AnthonyC
Senior HTF Member
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- Mar 29, 2004
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Ok, giving this a go...the top 27 players in 20 seasons of Survivor (originally a top 25 but I forgot somebody after I started ). My general criteria is that the best players are the ones who seem likely to do well and have a chance of winning if you put them in any group of strangers playing the game.
27. Yau-man Chan Fiji - 4th; Micronesia - 18th
A fantastic strategist and social player, but being too trusting (in Dreamz and Earl) was his downfall.
26. Earl Cole Fiji - Winner
If push comes to shove, I'd probably say he has the best social game of any player ever. After all, he won 9-0. But strategically, he was very much along for the ride and didn't do a whole lot of thinking for himself.
25. Jon Dalton Pearl Islands - 3rd; Micronesia - 20th
I know what you're thinking--he pushed the jurors' buttons almost as much as Russell, so why am I including Fairplay? The critical difference is that a majority of the jury liked or respected him, albeit in some cases begrudgingly. Sitting next to Lill, the dead grandma prankster could've won a million dollars. The problem is that it's equally likely for someone to despise him as it is for them to love him.
24. Amanda Kimmel China - 3rd; Micronesia - 2nd; Heroes vs. Villains - 9th
Mostly strong socially and a very subtly good strategist. But as she admits, she just lacks that killer instinct; she sets up her opponents to lose and then fails to deliver the KO. Plus, she's not quite as great a liar as she would like to think.
23. Rob Mariano Marquesas - 10th; All-Stars - 2nd; Heroes vs. Villains - 13th
Another abrasive player but when he puts his ego aside, he manages to get people on his side. Even in All-Stars, where he played arguably ruthlessly, he only lost by one vote. He does have the finesse; but sometimes pushes people further than necessary.
22. JT Thomas Tocantins - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 10th
He unanimously won and never got a single vote against him but he needs to attach himself to a strong strategic player for his charm to affect people. But it really did in Tocantins; he somehow managed to convince half the merged tribe to directly or indirectly play for him to win.
21. Gregg Carey Palau - 6th
Seems like an odd pick, especially since he has the lowest peak position (only position in his case) of anyone on the list. But I think Gregg is possibly the greatest 'game theory' player ever in that he analyzed and based every move he made around what everybody else's best move at that point was. His biggest flaw is waiting too long to pull the trigger, because Ian finally became suspicious of Gregg's position at the final six, orchestrating his blindside.
20. Rafe Judkins Guatemala - 3rd
For 38 days, he played beautifully. He was the subtle brains behind an alliance with the increasingly unlikable Stephenie and managed to get Danni in his pocket too. He had F2 deals with both and got to the F3 with them, where he should've been sitting pretty. But to gain sympathy, he told final immunity winner Danni she didn't need to keep their deal...so she didn't. A stupid, unnecessary mistake that just wasn't thought through at all.
19. Colby Donaldson Australian Outback - 2nd; All-Stars - 12th; Heroes vs. Villains - 5th
Similar to Rafe--41 days of near-perfect play. The only thing separating him from victory are four letters: T-I-N-A. It's more a mark of her brilliance than his stupidity that he took her to the end. Unfortunately, Colby's effort is directly related to his morale as proven in subsequent appearances.
18. Rob Cesternino Amazon - 3rd; All-Stars - 15th
The first person to flip on nearly a daily basis. Rob was always about making deals that would put him a spot or two higher on the totem pole. He earned enemies in the process, but he was playing in a cast where just about everybody was enemies with everybody else at some point or another. His downfall? Teaching Matt everything he needed to know how to play Survivor. By the end, Matt was making deals Rob had no clue about, including one that ultimately led to Rob's elimination.
17. Todd Herzog China - Winner
He was super-slick and everybody knew it, and sometimes his ego got the best of him (deciding to blindside James at F9 and then switching the vote to Jean-Robert when JR approached him with the same plan out of irritation). But he excelled at the jury by doing what Russell lacks the knowledge to do--he takes credit for his moves while doling out compliments and charming each juror one by one rather than just saying "I outplayed you, give me your vote."
