Outwit, outplay and outlast. Over the years, Survivor has had many memorable players — from beloved fan-favorites to notorious villains.
The reality series follows a group of players divided up into tribes as they are left to fend for themselves on a deserted island for nearly one month. Throughout the game, players are voted out and a select group becomes the jury that votes on a winner and awards the sole Survivor the $1 million cash prize.
Richard Hatch was the first-ever winner of the CBS series, which premiered in 2000. While the Rhode Island native was known for his frequent nudity, he wowed viewers with his strategic prowess.
Hatch created an alliance with the remaining members of the Tagi tribe when they merged with the Pagong group. The consultant and his allies worked together to reach the end, where he was ultimately crowned as the “Sole Survivor” in a 4-3 vote.
After Hatch set the blueprint for how to win the game, many heroes and foes emerged. Players like Rupert Boneham, Malcolm Freeberg and Joe Anglim won over fans with their brute strength and friendly demeanors.
Rob Mariano, most commonly known as Boston Rob, charmed his fellow castaways and fans with his charisma and leadership skills. The contractor was the first contestant to play five times, and appeared in six, but only won once. However, he was the runner-up on his second appearance in the reality TV series, losing to his eventual wife, Amber Brkich. The pair tied the knot in 2005 and have welcomed four daughters since.
With every hero on the show, a villain also emerges. Russell Hantz became one of the most infamous bad guys in the series. The Louisiana native was known for his ruthless gameplay and ability to unapologetically lie and manipulate his fellow contestants.
Hantz was one of the first players to adopt the strategy of searching for a hidden immunity idol without using any clues. He went on to play three times and was a runner-up in Survivor: Samoa and finished third in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Despite never winning the game, he is one of the few players to make the finals in multiple appearances.
“It’s easy to forget, but Russell really did reinvent a couple of things,” host Jeff Probst explained in a 2020 Cameo Video reshared via Instagram praising Hantz. “Maybe most significantly, [he’s] the first guy who ever said, ‘Why do I need to wait for a clue to go look for an idol? How many spots could it be in? I just re-watched Heroes vs. Villains and I really was reminded of how impressed I was by his absolute relentless pursuit of any and everything, including Parvati [Shallow], which may have done him in. But that was a really fun season.”
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