Which Survivor player had the highest confessional time in the new era seasons?

One of the best parts of Survivor has always been the confessionals. Getting an insider's narrative of how each player is thinking makes the game more dynamic for fans at home. We know everything that is going on at that beach while everyone else has to guess if they’re being told the truth, or if they’re being told anything at all.

And as the years have passed, confessionals seem to drive the plot much more so in the new era than they did in prior seasons. Especially with episodes now being 90 minutes, there’s a lot of time to fill and getting a crazy afternoon at camp narrated by our favorite players helps fans at home understand what’s actually going on rather than being as lost as some of the other players.

But does a high amount of confessional time actually help us predict who the winner will be? Obviously math dictates that the people who make it the furthest in the game will have higher confessional times than those voted out early, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that the winner had the most screen time.

Historically, the players who make it to the finale have at least a minimum of 10 combined minutes of confessional time throughout the entire season, though this isn’t always the case—most recently in Survivor 50, Tiffany Ervin ended the game with just under 9 minutes of confessional time. And just for comparison, the lowest confessional time in a single season goes to Bruce Perreault from Survivor 44 with 5 seconds of confessionals before getting medevaced at the top of the game.

But looking at all players between seasons 41 and 50, we grabbed the top 5 castaways with the most confessional time of the new era to see if screen time actually reflects a player’s likeliness to win, or their likeliness to become a fan favorite.

“A Fever Dream” – Castaways must find where X marks the spot when a boat arrives containing instructions for an advantage for the Final 5 immunity challenge. It’s anyone’s game during this season’s fire making showdown. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 49 finale, followed by the After Show hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, December 17 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream on

5. Sophi Balerdi, Survivor 49 (26:22)

Sophi finished as the runner-up in Survivor 49, but she actually scored the top spot for most confessional time that season. While she got six less confessionals than eventual winner Savannah Louie, she beat out her ally for most screen time with almost two minutes more total confessional time. We predict that this was likely due to two factors: the fact that Sophi was a prominent figure in episode 3 when her day 1 ally Jake Latimer was getting medevaced and that she had a secret advantage at the end that only she knew about.

My Messy, Sweet Friend — “My Messy, Sweet Little Friend” – Idol fever strikes the NuiNui beach and launches a massive hunt for the last hidden immunity idol of the season. With the end of the game in sight, castaways begin to question whether their resumes are enough to win the title of Sole Survivor. Then, in a test of precision, castaways compete for immunity and a spot in the final six, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 8 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on

4. Charlie Davis, Survivor 46 (27:31)

Charlie was a fan favorite of Survivor 46 and his narrative definitely helped make that happen. While he had a whopping 9 more confessionals than season winner Kenzie Petty, she just barely eked him out with about 10 more seconds of confessional footage. Considering the third highest confessional time of the season went to Q Burdette with just over 22 minutes, it’s clear the season’s narrative was always meant to be focused on Charlie and Kenzie.

“Mamma Bear” – In one of the most emotional reward challenges of the season, castaways fight for their chance to win letters from home. Alliances begin to crumble and individual plans emerge after players compete in a race of balance, speed and puzzle skills to earn immunity and a spot in the final five, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 15 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for

3. Kenzie Petty, Survivor 46, and Sam Phalen, Survivor 47 (27:43)

While these back-to-back season finalists landed the exact same confessional time, Sam surpassed Kenzie’s confessional count significantly with 93 confessionals compared to her 75. But not dissimilar to Charlie and Kenzie, Sam was also just barely beat out for most confessional time by his season winner Rachel LaMont despite having 7 more total confessionals than her.

“The Last Stand” – The stakes could not be higher at a crucial, muddy immunity challenge. Castaways must spark a win or flame out at a fire-making showdown to earn their way to the final three. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 47 finale, followed by the After Show hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Dec. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+(live and on demand for Paramount+

2. Rachel LaMont, Survivor 47 (29:10)

With almost 30 minutes of total confessional time, Rachel dominated not only Survivor 47, but most of the new era as a whole. While Sam actually led her in total confessionals, Rachel—who went on an intense journey, won an advantage in the auction, pulled of an incredible blindside, and tied the women’s record for most challenge wins—surpassed the “Operation: Italy” schemer in total screen time before going on to win her season.

“Only One of Yous Can Win” – The $1 million dollars is closer than ever as the remaining castaways enter the final stretch of the game. A major come-from-behind win earns one person a trip to the sanctuary and a spot in the final four. Then, a tumultuous fire-making showdown determines the final three. One castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $1 million prize, on the season 48 finale, followed by the After Show, hosted by Jeff Probst, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, May 21 (8:00-11:00

1. Kyle Fraser, Survivor 48 (29:12)

Only beating Rachel by a few seconds, Kyle holds the top spot for most confessional time across the entire new era. Even his partner in strategy Kamilla Karthigesu and Survivor 48’s sweetheart Eva Erickson couldn’t come close to touching his screen time, though they are the only three players in their season who passed the 20 minute mark for their total confessionals. Kyle would then go on to be the second lowest confessional count of Survivor 50 due to being pulled from the game.

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