The 10 best ‘Survivor’ players of all time

With an official release date for Survivor 45, we will definitely be in Survivor-mode until further notice.

With 44 seasons in the books (some better than others, but you did not hear that from us), we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to Survivor players, however, this poses an age old question: Who are the best competitors to ever step foot on the beach?

While we count down the days until the premiere of Survivor 45 on Sept. 27th, keep scrolling to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on 10 of the greatest castaways to date.

‘Boston’ Rob Mariano (Marquesas, All-Stars, Heroes vs. Villains, Redemption Island, Winners at War)

If you think of Survivor’s greatest players of all time, chances are Rob Mariano (aka “Boston Rob”) instantly comes to mind.

The Survivor legend was awarded the title of “Sole Survivor” due to his dominant gameplay on Survivor: Redemption Island, and he has also served as a top-notch competitor on Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Winners at War.

As if competing on five seasons was not enough, Rob was even brought back to serve as a mentor on Survivor: Island of the Idols alongside the one and only Sandra Diaz-Twine. With a giant statue of his head brought to life by the Survivor team, there’s no arguing that he is one of the most prominent figures to come out of the franchise.

While he has competed numerous times, the quality of Rob’s gameplay is what makes him one of the Survivor greats, not the quantity. Aside from being dominant in challenges, his ability to use his charisma and charm to his advantage has allowed him to have control over his tribemates, making him a force to be reckoned with each and every time he has stepped foot on the beach.

Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pearl Islands, Heroes vs. Villains, Game Changers, Winners at War, Blood vs. Water)

There is a reason Sandra Diaz-Twine calls herself the queen of Survivor!

Aside from serving as a mentor on Survivor: Island of the Idols alongside Rob Mariano, Sandra has competed on Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (winning each season, respectively), as well as Survivor: Game Changers and Survivor: Winners at War. She even ventured down under to compete on Australian Survivor: Blood vs. Water alongside her daughter, Alanna “Nina” Twine.

Making history as the first two-time Survivor champion, Sandra Diaz-Twine is considered one of the competition show’s most iconic castaways, despite her subpar performance in challenges. With a polarizing personality that may be uninviting to some, her ability to outwit her tribemates with her savvy gameplay has allowed her to advance further in the game each and every time she has played, ultimately allowing her to emerge as victorious back-to-back.

Known as the franchise’s biggest villain after winning Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Sandra Diaz-Twine set a precedent that often reigns true on Survivor: Nice guys (or girls) always finish last.

Jeremy Collins (San Juan Del Sur, Cambodia, Winners at War)

Jeremy Collins is the blueprint of a well-rounded Survivor player, serving as a strong social, strategic, and physical threat all three times he has stepped foot on the beach.

Bringing his fantastic gameplay to Survivor: San Juan Del Sur and Survivor: Winners at War, as well as taking home the title of “Sole Survivor” on Survivor: Cambodia, Jeremy Collins’ honest, noble gameplay is what has truly allowed him to stand out among his fellow castaways, despite being an obvious challenge threat (Have you seen those muscles?).

Prior to competing on Survivor: Winners at War together, Jeremy’s longtime friend and fellow Survivor champion, Wendell Holland, deemed him to be the greatest winner of all time in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“The best Survivor winner ever is Jeremy Collins. Man, there’s something about that guy. I’ve told people, I thought that when I walk into a room, I can light up the room. I’ll make people happy, or whatever. When I see Jeremy Collins walk into a room, it’s just like, yo, he’s on another level. If we walk in there together, all eyes are on Jeremy. There’s just something about him, and then he’s also a beast of a competitor.”

Natalie Anderson (San Juan del Sur, Winners at War)

Aside from the Survivor queen, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Natalie Anderson is yet another female Survivor player who is (for lack of a better term) a bad b****.

Despite her twin sister, Nadiya Anderson, being the first person eliminated in Survivor: San Juan del Sur, Natalie emerged as victorious, proving that she is a force to be reckoned with within the Survivor franchise by showcasing her ability to outwit, outplay, and outlast her fellow competitors.

Returning to compete on Survivor: Winners at War, the two-time player has shown that she is a savvy castaway who doubles as a challenge beast who is always capable of finding any given advantage. Having been eliminated first and forced to survive 33 miserable days on the Edge of Extinction, then returning to the game at the very end and still managing to earn five votes at the final tribal council, is there anything Natalie can’t do?

Tony Vlachos (Cagayan, Game Changers, Winners at War)

Earning the title of “Sole Survivor” for an all-winners season, Tony Vlachos is often considered the king of the competition series.

The police officer has emerged as victorious on both Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War, appearing on Survivor: Game Changers in between and losing to his three-time ally, Sarah Lacina.

While his gameplay tends to be chaotic, riddled with backstabbing and dishonesty, Tony is truly a one-of-a-kind castaway whose strategy (or lack thereof) is mesmerizing to watch. Survivor host Jeff Probst summed it up best in an exclusive interview with Parade, deeming him as one of the best Survivor winners:

“I like Tony because he’s unlike any winner we’ve ever had. He’s the Tasmanian Devil. He played an incredibly reckless game, but he was so gifted that he could make a mistake and recover because he was lapping you, so that he was able to actually catch back up and fix his mistake. It’s almost like he had his own time machine. I’ve never seen anyone play with that much energy and juggle that many balls at once, and pull it all off,”

Sarah Lacina (Cagayan, Game Changers, Winners at War)

We can’t have Tony Vlachos on this list without including the one and only Sarah Lacina!

