The 25 best ‘Survivor’ villains of the past 25 years
The 25 best ‘Survivor’ villains of the past 25 years
Ever since its initial marooning on May 31, 2000, Survivor has seen its fair share of scheming masterminds, chaotic troublemakers, and winking devils. One player used psychological warfare against his own team by burning their socks, while another lied about his grandmother’s death as a way to gain favor in the game. CBS’s landmark reality TV show has seen it all — and one baddie even bared it all as he went full frontal on national television.
Relive all the drama from the comfort of your spy shack as Gold Derby counts down the 25 best Survivor villains of the past 25 years.
25. Genevieve Mushaluk
Survivor 47
One of the newest villains to be added to the list, Genevieve started out the 47th season as a bit of an underdog, until she went after her closest ally, Kishan Patel, when she thought he was building too much of a resumé. Genevieve was open at tribal council with her struggles in making real connections on the island, as she chose instead to see her fellow players as nothing but game pieces.
24. Natalie Bolton
Survivor: Micronesia
As a member of the female-led Black Widow Brigade, Natalie manipulated several different men including most notably Erik Reichenbach, whom she promptly voted out after he gave up his immunity necklace to her. Despite her popularity within the fandom, Natalie has never returned to Survivor … at least not yet.
23. Quintavius ‘Q’ Burdette
Survivor 46
Q’s wild persona was at times fun to watch (his hilarious “Q-skirt” clothing idea), while at other times quite agonizing (his threatening to quit multiple times). Ultimately, this hide-and-seek aficionado’s penchant for going after his island besties Tiffany Nicole Ervin and Kenzie Petty is what made him a true Survivor villain.
22. Corinne Kaplan
Survivor: Gabon, Survivor: Caramoan
The self-described “total bitch” was known for her hilariously witty insults, particularly when she verbally attacked Sugar Kiper in her Gabon jury speech. Despite being a part of her tribe’s dominant alliance, a power shift resulted in Corinne’s untimely exit from the game. Yes, she toned down her insults a bit in Caramoan, but her poor strategic gameplay led to another early ouster.
21. Kass McQuillen
Survivor: Cagayan, Survivor: Cambodia
“Chaos” Kass was quite polarizing in Cagayan, where she was initially a member of the Brains tribe. She advanced all the way to the final three, when Woo Hwang voted her out and kept Tony Vlachos, the ultimate winner, instead. During her “Second Chance” in Cambodia, despite an initial attempt at a more sociable game, her past reputation caught up to her and she was voted out at the merge.
20. Jesse Lopez
Survivor 43
Jesse and his buddy Cody Assenmacher dominated their tribe early on and continued to orchestrate several blindsides post-merge, but Jesse’s taste for blood led him to eliminate Cody in a shocking moment. (At least Cody was man enough to shake his hand.) Ultimately, Jesse’s fate caught up with him when he lost the fire-making challenge at the final four.
19. Shane Powers
Survivor: Panama
In a case of real life getting in the way of gameplay, Shane’s nicotine withdrawal caused him to act erratically on the island and bark orders at his fellow tribe members. Later, his closeness with challenge threat Terry Deitz prompted his allies to grow suspicious, leading to his fifth place finish.
18. Tyson Apostol
Survivor: Tocantins, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Blood vs. Water (winner), Survivor: Winners at War
Tyson’s presence in Tocantins was tied to Benjamin “Coach” Wade, and other players saw Tyson as merely the “assistant coach.” The dry-witted contestant was ultimately booted for being too much of a challenge threat. His return in Heroes vs. Villains was short-lived, but he got his sweet revenge in Blood vs. Water when he won the $1 million prize after avenging the ouster of his girlfriend, Rachel Foulger.
17. Randy Bailey
Survivor: Gabon, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Real talk: some of the baddies in the Heroes vs. Villains edition didn’t actually earn that moniker. But Randy did. His grumpy persona in Gabon immediately placed him on the outs, prompting everyone to laugh at him when he played a fake idol. Before he left the game, Sugar had memorably called him out at the voting booth as a “disgusting, old, hot-headed, chauvinistic, alcoholic bigot.” Oh, and a “loser,” too.
