Now that four players have added time on the island, we will update our list of those who have spent the most days playing Survivor (with some caveats).
Survivor: Edge of Extinction has made us rethink many known quantities and ideas. For example, traditionally in this game, fire represents your life, and when it goes out, so do you. However, the finale proved more than anything that it couldn’t be farther than the truth, with a member of the Edge of Extinction returning to the active game at the Final Six on Day 35.
This season brought back four beloved returnees; Aubry Bracco, David Wright, Joe Anglim and Kelley Wentworth. Each of them was fairly close to winning Survivor in past seasons, with Aubry making it to Day 39, David and Kelley to Day 38, and Joe to Day 32; a considerable feat for a challenge beast.
Despite being great players, it seems like the show cast superfans that know returnees will win at the end of the season, which means all four were sent to the Edge of Extinction before finale night. However, this presents us a question; how long did these returnees truly play Survivor?
Just like in Major League Baseball with certain players accomplishing great feats despite performance-enhancing drugs fueling their greatness (like Hank Aaron with amphetamines in the 70s or Barry Bonds with steroids in the 2000s), we believe that each of these returnees played 35 days during Edge of Extinction. They played as long as they could and didn’t quit, and survival is important to this game, no matter how much the game resembles a scavenger hunt these days.
With that in mind, here is the “Most days played in Survivor” list, compiling a list of the 32 players who have outwitted, outplayed and, more importantly, outlasted the field of competitors below them. Their seasons are listed in order of most days lasted, breaking ties by finish position and by which season they played first.
- 1. Ozzy Lusth: 128 days (Cook Islands: 39 days, South Pacific: 38 days, Micronesia: 27 days, Game Changers: 24 days)
- 2. Cirie Fields: 121 days (Micronesia: 38 days, Panama: 36 days, Game Changers: 36 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 11 days)
- 3. Boston Rob Mariano: 117 days (Redemption Island: 39 days, All-Stars: 39 days, Marquesas: 21 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 18 days)
- 4. Parvati Shallow: 114 days (Micronesia: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 39 days, Cook Islands: 36 days)
- 5. Aubry Bracco: 111 days (Kaoh Rong: 39 days, Game Changers: 37 days, Edge of Extinction: 35 days )
- 6. Amanda Kimmel: 108 days (China: 39 days, Micronesia: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 30 days)
- 7. Rupert Boneham: 104 days (All-Stars: 37 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 36 days, Pearl Islands: 27 days, Blood vs. Water: 4 days)
- 8. Andrea Boehlke: 103 days (Redemption Island: 37 days, Caramoan: 33 days, Game Changers: 33 days)
- 9. Colby Donaldson: 98 days (The Australian Outback: 42 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 37 days, All-Stars: 19 days)
- 10. Coach Wade: 96 days (South Pacific: 39 days, Tocantins: 36 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 21 days)
- 11. Sandra Diaz-Twine: 94 days (Pearl Islands: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 39 days, Game Changers: 16 days)
- 12. Joe Anglim: 91 days (Edge of Extinction: 35 days , Cambodia: 32 days, Worlds Apart: 24 days)
- 13. Jerri Manthey: 89 days (Heroes vs. Villains: 38 days, The Australian Outback: 27 days, All-Stars: 24 days)
- 14. Russell Hantz: 88 days (Samoa: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 39 days, Redemption Island: 10 days)
- 15. Kelley Wentworth: 86 days (Cambodia: 38 days, Edge of Extinction: 35 days , San Juan del Sur: 13 days)
- 16. Tina Wesson: 83 days (The Australian Outback: 42 days, Blood vs. Water: 38 days, All-Stars: 3 days)
- 17. Tyson Apostol: 81 days (Blood vs. Water: 39 days, Tocantins: 27 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 15 days)
- T-18. J.T. Thomas: 79 days (Tocantins: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 27 days, Game Changers: 13 days)
- T-18. Malcolm Freberg: 79 days (Philippines: 38 days, Caramoan: 30 days, Game Changers: 11 days)
- 20. Jonathan Penner: 78 days (Cook Islands: 33 days, Philippines: 30 days, Micronesia: 15 days)
- 21. Tai Trang: 77 days (Kaoh Rong: 39 days, Game Changers: 38 days)
- T-22. Spencer Bledsoe: 76 days (Cambodia: 39 days, Cagayan: 37 days)
- T-22. James Clement: 76 days (Micronesia: 31 days, China: 30 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 15 days)
- T-24. Keith Nale: 75 days (San Juan del Sur: 38 days, Cambodia: 37 days)
- T-24. Stephanie LaGrossa: 75 days (Guatemala: 39 days, Palau: 30 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 6 days)
- T-26. Tom Buchanan: 73 days (Africa: 37 days, All-Stars: 36 days)
- T-26. David Wright: 73 days (Millennials vs. Gen X: 38 days, Edge of Extinction: 35 days )
- T-28. Amber Brkich: 72 days (All-Stars: 39 days, The Australian Outback: 33 days)
- T-28. Daniel DiLorenzo: 72 days (Panama: 39 days, Heroes vs. Villains: 33 days)
- T-28. Erik Reichenbach: 72 days (Micronesia: 36 days, Caramoan: 36 days)
- T-28. Tasha Fox: 72 days (Cambodia: 39 days, Cagayan: 33 days)
- T-28. Candice Cody: 72 days (Heroes vs. Villains: 31 days, Cook Islands: 30 days, Blood vs. Water: 11 days)
With 71 days played across Survivor: Philippines and Cambodia: Second Chances, Abi-Maria Gomes is no longer a supercharged member of the top 30 list, especially with so many players reaching 72 days above her.