9 legendary Survivor players who never won the game

There have been nearly 700 contestants to play Survivor over the show's 46 seasons. Of those, only 43 players have won the game and been crowned sole Survivor of their respective seasons. Sandra Diaz-Twine and Tony Vlachos are the only two contestants to win the game twice.

If you're picking up what I'm putting down, there's been a lot of contestants, even some of the all-time greats, who have competed in this series and did not win the game. We're talking about Survivor legends.

That's who we're focusing on with this shortlist. We ranked the best Survivor players who never won the game. It's possible they could return for future seasons if CBS and Jeff Probst give them the thumbs up to return to the island.

Let's get the list started with the biggest villain in Survivor history, Jonny Fairplay.

9. Jonny Fairplay

• Times Played: 2
• Seasons: Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: Micronesia
• Best Finish: Third place on Survivor: Pearl Islands

It's impossible to talk about Survivor villainy without talking about one of the first and best villains in the history of the series. Jonny Fairplay competed in two seasons of Survivor, Pearl Islands and Micronesia. His best finish was in Pearl Islands when he finished third.

During that season, Jonny Fairplay became notorious for his lying and backstabbing, including one of the most villainous moments in Survivor history when he made is friend lie about his grandma dying in order to gain an advantage in the game.

Jonny Fairplay's time in the spotlight went from bad to worse behind the scenes, including a very public feud with Probst. In the years removed, Jonny Fairplay apologized for his actions.

8. Joe Anglim

• Times Played: 3
• Seasons: Survivor: Worlds Apart, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Edge of Extinction
• Best Finish: Eighth place on Survivor: Cambodia

Joe Anglim is one of the most physically gifted and talented Survivor contestants of all time. He currently holds the record for most consecutive days immune on Survivor, which lasted 29 days during Survivor: Cambodia, according to Survivor Wiki. During that season, Joe's tribe won every immunity challenge and then he also won several individual immunity challenges in a row. The only problem for Joe was that he was so strong and such a threat in challenges that he became an immediate target in the game.

He was also one of the most well-liked contestants during each of his three seasons on the show. A great competitor and good socially is usually a recipe for an early exit on Survivor, and that's what happened to Joe in each season when he was picked off shortly after the merge simply for being too good.

7. Rupert Boneham

• Times Played: 4
• Seasons: Survivor: Pearl Islands, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Blood vs. Water
• Best Finish: Fourth place in Survivor: All-Stars

Rupert is one of the only Survivor players to play the game four times. For a long time, he was a fan favorite and viewed as one of the "heroes" of the game. His best finish came during Survivor: All-Stars when he was eliminated after 37 days on the island. He finished in fourth place and had a chance to win the jury vote, despite Boston Rob and Amber running most of the game that season.

Overall, Rupert did a little bit of everything during his time on the show, but with a few more savvy decisions in his gameplay, Rupert could easily be one of the Sole Survivors. He was awarded $1 million by winning the Survivor Fan Favorite award.

6. Russell Hantz

• Times Played: 3
• Seasons: Survivor: Samoa, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Redemption Island
• Best Finish: Second place in Survivor: Samoa

To me, Russell Hantz is the best true villain in Survivor history. Yes, there have been smarter and more savvy players in the game, but there's only be a handful of players who played his style. None made it as far as Hantz. He's well known for this epic backstabs and expertly found and played hidden immunity idols.

Hantz's best chance at winning Survivor was during his first season on the show in Samoa. Hantz single-handedly willed his way to the final with his hidden immunity idols and ruthless gameplay, but he lost in the final tribal because his ego and attitude destroyed nearly every relationship on the jury.

If you thought that was a fluke, Hantz followed that up with a top 3 finish in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. We might not agree with his strategies, but Hantz changed the game with his ability to lie, manipulate, and flip the game on its head with a well-timed hidden immunity idol.

5. Cirie Fields

• Times Played: 4
• Seasons: Survivor: Panama, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Game Changers
• Best Finish: Third place in Survivor: Micronesia

Cirie Fields is one of the most iconic Survivor players of all time. She's a strategic mastermind and friend to most on the island. In many ways, she's even been the poster mom of Survivor. She wanted to play the game, and she did it! Four times, as much as any player ever not named Boston Rob.

