Survivor-The Challenge Player Comparisons

I don’t watch a lot of reality TV. I’m more of an HBO on a Sunday night, playoff sports kind of TV watcher.

But there are two shows that for the entirety of my adult life, I’ve not only been a fan of — I’ve had a borderline obsession with. Those shows, as you can probably surmise by the title of this article, are Survivor and The Challenge.

On the surface, these shows are extremely different.

Survivor is the phenomenon that swept the nation in the summer of 2000 and still dominates its time slot on network TV nearly 20 years later. The Challenge is an MTV show that has been on since the ’90s but the majority of the country has probably never even heard of, let alone seen.

Survivor is the wholesome, family friendly show that seems safe even by CBS standards. The Challenge is about (mostly) 20-somethings who get drunk, fight and hook up.

But the through line with these shows is they both have great competition and great characters. And when you look closely, you can see the similarities of both shows’ characters.

Rob Mariano and CT Tamburello

This might be the most obvious comparison there is. While CT has never been a mastermind strategist like Rob (I was originally considering Johnny Bananas being Rob’s comp just because of how they play the game), there are too many other similarities between the two.

Both of these Boston boys came on to their respective shows as brash young men. Rob’s bluntness won him both fans and haters in his early days on Marquesas and All-Stars, while CT was the biggest hothead in the history of The Challenge, getting kicked out twice for fighting.

They were able to mature in their later seasons, as Rob looked like a saint compared to Phillip Sheppard in Redemption Island and CT mellowed out considerably after having a child.

These two were also involved in by far the most famous romances ever on their show. Rob met Amber on All-Stars, and the duo completely dominated the game while falling in love, leading to them getting engaged at the season’s reunion. CT fell for Diem on The Duel, and their up-and-down relationship played out over five subsequent seasons before Diem’s untimely death.

It also took both Rob and CT way longer than it should have to win. Rob was the victim of a bitter jury on All-Stars, but was finally able to capture the title of Sole Survivor after running circles around the competition on Redemption Island. CT reached four finals (including Gauntlet III when Big Easy’s collapse caused the vets to lose) before finally picking up his first victory on Rivals II.

Boston Rob is arguably the greatest Survivor player of all-time, and CT is arguably the greatest competitor in the history of The Challenge. If there were a Mount Rushmore for their shows, these guys would be no-brainers to be on it.

Sandra Diaz-Twine and Coral Smith

Sandra and Coral are both two of the best players from their shows, and they also have two of the biggest mouths.

A lot of people on reality television have a lot of bark, but can’t back it up. These women could make a chirping bird in the morning shut the fuck up.

They have gotten in countless hilarious arguments, dropping one-liners like Sandra’s “I can get loud too, what the fuck!” against Jonny Fairplay and Coral’s “I don’t fucking wrestle, I beat bitches up.”

Of course, they weren’t just hysterical, they were also great players.

The Queen’s “anybody but me” strategy helped her become the only person in Survivor history to win the show twice. Coral’s excellent political game allowed her to reach four finals, where she won twice.

Brian Heidik and Johnny Bananas

To be successful on Survivor and The Challenge, sometimes you have to be able to cut some throats. Brian and Bananas embody this more than almost anyone.

These two aren’t just manipulative — they’re borderline sociopaths.

Heidik is forgotten by some because he played in Thailand, one of the earliest and worst seasons. But make no mistake — he played one of the most cunning games in Survivor history, making final two deals with everyone in his alliance before cutting them all except Clay.

Brian was literally a used cars salesmen. That feels like a profession Johnny Bananas could excel in. Of course, he doesn’t need a profession because he’s been doing The Challenge for over a decade.

While Bananas isn’t as disloyal as some make him out to be — he generally doesn’t screw over the people he cares about — he pulled off the most heartless move of all-time on Rivals III when he took Sarah Rice’s winning share.

Bananas obviously means much more to The Challenge than Heidik does to Survivor, as Bananas has the most wins and appearances in the franchise’s history. But they both have a little bit (or a lot) of scumbag in them, and that’s what makes them excel at the game.

Parvati Shallow and Veronica Portillo

No one could run an all-girls alliance like Parvati and Veronica. Both were able to use their charm and flirtation to get both men and women to do what they wanted.

