A couple years ago, I participated in Survivor Indiana, a fan-made and independently run one-day Survivor-esque competition. The day was filled with tribes, challenges, voting, and puzzles.
I did not do well.
As it turns out, competitions like Survivor—even local single-day versions—require preparation and strategy, and I think every spectator was painfully aware that I didn’t prepare physically or strategically for the event. But despite my sad performance, I did gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of what it takes to outwit, outplay, and outlast.
Survivor labels itself as the ultimate social experiment. If you strip away the glossy set design and the scripted moments of B-roll melodrama, Survivor is a show in which fundamentally different individuals must coexist in close quarters, navigating the vicissitudes of human nature while hungry, stressed, and physically exhausted. Even if some moments are edited for the audience, the emotional outbursts and bitter tears of contestants are undoubtedly real. Her Campus writer Riya Bhullar explains this well:
Survivor . . . creates conditions that amplify human behavior. Contestants face limited food, little sleep, constant uncertainty, and the pressure of knowing that someone will be voted out every few days. Under stress, frustrations grow, trust becomes fragile, and paranoia can quickly set in. . . . Players constantly think about how they are perceived by their tribemates, adjusting their behavior to appear trustworthy, likable, or valuable to the group.
Survivor is obviously not the truest test of human nature—non-filmed existence is filled with more profound trials and triumphs—but the long-running reality show does offer intriguing glimpses into the mindsets of people who have been pushed to places that lack comfort, companionship, and predictability.
And the more I watch the show, the more I am drawn to contestants who did not win. Who did not become well-manicured caricatures of struggle and success. Those who did not fit any clear reality television archetype. Those who have not become Instagram celebrities. Those whose faces will never be carved into the Mount Rushmore of Survivor history.
Because, in real life, most of us will not become millionaires. Most of us are not lucky enough (because it is, at least in part, a game of luck) to become Rob Mariano or Parvati Shallow or Dee Valladares.
So here are ten of the most underrated and underappreciated Survivor contestants.
10. Matt Blankinship – Survivor 44
Matt was not a particularly skilled strategist, but his showmance with Frannie Marin was one of the most endearing Survivor relationships in recent history. In the episodes, it’s unclear whether Matt was oblivious to the true social dangers of on-screen flirting or if he simply didn’t care about the consequences, but Matt essentially sacrificed his gameplay for Frannie, which is refreshingly admirable. The shots of him giggling with Frannie about nerd life make Survivor 44 a uniquely heartwarming watch. And throughout this romance, Matt’s tribe managed to win most of their challenges, and Matt made it to the Jury. Most contestants have a stoically tunnel-visioned view of showmances: relationships get you voted out. But Matt ignored conventional wisdom—and he still managed to do pretty well in the game.
9. Jenn Brown – Survivor: Worlds Apart
As a member of both the pre-merge No Collar tribe and the post-merge Merica tribe (which both suffered from absurdly dumb names), Jenn Brown played the game with humor, charisma, and a fair amount of impressive strategizing. Most notably, Jenn organized a force of players to stand against the testosterone-filled alliance of Mike Holloway, Rodney Lavoie Jr., Will Sims II, and the infamous Dan Foley. The misogynistic machismo of those four contestants went mostly unchallenged—at least in the aired footage—so Jenn’s consistently straightforward and often vocalized opposition was one of the best parts of Survivor: Worlds Apart. With the help of Hali Ford and Joe Anglim (and sometimes Shirin Oskooi), Jenn valiantly combatted the vitriolic vicissitudes of Dan and the others. She even managed to singlehandedly orchestrate a blindside to remove one of the alliance’s supporters. In the end, Jenn’s campaign against the Old Man Bro Squad was somewhat unsuccessful, but her efforts should be celebrated nonetheless.