16. Stephen Fishbach Tocantins - 2nd
JT's partner in crime, who was nearly as well-liked throughout and then suddenly and randomly became a goat at the final TC. He didn't think well on his feet and got flustered, so JT won unanimously. He brought the minority alliance to the end from a 6-3 disadvantage at the merge. So how is he different than Russell? Simple. Stephen's strategy actually can lead to a win. He probably chose the wrong person to team up with just because the Tocantins cast fell under JT's spell for some reason but Stephen had no reason to expect that so many people would be willing to throw themselves under the bus for JT's sake.
15. Chris Daugherty Vanuatu - Winner
Note to Russell: if you ever play again, this is the guy you need to emulate. Chris isn't really the strongest strategist although he is a likable guy. But Chris earns this spot solely because of his final TC performance. This guy gets it. Two jurors came into the final TC furious with him for the unnecessarily harsh way he voted them out; one was reduced to tears. So Chris too turns on the waterworks, berating himself and explaining how guilty he feels and how much he regrets it. This is how you do it. When you're in the finals, you check your pride at the door, screw being honest, and tell those jurors what they want to hear. It's quite simply the finest performance any finalist has ever given. Even though Scout called him out for his BS, both those jurors--and three others--gave him the votes to win.
14. Yul Kwon Cook Islands - Winner
What makes Yul's game difficult to rank is that he had the most powerful form of the idol, that could be played after the votes were read. Thus, he had no reason to keep it hidden. Despite having such a huge advantage, I can't deny he used it brilliantly. He was also smart in controlling the boots while letting others feel that they were deciding how it went down (particularly Jonathan's boot).
13. Teresa Cooper Africa - 5th
Probably the most random person on the list since her season was so long ago and she never returned unfortunately. Teresa is the type of person who could play a hundred times and probably go far in 99 of them. There really is no reason to vote her out--she's super-likable, pulls her weight in challenges and around camp, and the wheels are always turning. She just had the misfortune of being on the minority tribe, but she still made so many close-call strategic maneuvers that could've put her on top if other people hadn't screwed up (ala Sandra trying to get rid of Russell). Teresa really approached every possible angle she could but was unable to overcome the odds.
12. Natalie White Samoa - Winner
A very simple, but very effective strategy. Latch onto somebody who turns people off and wait to collect your check. You won't win a lot of respect from Survivor fans, but somehow I don't think that's quite as important to people as a million bucks.
11. Amber Brkich Australian Outback - 6th; All-Stars - Winner
See above, although Amber employed this strategy twice. The reason she outranks Natalie is because she and Rob did co-conspire whereas Natalie just allowed Russell to make the decisions and that was that.
10. Vecepia Towery Marquesas - Winner
Most underrated winner (player?) ever. Another one that Survivor fans tend to discredit because she was boring and played UTR but Vecepia is one of the most dastardly brilliant and subtle players ever. She stirred up conflict but remained out of it herself (see the fantastic penultimate episode of Marquesas) and invented the idea of making deals at the final IC that has popped up in most subsequent seasons.
9. Danni Boatwright Guatemala - Winner
Like Chris, she was in a bad position, the last member of her alliance standing towards the middle of the merge. But while Chris had to wait for Twila to open the door, Danni paved the way herself, integrating herself within the group and especially its mastermind Rafe. Pretty soon, she was sitting in the finals next to Steph, who had betrayed her allies left and right partly because of Danni, who won 6-1.
8. Cirie Fields Panama - 4th; Micronesia - 3rd; Heroes vs. Villains - 17th
What Cirie lacks in physical ability she makes up for mentally. She's one of the best strategists ever and has a fantastic social game. She completely controls how her tribemates think, which is why nobody wants to face her in the finals. She's improved her physical game with each subsequent appearance so if she can win that final challenge next time, she's set.