16. Courtney Yates
Survivor: China, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Courtney’s sassy personality and ongoing rivalry with Jean-Robert Bellande defined her time in China, where she ultimately placed as the runner-up to her best friend Todd Herzog. Her villainous return in the landmark 20th season was cut short when she was seen as being too close to some of the players on the opposing Heroes tribe.
15. Benjamin ‘Coach’ Wade
Survivor: Tocantins, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: South Pacific
Coach’s eccentric personality and “Dragon Slayer” persona made him a memorable figure on the island, and despite his claims of being honorable, he frequently deceived others. His “sensitive” nature was on full display in Heroes vs. Villains when Sandra Diaz-Twine called him out at tribal council, resulting in Tyson trying to “coach” the Coach by instructing him, “Don’t wear feathers in your hair.”
14. Andria Shuntel ‘Dreamz’ Herd
Survivor: Fiji
On paper, Dreamz was a contestant with a heart-tugging backstory — growing up without a home and becoming a street performer just to earn some extra bucks. Such grit and determination to survive should have made Dreamz an ideal contestant. But then he started playing too hard. His most notorious moment was a deal he made with the popular Yau-Man Chan, who had just won a truck, which he gave to Dreamz in exchange for protection once they reached the final four. Dreamz flipped on him, earning the disgust of viewers everywhere.
13. Abi-Maria Gomes
Survivor: Philippines, Survivor: Cambodia
Abi-Maria was one of those delusional castaways who felt that the game revolved solely around them. When she came to realize in Philippines how the others felt about her, she attacked them instead of making amends and alliances. When given a second chance in Cambodia, Abi-Maria tried to change her ways, but she just couldn’t. Her tribe ended up voting her out for being too much of a liability.
12. Brian Heidik
Survivor: Thailand (winner)
One of the coldest Survivor players ever, Brian methodically picked off his opponents one by one, and he brought little joy to the villainy. Though he represented himself as a used car salesman, it was revealed shortly thereafter that he was actually a soft-core porn actor whose professional name was “Dave Roth.” Significantly, he has never been asked back to compete in another competition, rare for a champion.
11. Brandon Hantz
Survivor: South Pacific, Survivor: Caramoan
Brandon never played the game the way his cool and calculating Uncle Russell did. In South Pacific, he appeared to have little strategy, found it difficult to control his sexual impulses, and displayed an alarming instability at tribal council. When he returned for the “Fans vs. Favorites” edition in Caramoan, Brandon seemed at first to be more in control, but after a confrontation with Phillip Sheppard at camp, Brandon had a complete meltdown and threw the tribe’s rice and beans supply into the fire, prompting his ouster. In February 2025, Brandon was arrested on racketeering and arson charges, suggesting he’s also an alleged villain off the island.
10. Jeff Varner
Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: Cambodia, Survivor: Game Changers
Jeff was one of the few contestants from an early season to get voted in by the fans for the “Second Chance” edition in Cambodia. He appeared to be a really well-liked player when he was asked back for Game Changers. However, one desperate move in order to save himself — outing transgender contestant Zeke Smith for being “deceptive” — was widely seen as a despicable act by the audience and earned him a permanent place in the Survivor Hall of Shame.
9. Jerri Manthey
Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Jerri was the first true villainess on Survivor, competing in the series’ second season, The Australian Outback, in 2001. Though she was extremely disagreeable at times with her castmates, her antics pale in comparison with the villainy displayed by some over the next two decades of the show. Still, she has the notorious distinction of literally being booed off the stage by fans at the All-Stars reunion show.
8. Colton Cumbie
Survivor: One World, Survivor: Blood vs. Water
Colton is widely considered to be one of the most bigoted contestants ever to play the game. He called one African-American competitor “ghetto trash,” and the only a Black person in his life he could cite was his housekeeper. Despite being removed from One World for a somewhat suspicious appendicitis, he was brought back in Blood vs. Water and committed the most unforgivable Survivor sin of all — he quit. There’s nothing that the audience hates more than a quitter.
