The 'Survivor 45' contestants chat with EW about the smartest and strongest players in 'Survivor' history.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 I'm a super fan, but I'm gonna give a really basic answer.
00:02 Tony, man.
00:02 Everyone, I think, thinks I'm gonna respond Boston Robb.
00:05 I'm not.
00:05 Boston Robb's up there for me.
00:07 [gentle music]
00:09 - Tony Vlachos, or Tony V.
00:12 I don't know if I'm pronouncing his last name right,
00:14 but he played so differently
00:16 and just set the pace the whole time.
00:19 His confessionals were hilarious.
00:21 His challenges, he didn't win any, I don't think, that season
00:26 but he played hard and he was also spy bunkers
00:30 and listening in and spy shacks
00:32 and like luring people in with his tactics.
00:36 And I think that right there set the pace for me
00:38 to really wanna get in this game and try new things
00:41 because it showed me that you can be yourself,
00:43 you can have fun, you can be ferocious
00:47 and also have a good time at the same time,
00:48 but Tony would be the number one for sure.
00:51 - I was first inspired by Sheree
00:53 'cause I mean, she's amazing.
00:54 Even though she didn't win, she's just amazing.
00:56 And I guess I just spoke to me, get off the couch,
00:59 let's try something, let's do it.
01:00 That was my motivation.
01:02 However, the last season that I just watched,
01:05 first time I saw Jesse,
01:07 I loved him immediately in the beginning of the season.
01:10 I put money on him.
01:11 He didn't win for me, but still,
01:14 I felt like he stayed focused.
01:16 I'd play against him, but like, I think he's like,
01:19 he's pretty amazing.
01:21 - I'm on AskV Team TV, right?
01:23 Tony, big Tony fan.
01:24 My friends always tell me
01:25 when I was growing up, my family too,
01:26 be like, "Your life is not reality TV.
01:28 You don't have to treat every moment like that."
01:31 Tony, I think is just that perfect balance
01:33 of being really strategic
01:34 and making really great personal relationships,
01:36 but also making a great show
01:38 and finding moments to have fun in the process
01:40 and reminding people that this is a fun experience.
01:42 He's by far my favorite player.
01:44 And they told me once,
01:46 you can't remind us of Tony in the casting process.
01:48 Don't say that.
01:49 You have to earn that.
01:50 That guy is the GOAT.
01:52 And you gotta give credit where credit's due.
01:54 Coach, easily.
01:55 Coach Wade, the Dragon Slayer.
01:57 He is just hilarious, comedy gold.
02:01 Okay, Carolyn is making a real case for herself,
02:04 but obviously I was only able to see a few of those episodes
02:06 but if she continues going,
02:07 like she might take Coach's spot,
02:09 but it's between them.
02:11 Coach just wins out 'cause I've seen more of him,
02:12 but so funny.
02:14 I would love to beat him.
02:15 I've been in his DMs for years now,
02:17 just saying like, "I love you.
02:19 Just please respond to me."
02:20 So maybe now I'll be able to get a response.
02:23 - The first one that comes to mind for me
02:25 is Todd Herzog, Survivor China.
02:27 Watching him play came at a very pivotal point in my life
02:30 when I was going to school at Brigham Young University
02:33 in Provo, Utah,
02:35 not knowing who I am,
02:36 what I wanted to do,
02:38 the space I took up in the world,
02:40 who I wanted to be, right?
02:41 And watching him play authentic to who he is
02:44 as an openly gay man,
02:46 confident,
02:48 that was everything that I wanted to be.
02:49 And then win.
02:50 And so I really admired Todd as a person
02:55 and also his gameplay.
02:56 He was able to go out there
02:57 and make connections with people.
02:58 And then when he didn't need them
03:00 because they didn't serve his gameplay anymore,
03:02 he tossed them out.
03:04 And so I feel like he played a cutthroat game.
03:07 I feel like he was genuine to who he is.
03:10 And so I just really vibed with that.
03:13 And so I would say Todd is my favorite Survivor player.
