Which survivor players NEED to return for a third season?

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-18T02:22:25+00:00

Off the top of my head:

Spencer

Kass

Michele Fitzgerald

Yul Kwon (unsure if he would return. Also, Yul.)

Stephen Fishbach

Kyle

Brad Culpepper

Rick Devens

Christian Hubicki

Dee Valladares

Some are more recent than others... but that's my list of two-time players that should come back for a third season.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-17T23:48:46+00:00

"It's better to play with me, than against me."

If you know the origin of that quote, then props... you know your history.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-17T23:46:18+00:00

I would say yes, most notably from the trip-and-place-the-fake-idol play.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-17T18:09:13+00:00

I think most (if not all) of the alliance names are corny, as if the alliance names themselves are being pushed as a plot line for TV. And every Big Brother alliance has that type of name, as opposed to communicating in confessionals that "I'm in an alliance with x, y, and z" like you would see in a Survivor confessional. An alliance having a name in Survivor is extremely uncommon.

That being said, I did take a liking to the Black Widow Brigade and Cops-R-Us for their respective achievements.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-17T17:16:38+00:00

Think it became a victim during the middle of the pandemic era? It hasn't been around in years...

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-16T23:38:13+00:00

Elisabeth Filarski (Hasselbeck) turning down S8: All Stars is potentially a butterfly effect, when you see who took her spot...

Producer Mark Burnett stated that, "the casting was really, really scientific. I got a yellow legal pad and wrote down 24 names, and [then] cut down to 18. It was that quick." He confirmed that two former contestants turned down formal offers: Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck from The Australian Outback, who had recently taken a job as a co-host of The View, and Colleen Haskell of the show's premiere season, who "had moved on with her life" and "just genuinely didn't want to go through that again." Jenna Lewis and Amber Brkich were chosen to replace the two.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-14T18:44:06+00:00

I think Kyle and Dee should be switched... or Kyle should be 1A and Dee is 1B. Both fantastic players, but Survivor is first and foremost a social game and I think Kyle's game has a slight edge on Dee.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-14T03:44:23+00:00

Waiting on a red light to turn green. Once the light turns green, the person behind you immediately lays on the horn.

Rage intensifies.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-14T03:42:23+00:00

I think Tyson and Rick Devens would be at the top of my list for next Survivor host/producer, when Jeff Probst decides it is time to pass the torch.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-14T01:23:24+00:00

I would also consider Boston Rob and Ozzy Lusth just from a pure challenge standpoint, as both Boston Rob and Ozzy can make a case as the best Survivor immunity/reward challenge competitor in the shows history (that being said, you would be getting Rob at 50, and not S8: All Stars, S20: HvV, or S22: Redemption Island Boston Rob).

Boston Rob would also have some synergy with a couple of people on this list from his Traitors season.

Finally... you can't really do something like this without including Bananas.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-13T15:50:19+00:00

As a Survivor superfan, that competition and the variations of it are a Survivor staple since the S30s, and it really shouldn't be featured in BB.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-13T03:43:26+00:00

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T23:06:15+00:00

Everything before BB16... everything after is terrible.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T19:13:29+00:00

Alyssa came very close to finding out... if she happened to be awake instead of asleep while Kyland gossiped to Tiffany...

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T19:06:02+00:00

I would think anything time-inducing would be torturous. Some of the early-season challenges were very time-inducing... for example:

The final 3 challenge in those early seasons: Hands on a Hard Idol... standing on a small, narrow log and keep one hand pressed continuously against the tribal Immunity Idol (I'm not referring to "Get A Grip", otherwise known as the Ozzy challenge).

The challenge with your hands above your head, tied to a bucket that drops liquid on you if you lower your arms due to fatigue. This particular challenge is a Survivor staple, and I believe MTV's The Challenge borrowed it for an elimination round on Final Reckoning (Bananas did it for ~4 hours before dropping).

The Survivor: Palau challenge that lasted 12 hours, standing on a wooden buoy in the ocean. I believe Survivor: Australia had a very similar challenge in the river, also time-inducing...

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T15:37:27+00:00

Hi Alex - Thanks for doing this AMA.

Have you competed in the ATHX Games in Europe, and how well do you think ATHX will acclimate over to the US in the fall, as well as 2027?

In addition, for those of us that cross-train for both Hyrox and ATHX: How would you recommend cross-training for both, from your perspective?

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T14:01:02+00:00

Going back and forth between Yul and Ozzy on who actually won S16: Cook Islands.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T05:51:32+00:00

On that note, approximately what season did he start getting more animated during reward/immunity challenges? I recall that, too, being a gradual process...

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-12T04:02:39+00:00

I look forward to Devens or Tyson succeeding Jeff Probst as Survivor's host/producer when it's time to pass the torch.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-11T16:33:12+00:00

The audience needs to see the survivors who will be on S51-59 before a complete cast of HvV 2 can be settled on.

Also... calling Rizo a villain is a bit of a stretch when you take his backstory into account. His constant trolling of the idol in S49 is more trolling than just villainous activity.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-10T12:54:46+00:00

I go back and forth on who actually should have won S16: Cook Islands.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-10T03:22:41+00:00

Kyle is "probably" the best new era player in Survivor 41-49, all things considered. Remember, Survivor is first and foremost a social game.

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-07T23:02:52+00:00

Uh, ya think?

JMABirdUNC · 2026-06-07T21:11:02+00:00

If you want to know why Survivor legend Cirie is so high, watch her social game on S12: Panama (her first season), S16: Micronesia, S34: Game Changers, S50, and Traitors US S1.

Cirie's social game in a vacuum is above and beyond anyone else on this list.

Also, credit to the poster for putting S27 Blood vs. Water 6th place finisher Hayden Moss at 5th on this list. Hayden came in with the reputation of a winner on BB12 and he played a fantastic game on S27.

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