After 45 seasons,Survivoris still among the most watched reality shows on the planet.Many would say it’s more than a reality competition, involving real struggle and wit that justify its slogan “Outwit, outplay, outlast.” As 18 people fight harsh living conditions in a camp surrounded by wildlife, they’re often subjected tointense physical challengesthat either provide prize sustenance or save them from getting voted out and finishingSurvivorsooner than they want.
These conditions should be enough to get people to work together to overcome hardship, but they instead createskilled, savvy, and crafty contestants that fight their way throughthe tough times and keep their heads in the game. Out of those 18 people, only three end up in the finals, and only one becomes theSole Survivor. Not everyone can get to the end, but so far, there have been players who beat the odds despite unusual strategies. As the 4th generation of Survivor comes midway,seasons 41 to 45 returned the show to its old glory, and some contestants beat their own odds, remaining in the game longer than other contestants, or even audiences, predicted.
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
10Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt
Season 44 Finalist
Season 44 brought on a generation ofSurvivorplayers that gave fans back their faith in the future of the game. Despite some barely memorable seasons in the 3rd generation, it seems that the 2020s gave fans the much-needed gameplay and strategy they’d been expecting.Heidi Lagares-Greenblattis one of those players. She was the oldest female player of season 44, andwon the fire-making challenge that helped her get to the Final Three. How did Heidi beat the odds? Her loyalty was faultless, and she always tried to be honest but covert. This isn’t always the best type of gameplay (and notthe typical winner profile inSurvivor), but Heidi’s will to be the Sole Survivor kicked in just as she was facing the possibility of not being in the Final Three.
Heidi won the Final Immunity Challenge, making herself the first woman thus far (Dee Valladareswas the 2nd in season 45) to win the coveted Immunity Necklace in the finals. She alsoput herself in the fire-making challenge against a winning favorite,Carson Garrett, which was an unusual decision (before her, this was only done by aseemingly undeserving winner,Chris Underwood), but one that brought her closer to a win. Ultimately,Heidi lost against Yam Yam Arrochoin the final Jury votes, but deserved a spot there as much as any other player. She was often put on the sidelines because no one thought of her as a fitting threat, and Heidi proved she was not to be underestimated.
9Romeo Escobar
Season 42 Finalist
Romeo Escobaris one of those contestants that many players andSurvivorfans couldn’t see in the final three during season 42. Though this entire seasonreflected on the power of the underdogsand being honest with one’s alliance,Romeo was somewhat of a villain, too. Other players often complained about him sneakily eating rice from the pot, not working enough around the camp, and constantly being paranoid, which often threw people off from trying to work with him.
Despite all that, Romeo made it to the final three, somewhat by sheer luck and in other respects, through his stealth gameplay. While he was considered overly paranoid, Romeo managed to trick his way out of getting voted out,thus blindsiding some early winner favorites, likeHai GiangandLindsay Dolashewich. It seems Romeo understood when to fly under the radar and when to step up; this was his ultimate power in the game; that, and his Final Immunity win againstJonathan Young, who was the physically strongest contestant of the season, and one of the most dominant physical players of the entire show.
8Erika Casupanan
Season 41 Winner
Considered one of the bestSurvivorseasons, season 41 introduced an interesting twist midway, whenErika Casupananbroke an hourglass and reversed all the events that had happened thus far. The merged tribe was divided into groups of two in an Immunity Challenge,where one group would win, and the other would go to the Tribal Council. As the one left over from the challenge, Erika was sent to Exile Island on her own, where she metJeff Probstand was given the opportunity to let the game stay the same, orreverse the challenge outcomeand save herself and the vulnerable part of the tribe. Erika decided to break the hourglass, which ended up being the best decision for her - she won the season. Erika played with her cards close to her chest; she’d rarely reveal strong ambitions and strategies,though every single move she made was well-calculated. Voting out a strong winner favorite,Ricard Foye, and staying loyal to her pre-arranged final three, Deshawn and Xander, Erika cemented herself as a strong winning candidate.