03:16 - I've developed this really strong affinity towards cast
03:19 because I did go through the Survivor process
03:21 and took my personality test.
03:22 And I was told,
03:23 "Hey, your results are really similar to Cass's."
03:25 And I thought, "Oh, you mean Cassidy, right?"
03:27 From the most recent season at that time.
03:30 And they're like, "No, no, Cass, chaos, Cass."
03:33 And at first I was taken aback,
03:35 but now I realize that's such a massive compliment.
03:38 I love the way that Cass played her game
03:40 because she was really direct.
03:41 She took no (beep)
03:42 She wasn't afraid to just be herself.
03:44 I think we're different
03:45 because I feel like I have less to prove than Cass does.
03:49 So I'm kind of out here to have the experience
03:51 just to be myself,
03:53 not trying to teach anybody that I am something
03:56 or I'm not something,
03:57 but her personality, her, I say aggression
04:00 in the most kind way possible,
04:02 like just forthrightness.
04:04 I mean, those are the aspects that I think
04:06 Cass and I have a lot in common.
04:07 And I watched those seasons back
04:09 and how could anybody watch that
04:10 and think Cass is the villain?
04:11 She's obviously the hero.
04:13 - This has been a take long before
04:15 the White Lotus had started.
04:16 But after my rewatch,
04:17 Mike White is my favorite Survivor player of all time.
04:19 Mike White balances the two things
04:21 that I love about Survivor,
04:22 which is fantastic storytelling.
04:23 He's one of the best confessional givers
04:25 ever to be on the show,
04:26 which is very natural because he's a writer.
04:27 He knows what he's doing.
04:28 And also his social game.
04:29 He was in the David Goliath camp.
04:32 He stayed rather because he was so funny.
04:34 He was a good guy to be around, to have around.
04:36 And that's what people cited at the final tribal council
04:37 is he was just a light in the camp.
04:39 And that's, you know,
04:40 I don't have,
04:41 and not to say Mike White doesn't have a ton
04:42 of other marketable skills.
04:43 I'm sure he does.
04:43 I don't have a ton of other stuff
04:45 that I'm bringing to the table here.
04:46 I don't have a lot of survival skills.
04:48 There's some really muscular guys here.
04:49 You know, I tried to lift before I came here.
04:52 It didn't go particularly well.
04:53 So I'm seeing it just being fun and being funny
04:55 and being somebody that people like to chat with.
04:57 I'm hoping that takes me through this thing.
05:00 - Parvati, she's everything.
05:01 She's my idol.
05:02 Parvati is the name of a powerful Hindu goddess.
05:05 So that is Parvati's namesake.
05:07 I am a super proud Hindu.
05:09 This is a raksha that I will wear into the game.
05:11 It's a symbol of my Hindu identity.
05:14 And I actually, myself,
05:16 am also named after a really powerful Hindu goddess.
05:18 So ever since I discovered Parvati on Survivor,
05:22 I was like, yes, yes, yes, I resonate with you.
05:25 She's amazing.
05:26 I love how she wields people's perception of her
05:30 to her advantage.
05:31 She can come across as this like really bubbly,
05:34 happy-go-lucky woman,
05:35 which I think some people put hand in hand
05:37 with not a threat, which I think is silly
05:39 because obviously, as we know,
05:41 Parvati was able to read other people's read on her
05:45 and then use that to her advantage
05:46 and show later in the game
05:48 how much of a strategic mastermind she truly is.
05:50 So she's kind of, she's it for me.
05:52 And then the obligatory, I love Natalie.
05:54 I watched Natalie play growing up.
05:57 I'm obsessed with her and what she means
05:59 for brown women everywhere, you know?
06:02 - Serene Fields.
06:03 She didn't really try to change too much
06:07 about herself for the game.
06:08 It was kind of just like every ball that was pitched to her,
06:12 she tried her best to hit it, you know?
06:14 And it wasn't like she's out here scurrying for idols.
06:17 It's not like she's out here trying to be a challenge piece,
06:20 but she's been to the end multiple times.
