A new season of Survivor is slated to premiere this fall, and a new cast of castaways are looking to make their dreams come true. On Survivor, there is always one sole survivor that plays the best game and outlasts the rest. However, there is a field of great castaways that never got the chance to plead their case to the jury, and who likely would have won had they made it all the way to the end.
These players were some of the best in their respective eras, and the one thing they share in common is that they never made final tribal council. From challenge beasts to strategical masterminds, these players never got the chance to make their case for a million dollars.
Rob Cesternino
Rob played twice on Survivor and is known for his intellect. He displayed how smart he was on Survivor: The Amazon as he grew to be a villainous figure.
Rob used his smarts to make it to the final three but was voted out one day short of the final tribal council by his ally Matthew. For the majority of the season, he did not show his true loyalties as he jumped from alliance to alliance. Jeff Probst often referred to Rob as the smartest player to never win. He returned to the all-star season but was looked at as too big of a threat and was voted off early.
Cirie Fields
Cirie is commonly known as the best player to never win. This is because she never got the chance to plead her case to the jury at final tribal council.
Cirie played four times and was close to Survivor's final tribal three out of four of her seasons. In her first season, Survivor: Panama, she demonstrated her strategic ability throughout the show, which brought her back many times. She controversially just missed the final tribal in Survivor: Micronesia, where many people thought she would have won, but she was voted out third after a final two twist. She also drew a bad hand in Survivor: Game Changers, as she left the game with no votes cast against her.
Jonny Fairplay
Jon Dalton, better known as Jonny Fairplay, was on two seasons of the show and quickly became a polarizing figure. He made it close to the final tribal on his first try though.
Fairplay's first season was Survivor: Pearl Islands, and he became known for a lie he told about his dead grandma to get sympathy. He approached the game with no regard for people's feelings as he was known to backstab his own allies. He made it to the final three but was voted out due to his ability to sway the jury.
Ian Rosenberger
Ian is an underrated and forgotten-about player in Survivor history, but he played a great game. Ian relied on his physicality to advance further in the game on Survivor: Palau.
Ian was part of one of the most dominant tribes in the history of the show. They won all but two immunity challenges. He aligned himself with Tom and Katie, and they controlled the tribe. Towards the end of the game, however, Ian started to worry about how Tom was the biggest threat to win. Katie and Tom both started to get fed up with Ian, until Ian threw the last immunity challenge to try and earn their friendship back.
Rupert Boneham
Rupert is one of the most recognizable figures in the history of the show. He embraced what it truly meant to be on Survivor.
Despite his rough appearance, Rupert was an all-around great player. He was socially attuned to his tribe, held his own in challenges, and had a strategic mind that threatened other players. In Survivor: All-Stars, Rupert was recruited to many alliances because people thought they could trust him. When he ed a new tribe, he was asked to the existing majority alliance, which led him to the final four this season. In Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, his social game declined slightly, but he was still able to make it to the final six.
Taj Johnson-George
Taj played only one season, but she did not need more to prove that she is a great player. The former pop star and R&B singer was aligned with JT and Stephen for most of her run.
What she was best known for was making alliances that crossed tribal lines. On exile island, she formed bonds with of the other tribe, which helped her survive portions of the post-merge. She was also selfless at the reward auction and went to exile island so everyone could have a loved one visit. She came in 4th, but will always be thought of as a solid player.
Andrea Boehlke
Andrea appeared in three seasons of the show and her worst finish was 8th place, so she was pretty successful. Andrea was an all-around player that had multiple strengths.
On her first season, Survivor: Redemption Island, she was the only member of the majority alliance that recognized Boston Rob as the threat that he was, and she was the only person to vote against him. She also won her way back into the game by winning a duel, but was voted out at the final five. On Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites, she played a great game as her alliance was in the majority, but she took on the leader role and was looked at as a threat, so she was voted out. In Survivor: Game Changers she stuck to her strategy and played the same game. She won every reward challenge, as well as two individual immunities. She was voted out in 7th.
Rick Devens
Rick Devens was a fascinating player that was on Survivor: Edge of Extinction. Rick's time on the island was an unusual one.
Rick was comfortable in a majority alliance on his tribe, but a tribe switch caused him to be voted out. He went to the edge of extinction where he later won his way back into the game. He played more aggressively and was now looked at as a major threat to sway the jury. He found several hidden immunity idols, along with four individual immunity wins. He made also fake idols that tricked other players and helped him find real idols. He would have won it all, but a gutsy move by Survivor winner Chris Underwood made Devens finish in 4th.
Malcolm Freberg
Malcolm was a beloved player that played three times. His first season was his most successful, as after his initial season, he was looked at as a threat. His physical nature and charming personality are what won fans over.
Malcolm was initially on Survivor: Philippines and his tribe was one of the worst in Survivor history. After he made the merge, he, along with his close ally Denise, was able to make it to the final four. He was voted out as he was looked at as the biggest threat to win and convince the jury he deserved the money. He later played two more times but was never able to recapture the magic he had in the Philippines.
Kelley Wentworth
Kelly's Survivor journey was filled with highs and lows. In her three seasons, she lasted a total of 76 days. Her first time around was her worst, but it was due to an unlucky tribe switch, so she was voted out. On Survivor: Game Changers, she played her best game. She was strategically dominant and used two idols correctly which saved her game. She was voted out in 4th because she was the biggest threat to win.
On Survivor: Edge of Extinction, she was targeted from the beginning but was able to survive a lot of tribals. She was voted off and then went to the edge of extinction. She was officially eliminated in 10th place, cementing her as a great competitor who never made it to the end.