Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Top 10 Survivors Who Never Got a Second Chance

Survivor has been played by over 600 players.  Some have come back to play a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or even 5th time!  But then some never played again.  In fact, a large majority of players only play once.  But there are ten I can pick out that I wish had played again.  These ten players Survivor really missed out on by not casting them again while their seasons were still fairly recent.  These ten will likely never play again, so there's no one past season 30 on here.  So this is my tribute to them.  My ten favorite one-time players who will likely never play again.  Here they are:

10. Carolyn Rivera ("Mama C") - Worlds Apart
Mama C was a very good player, and she was fairly likable.  I wasn't a huge fan of who she aligned with, but she played a good game, nonetheless.  A part of me feels she deserved the win over Mike, since Mike had to immunity and idol his way to the end.  She voiced on the Top 100 players of all time video on Russell Hantz's YouTube channel that she wants to play again, but I feel like it's too late, as she was already in her early 50's when her season aired.  

9. Ian Rosenberger - Palau
How can we not want to see a guy who voluntarily stepped down from the longest challenge ever back?  And he did so to save face and have a decent relationship with Tom and Katie after the show.  But I believe he has been approached about playing again, but he turned down producers.  I'm sure if they gave him enough of an appearance fee, he would've played again.  Oh well.

8. Taj George - Tocantins
Being a minor celebrity, Taj probably doesn't want to play again.  But she was like a second Cirie Fields.  She was likable, and if not for JT and Stephen, she might have won.  Well, she would've needed to outlast the Timbira members.  Anyway, I wish she had maybe played Blood vs. Water with her husband, former NFL running back Eddie George.  That would've been cool.

7. Hayden Moss - Blood vs. Water
Hayden clearly showed he was a gamer, and his skills from Big Brother translated fairly well to the game of Survivor.  I wish we had seen Hayden on Second Chance or Game Changers.  He would've been a more interesting player on GC than Caleb.  I loved his ability to convince Ciera to force a rock draw with Tyson.  

6. Cao Boi - Cook Islands
The man that came up with the splitting the votes tactic!  Plan Voodoo!  How could we not have seen Cao Boi back?  I honestly think I would've preferred him on Micronesia over Yau Man (especially considering how early of a boot Yau Man was).  Maybe they didn't bring him back because of his racial insensitivity (to his own race, mind you), and also maybe the fact he didn't make the merge.  

5. Earl Cole - Fiji
Earl is the one winner on this list, and man, I would've liked to have seen him back.  He was such a likable guy on a season that isn't particularly likable.  He would've made a good Hero on HvV or probably a more interesting player on Blood vs. Water (with his wife?) than Aras, and he certainly would've been a welcome addition on Winners at War.  Unfortunately, he had to turn it down due to his wife recently giving birth.  

4. Theresa "T-Bird" Cooper - Africa
Each time I watch Season 3, Africa, I like T-Bird more and more.  I like how she wasn't intimidated by Lex at all.  I like her southern accent.  And she's just a sweet, southern lady.  I would've much preferred her on All-Stars over Tina or Jenna Lewis.  They could've had four from Africa on All-Stars as they had four from Australian Outback (Tina, Colby, Amber, Jerri).

3. Marty Piombo - Nicaragua
Marty was a gamer.  He was incredibly smart and was voted out way too soon.  He was maybe (even at the time) ahead of his time.  He should've come back to show his full potential.  But by this point, it's probably too late.  If he was originally cast on a more memorable season, we might've seen him back.

2. Heidi Strobel/Hamels - Amazon
When you think of Survivor Amazon, who are the first players that come to mind?  For me, it's Rob C, Jenna, and Heidi.  And let me also ask you this.  What Survivor player in history best fulfills the dumb blonde stereotype?  You probably think Heidi.  Yet she has never played again.  Such a shame.  Again, she easily could've replaced her friend Jenna on All-Stars, and should've, given Jenna's mom's health at the time.  

1. Shane Powers - Panama/Exile Island
Such a shame that a character like Shane never played again.  And he was willing to, too.  He was on the HvV cast until he was cut for Russell Hantz at the last minute.  He was on the ballot for Cambodia: Second Chance, but somehow missed the cut (come on, people!).  By this point, it's probably too late.  He's probably also given up on reappearing as well.  Shane's just a unique, fun character to watch, and one that you hardly ever see on Survivor.  Again, such a shame.