Summary

• Fans love Survivor contestant, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe.
• Fans think that Yul Kwon is one of the best Survivor players ever.
• Jeremy Collins is ranked high on the list of best Survivor stars.

Since Survivor is one of the best reality shows ever, it has millions of fans who know things like who the first player to be medically evacuated was. On top of that, Survivor's fans like to debate things like what the most dangerous challenges were, what Jeff Probst's worst moments are, and which seasons are the best.

If all that wasn't enough, many Survivor fans like to talk debate which players are the best ever. With that in mind, it is fascinating to look at which Survivor players fans think are the best in the show's history.

This article will rank which Survivor players are the best ever, according to various online rankings such as Reddit threads, Survivor fandom, and Ranker.

10 Why Is Sarah Lacina One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Three Seasons

In 2020, a poll was conducted among the fans on the r/Survivor subreddit about which players were the best of all time. The fans who voted on that poll named Sarah Lacina as the tenth-best Survivor player ever.

Never voted out before the jury in her three Survivor appearances, Lacina proved that she had impressive social and strategic skills. Those abilities allowed Lacina to win Survivor: Game Changers.

Brought back for Survivor: Winners at War, many of the players were worried about Lacina and wanted her out early. Despite that, Lacina wasn't voted out of the game and only exited after losing the fourth-place fire-making challenge.

9 Why Is Earl Cole One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During One Survivor Season

According to the aforementioned 2020 Reddit fan poll, Earl Cole was the ninth-best Survivor player ever.

On top of that, in 2021 a fan on the same Subreddit asked fans to argue who the best player of all time is. The top most-upvoted response to that post argued that Cole was the most underrated player ever.

The winner of Survivor: Fiji, Cole showed off his strategic brilliance, charisma, and social understanding which is an incredible combination of skills. Cole also was the first unanimous Survivor winner, he only received one vote against him, and he voted correctly at every tribal council he attended.

8 Why Is Kim Spradlin-Wolfe One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Two Seasons

According to that same 2020 Subreddit poll, Kim Spradlin-Wolfe was named the fourth-best Survivor player ever. However, Ranker posted an article that allowed Survivor fans to vote on the best player ever. According to that poll, Spradlin-Wolfe was the 12th-best player of all time. Combining the findings of both polls is why Spradlin-Wolfe is ranked here.

One of the two players to have the most dominant Survivor wins ever, Spradlin-Wolfe seemed to have complete control of her season. The probable reason that Spradlin-Wolfe didn't wind up higher in Ranker's poll was that she won Survivor: One World, a season that had a memorably weak cast.

Still, it says a lot that when Spradlin-Wolfe returned for Winners at War, she was deemed such a big threat that she was eliminated early.

7 Why Is Yul Kwon One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Two Seasons

According to the 2020 r/Survivor poll, Yul Kwon was the 7th best player ever. Interestingly enough, Ranker's users also named Kwon the 7th best player ever. With both of those findings in mind, it only makes sense to rank Kwon in 7th place here.

The winner of Survivor: Cook Islands, Kwon exhibited how brilliant, calm, and cool he was throughout that season. There have even been fans who've argued that Kwon was the best social player ever.

6 Why Is Jeremy Collins One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Three Seasons

According to Ranker's users, Jeremy Collins is the 9th best Survivor player ever. However, r/Survivor fans believe Collins deserves more credit than that as they ranked him as the 6th best player of all time.

According to many Survivor fans, Collins played a near-perfect game during Survivor: Cambodia which was one of the most competitive seasons ever. Great in challenges and socially brilliant, Collins was also so strategically skilled that he partnered with Stephen Fishbach, one of the most knowledgeable players ever.

It also has to be noted that Collins has something special going for him. Collins appeared to be an excellent person. A firefighter who played the game to provide for the wife and children he adored, Collins' tribemates couldn't help but root for him in the end.

