Ranking all Survivor winners by how hard they were targeted during their season

There’s been 26 years ofSurvivoron our screens and one thing fans still debate is whether or notreceiving no votesby the end is a good social game or bad strategic game. While I still say—like with most elements ofSurvivor—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 inSurvivorhistory, 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 pastSurvivorwinners rankas 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 formost individual immunity challenge winsin 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 oneSurvivorwinner 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 Driebergenis the most targeted winner inSurvivorhistory. And while he didn’t make it to the end, when he returned forSurvivor: 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 inHeroes 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 onGoogle

Follow