The 6 best seasons of Survivor where the fan-favorite lost

While a satisfyingwinner’s editis usually what rounds out a season and makes fans coming back for more, the most dramatic and enticing seasons usually include a devastating blindside, bitter jury votes, or a brutal end–game twists that leaves the season’s narrative frontrunner in second or third place (or even lower…).

But a season’s legacy is rarely defined only by the champion. That’s why, despite the fact that our favorite players didn’t come out on top, these are still some of the 6 best seasons. They prove that top-tier entertainment, iconic strategy, and incredible storytelling can exist even when the fan-favorite loses.

Survivor: Micronesia(season 16)

Fans at home watched an impressive game fromCirie Fieldsfor 38 days before a twist intercepted the game and changed the Final Three back to the original format of a Final Two. After Amanda Kimmel won the final immunity challenge, she had to choose between taking Cirie or Parvati Shallow to the end with her.

Because of this unexpected end of game shift, most people associate Parvati Shallow as the leader of the Black Widow Brigade when in actuality, it was Cirie who orchestrated it after convincing Parvati and Amanda to eliminate their closest male allies—James Clement and Ozzy Lusth, respectively—and go to the end with her.

But even with Cirie’s brutal exit, just one day short of winning $1 million—which we know she would have if she’d gotten to the end—the season delivers peakSurvivorgameplay with some of the best moments in the game’s history like Jason Siska believing Ozzy’s fake idol creation was real, Ozzy then getting blindsided with an idol in his pocket, and Erik Reichenbachgiving up Final Five immunityonly to be voted out.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains(season 20)

After winningSurvivor: Micronesia, Parvati went on to completely dominate the 10 year anniversary season of the show. Even compared to a winning game inMicronesia, Parvati played one of the most mechanically dominant games in the show’s history—including a legendary double idol play—only to have it all undone because the majority-Hero jury didn’t like that she was aligned with Russell Hantz.

But this is still considered themost fan-lovedseason of all-time, widely regarded as the gold standard for what returnee seasons should look like. The constant strategic war between some of the show’s best legends keeps the tension through the roof from episode 1 all the way through the controversial final vote.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water(season 27)

On her first season ofSurvivor, Ciera Eastin appeared as a loved one for her mom Laura Morett (Survivor: Samoa) and playedhard. She made history by being the only player voted out that season who did not get to compete in the Redemption Island twist, going to rocks at Final 6, as well as being the only player to vote out their loved one.

She was so close to breaking upTyson Apostol’sendgame alliance, but barely missed the mark in losing the Final 5 immunity challenge. But the “loved one’s” dynamic added an unmatched emotional weight to the season that we hadn’t seen before. Redemption Island provided even higher dramatic stakes that made every elimination feel personal and powerful.

Survivor: Cambodia(season 31)

Fans had been waiting forKelley Wentworth’sreturn toSurvivorsince her unfortunate early boot thanks to her dad back inSurvivor: San Juan del Sur. It was no surprise that she was chosen for the fan-voted cast on this second chance season, but it was heartbreaking when she was eliminated at the Final Four, just one day short of making Final Tribal Council.

She pulled off some of the best idol play inSurvivorhistory, including the Andrew Savage blindside, so much so that her name is now synonymous with people playing idols—“Wentworth, will not count”—thanks to her history-making play that negated a record nine votes against her.

But even without Wentworth getting to plead her case,Cambodiasets the bar for modern, ultra-fluid strategicSurvivorgameplay. The constant shifting of voting blocs, non-stop idol threats, and high-stakes desperations created a relentless pacing that kept fans hooked week-after-week (and is the reason why it’s still my favorite season).

Survivor: David vs. Goliath(season 37)

Going into the season, fans would tell you they didn’t have any expectations that a David could be a Goliath in the game ofSurvivor. Yet, the stand-out of the season was none other than a witty, sharp strategist David who was universally loved by fans from day 1. Of course I’m talking about the one-and-onlyChristian Hubicki.

His dynamic gameplay and alliance adaption ultimately made him an unavoidable target and, though he was able to escape a few votes thanks to the connections he made, he was taken out at the Final 7, breaking the hearts of everyone watching at home. (Only to later be overshadowed by his Final 11 elimination thanks toJimmy FalloninSurvivor 50).

But the dynamic casting of the season, multiple brilliant plays of advantages—including the first successful Idol Nullifier—and near perfect narrative editing makes it arguably one of the best modern-era seasons.

Survivor: Edge of Extinction(season 38)

While Chris Underwood’s win has always been controversial because of the limited amount of days he spent in-game and not on the Edge of Extinction, the player who mirrored his arc while actually having a chance to play the game was everyone’s favorite agent of chaos, Rick Devens.

After being eliminated on day 11, Devens won his way back into the game on day 19 and then proceeded to execute one of the most dominant post-merge games we’ve ever seen filled with charismatic newsroom-style commentary, idol hunts, fake idol plays, and blindsides-on-blindsides-on-blindsides.

He just barely fell short on day 38 when Chris beat him at the Final Four fire-making challenge, giving up immunity for a chance to remove Devens and pad his resume enough to win. But despite the controversies of the season, Devens underdog run created unmatched weekly TV suspense that captivated the fanbase until the very last second of the season.

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