The "New Era" of Survivor, categorized by the seasons after Winners at War (Season 40), has seen many types of winners succeed. Social prowess, challenge and idol wins, strategic gameplay, intelligent targeting, and combinations of all of the above all worked for various winners so far. Moreover, Survivor's diversity pledge has allowed players of all backgrounds to make it far into the game.
While we wait to enjoy the next episode of Survivor 48, let's take a look back at the group of most recent winners. All of them have an argument for why they won, and they all played well enough to earn the jury's votes. However, because every game is different, we can also analyze each winner for who played the best overall games and who played the worst.
Often, the best way to think about best games is that, on any given cast, the play style was such that it could likely be replicated by the player and done well. With that in mind, which three winners played the best overall games, and which two did what they had to but likely wouldn't be able to replicate it?
Dee Valladeres is the best of the best
The winner of Survivor 45, Dee Valladeres, takes the top spot as the best winner of the new era. Her gameplay was strong across the board. She was able to balance all three elements of the game flawlessly: Social, Physical, and Strategic. There was not really a weakness in any part of her game, which is why it seems so likely she could have replicated it in any season she would be cast for.
First, her social game. She made genuine, real connections from the very beginning of the game, and those relationships carried her through Survivor 45. Even with a showmance, she still nurtured all her connections, and as such managed the jury exceptionally well. Strategically, she made moves purely to benefit her game, and convinced others to help her make those moves. And physically, she was able to win 3 separate immunity challenges, including the final one.
On top of mastering these three skills, she also held a strong final tribal council. When taking all these factors into account, and managing to mitigate her threat level so that she was never even in much danger, it is clear that Dee played by far the most well-rounded game of anyone in the new era.
Rachel Lamont played a dominant, high-octane game
The winner of Survivor 47, Rachel Lamont, played the most visible game of all the new era winners. This worked to both her advantage and her disadvantage in the show. She relied mainly on her immunity wins and advantages to push her further in the game, but by balancing timely strategic moves and social relationships, she also controlled a majority of the votes down the stretch.
The biggest problem with Rachel's game, and the reason she cannot be put at number one, is she was unable to minimize her threat level. Had she not had advantages or won the immunity challenges that she did, she would have been voted out as the game's biggest threat. While that concern can't be ignored, it is also the reality that she was seen as a threat because she was impacting the game.
She found herself at the bottom and was able to use her social game to get her back in a premium spot. She brilliantly leveraged her shot in the dark to gauge which way the tribe was leaning. She did not need to be in sole control of every vote, but she made sure that votes could benefit her moving forward. She took out her biggest threats at the right times so that she wasn't the only threat until it was too late to stop her.
Rachel's game was not flawless, but it was more than just luck. She managed to play the game with both heart and head, and it helped her win the million dollars.
Erika Casupanan played a powerful under-the-radar game
Do not let her lackluster edit fool you, Erika was playing a hard game when she won Survivor 41. She did not dominate with advantages or idols, and she will forever be associated with the hourglass debacle. Just because she was on the worst new era season, does not make her the worst new era winner.
Erika was not the most flashy player like Rachel was, or the most likable player like Yam Yam Arocho (Season 44) and Maryanne Oketch (Season 42) was, but she was the most under-the-radar. And sometimes, that is what the game needs most. She found herself at the bottom, and deftly navigated her way into power.
The problem for Erika was that she was so under-edited that it was hard to get a full picture of her game. But what we do know is that she had a very strong social game that played well for the jury. We also know she was able to use that social game to heavily influence each vote to go in the direction she wanted without being seen as the player controlling it.
As such, from the merge on, Erika truly was the power player. Better yet, no one even knew it. That is a well-played game, and one that could easily translate across casts. The editors may not have shown it, but Erika was a fantastic winner.
Kenzie Petty played a good social game but still one of the worst
Kenzie, winner of Survivor 46, did what she had to do to win the game. She built relationships with everyone, building trust and loyalty while still thinking strategically. The problem was, she never really had the power for the majority of the game. She faced different setbacks, struggled to control her wilder alliance members, and often found herself on her back foot. That she was able to adapt is impressive, but it is hard to replicate.
Some put her in the camp that says she should not have won because Charlie Davis played a much more controlled strategic game. The jury chose who they chose and valued Kenzie's social game over Charlie's strategic one. Despite being named early as a threat, Kenzie was able to downplay herself to her cast. She kept threats around her. In the end, though, there were too many flaws to her game that kept her game from being viewed as one of the best.
Mike Gabler won with loyalty, but loyal does not equal impressive
Mike Gabler, winner of Survivor 43, played the worst winning game of the new era. His unpredictable personality started him off on the wrong foot with his tribe and had him taken less seriously in the game. He often refused to make moves, or do anything flashy to set himself up in the game.
To win, you do not have to be flashy. You do not always have to make massive strategic moves or be loved by the entire cast. You just have to get to the end and get votes. That is what Gabler did. He played loyal and honest the entire way and convinced the jury that it was deserving of a million dollars. That is a well-played game, one deserving of a win. However, without any true agency in the game, he simply existed. That no one saw the win coming speaks to the lack of gameplay he showed throughout the season. It is hard to view his game as anything other than the worst of the group.