In the game of Survivor, contestants are typically stranded on a desert island with total strangers for 39 days, leaving behind their jobs and loved ones at home. The time away can be rather brutal, with some contestants missing their significant others, siblings, or small children while competing for $1 million.
That's why the family visit reward challenge is so sought after amongst competitors. Sometime after the merge, if they're lucky, contestants will get a chance to be reunited with a loved one for a short period of time. These visits have led to betrayals and deception in the game, marriage proposals, and connections between tribemates on a deeper and more personal level. The loved ones visit is a highlight of every season, but some stand out as the best and most affecting.
"Loose Links Sink Ships" (Heroes Vs. Villains)
The family visit episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains was iconic for a number of reasons. First, because all the players who got to partake in the challenge reward were villains who would go on to make up three-quarters of the final four. Jerri, Parvati, and Sandra spent the day with their loved ones, while everyone else went back to camp to sulk.
Secondly, it featured Colby Donaldson's funniest moment on the show in which he got so frustrated with his brother, Reed, for not doing well in the reward challenge that he repeatedly yelled, "Come on, Reed!" It was a seemingly out-of-character moment for Colby, made even funnier by the fact that they lost the challenge by a mile.
"The Good Things In Life Aren't Easy" (Gabon)
The loved ones reward challenge on Survivor: Gabon ended in a surprise for the eventual season winner, Bob. While he was watching the video sent in by his wife as his prize, she emerged on the beach in front of his eyes.
In a happy turn of events, Bob was given the honor of surprising all of his tribemates back at camp with their loved ones too. For Matty Whitmore, that meant that his long-time girlfriend was there and ready to embrace him. Matty proposed to her on the island and she said yes, making Survivor history as the first marriage proposal to happen while the game was still in progress.
"Going For The Oscar" (China)
Survivor: China saw the domination of the Fei Long tribe over Zhan Hu, with the latter's getting picked off after the merge. The remaining Zhan Hu tribe , Peih-Gee and Erik, were desperate to win the loved ones challenge and earn time with their family , but they were handed more bad luck when Denise won a boat ride with her husband.
To make matters worse, Denise chose Todd and Amanda and their sisters to her, leaving behind the two outcasts and a bitter Courtney from Fei Long. This made the episode interesting as Peih-Gee hatched a plan to sway Courtney to her side, though her angry feelings ultimately didn't lead to betrayal. Still, the episode featured Peih-Gee and Erik's extreme, last-minute scheming, as if they finally realized they had to fight for their lives in the game.
"The Ultimate Sacrifice" (Tocantins)
Taj Johnson-George got the best prize in the Survivor auction when she won a day with her husband, Eddie, on Survivor: Tocantins. However, her offer came with a bit of a twist. She could either spend the night at camp with him or send herself and her husband to Exile Island to give her tribemates a visit from their loved ones back on the beach.
Taj chose to spend some alone time with her husband and give her tribemates the love they craved, putting her in their good graces. It was a delight to watch Taj show her husband how to survive on Exile Island, isolated and without proper food or shelter. She proved that she had learned how to fend for herself and was a lot tougher than people had once perceived her to be. Plus, Coach got a visit from his real-life assistant coach, his brother, which resulted in some memorable Coach quotes.
"Don't Say Anything About My Mom" (Caramoan)
Survivor: Caramoan had one of the most heartbreaking family-visit episodes, with the winner of the reward challenge having to choose between time with their loved one and everyone else on the tribe getting time with theirs.
Brenda Lowe won and was ecstatic at the prospect of showing her dad around camp and spending the day with him. However, when faced with the difficult decision of making herself miserable and everyone else happy or risking being hated by her entire tribe, she chose to give her teammates love. It was a testament to the kind of player she was, and it was awful that the tribe ended up voting her out anyway.
"The Great Lie" (Pearl Islands)
Jonny Fairplay is best known for being a notorious Survivor villain, and he got that reputation mainly due to what he did during the loved ones visit on Pearl Islands.
When "Fairplay's buddy," Dan, showed up to greet his friend during the visit, Fairplay asked about his grandmother back home and if she was doing OK. When Dan told him that she had died, Fairplay broke down in tears, making his tribe feel horribly sorry for him. He got what he wanted in being picked to hang out with his friend and go on the reward, and revealed to viewers that he had orchestrated the whole thing and that his grandmother was actually alive and well, "sitting home watching Jerry Springer right now."
"Bamboozled" (Panama)
This episode might as well be alternately titled, "The Rise And Fall Of Shane Powers." After a season-long battle with his tribe and himself, Shane won the loved one's reward challenge and got the opportunity to spend an entire night at a fancy hotel with his young son, Boston.
Even though he allowed Cirie to spend the night at camp with her husband as an additional part of his reward, his tribemates still targeted him at tribal council. Every Shane emotion was felt and on display in this episode, from his strong paternal instincts to his duplicitous strategizing. Ultimately, his former alliance voted him out, but he got the last laugh and a perfect ending due to the irreplaceable time with his son.
"Thy Name Is Duplicity" (Borneo)
On the very first season of Survivor, nobody knew what to expect. Viewers were watching something brand new unfold on their television screens, while castaways were simply trying to survive and figure out how the game worked.
The first loved one's episode was a shock to the players, and they all shed tears as they watched videos that their families had sent in from home -- all except for Jenna Lewis, the single mom of twin girls whose family didn't submit a tape in time. This episode was iconic due to the heartbreak in Jenna's eyes, and the strangeness in Greg's (the winner of the reward challenge) full-length message from his sister.
"The Full Circle" (Winners At War)
Season 40 of Survivor was the biggest in of castaways and stakes. The tribes were made up of 20 former winners playing for a grand prize of $2 million dollars, and the title of being regarded as the best to ever play the game.
Because these veterans of the game left behind everything to play in the monumental season, it was only right that the family visit episode featured everyone's loved ones, even those players who had been voted out and sent to the Edge of Extinction. Additionally, Jeff didn't make the players compete for time with their families, and the entire episode was dedicated to seeing players' kids walk the same island sand as their Survivor-winning parents.
"About To Have A Rumble" (Millennials Vs. Gen X)
There was no loved-ones visit more emotional than the one from season 33, Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X. Adam Klein was reunited with his brother, who updated him on their mother's cancer battle, and Jay won the challenge and a chance to spend the day with his little sister.
This led to bonding and an eventual bromance between Adam and Jay over their special relationships with their mothers, opening the door to a new friendship and alliance, as Adam gave Jay the stealer reward as appreciation for taking him on the reward. It was an all-around heartwrenching episode and made viewers connect to the players on a more personal level than ever before.