Survivor: Ranking players who have participated in back-to-back seasons
1. Amanda Kimmel
Back-to-Back Seasons: China, Micronesia
Amanda is an interesting Survivor player. While she made it to the end on China and had some of the biggest moves the game has ever seen, she didn’t get a ton of air time at the beginning of the season. It wasn’t until the final seven or so when Amanda started to get more air time and become a popular player.
Amanda honestly should have won China, but her inability to explain her game to the jury cost her. Not only that, but both Todd and Courtney weren’t phased by the jury and that crushed Amanda’s chances when it was all said and done.
Because of her impressive game on China, Amanda was brought back for Micronesia and it was pretty funny when she was introduced to the fans and didn’t receive many claps. They wouldn’t have seen much of Amanda’s season and because she didn’t get much air time, no one remembered her. Poor Amanda.
She didn’t care though, as she ended up playing a top notch game in Micronesia, making it to the end again. She was a key member of the Black Widow Brigade and was the first woman ever in Survivor to play a Hidden Immunity Idol correctly, saving her from elimination at the final six.
Amanda once again froze in front of the jury, failing to explain her game to the jury and lost to Parvati by two votes. She is the best player to have ever played in back-to-back seasons simply due to her making it to the end twice and going from third to second place and not being a zero vote finalist like Russell was.
It’s a shame we probably won’t ever see Amanda play again, but she’s in her late 30s now, is married, and has two kids. She’s gotten everything she’s wanted to out of Survivor other than a victory and it really does appear that she’s moved on with her life.
What’s interesting about this list is that no one who has returned for a second straight season has won the game. It’s incredibly hard to play once, return home for a cup of coffee, and then turn around and come back. It involves quitting jobs, putting life on hold, and missing a large chunk of what’s going on back home.
These 10 players made the decision to do all of those things though and Amanda is the best who has returned for a second straight game because she made it to the end twice and received votes to win both times.