TV: Top 15 Survivor Players - #3

[Mitch nylander]

#1 - Tony Vlachos
#2 - Parvati Shallow


On the docket
Rob Mariano
Sandra Diaz-Twine
Sarah Lacina
Earl Cole
Tyson Apostol
Kim Spradlin-Wolfe
Richard Hatch
John Cochrane
Brian Heidik
Natalie Anderson
Jeremy Collins
Cirie Fields
Russell Hantz

To Add:
Sophie Clarke (1)
Todd Herzog (3)
Ethan Zohn
Denise Stapley (1)
Cirie Fields
Ozzy Lusth
Mike Holloway (1)
Rob Cesterino (1)
Michelle Fitzgerald
Yul Kwon
Wendell Holland
JT Thomas
Tina Wesson
Tom Westman
Nick Wilson
Fabio Birza
Adam Klein
Amber Brkich
Malcolm Freberg
Vecepia Towery
Chris Daugherty

Added Hantz, and Cirie.

Vote for who should be added, and who you think is the second best.

Voted Rob Mariano and add Denise & Mike Holloway

Click to read more...

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I voted Rob for the last round, so Rob again. Add Sophie and Todd.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

It's Kim Spradlin
The only other player I can see given an argument is Sandra

Boston Rob has no argument over Kim

 

[phreak]

Voted Kim. Add Todd and Rob C.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It's Kim Spradlin
The only other player I can see given an argument is Sandra

Boston Rob has no argument over Kim

I'm not sure the argument for Kim is as air-tight as some think. Yes, she was great in her first season, but it was one of the weakest casts ever, and then she followed it up with a mediocre showing in WAW.

 

[Riggins]

Voted Sandra even though I dislike her.

I just re-watched Borneo. Quite the eye opener comparing it to the modern game. Most people were just out for an adventure and Hatch was almost the only one playing the game. You've got a bunch of people morally opposed to alliances and a guy voting alphabetically!

 

[Apex Predator]

Voted Kim Add Todd

 

[Centrum Hockey]

I'm not sure the argument for Kim is as air-tight as some think. Yes, she was great in her first season, but it was one of the weakest casts ever, and then she followed it up with a mediocre showing in WAW.

Redemption Island had even dumber players than one world and people praise Boston rob for that season.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Redemption Island had even dumber players than one world and people praise Boston rob for that season.

Kim only played two seasons, so there's a lot less to judge her game on than Rob's. We saw many seasons of Rob play. Rob has a lot more of a signature way of playing. It's likely to result in a lot of bad finishes because they take him out earlier, but if you can win the game playing like that, it's rather impressive and counts a lot more for some people than the fact that Rob has played a lot and has only won once against a weak cast.

I don't think Kim helped her stock in WAW, and she had a lot more to lose than Rob did. She came in viewed as possibly the best one-time player ever, and her record in the game was rather unblemished. Her record became very blemished in WAW, and I don't know how her stock couldn't have dropped, unless you were highly skeptical of her win to begin with.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Kim only played two seasons, so there's a lot less to judge her game on than Rob's. We saw many seasons of Rob play. Rob has a lot more of a signature way of playing. It's likely to result in a lot of bad finishes because they take him out earlier, but if you can win the game playing like that, it's rather impressive and counts a lot more for some people than the fact that Rob has played a lot and has only won once against a weak cast.

I don't think Kim helped her stock in WAW, and she had a lot more to lose than Rob did. She came in viewed as possibly the best one-time player ever, and her record in the game was rather unblemished. Her record became very blemished in WAW, and I don't know how her stock couldn't have dropped, unless you were highly skeptical of her win to begin with.

Boston Rob has played 5 times and didn't make the merge 3 times. That's a really bad look
The fact that he has a signature way of playing shows he can't adapt. If Tony played like he did in Cagayen and Game Changers, he would've been gone pre-merge. What makes Tony great is he's self aware and can change up his game. Boston Rob thought he could use Redemption Island tactics against all Winners.

Both Kim and Boston Rob dominated against weak casts. Only difference, Boston Rob had a massive advantage playing with newbies who looked up to him from Day 1. Production set him up on a platter.

