originally aired February 12, 2020 to May 13, 2020
The order in which players left the game and the impact they left behind:
- Natalie (Sele/San Juan del Sur) A victim of the early voting strategies targeting existing relationships (Jeremy), only to make it back in the game later and prove quite adept at maneuvering
- Amber (Dakal/All-Stars) Same as Natalie; wife of Boston Rob.
- Danni (Sele/Guatemala) Even among winners it's apparently bad form to appear too desperate.
- Ethan (Sele/Africa) The battle lines between old school and new school players quickly found an early victim in a very classic old school player.
- Tyson (Dakal/Blood vs. Water) Brilliant as he was in his winning season, he didn't have the leverage to get far this time, and too many schemers around him.
- Boston Rob (Sele/Redemption Island) Even one of the undisputed best players ever couldn't overcome the numbers.
- Parvati (Sele/Micronesia) Another brilliant player who couldn't overcome the numbers this time.
- Sandra (Dakal/Pearl Islands, Heroes vs. Villains) A two-time winner became a huge target, and brilliant tribal council strategy made sure she was taken out.
- Yul (Dakal/Cook Islands) A classic old school player too good for his own good in this setting.
- Wendell (Dakal/Ghost Island) Never found the solid allies his game depends on.
- Adam (Sele/Millennials vs. Gen X) Minus the absolute perfect mix of tribemates around him, Adam looked like a much different player.
- Sophie (Dakal/South Pacific) You can go back and look at what I thought of her originally, but this was the most pleasant turnaround of the season for me. She was a much easier player to root for this time!
- Kim (Dakal/One World) In her original season pretty easy to project as winner or very close. This time there was no such guarantee.
- Jeremy (Sele/Campodia) Always worth rooting for! Just a hugely underrated player of this game.
- Nick (Dakal/David vs. Goliath) Generally proved he knew how to play the game regardless of what's happening around him.
- Denise (Sele/Philippines) Honestly, since I'm doing this recap well after the season, a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its many disruptions, I don't remember what Denise did.
- Ben (Sele/Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers) What made me like him so much his previous season was that he basically accomplished a huge turnaround from the kind of player he basically is, because scrambling made him look good. He had no such redemptive arc this time.
- Sarah (Dakal/Game Changers) Loved her the first time, didn't love her the second time, when she won, and now I can say I love her again. So on average, I think she's a great member of the Survivor legacy.
- Michele (Sele/Kaoh Rong) Clearly knows how to play this game despite being an under the radar player (or perhaps because of it), making it to the finals in her second attempt (and of course winning the first one).
- Natalie (Sele/San Juan del Sur) Something of reality TV competition royalty at this point, I guess.
- Tony Vlachos (Dakal/Cagayan) Such a favorite even before this, becoming the second-ever two-time winner, in typically brilliant fashion. I don't know how a guy with such well-known tactics (see what happened the second time he played) can pull this off, but that just goes to show. As deserving a win as there's ever been in this game. A true legend.
