Survivor since 2000: Reliving the game’s greatest moments year by year

Survivor 2003: The Great Lie

After Richard Hatch won Survivor Borneo and was dubbed a “villain” by America, most players tried to be anything but, with Colby Donaldson playing up his heroism to an absurd degree. After a while, however, castaways started to get wise to the idea that there are multiple ways to become the victor. You don’t have to be an Ethan Zohn-tier altruist to become the winner.

In many ways, Jonny Fairplay was way ahead of his time. As much as he was a loudmouth wrestling wannabee, his understanding of playing the heel worked on a strategic level. He knew how to stay loyal to who worked best for him and sabotaged the games of others in order to propel himself forward.

Nowhere else was this more clear than when the Survivor Pearl Islands players reached the Loved One’s visit, where Jonny’s friend, “Thunder D,” told him that his grandmother passed away. Most of the other players (sans the all knowledgeable Sandra) threw the reward challenge to let the two enjoy camp on their own.

Little did they know that Thunder D and Jonny set things up before the season began, and Jonny’s grandma was watching Jerry Springer at home. Jonny outplayed everyone by setting up a game-altering lie, and he almost got rewarded for it had he beat Lillian out for the final Immunity Challenge.