Kim's One World > Boston Rob's Redemption Island

Kim's WAW performance is better than Boston Rob's WAW performance, better than his Marqueses performance and his Heroes vs Villains performance. Kim did nothing wrong to put herself at the bottom in the beginning of WAW. The Poker Alliance was an external factor and great job from Yul to put that into people's minds. Kim kept it together and stayed low key (especially as a top 5 threat in the game). She made to the merge, was the most aware of what Tony was doing. She went head to head with Tony and lost. She should be more than proud of her game.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Boston Rob has played 5 times and didn't make the merge 3 times. That's a really bad look
The fact that he has a signature way of playing shows he can't adapt. If Tony played like he did in Cagayen and Game Changers, he would've been gone pre-merge. What makes Tony great is he's self aware and can change up his game. Boston Rob thought he could use Redemption Island tactics against all Winners.

Both Kim and Boston Rob dominated against weak casts. Only difference, Boston Rob had a massive advantage playing with newbies who looked up to him from Day 1. Production set him up on a platter.

Kim's One World > Boston Rob's Redemption Island

Kim's WAW performance is better than Boston Rob's WAW performance, better than his Marqueses performance and his Heroes vs Villains performance. Kim did nothing wrong to put herself at the bottom in the beginning of WAW. The Poker Alliance was an external factor and great job from Yul to put that into people's minds. Kim kept it together and stayed low key (especially as a top 5 threat in the game). She made to the merge, was the most aware of what Tony was doing. She went head to head with Tony and lost. She should be more than proud of her game.

I think some people look at best differently than that. Some people will rank players based on their statistical finishes, and others rank it based on how dominant their game play was at their best all with their style of play. You don’t have to explain to me what Rob did wrong, nor do I need to be told he doesn’t adapt. I’m well aware of all of that. I’m not personally a huge fan of the guy, but in terms of who the best players are, I have Rob higher than Kim because both only won once, and I think game style is more important than statistical finishes or ability to adapt.

As to Kim’s WAW performance, I thought it was mediocre. From the beginning, she wasn’t that involved in the game play. She didn’t have any real alliances throughout. She only got into the game because other targets caused attention to themselves because of their big personalities, Kim didn’t, and she eventually grouped up a few stragglers. She played her big advantage wrong. That was her one chance to change the game, and she read the situation wrong.

It’s true that she saw that Tony was playing well and needed to be taken out, but if she then can’t do anything about it because she can’t effectuate anything she was observing, how much does it matter that she saw Tony needed to go? In Survivor, you need to read situations well and also have influence on decisions. Kim had no influence on decisions in WAW and while she did read some situations well, she read the most important one wrong.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

I think some people look at best differently than that. Some people will rank players based on their statistical finishes, and others rank it based on how dominant their game play was at their best all with their style of play. You don’t have to explain to me what Rob did wrong, nor do I need to be told he doesn’t adapt. I’m well aware of all of that. I’m not personally a huge fan of the guy, but in terms of who the best players are, I have Rob higher than Kim because both only won once, and I think game style is more important than statistical finishes or ability to adapt.

As to Kim’s WAW performance, I thought it was mediocre. From the beginning, she wasn’t that involved in the game play. She didn’t have any real alliances throughout. She only got into the game because other targets caused attention to themselves because of their big personalities, Kim didn’t, and she eventually grouped up a few stragglers. She played her big advantage wrong. That was her one chance to change the game, and she read the situation wrong.

It’s true that she saw that Tony was playing well and needed to be taken out, but if she then can’t do anything about it because she can’t effectuate anything she was observing, how much does it matter that she saw Tony needed to go? In Survivor, you need to read situations well and also have influence on decisions. Kim had no influence on decisions in WAW and while she did read some situations well, she read the most important one wrong.

Kim's best is better than Rob's best. They both had a dominant victories. You may disagree.
If you think game style is more important than ability to adapt and actual performance than I don't think there's much discussion to add. It's just preference.

Like I said, from the beginning, Kim was taken out of the game because of the Poker Alliance. An alliance that doesn't exist. How can you be involved in the game when no one wants to have a discussion with you. Not peaking too early is a thing especially when you're one of the top threats in the game. What you do pre-merge rarely matters. Although I know you prefer a certain game style so I get it. Nothing wrong with a different opinions but maybe you would've preferred if she went guns and blazing on Day 1, got voted out rather than where she finished.

