As of the time of this writing, in the coming months, Survivor will be airing its 40th season which for the first time ever will feature a cast made up of people who’ve already won the show in the past. Due to that concept, it is clear that the 40th season will feature many contestants that Survivor fans care deeply about.
On top of all the Survivor contestants that regular watchers have come to know extremely well, the show has featured many moments and storylines that have really made their mark. While many of those scenes put a smile on the faces of viewers, the truth is that the show has also featured a surprising amount of moments that really upset fans. With that in mind, it is time to get to this list of 10 Survivor moments that ruined the show and 10 that remind us why we still love it.
20 Still Love It: Tony Vlachos’ Llama Speak
On the one hand, it was pretty disrespectful when Tony Vlachos said that Kass McQuillen wasn’t intelligent so he needed to talk to her like a Llama in order for her to understand. However, it was so ridiculous, Kass certainly seemed to be capable of dealing with Tony’s lunacy, and the noises he made were so odd that we have to laugh.
19 Ruined: Russell Swan’s Serious Medical Peril
In the middle of a Survivor: Samoa challenge, Russell Swan suddenly passed out even though he seemed to be perfectly fine only moments earlier. Evidently, a result of Swan pushing himself too hard, for a scary moment it looked like Swan’s life was in serious danger. Forced out of the game due to the incident, Swan’s blood pressure had dropped significantly and he needed oxygen.
18 Still Love It: Rob Mariano Ditches An Immunity Clue
Typically speaking, when a Survivor contestant finds the clue to an immunity idol they are overjoyed at the opportunity to get some safety. However, Rob Mariano was so confident during Survivor: Redemption Island that when he found an immunity clue he decided he didn’t need it and threw it into an active volcano.
17 Ruined: Brandon Hantz Has a Meltdown
When Brandon Hantz joined the cast of Survivor: South Pacific, producers likely wanted him to be a villain the same way his uncle Russell was. Instead, he turned out to be an unstable character who during that season wanted to vote someone out just because he was attracted to her. Taking his extreme behaviour to a new level when he returned for Survivor: Caramoan, he poured out his tribe’s food and got so aggressive that Jeff gave him a massage to keep him cool.
16 Still Love It: Jonny Fairplay’s Dastardly Deed
Right off the hop, we want to make it clear that we realize that some Survivor fans were completely outraged when Jonny Fairplay lied by claiming that his grandmother had passed away. However, we would be lying if we didn’t admit that even though we could never do what Fairplay did, it was an incredible strategy move and quite entertaining.
15 Ruined: Colton Cumbie’s Conduct
During Colton Cumbie’s first Survivor season, many viewers felt that he faked an ailment in order to leave the show early without technically quitting. Far worse than that, he also said many offensive things like calling Bill Posley “ghetto trash” and he even claimed to not be racist due to knowing black people like his housekeeper.
14 Still Love It: Erik Reichenbach’s Big Mistake
In the months and years after Erik Reichenbach gave up his immunity necklace only to be immediately voted out, it seems obvious that he wasn’t a big fan of the moment. However, the fact that Erik’s tribemates Natalie, Cirie, Parvati, and Amanda Kimmel manipulated him into giving up his safety is an example of the game play fans of this show love to watch.
13 Ruined: A Medical Emergency Like No Other
As anyone that knows anything about Survivor will no doubt know, the show has featured many medical evacuations over the years. Still, it was something else when three castaways had troubles during a Survivor: Kaoh Rong challenge. Worst of all, Caleb Reynolds completely lost consciousness and things looked so bad that most of the production staff seemed to swarm the area in an attempt to lend him any help they could.
12 Still Love It: Sandra Diaz-Twine Does It Again
After Sandra Diaz-Twine made it to the end of Survivor: Pearl Islands and won the game, she should have quickly been voted out during her second season. Instead, she escaped the fate of every other returning winner to date when she took home the prize during Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains thus proving herself to be one of the best ever.
11 Ruined: Ted Rogers Grinds Against Ghandia Johnson
Partway through the third episode of Survivor: Thailand Ghandia Johnson became deeply upset after Ted Rogers grinded against her during the night. For his part, Ted claims the incident was “an unfortunate and embarrassing mistake” caused by him having “vivid dreams” of his wife and mistaking Ghandia for her while still asleep. After Ted apologized and Ghandia seemed to accept, she went on to feel he lacked actual remorse and things quickly devolved into a he-said-she-said situation.
