Survivor 50 did not disappoint, delivering a terrific season with plenty of twists and turns from the 24 returning players. It even ended satisfactorily, with Aubry Bracco finally winning for the first time in four chances and taking her place among the game's greatest players.
The massive cast consisted of six "old school" players (seasons 1-20), six "new school" players (seasons 21-40), and 12 "new era" players (seasons 41+). The game started with three tribes of eight with players from different eras intermingled among the three tribes.
Of course, there were tribe swaps, idols with new powers, and plenty of surprises. The players had to navigate unexpected twists and aggressive gameplay from some of the best players in Survivor history.
The six old school era players seemed to have a big disadvantage. They were all much older than when they first played, and the game has changed so much, even from when they last played. No one knew if they could even compete.
But which old school Survivor 50 cast members had the best games?
6. Jenna Lewis-Dougherty
To be fair, Jenna didn't get to play very long, and she probably shouldn't have been voted out first. Jenna first played in season one, Survivor: Borneo. She was one of three old school players on the Cila tribe, but it was Cirie Fields who lost the first immunity challenge for the tribe.
Cirie should have been an easy ouster in the first Tribal Council. It almost seemed as if the Cila members didn't have the heart to send the legendary Cirie home first. Jenna also seemed to rub others the wrong way with her strong personality and aggressiveness.
5. Benjamin "Coach" Wade
If there was one player who didn't deserve to be part of the Survivor 50 cast, it was Coach. Despite finishing second in Survivor: South Pacific, he's not a good player. In his first appearance in Tocantins, he was entertaining for a while, but his act quickly wore thin. His endless prattling about honor and integrity, while he lied and tricked his way through four games, was annoying.
This honor and integrity trope would have been fine if he actually played that way. He played Survivor like everyone else, but he never wanted to admit it. There was nothing wrong with how he played the game, except for his always hiding behind a shield of fake honor.
His narcissistic habit of bestowing nicknames on his ally members, as well as for himself, was entertaining his first season but was a tired schtick during season 50. It is easy to see how Coach could be initially charming but quickly became annoying. It is amazing he made it to the jury.
4. Colby Donaldson
Colby was the first true star to emerge from Survivor. Though he finished second in Survivor: The Australian Outback, his good looks, down-to-earth personality, and physical prowess in the game thrust him into stardom, and he was a big reason the show took off like it did.
He was a surprising cast member this time around, as he didn't appear to have fun when he last played 16 years ago on Heroes vs. Villains. The game had evolved by that time, and he had trouble adjusting. This time, however, he seems to sit back and enjoy himself again.
Unfortunately, he attached himself to Coach, Jonathan Young, and Joe Hunter. Colby and Joe both truly tried to play with honor, but that is difficult to do successfully in Survivor.
Colby was part of a brutal twist that saw the merged tribe split into three groups for the immunity challenge, with all three tribes going to tribal council separately. Colby went home from his group in a unanimous vote.
Colby didn't impact this game much, but you could see that he was way more happy with this experience in the game than the last time he played.
3. Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick
Stephenie is certainly one of the impressive females from the old school era. In her first season, she was the last remaining player from her original tribe, and she was the runner-up in her second season.
She proved early and often that she was still a physical presence in the game. She won challenges for her tribe and earned herself an advantage with an incredible physical feat. She had to stand for an hour under a water tower, with her hand up. If it dropped, water would spill over her head, and she would have lost the advantage. It was a terrific moment for her.
She didn't do as well strategically. She hovered between alliances at times but spent too much time attached to Coach. She had opportunities to be on the right side of the votes, but she couldn't quite make the moves she needed to.
As an early fan favorite, it would have been nice to see more from her on the strategic side, but she still had an impressive overall game.
2. Ozzy Lusth
Ozzy is a legendary Survivor player, excelling at the physical part of the game, and he's always been comfortable in the jungle, on the beach, and in the ocean. He has always struggled with the social game and with strategy.
It was obvious from the beginning he was trying hard to be better socially and strategically. He aligned himself secretly to Cirie, someone with whom he hasn't always worked well with historically. Cirie and Ozzy did an outstanding job protecting each other, especially early.
Still, there were signs that Ozzy wasn't fully aware socially. There were instances when he protected Cirie too vehemently, raising red flags that the two might be working together. At times, he did show improvements in his overall game.
Despite all of his efforts to play a more rounded game this time, in the end, Ozzy's poor strategic judgment cost him. Two groups of four went to tribal council, each to vote someone out, with Jonathan attending both tribals with immunity and a vote in each.
Ozzy's group included Aubry, Joe, and Rizo Velovic. With Jonathan on board, Aubry seemed like an easy vote. Then Ozzy pulled an Ozzy. To gain Aubry's jury support, Ozzy told her about his secret alliance with Cirie. Aubry used this information to switch everyone's vote from herself onto Ozzy, who was blindsided at Tribal Council and went home again with an idol in his pocket—again.
That was Ozzy's legacy in a nutshell. He was fantastic at the physical part of the game but just couldn't figure out how to be social and strategic enough to win.
1. Cirie Fields
How did Cirie make it to the top six? It should have been impossible. Everyone knows how good she is at this game. She should have been voted out first, not only because of her reputation but also because of her performance in the first immunity challenge, yet there she was, almost at the end, still in the game.
Had Tiffany Ervin not won immunity, she might have gone home at six, leaving Cirie in the top five, where anything can happen.
Cirie's game is so subtle, people can forget she's even playing. She is no threat in challenges, and she doesn't do much work around camp. She observes, makes secret alliances, and controls the game from the shadows. She is absolutely brilliant, and the fact she made it to the top 6 is an indication of just how great she's been at playing Survivor.
This is most certainly the last time these six players will ever play Survivor. All but Stephenie are in their fifties, and there will be no more opportunities. For fans, it is sad they won't get to see some of these favorites again, but all left their mark on the game.
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