There are some amazing Survivor legends we hope to see back for Survivor 50, but these 10 players aren't among them.
These Survivor legends have lied, manipulated, and backstabbed friends to get to the top. Their names will be forever etched into Survivor history. They are great players and as much as I love them, they shouldn’t be invited back.
The criteria should be to avoid winners, players who have already played multiple seasons, and people who had their opportunity but blew their chance.
1. Rob Mariano
Boston Rob will be on the Mount Rushmore of Survivor, but his time is up. If he played for a fifth time, he would be the first boot. His arc is complete and he does not have anything else to prove on the island.
Plus, let's be honest - the guy has practically earned a Survivor pension at this point. If he shows up for another season, they might need to name a beach after him or just hand him his own tribal immunity idol as a lifetime achievement award.
2. Parvati Shallow
Just like Rob, Parvati is too good of a player to make it far in Survivor 50. We will always remember the Black Widow for her witty banter and backstabbing, but everyone will be chomping at the bits to vote off Parvati.
The moment Parvati steps foot on that beach, castaways would be forming anti-Parvati alliances before they even finished their swim to shore. Her charm is so dangerous that players would be sleeping with one eye open just to make sure she isn't working her social magic in the middle of the night.
3. Kelley Wentworth
"Wentworth does not count" is a great Survivor moment. But she had two chances to win the game in Second Chance and Edge of Extinction. We need to see another player have their moment.
Let's not forget Wentworth was a pre-merge boot before bouncing back in a big way in Second Chance. In Edge of Extinction, Wentworth did the best she could with the hand she was dealt. But I don't think there is any growth left for her on Survivor anymore. She's already proven herself as a cunning player who can find idols with her eyes closed. What else is there to accomplish?
4. Joe Anglim
Joe hasn't done anything to evolve his social game. His strategy is to dominate pre-merge challenges and win as many individual immunity challenges before getting voted off. Simply put, Joe hasn't developed his social skills to warrant another comeback.
If Joe returns, we might as well rename the show "The Joe Anglin Workout Hour." The dude is basically a human challenge beast wrapped in a man-bun. The second he loses immunity, the tribe would vote him out before Jeff could even finish saying "Immunity is back up for grabs."
5. Coach
Arguably the greatest casting choice in Survivor history, Coach has one of the best personalities for reality TV. His storytelling will leave anyone breathless but Coach had his chance to win in South Pacific.
By day three, half the tribe would be doing sunrise tai chi with him while the other half would be rolling their eyes every time he launched into another story about his Amazon adventures. The Dragonslayer's tales are entertaining, but three seasons of his brand of delusion is plenty.
6. Cirie Fields
In the Game Changers reunion, Cirie famously said she would keep playing Survivor until she won. I cannot imagine Cirie returning, even though we all love her. Everyone knows Cirie would finally take home the million dollars if she gets to the end.
Cirie's social game is so masterful that she could convince you to vote out your own mother while thanking her for the suggestion — just ask Ciera! Her ability to navigate complex social dynamics makes her one of the most dangerous players to ever hit the beach. If she comes back, players would be drawing straws to decide who has to be the one to write her name down first.
7. Sandra Diaz-Twine
Two-time winner and the Queen of Survivor Sandra Diaz-Twine should sit this one out. Her story was complete when she raised the white flag on Winners at War.
Besides, if Sandra returns, she'd need to bring a larger throne to sit on while everyone else does camp chores. Her "I don't get up, I don't get down, I'm gonna be sitting" strategy has evolved to the point where she'd probably demand Jeff deliver her torch directly to her beach chair. The Queen stays Queen, but even royalty needs to know when to abdicate.
8. Amanda Kimmel
I think fans really want to see Amanda come back, to capture her long-awaited win. Just like Cirie, Amanda has played so much, I don't want to see her come back at this point. Her story is about being a great player who cannot close. Her best chance of winning Survivor was Survivor: China.
"Amanda, have you finally figured out how to close the deal at final tribal?" Even her torch would be snuffed with an asterisk: "The tribe has spoken... but Amanda might still be formulating her response."
9. Tony Vlachos
Why tarnish your reputation to play again? Tony proved to the world he is the best Survivor player of all time. If he does play in Survivor 50, then he needs to win. Anything less than that will tarnish his Winners at War win.
If Tony shows up for Survivor 50, the producers would need to hire additional camera operators just to keep track of all his spy shacks, nests, bunkers, and whatever new surveillance contraption he'd invent. The island would look like a bizarre combination of a treehouse village and a CIA black site. Players would be afraid to speak above a whisper, and random llama noises would echo through the camp at all hours.
10. Tyson Apostol
Tyson did everything he could to compete with the best. And he is one of the best Survivor players of all time. After fighting his way back into Winners at War through a challenge, he barely had time to unpack before getting voted out again. Tyson is a walking bullseye on Survivor 50.
Let's also acknowledge that Tyson's sarcasm is so potent it should be classified as a psychological weapon. If he returns, we'd need subtitles to clarify whether he's being genuine or just roasting someone so subtly they don't realize it until they watch the episode back home. His coconut bandit days may be behind him, but his ability to deliver deadpan insults while maintaining perfect hair in the tropical humidity remains unmatched in Survivor history.