There’s been 26 years of Survivor on our screens and one thing fans still debate is whether or not receiving no votes by the end is a good social game or bad strategic game. While I still say—like with most elements of Survivor—it’s subjective, the opposite is clear as day. The players who received a lot of votes against them and still managed to make it to the end are definitely top tier.
But of all 48 winners who have been crowned in Survivor history, who actually has received the most votes against them prior to making it to the end? And yes, there is one player specifically who can claim this title, but there’s also a handful of players who had targets on their back the entire game and managed to avoid the shots to send their enemies to the jury and get themself $1 million.
So, where do all the past Survivor winners rank as far as who socialized their way to the end and who narrowly avoided elimination? Well, to start, there are 23 winners who received either 0, 1, or 2 votes against them throughout their entire season before arriving at Final Tribal Council. These players are all regarded with good social games, with a smattering of them known for their strategy as well.
Players who won with 0 votes against them
Survivor: The Australian Outback - Tina Wesson
Survivor: Africa - Ethan Zohn
Survivor: Thailand - Brian Heidik
Survivor: Pearl Islands - Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor: Palau - Tom Westman
Survivor: Tocantins - J.T. Thomas
Survivor: Caramoan - John Cochran
Survivor: San Juan del Sur - Natalie Anderson
Survivor: David vs. Goliath - Nick Wilson
Survivor: Winners at War - Tony Vlachos
Survivor 43 - Mike Gabler
Players who won with 1 votes against them
Survivor: Guatemala - Danni Boatwright
Survivor: Fiji - Earl Cole
Survivor 46 - Kenzie Petty
Players who won with 2 votes against them
Survivor: Marquesas - Vecepia Towery
Survivor: Gabon - Bob Crowley
Survivor: Nicaragua - Fabio Birza
Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Tyson Apostol
Survivor: Kaoh Rong - Michele Fitzgerald
Survivor: Island of the Idols - Tommy Sheehan
Survivor 41 - Erika Casupanan
Survivor 42 - Maryanne Oketch
Survivor 45 - Dee Valladares
Now we start to fall into the middle territory: players with 3, 4, 5, or 6 votes against them before arriving at Final Tribal Council. There are 21 winners who fall into this category and most of the people here are known for playing strong strategically with their social game either being even with that or next in line.
We’re also starting to see more physical players listed here. 23% of the winners listed below hold their gender’s record for most individual immunity challenge wins in a single season—as opposed to 4% (or just one player) listed above.
Players who won with 3 votes against them
Survivor: Vanuatu - Chris Daugherty
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains - Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor: One World - Kim Spradlin
Survivor: Cambodia - Jeremy Collins
Survivor: Game Changers - Sarah Lacina
Survivor 47 - Rachel LaMont
Players who won with 4 votes against them
Survivor: Micronesia - Parvati Shallow
Survivor: Worlds Apart - Mike Holloway
Survivor 48 - Kyle Fraser
Survivor 49 - Savannah Louie
Players who won with 5 votes against them
Survivor: Cook Islands - Yul Kwon
Survivor: China - Todd Herzog
Survivor: South Pacific - Sophie Clarke
Survivor: Cagayan - Tony Vlachos
Survivor: Ghost Island - Wendell Holland
Players who won with 6 votes against them
Survivor: Borneo - Richard Hatch
Survivor: The Amazon - Jenna Morasca
Survivor: All-Stars - Amber Brkich
Survivor: Philippines - Denise Stapley
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X - Adam Klein
Survivor 44 - Yam Yam Arocho
And now we get into the players who identified key areas they needed to address in order to win their season. These winners got either 7, 8, or 9 votes against them with one Survivor winner racking up a total of 11 votes against in a single season before going on to win that same season. These players were targeted either for their reputation, their circumstances, or their gameplay, but each of them found a shield (whether a person or a hidden immunity idol) that pushed the target off of themselves and onto someone else.
Players who won with 7 votes against them
Survivor: Redemption Island - Rob Mariano
Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans - Aubry Bracco
Players who won with 8 votes against them
Survivor: Samoa - Natalie White
Players who won with 9 votes against them
Survivor: Panama - Aras Baskauskas
Survivor: Edge of Extinction - Chris Underwood
Players who won with 11 votes against them
Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers - Ben Driebergen
With 11 votes in 39 days, Ben Driebergen is the most targeted winner in Survivor history. And while he didn’t make it to the end, when he returned for Survivor: Winners at War, he amassed another seven votes against him during the 37 days he was in the game. This puts him fairly squarely in the middle of the pack in the votes received to days played ranking—at 435th most votes received in the most number of days played (out of 751 players).
And we all remember Ben’s game in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. He found 3 hidden immunity idols and effectively played them in back-to-back-to-back Tribal Councils before going on to win the first of the newly in place Final Four fire-making duel and secure his spot at the end. Definitely a targeted winner who changed his own fate in the game and deserved to win.
Add us as a preferred source on Google