Serving as the second half of the iconic “Cops R Us” alliance, Sarah Lacina lost to Tony Vlachos on Survivor: Cagayan and Survivor: Winners at War. However, she knocked him out of the game early in Survivor: Game Changers, ultimately causing her to stand out as a strong individual competitor.

From finding advantages to winning challenges to orchestrating blindsides and beyond, Sarah serves as the perfect combination of a social, strategic, and physical player, all while adding some much-needed girl power to the Survivor franchise.

Concluding her Survivor journey (for now) on Survivor: Winners at War with a powerful speech centered around female empowerment, as well as a nail-biter of a fire-making challenge and a devastating loss against Tony, her longtime friend and ally, Sarah (or should we just say Lacina?) has gone down in history as one of the most memorable castaways of all time. 

Fortunately, we have not seen the last of Sarah! Moving on from Survivor, she is now a force to be reckoned with on CBS‘ The Challenge, winning season one of The Challenge: USA alongside her fellow Survivor alum, Danny McCray, as well as serving as a finalist on The Challenge: World Championship.

With a win on both Survivor AND The Challenge, who knows what Sarah Lacina will accomplish next!

Parvati Shallow (Cook Islands, Micronesia, Heroes vs. Villains, Winners at War)

Another strong female castaway is the one and only Parvati Shallow, a legendary player who used her femininity to her advantage throughout her time on Survivor, ultimately creating a one-of-a-kind strategy that has been tied to her name ever since her debut back in 2006.

Competing on Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Winners at War, Parvati added a never-been-seen-before element to the competition series: flirting.

Using her looks and her flirtatious personality to manipulate those around her (James Clements, Nate Gonzalez, Adam Gentry… the list goes on), Parvati captured the hearts of her male tribemates and Survivor fans alike, ultimately causing her to be everyone’s Survivor crush. Even Nick Wilson, the winner of Survivor: David vs. Goliath, has admitted to having a thing for Parvati throughout his youth!

With a unique strategy that earned her the title of “Sole Survivor” on Survivor: Micronesia, Parvati paved the way for all future castaways who want to flirt their way to the top.

Yul Kwon (Cook Islands, Winners at War)

Even though his win feels like ages ago (17 years ago, to be exact), Yul Kwon is still one of the greatest castaways to come out of the Survivor franchise, beating out Parvati Shallow on Survivor: Cook Islands and coming out of retirement for Survivor: Winners at War.

Yul is known for being one of the most peaceful Survivor players to ever have success within the show, with his kindness and quiet leadership allowing him to gain the respect of his fellow tribemates, ultimately leading to his victory.

Serving as the first Asian-American winner to come out of the competition series, Yul has gone down in history as one of the most legendary Survivor players (and winners) of all time, playing an extremely honorable game both times he has stepped foot on the beach.

Rick Devens (Edge of Extinction)

We could not have our list consist of ONLY winners! Competing on just one season of the beloved show (hopefully with even more to come), Rick Devens is arguably one of the best Survivor players who has never taken home the title of “Sole Survivor.”

Prior to competing on Survivor: Winners at War, Amber Brkich, Tyson Apostol, and Kim Spradlin, reinforced our opinion by deeming Rick Devens as “the best player to never win” in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Amber shared, “Just recently, [Rick] Devens was a really good player. He went out of the game, got back in the game. He really played his heart out. He was entertaining. He was funny. I’m a big fan of his,” Amber shared, while Tyson expressed a slightly different viewpoint.

“The best player to never win the game? That’s tricky. Rick Devens put on a show last season. Recently, I would have to say him. I think he had it stolen, but he also made a fatal misstep and that’s part of the learning curve. If he comes out again, he won’t make that same mistake,” he dished.

After making a few mistakes early on in the game, Rick was eliminated fourth on his season, however, his redemption arc began on the Edge of Extinction. Returning to the game at the merge, Rick played the game far more aggressively his second time around, escaping elimination tribal council after tribal council by winning four immunity challenges, finding three hidden immunity idols, and even crafting fake hidden immunity idols to hide around camp.

An infamous fire-making challenge against Chris Underwood, the winner of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, is the one thing that caused him to fall short of victory, however, Rick Devens’ remarkable gameplay made him stand out as a Survivor contestant who was “robbed” of a million-dollar check.

David Wright (Millennials vs. Gen X, Edge of Extinction)

There has yet to be a competitor quite like David Wright! Doubling as Rick Devens’ ally on Survivor: Edge of Extinction, he is yet another castaway who has not won the game, however, he has captured the hearts of Survivor fans and players alike.

Competing in both Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and Survivor: Edge of Extinction, David entered the competition paranoid and afraid of everything (swimming, bugs, and even life itself). By winning immunity challenges, finding (and hiding) hidden immunity idols, orchestrating several blindsides, and more, David conquered his fears throughout his Survivor journey, ultimately emerging as a social, strategic, and physical threat.

The growth David experienced throughout his Survivor journey is truly unmatched, making him one of the most memorable castaways the franchise has ever seen, with a heartfelt story that is sure to tug on your heartstrings.