8. Bret LaBelle – Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X
At the beginning of Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, Bret positioned himself as a stereotypical pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps 40-something rule-follower, defined only by hard work and loyalty. But as the season progressed, Bret unveiled a surprising amount of nuance. Coming out as gay during a conversation with Zeke was just one of many moments that exemplified Bret’s evolution into a multifaceted competitor. Bret operated across tribal and generational lines, while still remaining loyal to most of his initial alliances, particularly Sunday Burquest. When Bret aligned with Zeke after losing Chris, for example, he remained loyal despite the pleadings of fellow Gen Xer (and eventual Survivor celebrity) David Wright. Bret’s gameplay was not flashy, but it was effective.
7. Kellee Kim – Survivor: Island of the Idols
Kellee played an excellent game: she was an idol-finding queen who helped direct much of the early game’s flow. Were it not for betrayals from Lauren Beck and Missy Byrd (at different times), Kellee would have dominated the post-merge game, given her idol and ability to plan. And the betrayals from Lauren, Missy, and others were no ordinary betrayals: they were absurd moves against a woman who had spoken out against sexual harassment. And those betrayals directly benefitted the perpetrator. Yes, Survivor is game that requires ruthless strategy, but there should be an element of humanity in it. Contestant Dan Spilo had harassed multiple women on the show, and Kellee was one of the only individuals who spoke out against him, even leading to a weak early verbal reprimand from producers. (Dan was eventually removed from the game, but only after he inappropriately touched a producer. Dan should have been removed much earlier.) Survivor is a tough experience already. I assume it’s so much harder to compete effectively when you’re being actively gaslighted by producers and fellow contestants. Kellee was a brilliant competitor, and she deserved better.
5. Michaela Bradshaw – Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and Survivor: Game Changers
Technically, Michaela Bradshaw may not fit on this list because she was invited back to Survivor a second time for Survivor: Game Changers (meaning that she is not necessarily “underappreciated”), but her elimination from Millennials vs. Gen X left such a bad taste in my mouth that I have to vent somewhere. I will never forgive Jay Starrett and Will Wahl for blindsiding Michaela right before the merge. Having to look at Jay’s smug face in that moment was one of the more unpleasant experiences I’ve had as a Survivor fan. Michaela was athletic, loyal, charismatic, and driven, but Jay’s stubborn, unfounded paranoia robbed Survivor fans of the opportunity to witness a true survivor complete beyond the first half of the game. Here’s to you, Michaela. You’re better than all of them.
5. Kaleb Gebrewold – Survivor 45
There’s a lot to say about the abysmal performance of Survivor 45‘s Lulu tribe. A literal island of “not Survivor-ly” misfit toys, Lulu was home to several bizarrely ill-equipped contestants, including two players who—at different times—begged to leave the show, one survivor who collapsed during the game’s opening activity (before the actual challenges even began), and Emily Flippen, an intense, socially awkward investment analyst who wasted zero time firing verbal shots at everyone on the island. So as one of the two strategic, socially skilled players on the tribe, Kaleb had his work cut out for him. His impressive charisma and decent athleticism made him a target, but Kaleb had everything it takes to succeed in this game. And he could have gone far if he had been just a bit luckier.
4. Julia Landauer – Survivor: Caramoan
Fellow contestant John Cochran had this to say about Julia:
Julia, on the other hand, is such a non-entity out here. I’m tempted to say that she has like a vanilla personality, but I feel like that would be doing a great disservice to the flavor of vanilla. I mean, people actively seek out vanilla flavored products. Children clamor to get a vanilla ice cream cone. Nobody’s clamoring for anything Julia-flavored.
It’s clever—and the editors of Survivor: Caramoan certainly attempted to reinforce Cochran’s narrative—but it’s not accurate. At least not fully. In a season that included aggressive blindsides, particularly heated arguments, and several moments with real potential for violence between competitors, Julia was one of the few survivors to maintain her composure. While Brandon was screaming, while Phillip was spying, and while Dawn was crying, Julia was quietly playing her game—and she was doing it well. Julia managed to work somewhat successfully with some of the most difficult players on the island. In her pre-show interview with Entertainment Weekly, Julia said she most related to Survivor contestant “Kim Spradlin, because she was very strategic, had few enemies and was a physical threat, all while maintaining her composure.” And that is exactly how Julia played her game.
