After 48 seasons, Survivor has had hundreds of castaways compete to attempt to win the title of "Sole Survivor" and the $1 million check that goes with it. Players who come into the game of Survivor look to be remembered and make their impact on the game. More than anything, though, they are aiming to win.
The goal for the viewing audience is to have players to root for; players they can relate to, players they remember, players who are exciting to watch, or perhaps players with moves that keep the game constantly in flux. For viewers, it is less about what it takes to win, and more about what makes an exciting show.
Survivor history is made up of four types of castaways
Over the last 25 years, different types of players have emerged through the game and editing that shift how we think of the castaway. In that span, there have been some incredibly memorable players, shocking big moves, and/or dominant winners that fans remember forever. These are the legends, icons, and "best" or "most exciting" players who become synonymous with the season they were on. They earned their high opinions based on how they performed.
There have been other players who flop, lost into the history of the game due to their early exits, lack of strong personality, or missing strategic elements in their gameplay. These players are largely forgotten, but rightfully so, given their poor showing on the season. With hundreds of castaways, some simply do not do enough to stay on people's minds.
Other former Survivor castaways end up overrated and/or overvalued, either by the fan base, producers, or both. This often happens when players have big, memorable personalities, or a particularly shocking move, advantage play, or blindside under their belt in some capacity that stands out. These players can often get multiple opportunities to play the game without having done a lot to back up their reputation.
The fourth and final group of players are those that are undervalued or underappreciated. These players played a strong game, but ended up drowned out by someone else on their season or by the season as a whole. These players may or may not have won the game, but they played well on their season, and did not get the recognition they deserved.
We have identified five of the most underappreciated players from this final group of castaways. A couple of them won but still do not get the credit they deserve, while others played strong games that get misremembered or lost in the season. Regardless of how, these players deserve to be appreciated for what they brought to their Survivor seasons.
1. Vecepia Towery
Vecepia Towery is one of the first winners of Survivor, pulling home her victory in Season 4, Survivor: Marquesas. She played a strong game, showing for the first time how a player can play from the minority numbers are turn it around to win the game. She was constantly watching people and analyzing, and used her social skills and calm nature to endear her to others. Keeping a notebook was a strategy that paid dividends at the end of the season as well.
Vecepia has since been forgotten by many fans and, it appears, every person on the casting. Despite her attempts to be cast on a season and her public enthusiasm at the idea, to the public's knowledge, she has never even received a call back. Jeff Probst even referred to her as the weakest winner at one point. Her personality was subtle, which is likely why she fades into the background, but her game deserves to be recognized for the impact it had on gameplay moving forward.
2. Chris Daugherty
Chris Daugherty is another former winner who did not get credit for the masterful work he pulled off to make it to the end of Survivor: Vanuatu and take home the $1 million. The season began split by gender, men versus women, and the women were outperforming the men for most of the season. By the final seven, Chris was the only male left standing against a six-person female alliance that had been together since day one.
Yet, Chris somehow navigated those overwhelming odds, socially bonded with the women, and got them to turn on each other. This ultimately got him to the end, where he won 5-2. Despite the historic turnaround, Chris gets largely forgotten in history, and production does not appear inclined to ever call him again. Because of a bumpy start, many people overlook Chris, but he should be recognized for the incredible feat he pulled off to navigate such overwhelming odds.
3. Chrissy Hofbeck
Chrissy Hofbeck did not win her season of Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, although arguments could be made that she should have, or at least should have won more votes at the end. Personally, to me, anyone who wins the game is deserving, given the object is to convince players you voted out to vote for you. If players do not have a good understanding of their jury, then they do not deserve the win for the season.
That being said, Chrissy does deserve far more credit for the game she did play. She had the misfortune of playing on a season with a massive personality, Ben Driebergen, whose flashy immunity idol plays and big character drowned out the more subtle strategy Chrissy was engineering. She maneuvered from the minority and outs multiple times to form alliances, and when her alliance seemed to crumble, she went on a four immunity challenge run to make it to the end.
Chrissy had a lacking social game that hurt her the the eyes of the jury, and being a no-vote finalist leaves her underappreciated in the eyes of most fans. However, if you look at Chrissy's game objectively, she played very solid with the cards she was dealt, and held her own against a force that sucked up all the attention.
4. Natalie Bolton
Natalie Bolton is popular among superfans, but many other casual fans may not remember her as well. Natalie played once, on Survivor: Micronesia. Her original tribe of "fans" struggled against the returning "favorites." Natalie recognized her best chance at survival was to align with the opposing returnee players to get to the end. She teamed up with Parvati Shallow, Amanda Kimmel, and Cirie Fields.
Natalie used her charm to manipulate the men, helping earn the alliance the "Black Widow" name that has become perhaps the most iconic alliance name in all of Survivor. Natalie's biggest problem was that she got voted out at four because of the other three's prior alliance, and the popularity of the other three players overshadowed her role in the alliance.
Many believe Natalie should be invited back for another season, yet she has not played the game since. The hope is we could see her on the upcoming Survivor 50, but as of yet, there is only speculation. Natalie did what she had to do to make it far in the game, and she was an essential part of an alliance that orchestrated some of the most shocking blindsides in the game's storied history.
5. Becky Lee
Becky Lee was a finalist on Survivor: Cook Islands and played a strong game despite her minimal editing. What Becky may be most known for is something she may rather forget, being part of the longest and least successful fire-making tiebreaker challenge in history, actually requiring matches to get the job done. However, Becky should be remembered for much more accomplished reasons.
She became the first ever finalist to receive no votes at the final tribal council, but that does not do justice to her game. The jury believed her to be a follower and not a leader, but Becky actually had strong gameplay and strategizing early in the season. She and eventual winner Yul Kwon formed an unstoppable duo, but it was Yul who received all the credit for the moves.
Yul himself has said before that he and Becky were an equal partnership, but her quieter personality and minimal edits do not allow viewers to see the full picture, and did not show to jury members either. That said, she was a very good player on a season that was largely overshadowed by bigger or more overt presences, whose claims to fame are more negative than her actual performance deserves.
So many more players than the five listed slide under the radar for fans than they deserve to. In the new era, Erika Casupanan may be the most underappreciated winner. Sabrina Thompson of One World did well, but was overshadowed by perhaps the most dominant winner ever, Kim Spradlin. Holly Hoffman of Survivor: Nicaragua was punished for the start of her season and her presence on an underwhelming season. Early winners Tina Wesson and Ethan Zohn also tend to be less remembered as time goes on. The list is endless.
The sad part of the list is how many of these players are female. Most of a player's representation is drawn out by editing, especially on a non-live reality show like Survivor. Of course, players have to do things and provide soundbites to get those elements put into the edit, but it stands out how female-dominated the underappreciated group is. Hopefully, that will continue to shift, and fans can see players for what they were able to accomplish.
With Survivor 50 upcoming, and it being a returnee season, perhaps CBS and Survivor can right some of the wrongs of the past and give these players a chance to show what they are truly capable of.