In case you’ve missed it, we’ve been pitting Survivors head-to-head in match-ups to determine the Ultimate Survivor. How will we decide the winner? The same way Survivor does it: with a vote. This is our Tribal Council, and you’ve all made the jury. It is…time to vote.
Polls close on Sunday, April 5.
Three out of four winners, along with the first to be deemed “the greatest player to never win”? Amateur hour is over; it’s time to let the real battle of the old school begin. But what about the finals, you ask? The realest battle. So real.
1. Richard Hatch vs 4. Tina Wesson
This is a bit of a philosophy matchup. The man who essentially created the game and led to us all becoming massive, massive nerds. Richard Hatch showed us all that it’s not just about survival skills and popularity.
It’s often said that if Kelly Wigglesworth had won, Survivor would probably not still be around. But Tina’s win was important for the show as well, demonstrating that you can be nice while still being strategic and that being the alpha male isn’t everything.
Your choices are the winner who made the show what it was, and the winner who cemented its status as a pop culture icon, not a one and done fluke.
2. Rob Cesternino vs 3. Brian Heidik
Rob C. (or as my mom called him back in the day, “Slimy Rob”) is the only non-winner left in this division, but don’t think he’s going to roll over that easily. As the first proper super fan, Rob implemented strategies that, while commonplace now, had never been seen before. In addition, what he’s done for the Survivor community cannot be overstated. There would likely be no Purple Rock Podcast if there was no RHAP first, and lord knows we can’t have that.
Then there’s Brian Heidik: hated season, hated person, brilliant player. This is where voting philosophy comes into play. While Rob C. is very good, it’s hard to argue against cold-blooded Heidik in terms of gameplay. Then again, I do feel uncomfortable when I look at his face.
Don’t forget to vote in the other divisions:
Second Generation
The Age of the Returnee
New School
Emma was in prime tween years (10-12) during the seasons these contestants first appeared in, so her memory may be fuzzy. If you’d like to read more up-to-date Survivor thoughts from Emma, you can follow her on Twitter.
Emma is the token chick of the Purple Rock Podcast. She has watched the show continuously since the second episode.
Favorite seasons: Heroes vs. Villains, Micronesia, Cambodia, Cook Islands, China, Philippines
Favorite players: Courtney Yates, Parvati Shallow, Cirie Fields, Yul Kwon, John Cochran, Jeremy Collins