36. Malcolm Freberg (Philippines, Caramoan, Game Changers)
From an original member of the atrocious Matsing tribe to his stellar idol play in Caramoan to being the first victim of a joint tribal council, Malcolm Freberg is a fan favorite. He was the most popular player in Philippines and came oh so close to winning, but couldn’t win the final challenge (despite having two shots at it!).
In Caramoan, he was a target throughout but still managed to make it quite far. Game Changers was a heartbreaker for Malcolm fans, as his game was sunk by J.T. telling the other tribe at the joint tribal council who they had planned to vote for.
Watching Malcolm get his torch snuffed and walking off in Game Changers was gut-wrenching and hopefully, we see him back for a fourth time sometime.
35. Lex van den Berghe (Africa, All-Stars)
Lex van den Berghe is one of the original legends of Survivor, having appeared on the third season of the show. He also goes down as one of the most robbed players for his dominant game in Africa.
He was also one of the first villains in the show’s history and was the first to treat the game in the way that it should be played – building a social game and then later taking out those who betrayed you.
Most people remember Lex for what happened to him in All-Stars though. In case you forgot, he helped Boston Rob out by keeping Amber around only to be screwed over by Rob later on. He’s mostly known for his berating of Rob at the final tribal council.
It’s fun going back and watching Lex on Africa nearly 20 years later because he truly saw the game for what it was. He was ahead of his time, that’s for sure and I’d love to see him in a new school season.