5 Why Is Cirie Fields One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Four Seasons

According to Ranker's users, Cirie Fields is the fifth-best Survivor player ever. The users of r/Survivor also named Fields the fifth-best player of all time. With those findings in mind, it only makes sense to rank Fields in fifth place on this list.

Widely considered to be the best Survivor player to never win a season, Fields proved how talented she was during multiple seasons. One of the best strategic players ever, Fields seemed to naturally know how to manipulate everyone around her. Even though Fields could be incredibly cutthroat, she was also so lovable that the tribemates she took out still loved her.

Aside from getting voted out early during one season because of how threatening she was, Fields always made it near the end of the game. There also is no way to know if Fields could have won Survivor; Game Changers if there wasn't a tribal council where everyone other than her became immune from the vote.

4 Why Is Sandra Diaz-Twine One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Five Seasons

According to Ranker's users, Sandra Diaz-Twine is the 6th-best Survivor player ever. However, the fans on the r/Survivor subreddit named Diaz-Twine the third-best player in the show's history.

Looking back at Diaz-Twine's history, it would be hard to argue that she isn't one of the best Survivor players ever. After all, Diaz-Twine was the first player ever to win twice, and there is only one other player who has pulled off that feat.

If Diaz-Twine only played two seasons, she likely would have gone down as the best player ever. However, Diaz-Twine was voted off early during three seasons, including one that took place in Australia. However, considering Diaz-Twine was voted out early during those seasons because she was such a huge threat, that doesn't lower her ranking too much.

3 Why Is "Boston" Rob Mariano One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Five Seasons

According to Ranker's Survivor fans, "Boston" Rob Mariano is the second-best Survivor player ever. However, the users of r/Survivor ranked Mariano lower, as he came in 8th place in their poll.

Seemingly blessed with every skill a Survivor player could want, Mariano could do it all. For example, Mariano built incredible shelters, was an absolute beast in challenges, and could charm his tribemates into doing things that were bad for them.

Most notably, Mariano's strategic thinking changed the game as he came up with ways to win that nobody had considered before. No wonder Mariano won one season and was the runner-up during another.

2 Why Is Parvati Shallow One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Four Seasons

The users of the website Ranker voted and named Parvati Shallow the third-best Survivor player ever. Alternatively, the fans on the r/Survivor subreddit ranked Shallow as the second-best player in the show's history.

Widely considered to be one of the most well-rounded players ever, Shallow was a social, strategic, and challenge threat. That said, the main thing that made Shallow stand out as an all-time great was her ability to manipulate someone with nothing more than a smile.

Just like Mariano, Shallow became the Sole Survivor during one season and the runner-up during another. However, Shallow's feat was more impressive. After all, Shallow won a season and then still made it to the end to become the runner-up while Mariano was the runner-up before he won. The fact that Shallow won a season and still had the strategic and social ability to get to the final tribal council is amazing.

1 Why Is Tony Vlachos One Of The Best Survivor Players Ever?

Played During Three Seasons

According to the people who voted on Ranker and r/Survivor's users, Tony Vlachos is the best Survivor player ever. Looking at Vlachos' history, it makes perfect sense that he is ranked so high.

When Vlachos played during Survivor: Cagayan, he took control of the game early on and won the season. During Vlachos' second season, he played fast and hard like he did the first time and was considered such a threat that he was voted out second. However, Vlachos obviously learned a lot from that experience when he returned for his third season.

Tony Vlachos has won more money from Survivor than any other player. The reason for that is Vlachos won $2 million for winning Survivor: Winners at War and $1 million for Survivor: Cagayan for a total of $3 million. On the other hand, Sandra Diaz-Twine won $1 million for both of her seasons for a total of $2 million.

When Vlachos returned for Survivor: Winners at War, he strategically lowered his threat level by goofing around early on. As the game proceeded, Vlachos slowly but surely took over the game alongside his partner, Sarah Lacina. That allowed Vlachos to make it to the end and win another season. The fact that the second season that Vlachos won also featured seven of the other players on this list makes that achievement even more impressive.