7. Kathy Vavrick O'Brien Marquesas - 3rd; All-Stars - 8th
Best player never to win. Ultimate comeback too--started off as an inevitable first boot on her tribe but by the end almost everyone on the jury was rooting for her. She's a brilliantly analytical player, strong in challenges, and is always open to deals. The only flaw in her game the first time was thinking that Vee was going to honor their F2 deal when Kathy was clearly going to destroy her 6-1 in the vote.
6. Brian Heidik Thailand - Winner
301 people have played the game, and Brian's the closest to a sociopath (sorry, Russell, you're runner-up once again). He was sleazy, controlling, ruthless...and had the foresight to take somebody to the end with him that was even less likable. Brian's probably the best planner ever in terms of strategy, although it was a close call; he only won by one vote. How did he pull it off? He told the jurors that were angry at him what they wanted to hear. It's not that hard!
5. Sandra Diaz-Twine Pearl Islands - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - Winner
No matter what you think of her gameplay, you can't argue with her record. The goal of the game is to win, and she's 2 for 2. Obviously I don't consider her the best ever but she's certainly the most adaptable from Tribal Council to Tribal Council. At the same time she's been on the wrong side of so many votes in both her seasons...but she always has a Plan B. And that's what makes her a great player.
4. Richard Hatch Borneo - Winner; All-Stars - 14th
Don't think I need to explain this one; he pretty much invented the standard of how to play the game.
3. Parvati Shallow Cook Islands - 6th; Micronesia - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 2nd
Another fairly obvious one. She's probably had more luck than any other winner to be honest, but that's part of the game. She's strong in pretty much every aspect and reads people well but there have but many instances of things totally outside her control keeping her alive. Indeed, she'd have been the first one out of Micronesia if Fairplay hadn't asked to be voted out.
2. Tom Westman Palau - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 16th
Best all-around player in terms of challenges, social, and strategy. But he didn't always position himself well; three times in his seasons, individual immunity has been the only thing that kept him in the game.
1. Tina Wesson Australian Outback - Winner; All-Stars - 18th
The most subtle and strategic player of all time. Colby didn't make a stupid decision; Tina had total control over him. Bottom line: Tina was largely responsible for almost every single person's boot in Outback and not a single one left the game annoyed with her (ok, maybe Jerri, but she still preferred Tina over Colby or Keith).
27. Yau-man Chan Fiji - 4th; Micronesia - 18th
A fantastic strategist and social player, but being too trusting (in Dreamz and Earl) was his downfall.
26. Earl Cole Fiji - Winner
If push comes to shove, I'd probably say he has the best social game of any player ever. After all, he won 9-0. But strategically, he was very much along for the ride and didn't do a whole lot of thinking for himself.
25. Jon Dalton Pearl Islands - 3rd; Micronesia - 20th
I know what you're thinking--he pushed the jurors' buttons almost as much as Russell, so why am I including Fairplay? The critical difference is that a majority of the jury liked or respected him, albeit in some cases begrudgingly. Sitting next to Lill, the dead grandma prankster could've won a million dollars. The problem is that it's equally likely for someone to despise him as it is for them to love him.
24. Amanda Kimmel China - 3rd; Micronesia - 2nd; Heroes vs. Villains - 9th
Mostly strong socially and a very subtly good strategist. But as she admits, she just lacks that killer instinct; she sets up her opponents to lose and then fails to deliver the KO. Plus, she's not quite as great a liar as she would like to think.
23. Rob Mariano Marquesas - 10th; All-Stars - 2nd; Heroes vs. Villains - 13th
Another abrasive player but when he puts his ego aside, he manages to get people on his side. Even in All-Stars, where he played arguably ruthlessly, he only lost by one vote. He does have the finesse; but sometimes pushes people further than necessary.
22. JT Thomas Tocantins - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 10th
He unanimously won and never got a single vote against him but he needs to attach himself to a strong strategic player for his charm to affect people. But it really did in Tocantins; he somehow managed to convince half the merged tribe to directly or indirectly play for him to win.