10 Still Love It: Jay Starrett Doesn’t Flinch
When Michaela Bradshaw got voted out of Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X it was a real bummer as it was obvious that she has a really good mind for the game. However, it resulted in one of the most compelling Survivor moments when Michaela asked Jay Starrett if he voted her out. Completely cold-blooded at that moment, Jay stared directly into Michaela’s eyes and simply responded “yeah, I did it”.
9 Ruined: Missy and Elizabeth’s Betrayal
During Survivor: Isle of Idols, competitor Dan Spilo inappropriately touched several women. Due to her obvious courage, Kellee Kim not only told him to stop on more than one occasion, but she also took her complaints to producers. Unfortunately, her fellow competitors Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Byrd decided to use this ugly situation to further their game by exaggerating their interactions with Dan Spilo. To both of their credits, they have since sincerely apologized for their actions.
8 Still Love It: Cirie Won’t Give Up
As someone who had no background living outdoors prior to going on Survivor and lacked athletic skill, many viewers found Cirie Fields to be relatable right from the start. On top of that, she has a brilliant mind for Survivor strategy which has turned her into a fan favorite. Due to fan’s love for her and how relatable she is, it was very inspiring when Cirie struggled to climb onto a platform during a challenge but refused to give up even after the game was lost.
7 Ruined: Shirin Oskooi Gets Verbally Abused
When Shirin Oskooi joined the cast of Survivor: Worlds Apart, we can only assume she wasn’t expecting to be treated the way she was. For example, Dan Foley called her “Shinini” in an attempt to mock her name and he also said she needs to be slapped. Somehow more of a jerk, Will Sims II told Shirin that nobody liked her and she had no loves ones waiting for her at home.
6 Still Love It: Rob Cesternino’s Gameplay and Confessionals
Due to Rob Cesternino’s network of “reality” TV podcasts, he has cemented his legacy in the Survivor community. However, long before his podcasting days, Cesternino revolutionized the game by proving that you could have great success jumping back and forth between alliances. If that wasn’t enough, it could also be argued that to this day he had the most entertaining voting confessionals in the show’s history.
5 Ruined: Richard Hatch Rubs Himself on Sue Hatch
During the first season of Survivor, Richard Hatch and Sue Hawk formed a long-standing alliance that eventually ended in hurt feelings. No matter how angry Sue felt at that time, she became much more upset with Richard after he rubbed his nude body on her when both of them returned for Survivor: All-Stars. In the days that followed, Sue was so upset by Richard’s actions that she quit the show and many viewers were disappointed in how the show’s producers handled the situation.
4 Still Love It: Parvati’s Double Idol Play
Definitely among the best players in the history of Survivor, Parvati Shallow used her cunning and feminine wiles to wrap many of her fellow competitors around her finger. When that wasn’t enough to get things done, she proved how multifaceted her game is by taking everyone by surprise when she played two immunity idols at the same time. The ultimate move to keep her allies safe, Parvati didn’t even use one of her idols on herself and her plan worked to perfection.
3 Ruined: Jeff Varner Outs Zeke Smith
If there is one thing that all of us should know by now it is this, every person should get to decide what they tell others about their sexuality. That is why it was so disgusting when Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as a transgender man. Worse yet, Varner’s decided to out Smith at Tribal Council in an attempt to frame the transgender man’s decision to keep his sexuality private as something that makes him untrustworthy.
2 Still Love It: Jamal and Jack Relate
After Survivor: Isle of islands contestant Jack Nichting called Jamal Shipman’s buff a durag because he is black, the attempted joke instantly upset Shipman and viewers for obvious reasons. However, Jack’s mistake actually inspired one of the best Survivor moments because he sincerely apologized to Jamal and then both men had a genuine conversation about racism. This scene showed the potential Survivor has to bring viewers together.
1 Ruined: Dan Spilo’s Behaviour
Earlier in this list, we looked at the way two Survivor: Isle of Idols competitors exaggerated their interactions with Dan Spilo. As disappointing as that is, there is no question that Spilo’s actions were far worse than anyone else involved. After all, he had a pattern of touching several women in ways that made them uncomfortable even after being asked to stop. His actions were so ugly that they truly ruined Isle of Idols for many viewers.
Sources: people, nbcnews, EW, usmagazine, ranker, cheatsheet, CBS, collider
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