Survivor: Russell Hantz’s Top 100 Greatest Survivors Ever (70-61)

67. Brad Culpepper (Blood vs Water, Game Changers)

We first met Brad Culpepper in Blood vs Water where his wife Monica Culpepper was the returnee and he was the loved one. Brad was the leader of the loved ones team and therefore took the brunt from the returnees whenever their loved one was booted from the tribe.

Brad showed he’s a challenge beast when he returned for Game Changers and made it all the way to the end. If he hadn’t berated Tai near the end, he might win that season honestly, but that was not a good look and very well could have cost him the game.

66. Judd “Fabio” Birza (Nicaragua)

Judd Birza – nicknamed Fabio by his teammates – went on to win Nicaragua despite not really having much of a strategic game. He did have a strong social game and didn’t rub anyone the wrong way.

As Holly Hoffman notes in this segment, a lot of the Nicaragua cast weren’t fans of the show and likely voted for Fabio at the end because they liked him the most. He doesn’t win in any other season and before Chris Underwood won Edge of Extinction, Fabio was considered the worst winner by many fans.

65. Amber Mariano (Australian Outback, All-Stars, Winners at War)

I feel bad for Amber Mariano because – as she said in Winners at War – a lot of people feel like she won because the jury wanted to stick it to Boston Rob. She might not have been the kingpin that her future husband was, but aligning with Rob WAS her best move. She let him be the bad guy while she didn’t hurt people’s feelings.

I wish Amber had gotten more of a chance in Winners at War and wasn’t targeted due to her husband being on the other tribe, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. She might not have had a flashy victory in All-Stars, but she knew to let Rob get in his own way and that’s how she’d be able to win.