The 15 Best Survivor Contestants Ever

June 9, 2023, midnight

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The 15 Best Survivor Contestants Ever

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Summary Players from the best Survivor seasons are often the most popular, like Sandra Diaz-Twine and Tony Vlachos.

Not all top Survivor contestants win, showing that playing the game multiple times is key to success.

Standout players like Ozzy Lusth and Parvati Shallow maintain popularity despite never winning.

The hit CBS reality series Survivor has introduced some fan-favorite contestants through its 46 seasons. Whether it be a winner or a first boot, there are certain best seasons because specific players competed. After the conclusion of Survivor season 46, the show has given the viewers plenty of players who left as some of the best Survivor contestants.

The best Survivor player is a subjective title, given that many fit the criteria for various reasons. Sometimes, contestants from the best seasons of Survivor are the most popular. Sandra Diaz-Twine could be the most impressive because she won the game twice on her first two tries. However, it could be Tony Vlachos because he defeated a cast of winners. Regardless, it's been proven that the best Survivor contestants don't always win. However, they certainly play more than once.

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15 Jeremy Collins

Survivor Seasons 29, 31, 40

Jeremy Collins competed on Survivor three times and is a top-rated player. His first appearance was in the San Juan del Sur season, alongside his wife, Val. While he didn't win during Survivor: Winners at War season 29, he notably won season 31 in Cambodia. He played with honor and integrity and was the victor in every jury vote.

14 Yul Kwon

Survivor Seasons 13 & 41

Yul Kwon is one of the most innovative players to ever compete on Survivor. He led his alliance of the Aitu 4 to victory despite them being the minority going into the merge. He also found a hidden immunity idol on day 2, which was practically unheard of then.

Yul's case to the jury on why he should win the game was straightforward and organized. He knew he played the best and wanted them to see it that way as well. When he returned for Winners At War, he was an early target because of his reputation for being so intelligent, turning his greatest strength into his ultimate downfall.

13 John Cochran

Survivor Seasons 23 & 26

John Cochran was a super-fan when he competed opposite Survivor legends Ozzy Lusth and Coach Wade on season 23. Despite knowing the ins and outs of the game by heart, he didn't reach victory his first time. He was ousted by Coach's majority alliance post-merge.

When he returned just three seasons later, things completely changed. John saw himself in control of the game, voting out fellow fans (and fan favorites) left and right. He won season 26 unanimously, defeating two other contestants when it came down to the Final Tribal Council. John remained among the smartest people ever to play the game. He was sorely missed on Winners At War.

12 Sarah Lacina

Survivor Seasons 24, 34, 40

Sarah Lacina competed on three seasons of Survivor and is a franchise favorite. She won as an individual in Survivor: Game Changers in 2017, but is also known as the partner of Tony. The undefeated duo was known as "Cops R Us" since both are police officers. Sarah finished fourth in Survivor: Winners at War and was the fourth jury member.

11 Sandra Diaz-Twine

Survivor Seasons 7, 20, 34, 40

Sandra went down in Survivor history in 2010 after being the first person to win the game twice. Even though she wasn't seen as a massive threat from her winning season in Pearl Islands, Sandra's second win proved she was among the best to play. She earned that title and was ready to flaunt it. She is clearly great in terms of strategy, as Sandra went on to complete in The Traitors US season 2. While she didn't win, Sandra did make it to the final five. Only a great Survivor contestant could go that far on The Traitors US.

Sandra was the first person in Survivor history to win twice.

10 Cirie Fields

Survivor Seasons 12, 16, 20, 34

Cirie Fields was robbed of a win in Game Changers after being ousted in one of the most controversial and unfair vote-offs to take place on Survivor. Not only was it her fourth time playing, but she remained under the radar despite being the biggest threat to win the game. Cirie was instantly likable when she appeared on-screen in Survivor: Panama; she was an all-around lovable woman. Cirie was out of her element on the island but quickly transformed into a strategic mastermind. That's why she's gone down in history as one of the greatest Survivor players ever.

Cirie went on to appear in two other strategy-heavy reality shows, Big Brother and The Traitors US. Cirie unsurprisingly won The Traitors US season 1 but placed fifth during Big Brother season 25. She played an amazing strategic game in The Traitors US season 1 as she went undetected as a Traitor until she was announced the winner.

9 Ozzy Lusth

Survivor Seasons 13, 16, 23, 34

Ozzy never won Survivor, but it wasn't because he didn't try. The California native competed on the series on four separate occasions, making it to at least the merge each time. He was a challenge beast and a fan favorite. His fellow contestants often looked up to him and didn't want to vote him out. When they did try to target him, it was often too late. Even though Ozzy never won the game, he gave it his all each time he competed and continuously got invited back.

8 Parvati Shallow

Survivor Seasons 13, 16, 20, 40

Parvati Shallow was labeled as a "flirt" on Cook Islands, and she took that stereotype and ran with it upon returning in Fans Vs. Favorites. She used it to her advantage, manipulating the men (and women) of her tribe into doing anything she said. Then, she got them to award her a million dollars.

Her game was so flawless that it seemed impossible to replicate, but she did it again in Heroes Vs. Villains. Despite not winning that season, she played yet another (nearly) perfect game alongside the biggest villain in Survivor history, Russell Hantz. Parvati's charm and wit on Survivor made her likable, even when she was backstabbing her allies. That's why she is a Survivor idol.

