‘Survivor’: All 48 Winners Who Outwitted, Outplayed and Outlasted Their Competition
The Hollywood Reporter has gathered together the full slate of former castaways who have won the show.
If there ever was a Mount Rushmore of the reality television greats, Survivor would be etched in stone.
One of the longest-running competitive reality programs ever, Survivor has remained a force in the TV landscape, notably deemed the most-watched Emmy nominee of last year’s awards cycle. Since debuting in 2000, the CBS series has aired 49 seasons, with each differing from the rest, and each crowning a new winner that defined every separate installment.
Many of the Survivor winners are considered pros at the game, successfully influencing the show and how it is played year and year by eager cast members vying for a shot at also being deemed a Sole Survivor.
But with 50 seasons under the show’s belt, only 48 have actually won the show. And that 48th winner was just named with the end of Survivor 50.
Before a new winner is added to the list, The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a go-to roundup of all the Survivor winners, what seasons they’ve appeared on and all the milestones each champion contributed during their time in the game.
This story was originally published on Feb. 7, 2026, and has been as new winners are announced.
Richard Hatch won the inaugural installment of Survivor in 2000, becoming the first Sole Survivor to take home the $1 million prize. To commemorate the show’s 20 year anniversary, Hatch spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, where he said he knew the show would “knock people’s socks off” before it even aired.
His run set the framework for all of the manipulation, backstabbing and strategy that is now standard for the reality series. Hatch was later sentenced to 51 months in prison for not paying taxes on his winnings, and he also received another nine-month sentence for failing to amend his 2000 tax return.
He made his sole Survivor return in season eight, the first All-Stars installment, where he placed 14th. Dubbed one of reality TV’s first villains, Hatch appeared on the second season of E!’s House of Villains, and has appeared in various reality shows over the years including The Biggest Loser and The Apprentice.
Tina Wesson won season two of Survivor, making her the first woman to win the series. Before Survivor found its filming home in Fiji, installments were filmed in varying places around the globe, and this one was shot smack-dab in the middle of the Australian outback.
Tina later returned for two more Survivor seasons; season eight (the first All-Stars installment) and season 27 (aka Blood vs. Water), where she placed fourth. Her season two runner-up, Colby Donaldson, will be returning to the franchise for Survivor 50.
Season three was won by Ethan Zohn, where he entered the show as a professional soccer player. Ethan has played Survivor three times; including his winning turn on season three, a last-place finish for season eight’s All-Stars and Winners at War, where he placed 18th.
Vecepia Towery won Survivor: Marquesas, notably making history as the first-ever Black winner of the reality competition series. Season four was her sole stint on the show, as she’s never returned to compete in a second installment.
Brian Heidik is one of the most infamous winners in the franchise, having won the fifth season in 2002.
Jenna Morasca won season six of Survivor when she was a mere 22 years old, having actually filmed the series when she was only 21, making her the youngest woman to win (an accolade she shares with another winner on this list). She also held the title for youngest winner ever for a few years before season 21’s Sole Survivor was crowned.
Another esteem she holds, Jenna is the first of two former Survivor players to be the youngest contestant on two seasons. She returned for All-Stars (season eight), where she set another record, becoming the first woman to quit the game.
Sandra Diaz-Twine won her first season of Survivor in 2003. As you’ll read later (if you’re not well-versed in the show’s history), Sandra is the first person to ever win the series twice, standing as the Sole Survivor for the second time in the beloved Heroes vs. Villains season. Sandra is also the first Latin-American winner of Survivor.
She has appeared on the show several additional times, including to compete on Game Changers (season 34); Winners at War (season 40); and the international spinoff Australian Survivor: Blood V Water (Australia’s season nine). Plus, she joined Island of the Idols (season 39) as a mentor alongside another winner on this list.
Amber Brkich won the first-ever installment of Survivor to feature returning players, aka season eight’s All-Stars. She made her debut on season two and later appeared on Winners at War, where she was voted off first.
During her winning season, Amber met her now-husband, Boston Rob Mariano, where their love story played out onscreen. Boston Rob finished as her runner-up, and on the finale, he proposed to her, marking the first engagement on the series and time two Survivor players wed. It’s where Amber wore the “I Heart Rob” shirt, arguably the most iconic fashion moment from the show’s canon, where she also beat her now-husband for the title of Sole Survivor.
Chris Daugherty won Survivor: Vanuatu in 2004, his sole appearance on the show.
Tom Westman won the 10th season of the reality series. During Survivor: Palau, Tom matched Colby Donaldson’s record of most individual immunity challenge wins of five. He went on to compete on Heroes vs. Villains (season 20), where he was dubbed a “hero.” He placed 16th.
Danni Boatwright reigned supreme on Survivor: Guatemala in 2005. 15 years later, she competed on Winners at War (season 40), and was voted out second behind fellow champion Amber Brkich.
Survivor: Panama — Exile Island was won by Aras Baskauskas. He came back to compete on season 27’s Blood vs. Water, alongside his brother Vytas Baskauskas, who later appeared on Cambodia — Second Chance.
Yul Kwon won Survivor: Cook Islands, aka season 13 where each tribe was divided up based on the four ethnicities of Asian American, African American, Hispanic American and Caucasian. Throughout his time competing, he was never in danger of being eliminated, and notably is the first castaway to find a hidden immunity idol and win the show.
He is also the first Asian-American Survivor winner, and has returned to the show once for Winners at War (season 40).
The first unanimous winner of Survivor was Earl Cole. Earning every single vote from the jury members, Earl won Survivor: Fiji in late 2006, also becoming the first Black man to win the show.
Todd Herzog won Survivor’s 15th season in 2007.
One of the most recognizable names from the franchise, Parvati Shallow won the Fans vs. Favorites season of Survivor in 2008. In that season, she was a part of the Black Widow Brigade, an all-woman alliance that successfully eliminated a string of male players and placed in the top four.
Parvati has appeared on four seasons of the main installment, and she nearly won her first season after Micronesia, season 20’s Heroes vs. Villains. Her first appearance was in season 13 for Cook Islands (where she placed sixth) and she also competed on season 40’s Winners at War (finishing 15th). Parvati recently won her second Survivor title on the Australian spinoff Australia v The World, earning another accolade to her reality TV résumé.