21. Gregg Carey Palau - 6th
Seems like an odd pick, especially since he has the lowest peak position (only position in his case) of anyone on the list. But I think Gregg is possibly the greatest 'game theory' player ever in that he analyzed and based every move he made around what everybody else's best move at that point was. His biggest flaw is waiting too long to pull the trigger, because Ian finally became suspicious of Gregg's position at the final six, orchestrating his blindside.
20. Rafe Judkins Guatemala - 3rd
For 38 days, he played beautifully. He was the subtle brains behind an alliance with the increasingly unlikable Stephenie and managed to get Danni in his pocket too. He had F2 deals with both and got to the F3 with them, where he should've been sitting pretty. But to gain sympathy, he told final immunity winner Danni she didn't need to keep their deal...so she didn't. A stupid, unnecessary mistake that just wasn't thought through at all.
19. Colby Donaldson Australian Outback - 2nd; All-Stars - 12th; Heroes vs. Villains - 5th
Similar to Rafe--41 days of near-perfect play. The only thing separating him from victory are four letters: T-I-N-A. It's more a mark of her brilliance than his stupidity that he took her to the end. Unfortunately, Colby's effort is directly related to his morale as proven in subsequent appearances.
18. Rob Cesternino Amazon - 3rd; All-Stars - 15th
The first person to flip on nearly a daily basis. Rob was always about making deals that would put him a spot or two higher on the totem pole. He earned enemies in the process, but he was playing in a cast where just about everybody was enemies with everybody else at some point or another. His downfall? Teaching Matt everything he needed to know how to play Survivor. By the end, Matt was making deals Rob had no clue about, including one that ultimately led to Rob's elimination.
17. Todd Herzog China - Winner
He was super-slick and everybody knew it, and sometimes his ego got the best of him (deciding to blindside James at F9 and then switching the vote to Jean-Robert when JR approached him with the same plan out of irritation). But he excelled at the jury by doing what Russell lacks the knowledge to do--he takes credit for his moves while doling out compliments and charming each juror one by one rather than just saying "I outplayed you, give me your vote."
16. Stephen Fishbach Tocantins - 2nd
JT's partner in crime, who was nearly as well-liked throughout and then suddenly and randomly became a goat at the final TC. He didn't think well on his feet and got flustered, so JT won unanimously. He brought the minority alliance to the end from a 6-3 disadvantage at the merge. So how is he different than Russell? Simple. Stephen's strategy actually can lead to a win. He probably chose the wrong person to team up with just because the Tocantins cast fell under JT's spell for some reason but Stephen had no reason to expect that so many people would be willing to throw themselves under the bus for JT's sake.
15. Chris Daugherty Vanuatu - Winner
Note to Russell: if you ever play again, this is the guy you need to emulate. Chris isn't really the strongest strategist although he is a likable guy. But Chris earns this spot solely because of his final TC performance. This guy gets it. Two jurors came into the final TC furious with him for the unnecessarily harsh way he voted them out; one was reduced to tears. So Chris too turns on the waterworks, berating himself and explaining how guilty he feels and how much he regrets it. This is how you do it. When you're in the finals, you check your pride at the door, screw being honest, and tell those jurors what they want to hear. It's quite simply the finest performance any finalist has ever given. Even though Scout called him out for his BS, both those jurors--and three others--gave him the votes to win.
14. Yul Kwon Cook Islands - Winner
What makes Yul's game difficult to rank is that he had the most powerful form of the idol, that could be played after the votes were read. Thus, he had no reason to keep it hidden. Despite having such a huge advantage, I can't deny he used it brilliantly. He was also smart in controlling the boots while letting others feel that they were deciding how it went down (particularly Jonathan's boot).
13. Teresa Cooper Africa - 5th
Probably the most random person on the list since her season was so long ago and she never returned unfortunately. Teresa is the type of person who could play a hundred times and probably go far in 99 of them. There really is no reason to vote her out--she's super-likable, pulls her weight in challenges and around camp, and the wheels are always turning. She just had the misfortune of being on the minority tribe, but she still made so many close-call strategic maneuvers that could've put her on top if other people hadn't screwed up (ala Sandra trying to get rid of Russell). Teresa really approached every possible angle she could but was unable to overcome the odds.