Cirie is one of the ultimate Survivor competitors. She nearly won the game three of the four times she played, with her best finish in third place on Survivor: Micronesia. She also finished in fourth place on Survivor: Panama and sixth place in Survivor: Game Changers.

To me, the thing that cements Cirie as a legend is how the "heroes" from her tribe voted her out so fast in Heroes vs. Villains. They knew how quickly Cirie could take control of the game, and they were so afraid of that, they voted her out very early in the game. That's the ultimate compliment in this game.

4. Malcolm Freberg

• Times Played: 3
• Seasons: Survivor: Philippines, Survivor: Caramoan, and Survivor: Game Changers
• Best Finish: Fourth place in Survivor: Philippines

It's not hard to see what Malcolm Freberg has brought to the game of Survivor. He's an excellent competitor in immunity challenges, but he's also a very social player and strategic thinker. There's no doubt Malcolm was one of the biggest threats on the beach every time he played Survivor, but he developed quite a reputation during his first season on Survivor: Philippines, which he narrowly lost.

Of the players on this list, Malcolm is probably the closest to actually winning Survivor. After controlling most of this game with his ally, Denise Stapley, Malcolm botched the last immunity challenge, even with an advantage. No one wanted to go up against Malcolm in the final tribal, so he was voted out while Denise stayed in the game, which she eventually won!

Had Malcolm not dropped the ball (twice!) or Michael Skupin and Lisa Whelchel chose to eliminate Denise instead of him, he would be the Sole Survivor of Philippines.

3. Ozzy Lusth

• Times Played: 4
• Seasons: Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia, Survivor: South Pacific, and Survivor: Game Changers
• Best Finish: Runner-up on Survivor: Cook Islands

Okay, I said Malcolm probably came the closest to winning Survivor on this list, and that's not true. Had Malcolm not dropped the ball, he would have won Survivor: Philippines, but Ozzy actually finished one vote away from winning Survivor: Cook Islands. He fell one vote short of Yul Kwon.

Like Malcolm, Ozzy also would have won Survivor: South Pacific had he not lost the final immunity challenge and gotten voted out in fourth place. There's no doubt Ozzy is one of the most accomplished physical competitors in Survivor history. He's tied for the most individual immunity challenge wins in one season with five. He's just a force to be reckoned with in immunity challenges, and unfortunately, he was targeted in basically every other season because of that.

2. Amanda Kimmel

• Times Played: 3
• Seasons: Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
• Best Finish: Runner-up on Survivor: China and Survivor: Micronesia

Amanda Kimmel is one of the most accomplished Survivor players of all time. She made the Final 3 in her first two seasons on the show, Survivor: China and Survivor Micronesia. After lasting 39 days in each show without being voted out, Amanda made it to Day 30 on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains before she was finally voted out for the first time. She holds the record for the most consecutive days of Survivor played without being voted out, and she's also one of only a few contestants ever to make it to the Final 2 or 3 multiple times, along with Boston Rob, Sanda Diaz-Twine, and Tony Vlachos.

It's a shame that Amanda never won Survivor after competing so well in China and Micronesia. She held her own in one the most brutal seasons of the show of all time, too, in Heroes vs. Villains.

1. Aubry Bracco

• Times Played: 3
• Seasons: Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, Survivor: Game Changers, and Survivor: Edge of Extinction
• Best Finish: Runner-up in Survivor: Kaôh Rōng

Aubry Bracco is a Survivor legend, so much so that the mere mention of her name on the beach puts an immediate target on your back apparently. Bracco nearly won Survivor the first two times she played. There's a lot of debate about whether Aubry should have won Kaôh Rōng, but she finished runner-up to Michelle Fitzgerald in a 5-2 vote. She also finished fifth in Survivor: Game Changers and could have easily been in the mix to win that season if a few things broke her way.

Aubry is considered one of the best and brightest Survivor strategists and social gameplayers in the history of the series. In Edge of Extinction, players had two full seasons of watching Aubry outmaneuver everyone, so she was targeted and voted out early in the game. Again, I think when that happens it's largely a compliment to the player, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.

I'd love to see Aubry back in Survivor in the future to finally win the game. Of all the players on this list who could return, I think she could do it!