Ranking Survivor Winners...But It's Only Based On How Much I Like Them

I found a YouTube video the other day that ranked all the Survivor winners based on how entertaining they were as characters (shoutout to TheMeridianReview) and it gave me an idea. I got the impulsive thought to rank every winner, but in the most bias way imaginable. I wanted to rank them based only on how much I liked them as people and how I felt about their edits or games. Because if there's one thing I love, it's ranking things for no reason based on random criteria! So, here's my definitely not biased ranking list. 

The scale I'll be using: 1 – hate them, 2 – dislike, 3 – neutral, 4 –like, 5 – love

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The Really Don't Vibe With Them Tier

47. Dee (45), 1.17, she had the makings of a really good winner, I admired her skill in challenges, her sharp strategic mind, and dominant gameplay, but her villainous moments ruined it for me. not because a villain shouldn't win, but because the edit didn't commit to making her a full-fledged villain winner. they still tried to make us like her, but it's hard to like someone who eats peoples' rice and laughs about it. instead of a mastermind villain, all i got from her was a petty high school bully. i also didn't appreciate how she played with austin's feelings, that was just...so gross.  

46. Rob (22), 1.68, ugh. I hated his win. I understand it and respect it, but it's so bland. He strong-armed every vote, manipulated everybody into keeping him for some reason. He was like a mob boss or a cult leader, and I guess that would be fun to watch, but it didn't hit for me. Rob as a person, though? Iconic, hilarious, charisma off the charts, it's just his winning game was painful to watch. 

45. Tony (28), 1.99, he would've been a great winner for this season, but I can't like him in this one. His gameplay was so chaotic and erratic, and the swearing on his dead father thing was super low, and I'm glad Trish called him out on it. Although, I'm probably bias because I was a Woo fan for most of it.   

44. Jenna (6), 2.12, so boring to me, she had some good moments but the way she was oversexualized threw me off, good player but a really flat personality/edit. 

The I'd Like To Forget This Happened (And Probably Have) Tier 

43. Sarah (34), 2.21, so forgettable that I went through every winner and talked about them before remembering that I forgot to write hers. But she did play a great game, and for that I give her props.

42. J.T. (18), 2.29, I actually really liked him in Tocantins! His friendship with Stephen was so adorable, but he loses points because of everything after it, and the way his win kind of soured over time (like how it was clear that Stephen was the strategic brain of their duo and J.T. probably stole all his moves at FTC to win). He's had too many flops for me to like him, like writing a letter to Russell Hantz assuming all the women were trying to get him? Clown behaviour. He's only likeable when he's with Stephen, imo. 

41. Kenzie (46), 2.64, I'll be honest, as a Charlie fan, I was infuriated when Jeff announced her as the winner. I fully turned into Liz, I was yelling, my mom and sister were staring at me like I was a crazy person, but now that a bit of time has passed, and I've reevaluated, I understand why she won, and I've made peace with it. Yes, she did deserve her win over Charlie, and she was a very likeable, sweet person. I loved how she comforted Ben when he panicked. In hindsight, I like her a lot, and she's one of the more wholesome New Era winners, but I still can't put her any higher because of the post-vote reading rage. 

40. Mike (30), 2.77, listen I respected his hustle winning all those challenges, but he's kind of boring. i didn't appreciate his vibe in the pre-merge, and really disliked him, and though I warmed up to him a bit later on - mainly because of how he defended Shirin - it still isn't enough to put him any higher. 

39. Richard (1), 2.79, don’t like him very much, didn't appreciate the constant nudity, but can recognize the impact he had on the game and how iconic he was. Full respect! But not his biggest fan. 

The I Have Absolutely No Clue How To Feel About You Tier 

38. Wendell (36), 2.91, *long deep sigh* Okay, so. I watched GI for the first time after the whole Dee scandal, and I was really torn on this guy. I really liked him when he won, I thought he was a chill vibe, and I loved his story and bromance with Dom, but it's so hard to overlook all the scandals and toxicity surrounding him in the years following his win. I just can't bring myself to like him now. Which sucks because he would've been one of my favourite winners if it wasn't for all the mess. 

37. Erika (41), 2.96, she was really forgettable to me, honestly. I didn't have any clear feelings on her, she smashed the hourglass - which was a shitty twist to begin with - and uh...yeah, that's it as far as I can remember. I think she was just a victim of really bad editing, so I feel bad for her. First winner post-covid and they do her like THAT? Foul. But as a person I really, really like her! 

36. Sophie (23), 2.98, I'm torn between whether I dislike her or am just neutral. She had moments that I liked, and her FTC was okay, but she's kind of forgettable to me when it comes to memorable winners, and the scene with her asking Albert to drop his blocks to come help her was bizarre. 