12. Natalie White Samoa - Winner
A very simple, but very effective strategy. Latch onto somebody who turns people off and wait to collect your check. You won't win a lot of respect from Survivor fans, but somehow I don't think that's quite as important to people as a million bucks.
11. Amber Brkich Australian Outback - 6th; All-Stars - Winner
See above, although Amber employed this strategy twice. The reason she outranks Natalie is because she and Rob did co-conspire whereas Natalie just allowed Russell to make the decisions and that was that.
10. Vecepia Towery Marquesas - Winner
Most underrated winner (player?) ever. Another one that Survivor fans tend to discredit because she was boring and played UTR but Vecepia is one of the most dastardly brilliant and subtle players ever. She stirred up conflict but remained out of it herself (see the fantastic penultimate episode of Marquesas) and invented the idea of making deals at the final IC that has popped up in most subsequent seasons.
9. Danni Boatwright Guatemala - Winner
Like Chris, she was in a bad position, the last member of her alliance standing towards the middle of the merge. But while Chris had to wait for Twila to open the door, Danni paved the way herself, integrating herself within the group and especially its mastermind Rafe. Pretty soon, she was sitting in the finals next to Steph, who had betrayed her allies left and right partly because of Danni, who won 6-1.
8. Cirie Fields Panama - 4th; Micronesia - 3rd; Heroes vs. Villains - 17th
What Cirie lacks in physical ability she makes up for mentally. She's one of the best strategists ever and has a fantastic social game. She completely controls how her tribemates think, which is why nobody wants to face her in the finals. She's improved her physical game with each subsequent appearance so if she can win that final challenge next time, she's set.
7. Kathy Vavrick O'Brien Marquesas - 3rd; All-Stars - 8th
Best player never to win. Ultimate comeback too--started off as an inevitable first boot on her tribe but by the end almost everyone on the jury was rooting for her. She's a brilliantly analytical player, strong in challenges, and is always open to deals. The only flaw in her game the first time was thinking that Vee was going to honor their F2 deal when Kathy was clearly going to destroy her 6-1 in the vote.
6. Brian Heidik Thailand - Winner
301 people have played the game, and Brian's the closest to a sociopath (sorry, Russell, you're runner-up once again). He was sleazy, controlling, ruthless...and had the foresight to take somebody to the end with him that was even less likable. Brian's probably the best planner ever in terms of strategy, although it was a close call; he only won by one vote. How did he pull it off? He told the jurors that were angry at him what they wanted to hear. It's not that hard!
5. Sandra Diaz-Twine Pearl Islands - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - Winner
No matter what you think of her gameplay, you can't argue with her record. The goal of the game is to win, and she's 2 for 2. Obviously I don't consider her the best ever but she's certainly the most adaptable from Tribal Council to Tribal Council. At the same time she's been on the wrong side of so many votes in both her seasons...but she always has a Plan B. And that's what makes her a great player.
4. Richard Hatch Borneo - Winner; All-Stars - 14th
Don't think I need to explain this one; he pretty much invented the standard of how to play the game.
3. Parvati Shallow Cook Islands - 6th; Micronesia - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 2nd
Another fairly obvious one. She's probably had more luck than any other winner to be honest, but that's part of the game. She's strong in pretty much every aspect and reads people well but there have but many instances of things totally outside her control keeping her alive. Indeed, she'd have been the first one out of Micronesia if Fairplay hadn't asked to be voted out.
2. Tom Westman Palau - Winner; Heroes vs. Villains - 16th
Best all-around player in terms of challenges, social, and strategy. But he didn't always position himself well; three times in his seasons, individual immunity has been the only thing that kept him in the game.
1. Tina Wesson Australian Outback - Winner; All-Stars - 18th
The most subtle and strategic player of all time. Colby didn't make a stupid decision; Tina had total control over him. Bottom line: Tina was largely responsible for almost every single person's boot in Outback and not a single one left the game annoyed with her (ok, maybe Jerri, but she still preferred Tina over Colby or Keith).