Top 10 Survivor Players of All-Time
NOTE: All players ranked must have played at least two times.
10. OZZY LUSTH
The first of 3 players who have yet to win is fan favorite Ozzy. Ozzy is widely regarded as the biggest challenge beast in the history of Survivor. While he may lack in the strategy department, he makes up for it by being a food supplier for his tribes, physical prowess, and just generally being a likable and “chill” personality. What gives him a spot on this list is the fact that Ozzy has almost won this game on three separate occasions. Between being one vote away from winning in Cook Islands, losing the last immunity challenge in South Pacific, and being blinded with an idol in his pocket near the endgame in Micronesia, he has been just short of greatness. He has also never missed the jury phase of the game despite being voted out a total of five times.
9. SPENCER BLEDSOE
Spencer Bledsoe may be my favorite survivor player in history so this could come across as a generous ranking to some but I’ll make my case. Spencer has placed 2nd and 4th in two of the most stacked casted seasons in the show and if a couple more challenges went his way then we would be talking him up as a top 5 player. Spencer knows this game better than anyone on this list (almost to his disadvantage) and that allows him to survive by the skin of his teeth in an insane amount of close votes in both of his seasons. Spencer is also surprisingly a great challenge competition with three immunity wins in both seasons along with finding an idol. Lastly, he was the most likely threat to defeat Tony in Cagayan even when his social game lacked awareness and humility and that’s something he managed to improve on greatly by showing his emotions in second chance. Too bad he didn’t take out Jeremy.
8. NATALIE ANDERSON
Jeremy’s island best friend, Natalie Anderson did manage to find a way to victory in her first and almost second season as well in Winner at War. Natalie has the most satisfying revenge arc in Survivor when she took out Jon in San Juan Del Sur after weeks of patience. Natalie goes for the jugular and plays hard which the jury both times has really respected. If she did not get voted out 1st in her second appearance before returning somewhat cheaply then she would easily be top three. Also, fun fact: she has the highest average placement in history with a 1.5.
7. KIM SPRADLIN
Natalie’s Winner at War companion Kim had a tough time in that season when everybody was so scared of her that they refused to work on any votes. yet, somehow she made her way to 8th place a a massive threat which doesn’t sound great on paper but was quite impressive. However, her sheer dominance in One World was just a sight to behold. Kim’s stranglehold on the game while being on no one’s radar was almost too easy. She even tied the woman’s immunity record to top it off.
6. CIRIE FIELDS
The last of the non-winners is everyone’s go to pick for most robbed Survivor Players of all-time. I mean just listen to the method of her eviction in each of her seasons:
Season 12-loses fire-making at final four
Season 16-surprise final two-3rd place
Season 20-idoled out
season 34-Every other player played advantage-out by default in sixth place
That list is almost comical and doesn’t deserve to happen to someone as beloved as Cirie. She was a strategic mastermind who used her lovable self as ammo to cut people’s throats. As the one responsible for the iconic Erik blindside in Micronesia and the creation of the 3-2-1 vote split, she is an absolute legend.
5. JEREMY COLLINS
We have now reached the top five where only winners belong. Jeremy barely misses out on the Mount Rushmore only due to not being as iconic as the players below. Jeremy played a “perfect game” in Second chance against possibly the most game-bot player ever along with making the jury as a huge threat in his other two efforts giving him a spot here. He coined the “meat-shield strategy that players would incorporate in later seasons as well. Lastly, Jeremy won challenges when it mattered and was super hard not to like by fans and players alike.
4. BOSTON ROB
I didn’t love the idea of putting Boston Rob on the Mount Rushmore but you can’t have survivor without the mob boss. Sure, it took him four tries to win, but let’s be for real he deserved that All-Stars W as well (sorry Amber). Nobody has played a more successful aggressive strategy than rob before. As a ruthless yet loyal leader to his alliances, he stroke fear into them so that they would not stray from him in a way that shockingly works quite well on more than a few occasions.
3. PARVATI SHALLOW
It was an absolute treat to see Parvati back at Winners at War as a completely new person with kids and a family. It was a real 180 from the old flirtatious and devious competitor back in the old era. Parvati was the biggest threat from the jump in THREE of her four seasons and managed to almost win two all returnee seasons. If art wasn't for a bitter jury we might have her at #1. We also can’t have her above the person that just ended her out in heroes vs villains. That second place showing was incredible work consisting of the iconic double idol play that gave the villains the numbers post-merge and should have given her the win.
2. SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE
“Anyone but me.” that was the strategy Sandra used in her first two attempts both resulting in victory for her. She was notoriously bad at the physical portion of Survivor, so she had to play her own type of game. It allowed her to have plenty of options at each vote and just take things one by one. The jury never took these evictions personal as a result so that they would have to vote for her over the generally unlikeable final tribal castaways that she went against which is incredibly sly. The first two-time winner and self-proclaimed Queen of the show was never going to be ranked lower. Sandra would have been the GOAT if it wasn’t for her poor performances in her last two seasons.
TONY VLACHOS
Alas, we have the King of Surivor: Tony Vlachos. As the winner of the best newbie season and the all-winners edition - this was really never in question. Tony played the most openly intense game the show has ever seen and it wildly works out for him two times out of three. He was well-rounded in all facets of the game while also giving us some of the best entertainment of anyone whether it be through his ladder, spy shacks, or speaking llama. It’s only a matter of time until we have another two-time winner, but it’s gonna be hard to beat the man.