35. Tom (10), 2.98, my mom and I were pretty torn about Tom, honestly. I didn't mind him, he reminded me of a middle aged Captain America, but my mom hated him. I respect his win, but his personality is kind of iffy for me, idk. I have no idea where to put him honestly. 

34. Brian (5), 3.03, I liked him, and I hate him, and I truly can’t decide which one it is, I kept jumping back and forth throughout the season, on one hand he was charming, and his Sauron-like dominant win was impressive, on the other, he was a misogynistic slimy piece of shit. 

33. Rachel (47), 3.09, *deep tired inhale* It was so painfully obvious. It didn't help that I watched most of the merge with the entire boot order spoiled, which didn't help connect me to Rachel or appreciate her game, since I was robbed of the entire journey, and by the time we got to the finale, I just wanted to see her win to be put out of my misery. She was also really, really boring. She had about as much personality as an unsalted baked potato, and we knew nothing about her except for a handful of things. She was adorable and I started to like her a bit in post-merge, but her flat personality did nothing to bolster her "dominant" winning game and egregiously obvious edit. 

The Winners That Also Exist and I Have No Thoughts On (Good or Bad) Tier 

32. Bob (17), 3.11, he...is a winner...that's also there. He exists. He was pretty adorable and likeable in his season, but he's also kind of boring. Idk. He's fine. 

31. Nick (37), 3.12, I recently rewatched his season and it was...fine. He's a fine winner, he did everything right. He named his alliances, which was fun to watch, and his backstory with his mom was really touching. But other than that, he bored me. 

30. Danni (11), 3.14, not really any big thoughts on her, she was fine. she exists, I don't have any clear feelings any which way 

29. Gabler (43), 3.32, I was spoiled going into this season, so i knew he would win, and honestly? didn't mind it. he did a good job, had a generally entertaining personality, but not much else to say about it. he's just Gabler. He Gabler'd. It's a win that exists. 

28. Amber (8), 3.39, I liked her, I really did, but she was a little bland outside of her romance with Rob, but I can see how she won and don’t mind it 

27. Maryanne (42), 3.50, perfectly in the middle, true neutral. I have no idea how to feel about her. She annoyed the mess out of me during pre-merge and even during later parts of the merge, but I do respect her gameplay and how she got her win. She deserved it 100%, especially after the Omar vote. But as a person? She's sweet, but still really annoying to me. 

26. Tyson (27), 3.59, I can't remember his season at all. Like at all. I honestly can't remember anything about him except for the "rustle feathers" moment with Hayden but that's it. But I really like Tyson as a person from all the other seasons I've seen him in, especially Tocantins. He was hilarious. 

25. Jeremy (31), 3.81, honestly i love him a whole lot, just not in his winning season - maybe it's because I barely remember it, but that could be why he's ranked this low - his win was forgettable. deserved!! but never sticks in my memory. but i do love him as a person, especially in WAW. 

24. Tommy (39), 3.91, another winner I liked but was also a bit boring. But he was wholesome and funny, and I liked the scene where he's bonding with the chickens and hopes they don't kill the redheaded one! Considering this was the Dan incident season, I understand why they edited him the way they did, I just wish we had more personality moments. 

23. Earl (14), 3.93, another winner I liked but was ultimately kind of boring. I liked his "king of Fiji" moment, and he played a very good strategic game. But yeah, kind of boring. 

The "Oh, Them? I Liked Them!" Tier 

22. Sandra (20), 3.94, I'll be honest, I barely remember her in this season, I need to rewatch it. But from what I do remember, she was totally iconic. "Stupid ass", burning Russell's hat...a true queen. 

21. Tina (2), 3.95, liked her but never felt very strongly about her in any which way, she’s sweet, I’m glad she won but that’s about it 

20. Yul (13), 3.95, another winner that on a game level, I adore, but on a personal level, I'm more neutral. Game-wise? He ate his season up and left no crumbs. As a person? He's about as compelling as...a log. I think he might've been our first true gamebot winner. 

19. Aras (12), 4.01, was he a little boring? sure. but in a cast of insane characters, it was nice to have someone calmer and more level headed, trying to keep the peace. he was wholesome, i'll give him that.  

18. Vecepia (4), 4.02, didn’t like a lot of people on that season except for her and Sean, was really impressed by her win and the way she got to know the people she was playing with 

17. Natalie W. (19), 4.05, she was such a sweetheart, I actually loved her. Her little moment of killing the rat and then apologizing was so cute, and it was so satisfying to see her beat Russell at the end after he was being scummy to her and other players the entire season. She deserved that win, and she also struck me as a very humble and sweet person, too. 

