Russell Hantz’s Top 100 Greatest Survivors Ever

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.