With Survivor's 42nd season now at its conclusion, arguments have already begun over which players from the previous two seasons deserve a return to the show. Names such as Ricard, Lindsay, Jenny and Danny are routinely thrown out as potential returnees, and fans are excited to see what themed seasons the show might make to bring about their return.
But while many fans look forward to it, not all of the returning players will be glory in their second season. Like many others in Survivor history, even star players will fail to make an influence when they appear again in the show. After all, there have been a lot of severely disappointing returning castaways.
Ozzy Lusth
One of the stars of Survivor, Ozzy was always a fun character in the show, but he really rose to prominence during South Pacific. After using Redemption Island multiple times to get him closer to the end, Ozzy was summarily defeated in a challenge, and he lost the game because of it. For a challenge beast, it was a fitting ending to lose thanks to an underdog in a challenge.
Has Ozzy not returned, it would have been ideal, but he did. "Ozzy's story was perfect on SoPa. Game Changers didn't exactly hurt his legacy, but it was just 'oh, more Ozzy'," argues Reddit Sabaschin. After failing to make much of an impact on the season, it seemed Ozzy's legacy would have been helped if he just hadn't returned again.
Erik Reichenbach
The man who committed one of Survivor's biggest game-ending mistakes, Erik gave up immunity in favor of the Black Widow Brigade, who summarily sent him packing. It's made Erik the subject of ridicule for years, something he had the chance to reverse in Caramoan. Instead, he collapsed and was medically evacuated.
"Him going out 5th again after giving up immunity was poetic, but getting medevaced at 5 feels incomplete," says Redditor cirie_was_robbed. It felt like Erik's story ended on a cliffhanger, and fans were never able to see how he would have argued in the Final Tribal Council that Erik was twice denied.
Malcolm Freberg
The survivor of one of the tribes, Matsing, Malcolm quickly became a legend as he and his ally, Denise, made it far in Survivor: Philippines. Unfortunately, only one of the two could win, so Malcolm ended up going home empty-handed. Of course, he did have the chance to prove himself again in Game Changers.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. "Game Changers is so disappointing for him and it feels like such a waste of his potential (through no fault of his own) that I really wish he hadn’t been cast on that one," says Redditor Icangetloudtoo_. When players of great caliber get blindsided early, it's often a disappointment, especially when there's nothing they can really do.
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper
A finalist who some say was robbed, Sugar was a major character in Gabon. Having controlled the majority of the game, Sugar did everything she could to carry Bob to his victory in the Final Tribal Council. She proved to be an adept player and a savvy strategist. Her return wasn't as positive.
"For her to get the first boot on Heroes vs Villains and just be seen by everyone there (including Jeff) as "the needy girl who cries" was one hell of a disappointment for me," says luqasc on Reddit. That second season utterly soured the fanbase's entire opinion of her, which has led to Sugar being severely disparaged by the Survivor community, despite her performance in Gabon.
Jonny Fairplay
The man known best for popularizing the villain gameplay in Survivor — and of course for his not-so-dead grandmother — Jonny Fairplay first made his mark in Pearl Islands before reappearing for Micronesia, where he quickly asked his new tribe to vote him out of the game as the first boot.
Though it hasn't impacted the fan base's perception of Fairplay, Redditor putcoolnamehere argues that "His legacy would've been even more legendary without his return appearance." In fact, it's likely Fairplay would have been invited to another major season had he not essentially quit the game on Day 3.
Kassandra McQuillen
Nicknamed 'Chaos Kass' thanks to her performance in Cagayan, Kass proved to be one of the smartest remaining players of the cursed Brains Tribe. But in her second appearance in Cambodia, Kass took on an entirely different role, which didn't really work out in her favor.
"Her first time playing she ruled in a state of chaos without any regard for others' feelings. Her second time she tried to be the empathic, personable mom character, but it seemed a bit forced to me," says jerryeet on Reddit. While it didn't harm the fact that Kass was one of the most enjoyable players in her original season, it did turn some fans off, which tarnished her legacy somewhat.
Amanda Kimmel
Often known as The Amanda Kimmel, Amanda's performances in China and Micronesia saw her reach the Final Tribal Council on two different occasions. Fans thought her gameplay was incredible, even if her Final Tribal performance was deemed somewhat lacking. It was her Heroes vs. Villains appearance that was truly disappointing though.
"After Amanda had two dominant, runner-up runs back to back, for her to go 9th in a relatively quiet vote in HvV was pretty disappointing," IdolBlindsides said on Reddit. While it wasn't a dramatic loss or even one that disproved her skills, fans wanted to see more of her social gameplay, and that swift and unsurprising elimination meant there wasn't much to look to.
JT Thomas
The JT in Tocantins wasn't the JT that showed up in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. In Tocantins, JT was running circles around the cast, proving to be so charismatic that some players preferred if JT won even if it meant that they couldn't. In Heroes vs. Villains, JT sent an idol to Russel Hantz, one of Survivor's most chaotic players, without even really meeting him.
Far from an impressive showing, JT tripped over himself at every turn. "His first time playing was one of the best wins ever and then he played pretty bad in Heroes vs Villains," Reddit nugget1286 says. While it didn't take away from his Tocantins legacy, it did make fans wonder how much of his victory was attributable to Stephen Fishback.
Danni Boatwright
Like many old-school winners who returned for Winners at War, Danni wasn't ready for the fast-paced gameplay of the modern Survivor era. Though she navigated the old-school era perfectly, becoming the undisputed winner of Guatemala with relative ease, she just couldn't adapt.
"Danni was so out of place on WaW. She would’ve been better off staying a 1-and-done like Earl or Natalie," argues the_zwimmer615 on Reddit. Considering how much she struggled and how quickly she was picked off by more recent winners, there's certainly a fair argument to be made that it would have been more satisfying had she not gone to Fiji at all.
Denise Stapley
Another Matsing survivor, Denise proved to be one of the best underdog players in the show's history with her win in Phillippines. Unfortunately, she found herself swept up in the havoc of the modern game in her return to the show for Winners at War.
"I feel like her taking out Sandra in WaW was a Big Movez moment, and then she gives up in the home stretch," BoJang1er says on Reddit. It's an understandable critique since Denise walked herself into a situation where she really couldn't win during the season's endgame. Left as a Cops R Us lackey, there was little more Denise could do to distinguish herself in a season of top-tier players.