16. Yam Yam (44), 4.11, he was fun! I enjoyed watching him, he was such a big personality and get such a magnetic screen presence, he made what would've been a boring season a lot more fun. I was happy for him when he won!

The I Got Invested and Loved Every Second Of It Tier 

15. Ben (35), 4.13, i really liked him! from what i can remember, he played a decent game and i was impressed by how easily he found idols. but even as a person, i loved his story of struggling with PTSD, and he came off as an overall very sweet, very well-meaning, trying his best guy. Did production interfere for him to win? I don't think so. I think he was just that likeable and the fact that he managed to survive being targeted for that long probably garnered him the win in the jury's eyes. 

14. Chris D. (9), 4.17, listen…I liked him! I didn’t like him at first, but later on in the game, I warmed up to him and found it hilarious how he was the only guy left and still somehow managed to win by making all the women hate each other; he’s messy but iconic. 

13. Michele (32), 4.31, listen i'm a Michele defender through and through. i loved her, she was so entertaining and iconic, i loved her puzzle kick, and i'll be honest, i shed a couple tears when she won. she's just so sweet, adorable and likeable, i couldn't not root for her. 

12. Kim (24), 4.38, from a game perspective, she was amazing to watch, but from a likeability perspective, she was sweet but a little boring, there wasn't too much in terms of personal moments that sticks out to me, I think I mostly remember her positively for her dominant game.  

11. Parvati (16), 4.42, unlike a lot of the other winners on here, where I loved them in their other seasons but hated their winning one, Parv is the true opposite of that. I disliked her in most of her other seasons, except for Micronesia! She ate her win up. I loved seeing her Black Widow Brigade dominate the post-merge and she herself was at her best personality wise. Micronesia Parvati is probably the most iconic version of her, hands down. 

The Winners I Remember Fondly and Will Rewatch Their Season If You Asked Me To Tier 

10. Denise (25), 4.65, the first female winner I ever saw in my watch order! I loved her so much, and her suffering through all those tribals made her win that much more satisfying. She was a legend. I'll always remember her season really fondly. 

9. Ethan (3), 4.67, bias because of how cute he was but I really liked him, very likeable sweetheart and I was impressed that he was still able to win even after his rough FTC 

8. Natalie A. (29), 4.83, a total badass! she ate her season up. I adore her, she was so legendary, both in her winning season and in WAW. I loved her revenge quest in honor of Nadia and Jeremy, it was amazing to watch. I love seeing amazing, capable women backstab people.

7. Sandra (7), 4.89, iconic. Every second of her was pure gold, she carried that season on her back. Loved her story and personality, and I can see why she’s considered the queen

6. Todd (15), 4.91, he came, he saw, he served, he won. i adored him all the way through, he was such a good player and so entertaining to watch. i had heard his name floated around on Reddit for a long time, but it was always in relation to players like Terry Dietz and Savage, so I somehow assumed he'd fall into that middle aged dad category. safe to say, i was really surprised to find out how young he was! also was blown away by his amazing FTC performance. 

The Inner Circle of Favourites That Make Up My Sense of Self Tier 

5. Adam (33), 4.93, actually one of my favourite winners. I had so much fun watching him, he was so chaotic, but so much fun, and I loved his emotional storyline with his mom and friendship with Jay. He carried the season, imo. 

4. Chris U. (38), 4.95, ok another case of hot guy bias here, but i loved chris from the moment i laid eyes on him, my mom and I were big fans of him, and his performance in the finale going into fire with Rick was very impressive, as well as his social skills when he convinced Lauren to play her idol on him, idk. i just love hot guy winners and i think we deserve to have one every era, as a treat <3 

3. Tony (40), 4.97, i absolutely loved Tony's game this time around. he really did have, what i would argue, the perfect game. he was loyal to his allies, drove votes, somehow managed to evade becoming a clear target even with his massive threat level?? also he's hilarious, his constant hijinks had me dying laughing from beginning to end 

2. Fabio (21), 4.98, oh my god. I had seen people rave/meme about him online for ages, but never really knew the details of his winning game, so when my mom asked me who was in this season, I described Fabio to her in the best way possible, with what little info I had: "Who is Fabio? Fabio is a Survivor god. Fabio is Fabio, you can’t describe him, you just have to see him." That description still holds up really well after watching his game. He's just so damn entertaining, I loved every second of it. 

1. Cochran (26), 4.99, oh boy, here we go, I'm writing this one last because I have the most to say. This guy is so iconic no one even refers to him by his first name, he created the blueprint for all other nerd players for the next two eras, but especially in the New Era (Drew is like his spiritual successor). I loved his confessionals, the way he'd read people so well, and his challenge beast era. I'm also such a sucker for the out of his element nerd to Survivor mastermind pipeline.