Survivor just crowned its Season 49 winner. Now the anticipation builds even more for the historic Season 50, which will feature the largest cast (24 people) in Survivor history. Plenty of athletes and other athlete-adjacent personalities have been on Survivor of the years, but none will be part of that historic anniversary cast. Which is a shame. Because, while there's definitely been some stunt casting (Jimmy Johnson), there are other who were definite "players" who'd be worthy of inclusion.
They're still out there playing the game, living in the jungle, sleeping on dirt with everybody else. And some of the athletes/sports personalities have played it better than others. Some have even made Survivor history. Former Cowboys quarterback Gary Hogeboom found the first-ever hidden immunity idol and used it on himself during Survivor: Guatemala. Throw in the challenge of being obviously extremely athletic, and it makes you an instant threat. Especially if you're famous enough to be recognizable (just ask newly-elected Hall of Famer Jeff Kent about that).
Originally, my thought for this post was to cast an all-sports season of Survivor. But then I opted against it for a few reasons. Instead, I decided to rank the top 10 athletes to have been on Survivor throughout the series' long history. Some have authored memorable moments, others are known for their strong personalities or their incredible gameplay. (And since there are more than 10 athletes who've played Survivor, some tough cuts had to be made.)
The late Cliff Robinson is one of the more accomplished former athletes to have appeared on Survivor. The long-time Portland Trail Blazer played 18 years in the NBA before being cast on Survivor: Cagayan, where he was on the same tribe as eventual winner and Survivor legend Tony Vlachos. Cliff was voted out the first time he went to Tribal Council because he was percived as such a strong physical threat.
Island of the Idols was such a bad season, for so many reasons. Elizabeth ended up opting not to attend the reunion because of the controversy surrounding the season...despite being a member of the jury. She proved to be a great strategic player, though, which allowed her to get far in the game. Ultimately, she ended up being voted out after somebody else's immunity idol play negated seven votes against them. It's also highly unlikely she'll ever play Survivor again, seeing as her broadcasting career has taken off and she'll almost certainly be Rowdy Gaines' successor as NBC's Olympic swimming analyst in 2032.
He tried to blend in, but there was one woman on his tribe, Dawson, who recognized him from watching baseball and tried to out him. She got voted out right after that, but Jeff made it to the merge and was eventually a member of the jury. His game wasn't flashy, but that was the point. He made strong alliances, which is what helped him get so far in the game. (Fun fact: Jeff wasn't the only minor celebrity cast that season. Lisa Whelchel from The Facts of Life made it to the Final Tribal Council.)
Scot went down in history as one of those Survivors who got voted out with an immunity idol in his pocket. He ended up as one of the main villains that season, which is what led to his blindside while holding an idol. However, Scot lasted 27 days (which is longer than Survivor currently is) and made it to the jury, so he still had a hand in deciding that season's winner.
At the time, Crystal was an Olympic gold medalist. She no longer is, having had her 2004 medal in the women's 4x400 relay stripped. Anyway, Crystal was one of the first athletes to go really far on Survivor. She ended up making it nearly all the way to the end, getting voted out at the final six with just three days left in the game.
You knew Gary would have to be on this list somewhere! I settled at No. 5 because of his historic role in finding the first-ever hidden immunity idol...and using it successfully when he was set to be voted out! It only delayed the inevitable, and the reason he was voted out is because he was such a threat (both physically and socially). He also gets bonus points for having the foresight to tell everyone his name was "Gary Hawkins," just in case they were football fans and recognized the name "Gary Hogeboom."
These two are a package deal, so they go together. Noelle, obviously, had a leg amputated. Not only did it not hold her back, she was one of the best physical players out there. Her threat level is actually what ultimately got her voted out in eighth place. That was one spot better than her ally Ryan, who was voted out in ninth both because of his physical prowess and lack of talking strategy with anybody.
My favorite thing about this pair, though, is what their Survivor friendship turned into. Noelle played D1 lacrosse at UMass-Lowell both before and after losing her leg, then transitioned to para-track & field. She represented the U.S. at both the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics. Ryan has cerebral palsy, which qualifies him for the Paralympics, so Noelle encouraged him to try para-track & field as well. He ended up winning two silver medals in Paris.
Brad competed alongside his wife (a returning player) on Survivor: Blood vs. Water, and didn't do well. He pissed off a lot of people, got voted out early, and ended up out of the game after losing at Redemption Island Arena. (His wife, meanwhile, ended up finishing second.) Still, Brad was such a strong character that the former NFL defensive tackle was brought back for Survivor: Game Changers. In Game Changers, he played an entirely different game with an entirely different result. Brad had a strong alliance, controlled a lot of votes, and won immunity when he needed to. Ultimately, he made it to the Final Tribal Council and finished second.
Three players from Survivor 48 are coming back for Season 50. Eva isn't one of them, even though she should've been. The former hockey player and Brown Ph.D. candidate (she checked after the shooting and said she was fine, but also provided the chilling update that she was in the same building and had left just 15 minutes earlier) was the first openly-autistic player in Survivor history and ended up becoming a fan favorite. Not only that, she didn't have a single vote cast against her the entire game and finished as the runner-up.
When it comes to athletes on Survivor, Ethan's the OG. He played minor league pro soccer before winning Survivor: Africa, where he used his $1 million prize money to found the charity "Grassroots Soccer." He later returned for Survivor: All-Stars and Survivor: Winners at War, the historic, all-winners 40th seasons. Ethan's return trips weren't as successful, but the fact that he was invited to come back twice in all-returner seasons (including the all-winners season) speaks to his place in the Survivor pantheon. He's also a ridiculoulsy nice guy and a two-time cancer survivor.
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