The 10 Most Chaotic Survivor Players Ever | ScreenRant
Survivor has been on the air for twenty years, and in that time, it has been home to a wide variety of players and play styles. Some are more passive and prefer their strong social game to carry them far. Others hope that their strong physicality will get them far into the game. And others prefer making "big moves" and commanding the game through strategy.
The latter players are particularly enticing, as they make for exciting and often unpredictable viewing. No one (not even their tribemates) can predict their next move, and the resulting chaos always proved a delight to watch.
10 Russell Hantz
Russell Hantz changed the way that Survivor is played. For one thing, his unrelenting hunt for individual immunity idols proved highly advantageous, and it altered the way that players found them in the future; after Hantz, players hunted for idols without the help of clues.
Furthermore, his complex strategies and the unflinching ways in which he disposed of allies was highly unpredictable, and it resulted in a deeply bitter jury. For both reasons, Hantz made Samoa one of the show's most memorable seasons, and he ushered in the "Big Moves" era of Survivor.
9 Ben Driebergen
Few people have taken advantage of Russell Hantz's idol-hunting strategy quite like Ben Driebergen. Ben was all over the place throughout Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. When it seemed like Ben was on the way out, he won a slew of challenge victories and ensured his survival.
But perhaps more chaotically, Ben played three straight hidden immunity idols and eventually earned his way into the final three by winning a fire-making challenge. He was certainly perseverant, often flipping the game when his own was clearly coming to an end.
8 Boston Rob
Boston Rob is arguably the original Survivor fan favorite. Debuting in Survivor: Marquesas, Boston Rob quickly became a Survivor icon and has appeared in six iterations of the show (five times as a competitor and once as a mentor on Island of the Idols).
Boston Rob earned his fame primarily through his aggressive gameplay and cutthroat strategy. He quickly proved himself one of the greatest masterminds of the show, and many of his most thrilling plays and strategies have become Survivor mainstays. There was never any predicting what Boston Rob would do or who he would betray.
7 Shane Powers
Shane Powers of Survivor: Panama displayed a different sort of chaos. While Survivor had aired eleven previous seasons, Powers brought something completely new to the show through his eccentric personality.
He quickly earned a reputation for his oddball personality - most of which could be attributed to starvation and nicotine withdrawal. He is well known for his numerous outbursts, making a Blackberry out of a piece of wood, and jokingly threatening to stalk and kill Courtney Marit.
6 Abi-Maria Gomes
This business student from Los Angeles has competed twice, and both times she proved an incredible nuisance for her fellow survivors. Her general unlikability was a constant hindrance throughout Philippines, and it often resulted in some shocking reactions (like Michael and Lisa flipping and joining the Kalabaw alliance).
She was also quite wild throughout Cambodia, showcasing a generally caustic personality and antagonizing other players like Woo and Peih-Gee. The only reason she went so far in both seasons is because others thought that she would make a good goat.
5 Jonny Fairplay
Real name Jon Dalton, Jonny Fairplay quickly proved a fan favorite through his ridiculous actions on Pearl Islands. Fairplay was highly deceitful throughout the season, and he failed to generate anyone's trust. His gameplay was both aggressive and erratic, and he remains the show's most famous liar.
Of course, most Survivor fans remember his iconic Dead Grandma lie, in which Fairplay pretended that his grandmother was deceased so his tribemates would show pity and gift him the reward.
4 Coach Wade
Debuting on Survivor: Tocantins, Coach Wade quickly established himself as a legendary Survivor player. Complete with a slew of memorable quotes, Coach became a fan favorite through his various idiosyncrasies. He practiced and preached Zen meditation while calling himself The Dragon Slayer. He also displayed pride in his own nobility, despite being an untrustworthy figure who was known for coldly turning on allies.
His fickle personality and gameplay quickly earned him a reputation, and he later returned as one of the show's most popular villains in Heroes vs. Villains.
3 J'Tia Taylor
Despite not making the merge, J'Tia Taylor is one of the most memorable contestants from Cagayan. She quickly proved herself a tumultuous player by bossing around her tribemates at camp, despite not pulling her own weight.
She also proved shockingly terrible at challenges and largely contributed to multiple losses for her tribe. It was obvious that no one liked her, and in a fit of anger, J'Tia dumped the tribe's supply of rice into the fire (and later denied it, despite being the only person in the vicinity). All of this contributed to her early exit from the game.
2 Noura Salman
Noura Salman could be the most memorable contestant from Island of the Idols. She was certainly the most turbulent. Salman quickly earned a reputation for being untrustworthy, and most of her fellow contestants considered her a wildly eccentric and unreliable player.
And while Salman was constantly targeted for being untrustworthy, she managed to finagle a way to the final three thanks to some strong physical gameplay. However, it could also be argued that Salman was a goat. The jury did not respect her game, and she didn't receive a single vote.
1 Tony Vlachos
A two-time winner, Tony Vlachos is arguably the greatest player in Survivor history. And his wild gameplay comes in two forms. Throughout Cagayan, Vlachos proved himself a largely erratic figure who easily flipped alliances, backstabbed allies, found immunity idols, and even built "spy shacks" to spy on fellow contestants.
But perhaps even more chaotically, Vlachos played a completely different game throughout Winners at War, favoring a low profile and more subtle power moves to ensure his success. No one knew what Vlachos was doing at any given moment, and he could very well be the most chaotic player in the history of the game.