3. Tevin Davis – Survivor 46
Likeability is a complicated trait. Though likeability can be an asset in life, it is often overrated: likeability does not preclude cruelty, ignorance, or prejudice. In fact, many horrible people shroud their horribleness in layers of shallow likeability. But on Survivor, likeability becomes a measure of tact. In extreme conditions, charisma is often the first thing to dissolve. So if someone can maintain their charm and grace while tired, hot, hungry, and emotionally overwhelmed, they have a mental and social advantage over those around them. This is how Tevin played the game. He helped guide more than one vote, and he was voted out only after a chaotic post-merge live trail deliberation (where others were inexplicably manipulated by Liz Wilcox, the controversial contestant who bragged about not needing money). If Liz hadn’t been able to out-maneuver Hunter in the live trail, Tevin would have had a solid chance of making it to the final three of Survivor 46.
2. Wendy Diaz – Survivor: Edge of Extinction
Yes, Wendy stole Manu’s flint and freed Lesu’s chickens—all with bouts of unbridled laughter—but that bewilderingly chaotic energy is exactly what made Wendy such a wonderful competitor to watch. Wendy’s unpredictable gameplay made her a target, but it also arguably kept her in the game through the first Tribe Switch. In fact, Wendy positioned herself well for the Joint Tribal Council, but a tiebreaker re-vote complicated her strategy. Wendy survived the Edge of Extinction and very nearly won the re-entry challenge. The first contestant with Tourette syndrome, Wendy fought harder than most, and she did so without losing her sense of self.
1. Shamar Thomas – Survivor: Caramoan
Shamar Thomas is the most misunderstood player in Survivor history. First, some context: Survivor: Caramoan was filled with some of the most superficial, phony contestants in the history of the game, which is saying a lot. I have never hated an alliance more than I hated the initial alliance of Hope Driskill, Allie Pohevitz, Eddie Fox, and Reynold Toepfer. That group—the Quad Alliance from Basic Brand-Name Hell (my name, not theirs)—consistently acted like a group of Greek-life business majors from a Brett Ratner film. Remember the 2013 Funny or Die video where Michael Shannon reads sorority leader Rebecca Martinson’s real-life letter to her Delta Gamma sorority sisters? The one that includes some wildly profane lines? (One of the letter’s milder lines: “Double f***ing newsflash: Sigma Nu is not going to want to hang out with us if we f**king suck!”) Throughout the season, Hope, Allie, Eddie, and Reynold—especially Reynold—gave off such Delta Gamma polite-until-I’m-not vibes that it’s difficult to watch them together on screen. They literally joked on screen about feeling like the cool, popular kids from high school.
All contestants of Survivor: Caramoan contributed to a pre-show Entertainment Weekly piece in which they introduced themselves to fans. Hope used the opportunity to remind us that she’s attractive. Allie talked about her sex appeal. And Reynold—freakin’ Reynold—mentioned that he flirts “like Parvati Shallow” and hates “negative people who feel sorry for themselves.” (Reynold seems like the type of guy who would sleep with your spouse and then tell you that he did you a favor. Strong all-American family-money bitcoin-bro vibes.)
What did Shamar Thomas say to Entertainment Weekly? He said that he related to previous contestant Rupert “because he played the game with honor.” Shamar praised Rupert’s philanthropy: “[Rupert] has also worked with troubled youth. He shares my passion to help the community.” See the difference? As a character on the show, frat-boy-archetype Reynold was the walking personification of classism, arrogance, and white privilege. Shamar, on the other hand, was an Iraq War veteran from Brooklyn whose hobbies included activism and spending time with his family.
In a world filled with Reynolds, be a Shamar.
Ben Boruff is teacher and writer. Read more at BenBoruff.com.
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