Content Warning: The following articles contains discussions of animal and child abuse, transphobia, bullying.
Over the past two decades of Survivor, it's been hard to come by a season that was completely bad. There have been a few where maybe the winner didn't feel right, the theme was a little cringey, or the cast was lacking in excitement, but very few were fully soured. However, when a problematic contestant plays the game, it can ruin the whole season for viewers and other competitors.
These Survivor contestants can be defined as those who caused an uncomfortable amount of chaos on the island or did terrible things outside of the game. They have the ability to make a whole season bad or hard to rewatch, simply with their presence and longevity in the game.
South Pacific (Season 23)
Brandon Hantz
Viewers were excited to see Brandon Hantz follow in the footsteps of his uncle, notorious Survivor villain Russell Hantz on the 23rd season of the hit reality series. However, Brandon proved early on that he was not nearly as savvy on the game as Russell, and actually made the already mediocre season worse.
Brandon struggled to separate the game from his personal life and failed to implement any kind of strategy. This rang especially true when he campaigned to get Mikayla Wingle eliminated, despite her being one of the strongest of his tribe. Brandon's own sexist beliefs (he was uncomfortable looking at Mikayla when he had a wife back home) ruined Mikayla's game, his own game, and the season.
Thailand (Season 5)
Brian Heidik
Thailand is regarded as one of the worst in Survivor history, one of the reasons being that the winner was used car salesman, Brian Heidik.
Brian Heidik was a boring and unlikable winner during the airing of the season, but his behavior after the show made him go down as a truly terrible one. According to CBS, in 2006, Brian was arrested for shooting a puppy with an arrow. He reportedly fled the scene upon police arrival. Rewatching the season has proved difficult for fans, who can't seem to bring themselves to be satisfied with a winner convicted of animal cruelty.
Nicaragua (Season 21)
NaOnka Mixon
NaOnka Mixon competed in the Nicaragua season and changed the precedent set for players who make decide to quit Survivor post-merge. When she and "Purple" Kelly Shinn opted out of the game with only a few days left and were still allowed to serve as jury , the show decided that would be the last time that was going to be allowed.
NaOnka's quit so late in the game wasn't the only thing that made Nicaragua a low-tier season; it was also her negative attitude and abrasiveness toward other players. Her disinterest in the game and hostility toward other players soured a majority of the season, especially because she lasted 28 days.
China (Season 15)
Jean-Robert Bellande
Despite China being a fun season full of blindsides and a satisfying winner, poker player Jean-Robert Bellande made it unbearable. The sexual and degrading comments he made toward Courtney Yates, who voiced her concern and discomfort multiple times to him and to cameras, were inappropriate and disturbing.
In the end, Courtney got the last laugh by winning more immunity challenges than Jean-Robert and being able to vote him out, but most episodes featured him treating the women on his tribe as lesser than and saying things that should never have been allowed or aired on television.
One World (Season 24)
Colton Cumbie
Colton Cumbie was an iconic Survivor villain during the early 2010s, appearing on both One World and Blood vs. Water. He also happened to quit both seasons, though he was technically medically evacuated on season 24 after complaining of abdominal pain.
At first, Colton's antics and trash-talking were entertaining to fans, giving them someone to root against on One World. However, his negativity quickly became toxic, as did his racist comments toward fellow tribemate Bill Posley. Despite being evacuated on day 16, Colton managed to sour the whole season with his unlikable personality and mistreatment of others.
Guatemala (Season 11)
Stephenie LaGrossa
Stephenie LaGrossa was America's sweetheart when she competed on Palau, managing to outlive her cursed Survivor tribe and go on to place seventh. Stephenie's journey was inspiring and made her a Survivor hero, but when she returned as a tribe captain the following season, her likability was nonexistent.
On Guatemala, Stephenie played more ruthlessly, and by doing so alienated herself from other players by betraying her closest allies and being a bit of a mean girl. She made several homophobic and ableist comments in confessionals and conversations with fellow contestants, something that wasn't too frowned upon at the time but has since aged very poorly, making the season hard to rewatch.
Game Changers (Season 34)
Jeff Varner
Jeff Varner was a relatively run-of-the-mill contestant when he competed on season 2 of Survivor. When he returned for Second Chance nearly fifteen years later, fans had a newfound appreciation for him and his growth in the game. When he came back for a third time in Game Changers, he ruined his reputation and the season.
Jeff infamously outed his fellow tribe-mate Zeke Smith as transgender during a tribal council, likening Zeke keeping that information to himself to being untrustworthy in the game of Survivor. Fans and players were outraged by Jeff being such an out-of-touch Survivor player and were thankful that he was eliminated that night. However, with Jeff's actions, the season had already gotten off to a rough start, and was unable to recover.
Caramoan (Season 26)
Brandon Hantz
Brandon Hantz may have made South Pacific unbearable by lasting until day 35, but he managed to make his second season, Caramoan even worse despite only surviving 13 days.
Survivor was just not Brandon's game to play, and he proved once again that the social aspects of the show were not his cup of tea. Brandon unleashed on his tribe after clashing with Philip's leadership, pouring all of their rice into the fire and going off the rails at an immunity challenge, having to be held back by host Jeff Probst in the heat of his anger. The toxicity of Brandon's outburst was hard to watch, as was the rest of the season.
Philippines (Season 25)
Michael Skupin
Michael Skupin was beloved by fans of The Australian Outback, with many being heartbroken after he was medically evacuated due to falling into the fire he was tending to at camp. He got a second chance at the game on season 25, and ended up making it until day 39.
It wasn't Skupin's actions on his second season that made it unbearable, but the news that came out about him after the fact. According to People, he was convicted of child pornography in 2016 and served one year in prison. His horrific, problematic behavior ruined all of Survivor: Philippines because he appears in every episode and ends up in the final three, making him unavoidable when rewatching the season.
Island Of The Idols (Season 39)
Dan Spilo
Dan Spilo initially had a strange edit on season 39 of Survivor, but his near-invisibility made a lot of sense during the merge episode when fellow contestant Kellee Kim revealed that Dan had repeatedly touched her inappropriately while on the island.
When Kellee brought these concerns up to producers and her fellow tribemates, her experience with Dan was disregarded and she was sent home with two idols in her possession. Dan was removed from the game at the final six without much explanation, except for a note on-screen that he had touched a member of the crew inappropriately as well. Dan lasting so long before being removed from the game was ridiculous and damaging to both the contestants, fans, and the season as a whole.