06:24 And even one of the times that she got voted out,
06:27 it was like a survivor historic moment, you know?
06:30 Like, oh, well, there's nobody else kind of thing.
06:32 And I really felt like that would have been her year
06:35 that she should have won.
06:36 She was playing a great game
06:38 and it was so under the radar.
06:39 I'm a fan in real life, so I follow her on social media
06:43 and I see that she's in the medical field
06:45 and a great mom and stuff like that.
06:48 So it just creates this sense of normalcy
06:51 to a survival idol that I really, really appreciate.
06:54 - I fricking love Tony.
06:55 The fact that he got by with not a single vote,
06:59 that's like number one you get out.
07:00 I just love how he was able to kind of change his attitude.
07:05 I'm also a big fan of Natalie
07:08 from "Blood vs. Water" and "Winners at War."
07:10 That girl, like, I hope I can channel her determination.
07:15 I just see her as an absolute rock star, absolute warrior.
07:18 Loved how she was like in "Blood vs. Water,"
07:21 like sacrificing her own rewards to like, you know,
07:24 make alliances.
07:25 Like, those are things that I would do.
07:27 And I just really, I hope I play a game like her.
07:30 And then I also love Cody from this past season, season 43.
07:33 I think he's just hysterical.
07:35 And it was just great to watch, great fun.
07:38 - I gotta rock the bald head of brother, Jeremy Collins.
07:40 The way he plays the game, the up close
07:43 and in your face kind of stuff,
07:45 but not in your face to be aggressive,
07:46 in your face to be like,
07:47 "Yo, let me know what's going on, bro.
07:49 Like, talk to me."
07:50 Like, that's how I am every single day.
07:53 That's what I do.
07:54 And, you know, if someone's watching for the first time
07:56 and they see a season that Jeremy was on
07:58 and they see, you know, this season with me on it,
08:00 they're gonna be like, "Are they related?
08:02 Are they?"
08:03 'Cause I can really honestly say that, you know, I can,
08:06 he's a top of the list for me.
08:08 - Culpepper's such an off the wall pick,
08:10 but I like his confidence.
08:11 Andrew Savage is the same kind of way.
08:13 But in terms of someone who's a little closer to home,
08:15 in terms of who I am, I'm a big Jonathan Penner fan.
08:18 I think that he brings a level of authenticity,
08:20 a level of storytelling that is, you know,
08:22 basically unrivaled in the survivor history.
08:25 And he's been so, you know, forthright with, you know,
08:27 who he is and how he feels and things he's gone through
08:30 that I have a tremendous amount of admiration for him.
08:32 So he would be probably the more kind of
08:35 representative favorite player.
08:37 - I would say Boston Robb.
08:38 He knows how to understand people and what drives them.
08:41 And I think that that has gotten him, like,
08:43 obviously the win and far in games.
08:45 He's a master, like, I don't wanna say manipulator,
08:49 maybe like a master persuader.
08:51 He just knows how to, if I know what drives you,
08:54 I know how to get into your head.
08:55 And I think to me, this is more of a social game
08:57 than anything else.
08:58 Like we've seen it multiple times
08:59 where people suck in physical challenges
09:01 and they get to the end.
09:03 And it's because like, they understood people
09:05 and what drives them and what makes them tick.
09:07 And I don't know, that just excites me.
09:09 And I like Boston Robb.
09:10 Like he seems like such a cool dude.
09:11 Like, obviously we love the Boston Robb and Amber story
09:14 and like they had their girls, but yeah,
09:17 I just love the story.
09:18 They're the reason Survivor is Survivor.
09:21 - My favorite Survivor player ever changes all the time.
09:23 But right now it's Yao Man.
09:25 I actually went back recently
09:26 and watched Fiji for the first time because, you know,
09:29 I'm 22 years old, so I didn't start watching Survivor
09:32 until it was like, you know, already season 21.
09:34 I think Yao Man is one of my favorite players
09:37 because he is, you know, super strategic,
09:39 but also super friendly and innovative.
