Who are the 10 oldest castaways to ever compete on ‘Survivor?’

From 18-year-old Will Wahl to 75-year-old Rudy Boesch, Survivor has had castaways from all different age groups, with one season, Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X, going so far as to pin two different generations against one another in a battle for $1 million and the title of “Sole Survivor.”

In an interview with PEOPLE, the producers of the series shared that there is a minimum age requirement of 16 years old to apply for Survivor. However, there is no maximum age limit. Because of this, who are the oldest castaways to ever compete on the hit competition show and how did they stack up against their tribemates?

After a great deal of internet sleuthing, we pinpointed the ten oldest castaways to ever compete on Survivor. Keep scrolling to see who they are…

Rudy Boesch (72) — Survivor: Borneo and Survivor: All-Stars

Competing on Survivor: Borneo at the age of 72 and Survivor: All-Stars at the age of 75, Rudy Boesch is the oldest castaway in the history of the beloved competition series.

Known for his alliance with Richard Hatch on Survivor: Borneo, the duo made it to the final three alongside Kelly Wiglesworth, but after losing the final Immunity Challenge, Rudy found himself heading to Ponderosa just shy of the finale. With Kelly winning the Immunity Challenge instead, she voted Rudy out on day 38 after deeming him to be too big of a jury threat, ultimately resulting in his third-place finish.

Fortunately, Survivor: Borneo was not the last of Rudy’s journey on Survivor and he returned for Survivor: All-Stars just a few seasons later. Despite aligning with Rupert Boneham and being well-liked by his fellow castaways, Rudy was voted out second due to an ankle injury, as well as concerns about his age — poor guy!

After his journey on Survivor came to a close, Rudy Boesch unfortunately passed away in 2019 at the age of 91.

Joe Del Campo (72) — Survivor: Kaôh Rōng

Joe Del Campo was the first (and only) castaway in his seventies since Rudy Boesch, competing on Survivor: Kaôh Rōng at 72 years old.

Allying with Aubry Bracco, Joe managed to coast his way to the jury on Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, however, in the later stages of the game, things started to go downhill. With his performance in challenges getting worse and worse, as well as his strong temper starting to come to light, Joe became a rather controversial castaway.

Nonetheless, despite rubbing his tribemates the wrong way, the Florida native was not voted out. Instead, his journey on the hit competition show came to a close when he suffered a urinary tract complication, ultimately resulting in his medical evacuation at the final five.

Jimmy Johnson (67) — Survivor: Nicaragua

To this day, Jimmy Johnson is still one of the most recognizable individuals to compete on Survivor due to his success within the sports world. Johnson won two college national championships as a player at the University of Arkansas and a coach at the University of Miami and two Super Bowl championships as a coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Then, at the age of 67. he competed on Survivor: Nicaragua.

Given his football experience, Jimmy was a natural-born leader. As a result, his strong leadership skills caused him to be identified as a threat early on in the game. Because of this, he was voted out on day eight, resulting in an 18th place finish.

Tarzan Smith (64) — Survivor: One World

Tarzan Smith is arguably the most eccentric castaway in Survivor history, competing on Survivor: One World at 64 years old.

Whether he was saying odd things or doing odd things, Tarzan repelled many of his tribemates with his out-of-the-ordinary behavior. With a plan to put his antics aside, stun his fellow castaways, and take home the win during the final tribal council, he ultimately posed himself as a threat towards the end of the game. Because of this, Tarzan was eliminated by his fellow castaways on day 36, resulting in a sixth-place finish.

B.B. Andersen (64) — Survivor: Borneo

B.B. Andersen’s journey on the beloved competition series was less than ideal, to say the least…

Competing on Survivor: Borneo at 64 years old, B.B.’s pushy and overbearing demeanor rubbed his fellow castaways the wrong way very early on in the competition. He was already on thin ice, however, a comment he made that implied that he would not mind being voted out ultimately sealed his fate, causing him to be the second person eliminated from the game on day six.

After competing on Survivor: Borneo, B.B. Andersen unfortunately passed away in 2013 at the age of 77.

Dan Lembo (63) — Survivor: Nicaragua

63-year-old Dan Lembo struggled with challenges during his time on Survivor: Nicaragua, however, his strong social game posed him as a threat, ultimately leading to his demise.

Dan created close bonds with his fellow castaways throughout Survivor: Nicaragua, ultimately allowing him to survive several tribal councils during the pre-merge portion of the game, as well as advance to the post-merge portion of the game. With contestants like Chase Rice and Holly Hoffman believing that Dan would get a lot of votes at the final tribal council since he was friends with everyone on the jury, he was ultimately voted out on day 37, resulting in a fifth-place finish.

After his journey on the beloved competition series came to a close, Dan Lembo unfortunately passed away in 2022, at the age of 75.

Sonja Christopher (63) — Survivor: Borneo

The only woman on our list is Sonja Christopher, who competed on Survivor: Borneo at 63 years old.

Although she was extremely well-liked by her fellow castaways, Sonja proved herself to be a liability in Immunity and Reward Challenges after struggling during the first competition of the season, ultimately causing her tribe, the Tagi tribe, to lose. Being viewed as the weakest link, Sonja was the first person voted out of Survivor: Borneo as a result of her poor performance.

While it is not the greatest legacy to leave, Sonja Christopher has the distinction of being the first person ever voted out on Survivor — how wild is that?

Jim Lynch (63) — Survivor: Guatemala

Unfortunately for Jim Lynch, a few circumstances outside of his control caused him to be the first castaway voted out during Survivor: Guatemala…

Coming in at a whopping 63 years old, Jim not only soon fell ill but tore his bicep as soon as his Survivor journey began. Because of this, he was seen as a liability during the Immunity and Reward Challenges, as well as around camp, causing him to be ousted at the very first tribal council of the season.

Mike Borassi (62) — Survivor: Samoa

For Mike Borassi, his age took a toll on him during his journey on Survivor, discovering early on in the game that a majority of the Immunity and Reward Challenges were too physical for him.

Serving as the oldest castaway on Survivor: Samoa at the age of 62, Mike was medically evacuated on day five after taking numerous hits during an Immunity Challenge, which resulted in him having low blood pressure, as well as being unable to stand or catch his breath — poor guy!

Jake Billingsley (61) — Survivor: Thailand

Last but certainly not least, Jake Billingsley was responsible for creating his own tribe during Survivor: Thailand, the Sook Jai tribe, making the decision to fill his tribe with young, strong players in an attempt to dominate in the Immunity and Reward challenges.

Selecting 23-year-old Robb Zbacnik, 25-year-old Jed Hildebrand, 26-year-old Erin Collins, 27-year-old Penny Ramsey, 28-year-old Shii Ann Huang, 29-year-old Ken Stafford, 29-year-old Stephanie Dill, 61-year-old Jake Billingsley was clearly the outlier, causing conflicting inter-personal relationships to develop. Nonetheless, Jake managed to coast his way to the merge, however, he was eventually eliminated on day 33 and finished in sixth place.

To see these contestants in action, Survivor superfans can stream all 45 seasons of the beloved competition series on Paramount Plus now.