Most memorable moments from Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers

Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers was the 35th season of the show and aired in the fall of 2017. What were the most memorable moments from season 35?

In the third straight season filmed in Fiji, HvHvH as it’s often referred to as is one of the most controversial seasons. We’ll get more into why that’s the case but before we do, let’s take a look at the most memorable moments from the show’s 35th season.

Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers theme

Because Survivor continued to shoot in Fiji, locations couldn’t be used in the title anymore. That gave us the “gem” of a theme with Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers, which pitted people against each other based on how they’re perceived.

The hero tribe considered of a military veteran, a firefighter,  and a lifeguard; The healer tribe consisted of a social worker, nurse practitioner, and physical therapist; The hustler tribe included a small business owner, celebrity assistant, and a bellhop.

Fans of the show make fun of the HvHvH theme quite frequently and for good reason. It was a mouthful to say and was a total bust as far as themes go.

Vote Blocker

The vote blocker made its appearance in HvHvH, as Jessica found it in a bag of potato chips during a reward challenge. The twist was that it had to be used at the next tribal council, which her tribe didn’t attend. She played it against Devon and this was huge because Devon was the only “Hustler” on his newly-switched tribe, meaning he was the swing vote in deciding who had the advantage between the “Heroes” and the “Healers”.

The vote blocker reappeared four seasons later in Island of the Idols and has mostly been viewed at from a negative angle.

Fire-Making Challenge

Ahhhh, the reason why Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers is looked at in a negative light. In 34 seasons of Survivor, Ben Driebergen doesn’t win the show. He lost the final immunity challenge and as a result, should have been the final member of the jury while Chrissy, Devon, and Ryan made up the final three.

Well, Survivor wanted Ben to win and gave him every shot to make it to the final tribal council. As the immunity challenge winner, Chrissy got to pick one person who would sit next to her in the final tribal council and the other two would square off in a fire-making challenge.

Look, Ben was an intriguing character and during the early portion of the game, I found myself really rooting for the guy. Once everyone turned on him, however, it seemed like production was making it all too easy for the guy to find idols. When he lost the final challenge and Chrissy read the “twist”, that was one of the first times I legitimately felt that Survivor interfered with the show to help their favorite win.

Ben’s legacy has been tarnished as a result of this twist and we saw him touch on that in Winners at War. He’s ranked as a low-tier winner by most people because, as I mentioned, in 34 seasons of Survivor, Ben doesn’t win the game. Chrissy, Devon, or Ryan would be the winner of Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers and this season might be looked at a little more positively.

Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers not looked at favorably

The theme of season 35 was a bust and the end result felt rigged. When the season was in the books, this was definitely one of the less popular seasons and it’s not shocking as to why. HvHvH didn’t stand out and the only reason it does is because of what felt like production interference.

What were your thoughts on Survivor 35 when it was airing?