09:41 And when it comes down to things like, you know,
09:44 creating the first fake idol or giving away a truck,
09:47 hopefully I won't be giving away any trucks this season.
09:50 - Favorite player ever in life?
09:52 Boston Robb with the caveat of his earlier seasons only.
09:57 Nothing recent.
09:58 Definitely not Boston Robb in Winters at War.
10:00 I think those first two seasons that he played,
10:02 I feel like he was just, well, he was so far so sexy.
10:05 I mean, literally that was one of the reasons I went,
10:08 when I was like watching Survivor, I was like,
10:09 what's the earliest season Boston Robb played in?
10:11 And I literally went back to season four
10:13 just to watch young Boston Robb,
10:16 because I was like, okay, this is beautiful to see.
10:18 His leadership style,
10:20 obviously it was a little like cult-like and like unhealthy,
10:23 but he did it in a way where people didn't realize
10:25 they were being led to slaughter
10:26 until they were already there.
10:28 And, you know, I kind of like that idea
10:31 of just like slowly coaxing people
10:33 where they just feel like they wanna follow you.
10:35 They just feel like they just need to follow you.
10:38 And then, you know, you do, you execute how you ever,
10:40 you need to.
10:42 I think later in Winters at War,
10:44 I think he tried to do that and it just,
10:46 he did it too rough and too aggressively.
10:48 And so I was like, hmm, that's why I have to add the caveat.
10:51 - Parvati, you know, I think she really opened the door
10:53 for women to play a more cutthroat game.
10:56 And she took a lot of heat for it, I think, at the time.
10:58 And so I really respect her.
11:00 And I think she demonstrates an ability for a woman
11:03 to be, you know, like charming
11:05 and use her like feminine wiles
11:07 and like just general social abilities,
11:10 but also be aggressive and ruthless.
11:12 And I think sometimes people pigeonhole people,
11:14 whether you're a man or a woman,
11:15 into one of those two categories.
11:17 And I really liked that she sort of threaded the needle
11:20 there and then that's something
11:21 that I would look to do as well.
11:23 - Okay, my two favorites, can I say two?
11:25 Aubrey Bracco and Kelly Wentworth.
11:27 For different reasons, obviously they're different players.
11:29 Aubrey, I just, I relate to her.
11:31 She just, I just relate to her.
11:33 She's quirky, she's kind of weird.
11:35 And that anxiety that you see so viscerally
11:38 come through on the show, I'm like, I get that.
11:41 And then Kelly is just bold and brave
11:44 and like doesn't give a (beep) about anything,
11:46 but is also really strategic.
11:47 And I just think she's amazing.
11:49 I think they're both just amazing, like humans and players.
11:52 And I would love to play with them.
11:54 But then I wouldn't want to vote them out.
11:56 So maybe I don't want to play with them.
11:58 - I'm a super fan,
11:59 but I'm going to give a really basic answer.
12:00 Tony, man, everyone I think thinks
12:02 I'm going to respond Boston Robb.
12:03 I'm not, Boston Robb's up there for me.
12:05 Definitely, definitely top three,
12:07 but definitely Tony, man.
12:09 There's no one who has been more entertaining to watch
12:12 and more creative with this strategy as they enter the game.
12:16 The way he is able to cut people's throats
12:19 and then come back and be like, no, no, no, no, no.
12:21 This was good.
12:22 This was good for us.
12:23 It was not good for them,
12:23 but he could just convince them.
12:25 And I just thought he was the best man.
12:27 Like Trish and Sarah, a strong willed people.
12:30 Like he was able, like in Kageyan and when is it,
12:33 I know Sarah's in Kageyan too,
12:34 but he cut both of them and they both come back
12:37 and are like, all right, Tony, what do you want to do?
12:38 Who has that capability?
12:39 No one else who has played that game
12:41 has the capability to do that as effectively
12:43 and efficiently as Tony does.
12:44 There's no strong argument against Tony being
12:47 the most entertaining and the best strategic combination.
12:50 (whooshing)
12:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]