The Jury votes swayed dominantly her way, though it seems Erika was an unpopular player for a time.Her unpopularity was mostly due to season 41’s editing. This was the first season post-pandemic that was shortened to only 26 days instead of the original 39, so theSurvivoreditors may have felt a bit lost in creating a justified edit that could make the shortened season interesting. Erika was first deemed an unfit winner, but as more and more information about her strategies emerged, the fans flipped the script and realized she’s one of the best players of the 2020s so far. In a way,Erika beat the odds among the audience, though she did have it tough within the game itself.
7Cassidy Clark
Season 43 Finalist
Cassidy Clarkwas the woman that placed the highest in season 43, butshe didn’t win herself any favors during the game. The first obstacles she had to face were mostly due to heavy campaigning against her, which she managed to avoid; later, her alliance withKarla Cruz Godoyfell apart and Cassidy was left without a support system. Despite all that, she reached the Final Three. This type of perseverance is a great fit for a sole Survivor, butit seems Cassidy was mostly disliked by her castmates. Though there were many other favorites for the finals (Jesse Lopez especially), Cassidy was there and ultimatelywon only one jury vote. She planned to play a sly game, and succeeded in some ways, but ultimately, the jury didn’t believe that all of her actions during the game were intentional.
Cassidy’s strength lay inbeing somewhat of a challenge beast, resulting in her winning the Final Immunity Challenge. Jesse tried to sway her to do the fire-making challenge with him, so she could prove worthy of the finals, but Cassidy opted out and decided to sendMike Gablerand Jesse to that challenge instead. Sadly for her, she lost, and although that final decision was probably what saved her from going home just ahead of the finals,it didn’t win her any sympathy. In fact, most of the jury agreed she was more lucky than skillful, resulting in her having most of the odds in her favor.
6Bruce Perreault
Season 45, 10th Voted Out
ThoughBruce Perreaultdidn’t reach the Final Three or win, for a time, it seemed he might. Bruce first appeared in Season 44, butwas medically evacuated on the first daydue to a severe head injury. Bruce was thengiven a second chance in Season 45, where people already knew who he was and what had happened to him. Bruce continued to share hisSurvivorjourney with his fellow tribemates, but seemingly, to their despair.Many disliked Bruce and his insistence on being theirSurvivor"guide"(especiallyKaturah Topps, based on the show’s editing), making him a sort of pariah of the group.
However, a long tradition inSurvivorremains thatbigger threats need to be eliminated first, usually through a blindside, so it would seem that Bruce managed to coast to 10th place in the game because of that. Yet, that wasn’t the only thing that kept Bruce there. He had a Hidden Immunity Idol, andhad won two back-to-back Individual Immunity Challenges, forcing the group to rethink their votes and eliminate bigger threats. Eventually, they realized that Bruce staying longer might mean him in the Finals, so they decided to blindside him. After skirting votes for the sake of taking out bigger threats, Bruce ultimately became the biggest threat.His confidence in his position was what blindsided him, as the tribe voted him out and made him the 4th Jury Member.
5Mike Gabler
Season 43 Winner
Mike Gablerwas an unlikely winner from the start. His edit showed him as an older player, aware of his limits and taking his time to rest, which wasn’t always well-regarded by other castaways. This put a target on Gabler’s back,with other players heavily underestimating his abilities. But, considering the jury’s sentiments towards the rest of the Final Three (Cassidy Clark andOwen Knight), and after presenting his case as the player with the biggest understanding of the game, the jury members made him the majority winner.
But, even the audiences and Survivor fans weren’t all that convinced of Gabler’s decisive win. It seems his decision to donate his prize money helped people see he was the best choice, as well as some pitches from the rest of the cast (like this one by Owen from Reddit). Despite creating an edit aroundGabler annoying and preaching the rest of his tribemates, he was the only cast member withzero votes against him during the entire game- making hima member of a unique Sole Survivors' club. Gabler recentlyannounced on his Instagram profilethat all the prize money has finally been fully donated, with a lot of the proceedings going to Veterans' organizations, as Gabler is a War Veteran himself.
