War, Kim was best known for a social game that had her controlling every aspect of her tribe in One World. She was also a huge challenge threat, who procured both an Idol and the Fan Favorite Award.
As Reddit MinionBanana37 says, "She is one of only like four players to be absolutely fantastic at all three important facets in the game. She is great at challenges, great socially, and great strategically...Kim is the only one that doesn’t have a significant flaw..." It's hard to state just how dominant Kim was, but a 7-2-0 jury vote is hard to deny.
Natalie Anderson
The winner of San Juan del Sur and a competitor in Winners at War, after her twin sister, as well as her ally Jeremy Collins, were voted out of the game, Natalie was a player motivated by revenge in her first season. She was "a scrappy player, physical threat, able to sway people, driven, and a well rounded impressive player," says Reddit b0nk3r00.
In one key move, she pulled off one of the most iconic blindsides in Survivor history on her way to victory. She also survived 33 days on the Edge, nearly taking another victory over Tony. Few players have had the threat level of Natalie and still managed to reach the Final Jury twice, and it's why she's one of the best.
Richard Hatch
As the first Survivor winner, Richard Hatch didn't have the advantage of modern players who can watch old seasons and learn the tricks of the trade. A competitor in Borneo and All-Stars, Hatch was considered the "snake" of the first season, but his gameplay was still impressive, considering he was up against one of the best season casts in Survivor.
"Without him there is no Survivor," says Reddit EnricoPallazzo22. "He had no playbook and put together the first successful alliance...Other players have been building on what he did." By helping to invent the concept of alliances and by establishing the show's culture as the first great villain, Hatch earned his legacy.
Parvati Shallow
Parvati competed in Cook Islands, Heroes vs. Villains, and Winners at War, taking the Sole Survivor crown in Micronesia. "In general, she's one of the most well rounded players ever," says Reddit vikey96. "Great in challenges, strategically, and socially...Then she was immediately deemed the most dangerous player and targeted from the beginning in her 2nd and 3rd seasons, and yet made it all the way to the end in both."
Well-known for popularizing the strategies of all-women alliances that tribes still fear today, Parvati's social game also helped carry her into the end-game in several seasons, even though players already knew her tricks. It's a crowning achievement to make it to the Final Jury once, and Parvati managed it twice.
Sandra Diaz-Twine
The Queen of Survivor, Sandra won Pearl Islands and Heroes vs. Villains and competed in Game Changers and Winners at War. She even took the chance to prove that she was one of the best moms to play Survivor by taking part in Australia's Survivor: Blood vs. Water alongside her daughter. Well regarded for her unique disposition, Sandra also popularized the "anyone but me" strategy at Tribal Council.
"Don't matter how you outplay or outwit," Reddit Due_Outside_1459 says, "it's whether you can outlast to FTC, and state your case to the jury and she did both times." Despite a weak challenge game, Sandra managed what hundreds of other players haven't and what dozens of other winners haven't been able to do.
"Boston" Rob Mariano
Most Survivor fans know the name "Boston Rob." The dominant winner of Redemption Island, he also competed in Marquesas, Heroes vs. Villains, Winners at War, and All-Stars. Boston Rob forced absolute submission from his tribes and led them to victory after victory.
As Reddit No_Clue2972 says, "He played probably the 2 best games ever on All Stars and Redemption Island. He is impeccable in all 3 major aspects of play- strategic, social, and physical." Even further, in his role in Heroes vs. Villains, he helped propel the Villains tribe along a path that would help his underdog tribe take all three of the top spots at the Final Tribal.
David Genat
While most American Survivor fans may not know who David is, Australian Survivor fans often call him the Golden God. After competing in Australia's Champions vs. Contenders, David became the first player to hold two idols at once in All-Stars, while also securing strong social bonds and an excellent challenge performance before winning by an 8-1 vote.
"[David] was a Tony level talent...who was great at challenges. If you wanted to create the perfect Survivor player in a lab, it would come out looking something like David," says Australian Survivor is better than the U.S. version, many would go so far as to call David the greatest of all time.
Tony Vlachos
The King of Survivor, Tony was the winner of Winners at War and the much-loved Cagayan. A New Jersey cop best known for his spy shacks, Tony is one of the most fun castaways to ever play. When he isn't bellowing like a llama, he's throwing around a bag of tricks, scheming with other unbreakably loyal players, and blindsiding people who trust him to the grave.
"He was a threat (as was everyone) and he should have been voted out early...he realizes if he comes in playing his game of running around... he's gone," says Redditor Orange_Sherbet. "So he needs to just sit at camp... and wait for his target to die down before he can do that, AND THEN HE EXECUTES IT ALL PERFECTLY." No player has ever excelled at the quiet game and the wild game quite like Tony, and it's why he's one of — if not the — best.