Parvati went on to compete in The Traitors US season 2 alongside Sandra.

Parvati later went on to compete in The Traitors US season 2 alongside fellow Survivor contestant Sandra. Parvati was a Traitor throughout most of the season and used her Survivor tactics to win the game. While it didn't work out for her, Parvati did prove why she won and was such a threat on Survivor.

7 'Boston' Rob Mariano

Survivor Seasons 4, 8, 20, 22, 40

'Boston' Rob Mariano didn't even make the jury the first time he played on season 4, so it was a surprise Rob was invited back for Survivor: All-Stars. However, his second appearance made him a legendary player and classic villain. Rob's showmance-turned-romance with Amber Brkich showed his softer side, while the two took down all their allies to make it to the final two.

Even though he didn't win that season, he kept returning to the show, giving one hundred percent each time. When Rob finally won on Redemption Island, it was because he convinced everyone to trust him. This was unusual for a four-time player to manage, but at least it won him the game.

6 Tony Vlachos

Survivor Seasons 28, 34, 40

Tony Vlachos was a long shot at winning Survivor: Cagayan going into the finale. He was too big of a threat and had made all the big moves that built his Survivor resume. There was no way anyone could beat him if they took him to the end, but somehow Wu did that anyway.

Tony's return in Winners At War had fans believing he'd be first on everyone's hit list, but that was the opposite of true. Instead, Tony went the entire season without a single vote cast against him. He became the second two-time winner of Survivor, winning a season made up of previous champions.

5 Tyson Apostol

Survivor Seasons 12, 18, 27, 40

Tyson Apostol was first introduced on the show during Survivor season 12, also known as Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He didn't win season 18, but Tyson later returned for Survivor: Tocantins (season 18) and Survivor: Blood vs. Water (season 27), the latter of which he won. During his time on the three Survivor seasons, Tyson was seen as a physical threat, which makes sense, seeing as he is a cyclist. However, his physical agility didn't land him very far in the game until Survivor 27.

For season 27, Tyson focused on strategy a lot more, especially after his now wife, Rachel Foulger, was voted off early on. He was able to find two Hidden Immunity Idols thanks to his physical abilities, made alliances, even blindsided brothers, and even eliminated former winner Tina Wesson. All this led Tyson to be the winner of season 27.

He put up an amazing fight and won after two other seasons where he lost. However, Tyson returned for Winners at War (season 40) but was sadly voted out early on. Despite a third loss, Tyson remains one of the greatest Survivor players.

4 Kenzie Petty

Survivor Season 46

Kenzie Petty is the newest addition to the best contestants, as she is the most recent winner of Survivor 46. This season was the first Kenzie has ever played, and she did shockingly well despite Q Burdette completely blowing up the game during the final ten. However, Kenize was well-known for her fantastic social game and made her way through the game this way. Kenzie began the game with the Yanu tribe before the the final ten debacle.

Despite feeling defeated, Kenzie made a four-person alliance and made it to the end. Kenzie made her case at the Final Tribal Council, where she discussed her social game being a threat, making her the Sole Survivor. Kenize proved physical abilities aren't what's needed to win Survivor.

3 Erika Casupanan

Survivor Season 41

Another winner on the list is Erika Casupanan, who won Survivor 41. What makes Erika one of the top Survivor contestants ever is her social strategy and ability to gain sympathy from her fellow players. During the season, Erika found herself alienated from the Luvu tribe early on. To get herself closer to the end, Erika decided during the first post-merge Tribal Council to expose the tribe for having a secret pact against her, getting everyone else to rally against them. This allowed Erika to control the game without anyone's knowledge while everyone went against each other.

Erika had everything a contestant could need to be the Sole Survivor. She had a great social game, was strategic, never had a huge target on her back, and had strength in challenges. Overall, Erika is one of the best Survivor contestants because she has the qualities of a winner.

2 Dee Valladares

Survivor Season 45

Dee Valladares, who won Survivor 45, is another winner who's become one of the best Survivor contestants ever. The reason why Dee is one of the best players is her dominance over the game and how she exercised every type of gameplay to win. Dee began Survivor 45 in the Reba Four alliance and had a good hold over the game, making her one of the best players of the season.

She even had a strong alliance with Julie Alley and a showmance with Austin Li Coon, giving Dee an even better position in the game. Dee won because she commanded the respect of the jury through her physical, social, and strategic gamepaly. Dee gave Survivor her all and won in the end, which was well deserved.

1 Maryanne Oketch

Survivor Season 42

Maryanne Oketch was the winner of Survivor 42 and has become one of the best players in history. While she was initially an outsider due to her big personality, Maryanne took advantage of this later in the game. She began using her emotional side strategically so she wouldn't be viewed as a threat. During the final six, Maryanne really showed she was a contender to win when she used her Extra Vote to blindside fellow Survivor contestant Omar Zaheer.

Maryanne's amazing gameplay took place later in the season, which the other players didn't see coming. She began the game as not much of a threat to the Sole Survivor in the end. Maryanne used her journey throughout the game when pleading her case during the Final Tribal Council, and it won them over, making Maryanne the second Black woman to win Survivor.

Survivor is available to stream on Hulu.