After 45 seasons of Survivor the beloved competition series has had a wide range of champions. So, who are the best and worst Survivor winners of all time?
Survivor has had 43 winners, so only 22 champions can be considered among the best. From a Survivor superfan: the upper echelon, from worst to best.
22: Season 15: Todd Herzog
Todd Herzog delivered one of the best Final Tribal Council performances in Survivor history, and despite the jury being bitter, he managed to earn $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor.”
21: Season 2: Tina Wesson
Despite initially being cast as an alternate, Tina Wesson played a strong matriarch of her tribe on Survivor: The Australian Outback. She convinced her ally Colby to bring her to the Final Tribal Council. Colby obliged, and he was ultimately beaten by Tina.
20. Season 45: Dee Valladares
Dee Valladares dominated Survivor 45 from start to finish. Forming a strong alliance with her Reba tribemates from day one. Manipulating her allies all while remaining in their good graces allowed Dee to make it to the Final Tribal Council and be crowned the champion.
19. Season 33: Adam Klein
Adam Klein from Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X doesn’t get enough credit for his win. In my opinion, Adam was overshadowed by a great player all season long, causing him to be overlooked as a winner by several Survivor superfans.
18. Season 30: Mike Holloway
While Mike rubbed some of his tribemates the wrong way during the auction, he dominated challenges and secured his spot at the Final Tribal Council. A non-bitter jury saved the day, rewarding Mike Holloway as “Sole Survivor”.
17. Season 35: Ben Driebergen
I respect Survivor winners who fought for victory, and Ben Driebergen had to win. Despite his infamous “Ben Bombs” alienating his tribemates he secured his Final Council spot and was crowned champion of Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers.
16. Season 37: Nick Wilson
Nick Wilson’s victory was impressive. A strong social and strategic game snagged him his victory, making him a winner for the Survivor history books.
15. Season 1: Richard Hatch
The OG “Sole Survivor,” Richard Hatch set the precedent for how to play Survivor. The original castaways had it easier than today’s contestants but Richard set the blueprint for Survivor winners, and he had to be towards the top.
14. Season 13: Yul Kwon
Yul Kwon was the first Asian-American winner in Survivor history. Depending on whether or not you value strength or strategy on Survivor, some may say that he was undeserving, but he was a worthy winner.
13. Season 25: Denise Stapley
With a superb social game, Denise survived tribal council after tribal council. While all three finalists were berated by the jury for different reasons, Denise was rightly crowned the champion.
12. Season 10: Tom Westman
Tom Westman was a leader from start to finish. “You met the real Tom Westman, good or bad,” he famously said at the Final Tribal Council, and his honesty and vulnerability saw him crowned the champion.
11. Season 24: Kim Spradlin
Kim Spradlin steamrolled Survivor: One World, but how would she have stacked up against some stronger players? The world may never know…
10. Season 22: “Boston” Rob Mariano
Rounding out the top ten is “Boston” Rob Mariano, the winner of Survivor: Redemption Island. He takes the number ten spot on our list because he has played five times and only won once.
9. Season 27: Tyson Apostol
Tyson Apostol has played four times and only won once. While Apostol is one of my favorite winners, he’s towards the bottom of our top ten because of his unimpressive ratio of wins to losses
8. Season 29: Natalie Anderson
Natalie won Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, by outwitting her fellow castaways. Her talents were shown again in Survivor: Winners at War and Natalie undoubtedly deserves a spot in the top ten.
7. Season 34: Sarah Lacina
Sarah was crowned the champion of Survivor: Game Changers after competing in Survivor: Cagayan. She played a cutthroat game and her skills solidify her spot as one of the most dominant female castaways
6. Season 16: Parvati Shallow
Parvati made Survivor history by using her flirtatiousness to climb her way to the top, manipulating man after man over her four appearances. She is truly a Survivor trailblazer!
5. Season 31: Jeremy Collins
Jeremy finally got a taste of victory at the end of Survivor: Cambodia. He dominated the game and secured every vote at the Final Tribal Council. His victory was one of the most deserved in Survivor history and also one of the most exciting.
4. Season 26: John Cochran
John Cochran played a perfect game in Survivor: Caramoan, proving that even nerds can become GOATs. he’s since become one of the faces of the franchise, with longtime host Jeff Probst deeming him to be potentially his favorite castaway in Survivor history.
3. Season 18: J.T. Thomas
J.T. was just too likable throughout Survivor: Tocantins, to the point where his tribemates were putting their games at risk to help him out. He eventually emerged as one of the most dominant winners ever, while remaining in the good graces of everyone on the jury.
2. Seasons 7 and 20: Sandra Diaz-Twine
The first castaway to win twice, Sandra is the most dominant female castaway in Survivor history, becoming one of the faces of the franchise. Sandra has repeatedly proved to be a strategic mastermind and master manipulator, despite lacking in the social and physical areas of the game.
1. Seasons 28 and 40: Tony Vlachos
The Survivor GOAT is the one and only Tony Vlachos. If beating 19 other Survivor winners in Winners at War isn’t proof that he is the greatest winner of all time, we don’t know what is!