Well, that's why Tony won, right? Because nobody could vote him out. That doesn't mean all 19 players played mediocre or poorly. Did Kim make mistakes? Absolutely. But I thought she did a lot of good things as well

 

[phreak]

Kim's WaW performance wasn't that bad at all. She came in with a massive target on her back and the fact that she made it as far as she did was very impressive. That's what makes Tony's win even more impressive because he was also a top 5 target coming in (along with BRob, Parv, Sandra and Kim). And why he is a much, much better 2-time winner than Sandra. Sandra had zero threat level in HvV because her Pearl Islands win wasn't that impressive. Also, Parv should have won HvV. In fact, multiple jurors have said they wish they could change their vote from Sandra and vote for Parv instead.

But on the topic of BRob... I don't think he's very good at all. Certainly not Top 10. He lost to Amber in All Stars because he jury management is awful. In RI he was literally put with a cast of mostly young, impressionable people who idolized him coming into the game. It was production trying their hardest to finally gift one of their favorite personalities a win. And he still would have lost to anyone other than Philip and Natalie (the cast has confirmed this). That's bottom tier jury management. He didn't do well in Marquesas, HvV or WaW.

He has a great personality that is entertaining as hell to watch though. Definitely one of my favorite players to watch. If this list was about who is the best survivor "characters" than he is definitely in the top 10 along with players like Coach. Players that are fun as hell to watch but are only mediocre at the game of Survivor.

 

[Apex Predator]

If Tyson doesn’t screw up the vote Rob is potentially on cruise control for that season. He didn’t make the merge but he was well on his way to dominating that season. Obviously we will never know how it plays out of Tyson doesn’t flip his vote.

I know people say he didn’t make the merge on that season but he was dominating in Rob fashion with a group of returning players.

My knock on him is because he didn’t adapt his game play this season. He came in with such a big target so he was in tough. He needed to adapt as the game has changed but he was too stubborn to do that.

I rank Kim higher but not by much and if Kim played a third time and did bad she may drop and Rob move ahead of her.

 

[phreak]

If Tyson doesn’t screw up the vote Rob is potentially on cruise control for that season. He didn’t make the merge but he was well on his way to dominating that season. Obviously we will never know how it plays out of Tyson doesn’t flip his vote.

I know people say he didn’t make the merge on that season but he was dominating in Rob fashion with a group of returning players.

My knock on him is because he didn’t adapt his game play this season. He came in with such a big target so he was in tough. He needed to adapt as the game has changed but he was too stubborn to do that.

I rank Kim higher but not by much and if Kim played a third time and did bad she may drop and Rob move ahead of her.

Was he really dominating though? If he was the mastermind everyone says he is than he still would have had a 5v3 number advantage even after losing Tyson on Tyson's stupid decision to vote for Parv. It should have been BRob, Courtney, Sandra, Coach and Jerri vs Russel, Parv and Danielle. But Coach and Jerri flipped on him. That's not dominating. That's being dominated.

 

[theedge9]

Yul

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

But I thought she did a lot of good things as well

I have no problem disagreeing with you. Thats the point of debate. I personally like Kim more as a survivor player than Rob, but I think Rob's a better player.

I'm curious though what you mean by this point. Outside of identifying Tony as someone to take out, which I suspect most of them did but didn't think they had the influence to effectively pull off, I don't think she did much well in WAW. I expected better, and I say that as someone who viewed her as the best one-time player ever before WAW.

 

[phreak]

Yul

Yul

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Voted Sandra even though I dislike her.

I just re-watched Borneo. Quite the eye opener comparing it to the modern game. Most people were just out for an adventure and Hatch was almost the only one playing the game. You've got a bunch of people morally opposed to alliances and a guy voting alphabetically!

It's what makes gauging Hatch hard, despite being such a pioneer. He wasn't great in All Stars from a gameplay perspective (and obviously the other stuff was awful) as he was just absurdly arrogant and thought his presence was enough to get him to the end.