7. Tony Vlachos
Survivor: Cagayan (winner), Survivor: Game Changers, Survivor: Winners at War (winner)
From the very start of Cagayan, the New Jersey cop was deceptive, presenting himself to most of his competitors as a construction worker. Playing in an over-caffeinated style, Tony was everywhere — finding hidden immunity idols, turning on his alliances, and building little spy shacks were he could observe his rivals undetected — which resulted in two victories in Cagayan and Winners at War.
6. Parvati Shallow
Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Micronesia (winner), Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Winners at War
Before she was on Deal or No Deal Island and The Traitors, Parvati was making waves on Survivor, even infamously winning the $1 million prize in Micronesia after convincing another player to give up his immunity necklace. Her most delicious moment came in Heroes vs. Villains when her allies were facing elimination and she surprisingly produced two immunity idols, which she used perfectly to send home a Hero. Yes, she’s still the Black Widow, but over the years, Pavarti has become one of the game’s most beloved players.
5. ‘Boston’ Rob Mariano
Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Redemption Island (winner), Survivor: Winners at War
The self-proclaimed “Godfather” of the island is known for his dominant leadership, challenge prowess, and cunning strategies. His aggressive gameplay, including betraying allies on All-Stars and refusing to let people have conversations in Redemption Island, produced some of the show’s most memorable moments. Having played 152 days across five seasons, Rob is the most prolific contestant in the U.S. version of Survivor, consistently making deep runs in the game. In 2025, he popped up on rival reality show The Traitors as — what else? — a murderous traitor.
4. Sandra Diaz-Twine
Survivor: Pearl Islands (winner), Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (winner), Survivor: Game Changers, Survivor: Winners at War
Sandra was the first person to ever win Survivor twice, thanks in part to her “anybody but me” strategy. The so-called “Queen” was initially seen as a liability due to her strong personality and poor physical performance, but she used her savvy intellect and social skills to overcome these perceived weaknesses. By convincing others to vote out stronger competitors, she took home two separate million-dollar checks, and later also tried her luck on Australian Survivor: Blood v Water alongside her daughter, Nina Twine.
3. Jon ‘Jonny Fairplay’ Dalton
Survivor: Pearl Islands, Survivor: Micronesia
Jonny was one of those Survivor villains who seemed to revel in being as bad as he could be. His most famous moment was in Pearl Islands when, during his loved one reunion with his best friend, he found out that his beloved grandmother had “died.” It was totally made up, of course, in a sympathy play which actually worked for a while. When he returned to the game in Micronesia, his heart wasn’t in it and he asked his tribe to vote him out first, which they did. Jonny was last seen on TV in the first season of House of Villains, where he placed fourth.
2. Russell Hantz
Survivor: Samoa, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Survivor: Redemption Island
Of all the people who have competed on Survivor, Russell is the one competitor who most changed how the game is played. He used psychological warfare against his own team by burning their socks or draining out their canteens. He found immunity idols without clues, thus increasing every other player’s paranoia. Probst told Kelly Ripa in 2013 that he considered Russell to be his “least favorite” contestant of all time, explaining, “Russell, I think you are a bad guy.” But still, Russell doesn’t appear in our No. 1 spot because we believe another legendary Villain deserves that position. Drumroll, please!
1. Richard Hatch
Survivor: Borneo (winner), Survivor: All-Stars
The first Sole Survivor, Richard was the focal point of the series’ sensational debut, becoming notorious worldwide for preferring the game naked. When viewers first tuned in to Survivor in 2000, they assumed it would be a straight-ahead game — that the most worthy player would win. But the wily Richard, backed by the first alliance in reality TV history, added deception and manipulation to the recipe, and Survivor would never be the same again. He returned in All-Stars and was responsible for Sue Hawk quitting the game when she accused him of rubbing his naked body against her. Post-Survivor, he also showed up on programs like The Celebrity Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, and, of course, House of Villains.