4Carolyn Wiger
In a season with some exceptional characters, one cast member emerged as unique, and that’sCarolyn Wiger. Carolyn was depicted as eccentric, emotional, and very true to herself, similarly toMaryanne Oketchin Season 42. But, both women were seemingly really underestimated because people didn’t think they could trust them. Carolyn, in particular, showed great prowess at causing confusion in camp -she found a Hidden Immunity Idol and managed to hide itfrom the rest of her tribe until Final Seven; she also created the perfect Immunity Idol decoy that her tribemate Sarah fell for, making Carolyn a skilled castaway.
It seems she was mostly underestimated by her tribemates before the merge, asshe was often considered overly emotional (and didn’t hide it). InSurvivor, that’s often a threat or liability, but the combination of aligning with the right people, winning the right challenges, and playing her Idol when she needed it most proved Carolyn not only beat the odds, but deserved to be in the Final Three. The singerSia,who offers cash prizes to her favoriteSurvivorcontestants each year, recognized Carolyn’s honesty andawarded her with a $100,000 prize. She alsodeclared Carolyn to be her favorite contestant of all time.
RELATED:‘Survivor 44’s' Carolyn Wiger Shares Her ‘New Beginning’ After Leaving an Abusive Relationship
3Jake O’Kane
Season 45 Finalist
The Boston attorneyJake O’Kaneseeminglystood at the wrong end of the vote almost the entire season. His alliances always either flipped on him or left him out of the loop for a lot of the game, forcing Jake to fight his way through the season. Like anySurvivorcontestant, Jake went throughhis own realizations and revelations during the game, ending up as one of the more likable underdogs to come out on top.
Jake’s gameplay was often all over the place,making it somewhat incredible he managed to reach the Final Three. Still, Jake’s perseverance in trying to make moves that would be worthy of the game and the Sole Survivor title helped him reach the finals. Jake struggled with understanding himself more than the rest of his tribemates. Havingopened up about personal struggleswith weight and mental health, Jake O’Kanebeat the odds by beating himself and finding his ultimate power. Though he won the fire-making challenge, he received no votes from the Jury, which crowned the mighty Dee Valladares as the winner.
2Xander Hastings
Season 41 Finalist
Despite a strong start and a winner-material edit,Xander Hastingsquickly became the most ostracized cast member of Survivor 41. Heimmediately found a Hidden Immunity Idol and obtained an Extra Vote, painting himself as a big threat and contender for the Sole Survivor title. All of this may not seem like the odds were ever against Xander, but things quickly turned around to bite him. After Erika broke the hourglass offered to her by Jeff Probst, Xander’s position of being vulnerable made him safe, with his alliance on the other side of the coin.
Heended up switching from a highly active game to one of self-preservation, as his Idol became public, always having to fight to avoid the others writing his name down at the Tribal Council. Xander won the Final Immunity Challenge and decided to take Erika with him to the end, which causedmassive confusion among the jury. He beat the odds that were constantly put up against him, but ultimately, Xander seemingly panicked during decision time and made the wrong choice,giving Erika a clean sweep victory. Many fans believe Xander isone of the best players that missed out on the win.
1Maryanne Oketch
Season 42 Winner
After years of juries voting forwinners that were strategic, cunning, and masters of gameplay, people were surprised to see a contestant like Maryanne Oketch take the crown of the Sole Survivor. It seems like the 3rd generation of the game set some rules that were meant to be followed, but the 4th generation became unique for its players actively bending such rules.
Season 42 may be the first season where fans can see thedominance of compassion and connections over cruel strategies.
Maryanne continued to beat the odds from day one, when she was seemingly cast out forbeing very open and having a hard time hiding her emotions. This isn’t to say she had a bad strategy, it’s just proof that sometimes direct and honest winners hide among the underdogs. Maryanne played a big part in eliminating the winner favorite,Lindsay Dolashewich, as well as swaying Romeo to her side to stick to the final two. In the Final Tribal Council, Maryanne explained all her moves to the jury, leading them to vote for her as the winneralmost unanimously(with only one vote forMike Turner).
