Survivor is a game that has been built around a simple premise: outwit, outlast, outplay. In other words, play the game however necessary to make it to the end, and then convince the players you voted out to then vote for you to win the game. Sometimes, making it to the end requires some under-the-radar gameplay. Other times, it requires big, bold moves. On the other end of those moves, however, is a recipient of a brutal blindside.
Of course, these blindsides often cannot happen without a mistake from the player getting blindsided. Sometimes the mistake is minor, while other times it is a catastrophically bad decision. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, especially for those of us as fans who get to see an entirely different perspective than the players in the game do not have. So, which mistakes rank as the worst mistakes in history?
1. Erik Reichenbach gives up his immunity necklace
No biggest mistakes list can be complete without referencing the most infamous mistake in Survivor history, one that remains talked about to this day. Erik was up against the Black Widow Brigade on Survivor: Micronesia, as the last man standing. He won immunity and had a real shot at winning out. The women, especially Natalie Bolton and Parvati Shallow, were able to convince him that the best move is to show loyalty by giving his necklace to Natalie. He naively took the bait, was promptly voted out, and is still talked about decades later.
2. James Clement goes home with two idols in his pocket
Thanks to Erik, James did not hold the title of worst mistake for very long. But at the time Survivor: China was airing, his decision was talked about by everyone. James quickly became a fan favorite, thanks to his personality and likability, as well as his unfiltered social interactions. The grave digger did not have much experience in a social capacity, and eventually that caught up to him. Having successfully secured two hidden immunity idols, James was flying high headed into tribal council, with only a few chances left to use them. Unfortunately, he kept them in his pocket and was promptly voted out.
3. JT Thomas gives his hidden immunity idol to Russell Hantz
This is a move that I honestly understand the logic behind, even if it was a clear mistake to all of us watching. The villains' tribe had picked off all the men except one, Russell Hantz, and with Parvati Shallow on the tribe, JT (and most of the heroes) believed that Parvati had successfully created another Black Widow's alliance, something Russell played into when they briefly interacted at a challenge. Hoping to flip the game, JT sent his hidden idol over to Russell. Of course, we all knew that Russell was in no danger, and eventually that idol was used to knock out a hero at merge and give the villains all the power they needed to get to the end.
4. Woo takes Tony with him to the Final Two in Cagayan
Woo was naive on Survivor: Cagayan, and he prided himself on his honor and loyalty. That is all well and good, but when playing a game for $1 million, sometimes it is not the best choice. After winning the final immunity challenge, Woo had the decision to take either Tony Vlachos or Kass McQuillen with him to the Final Two. It seemed entirely obvious to everyone that Tony was a way bigger threat, and that Woo would likely beat Kass. Still, he chose to stay loyal and bring Tony with him, in one of the most brutal cases of throwing away $1 million on the show, as Tony handily won the game.
5. Sandra Diaz-Twine gives away her hidden immunity idol
Sandra may be the queen of Survivor and the first two-time winner in the game, but that does not make her immune to bad decisions. On Winners at War, Sandra controlled a hidden immunity idol on her own and was one Tribal Council away from making the merge. She was in a solid position to make a pretty deep run. For the first time, though, she tossed out her anyone but me strategy and gave away her hidden idol to Denise Stapley, in an effort to save who she saw as her tightest ally. Unfortunately, Denise was part of a plot to send Sandra home, and that is precisely what ended up happening.
6. Tyson Apostol votes himself out of the game
It is pretty stunning how many former or future winners ended up on the list of biggest mistakes, and Tyson may be the one who changed the entire course of Survivor history the most. Working with Boston Rob Mariano on the villains tribe, Rob had concocted a plan to send Russell Hantz home, and Parvati Shallow after that. It just required everyone to stay the course. Russell knew Tyson's arrogance, though, and convinced him to vote out the person he wanted to instead of completing the split vote. This was his downfall, as an idol was used, and Tyson essentially voted himself out of the game.
That's the list of the most stunning mistakes in Survivor history!