10 great 'Survivor' moments, as told by two former castaways
Survivor returns tonight for its 33rd cycle, and from the pre-season hype it could be one of the wildest seasons yet. Survivor: Millennials Vs. Gen-X is literally a battle of the generations.
For the past eight years, I’ve been blogging about Survivor for People.com -- and have occasionally been joined by artist Erik Reichenbach. We’re both former contestants, and we also both have last names ending in -bach, so our collaboration just makes sense.
While Erik’s drawn comics for only a few seasons of the show, in that time he’s captured some of Survivor’s biggest characters and most memorable moments. I wanted to share a few of my favorites.
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10. Tyson Becomes the Coconut Bandit
Coming into Survivor: Blood vs. Water, Tyson Apostol was notorious for establishing dominant early-game positions and then dramatically flaming out. On his third try, however, Tyson relaxed and had fun: he stole his tribe’s coconuts, he blindsided his allies and he even found an idol. He was rewarded for his fun-loving gameplay at the end with a million dollar check and the title of Sole Survivor.
9. Drew Christie: Strategic Badass
One of the most enjoyable parts of Survivor is watching arrogant people get their asses handed to them. Drew Christie was so certain he was the “kingpin” of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur that he threw a challenge to vote out a threat. “Basically, I’m a badass and a manipulator of this game,” he said. Ehhh...not so much. That night at Tribal Council, he was the one whose torch was snuffed.
8. Rupert Puts Candice to Work
When Rupert Boneham first appeared in Survivor: Pearl Islands, he stole America’s hearts with his piratical looks and wilderness savvy. A decade later, on his fourth outing, a 52-year-old Rupert didn’t have quite the same can-do spirit of his younger self. The one-time Blackbeard impersonator let Candice Cody forage for food on Redemption Island while he saved his strength.
7. Woo Goes #NinjaStealthMode & Steals Spencer’s Clue
Who doesn’t love an idol scramble? On Survivor: Cagayan, young lad Spencer Bledsoe found an idol clue at a reward and snuck away from camp to seek it out. Yung “Woo” Hwang put his martial arts training to use and ambushed Spencer, stealing the idol clue. Spencer tried to chase him down, but Woo bolted away, “Sonic the Hedgehog-style.”
6. Ciera Votes Out her Mom
The whole premise of Survivor: Blood vs. Water was to put relationships to the test when contestants faced their loved ones. But nobody seriously thought that a player would turn on a relative -- until Ciera Eastin voted out her own mom. You just know that the producers were high-fiving each other that night.
5. Colton Quits the Game
Silver spoon country clubber Colton Cumbie is one of Survivor’s biggest heels -- he holds the distinction of being the only player to quit the game twice. On One World, he feigned an injury to be medically evacuated. Then On Blood vs. Water, when it became clear that his tribe disliked him, he bowed out again. Here, Colton is visited by the ghosts of Survivor quitters past, who think he may be the biggest baby of all.
4. Tony’s Bottomless Bag of Tricks
Survivor: Cagayan champ Tony Vlachos is possibly the most dynamic contestant the show has ever seen. Nobody knew quite what he would pull out of his “bag of tricks” at Tribal Council -- including two normal idols, as well as a “super idol” that let him save himself even after the votes were read.
3. Tony Builds His Spy Shack
Tony’s tricks didn’t end with his idol-finding superpowers. He also built a “spy shack” beside the tribe’s water well, where he would camp out for hours. He knew that players would often retreat to the well to strategize, so he could listen in on their conversations unobserved.
2. San Juan del Sur-ians Barter Goods with Jeff
Survivor contestants don’t get very much, so you guard your tools and you ration your food. But on Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, for the first time ever, the careless contestants bartered goods with Jeff Probst. After the Hunahpu tribe lost their flint, they traded their fishing gear for a new one. Later, when the voracious Hunahpus had eaten through their rice, they offered Jeff everything they had -- a hatchet, a hammer, flint, a pot and even their tarp -- for more food.
1. Ciera Goes to Rocks
It’s only happened twice in the history of the show: the contestants were so deadlocked on a vote, that they chose to draw rocks to determine who would go home. In Blood vs. Water, sassy Ciera (of mom-voting-out fame) realized at the final six that her allies were planning to do her dirty. She switched alliances and forced the dramatic tie-breaker -- though the move didn't help her. Ciera ally Katie Collins drew the dreaded white rock.
You can follow Stephen and Erik on Twitter at @stephenfishbach and @BloodyAmer1can.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