Parvati ran the greatest girls alliance in Survivor history in Micronesia — the Black Widow Brigade — leading Amanda, Cirie and Natalie to the final four before ultimately taking the title of Sole Survivor. Despite having the biggest target out of anyone coming into Heroes vs. Villains, she was able to round up Danielle, Sandra and Jerri and make it to the final three.

Like Parvati, Veronica is one of the greatest social players in The Challenge history. She ran her own group of girls — the Mean Girls alliance — helping her only go into one elimination in her glory days (pre-The Ruins) and rack up three victories.

Richard Hatch and Mark Long

The OGs. The pioneers. The Godfathers.

Both of these men helped start it all for their franchise. Richard Hatch came up with the strategy that became the fundamental tenant of Survivor — forming alliances. It was controversial back in Borneo, but it allowed him to become the show’s inaugural winner.

Mark Long was on the first season of Road Rules: USA — The First Adventure in 1995 at the age of 23. He then went on the second season of The Challenge: Real World vs. Road Rules, where he picked up his first of two victories.

Like Rich, Mark was known for his excellent social game. On the three seasons he competed on that had eliminations, he was only sent into elimination once. Of course, that also could be because he’s a giant of a man and nobody in their right mind would want to go against him.

Rich and Mark are also both known to show off their bodies. While Mark may have the more impressive physique, Hatch was more willing to reveal it, constantly walking around the island naked.

Russell Hantz and Wes Bergmann

You either love or hate these guys — there’s no in-between. Two of the most notorious villains from their shows, Russell and Wes have developed the reputation of cocky masterminds.

Russell played two of the most cutthroat games in Survivor history in Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains, blindsiding and idoling his way to the final three both times. His poor social game cost him the win both times, but no one can question that the man was an evil genius.

While Wes has had his fair share of terrible strategic seasons — see Fresh Meat II — he also turned in one of the greatest strategic games of all time on Exes II.

Whenever Russell or Wes is on a season, they only know how to play the game one way — hard.

Rupert Boneham and Mike Mizanin

Rupert and The Miz were almost the mascots of their shows in the early days.

With his tie dye shirt and pirate looks, Rupert was arguably the most popular person to ever play Survivor.

The Miz persona that is now famous in the WWE ring first took shape on The Real World and The Challenge, where Mike carried the torch in the early days. The Miz competed on five seasons, winning twice and becoming one of the faces of the franchise.

Courtney Yates and Paula Meronek

These pretty, skinny blondes could give a one-liner like it was nobody’s business.

Not only are they two of the funniest players to ever be on their show, they were underrated players as well. Courtney finished second in China, and Paula earned two victories and three other final appearances over 10 seasons.

Jeremy Collins and Darrell Taylor

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t like these guys. While both have had moments of being hotheads (Jeremy’s “These guys are so dumb” confessional in San Juan del Sur, Darrell going off on Abe on Inferno II and beating up Brad on The Ruins), they are usually well-collected, which helps them do extremely well in the game.

After going out in the early post-merge of San Juan del Sur, Jeremy returned in Cambodia and dominated, earning a shutout win over Spencer and Tasha.

Darrell’s under the radar game helped him win four consecutive seasons (where he stayed out of elimination in the first three), earning him the most titles in Challenge history before Bananas came along.

Joe Mena and Devin Walker

These are two of the biggest shit talkers to ever be on their respective shows. While they’re both entertaining characters and love to talk a big game, they often don’t back it up.

Of course, they both have pulled off big moves before. Joe saved himself with an idol and ousted rival Alan on Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, while Devin got Tony to throw in Bananas against him on Vendettas, where he was able to take out his arch nemesis.

But it seems like they’re both more known for their bark than their bite. Joe made a big show at the first post-merge tribal council and unsuccessfully played an idol on himself, leading to the healers getting picked off one by one. Devin spent Rivals III with Wes trying desperately to make a move against Bananas and Vince, but was never able to rally the troops.

Aubry Bracco and Sarah Rice

Two of the most cerebral players from their shows, Aubry and Sarah have both seen their fair share of bad luck.

Aubry had two of her closest allies medevaced in Kaoh Rong, with Joe’s removal arguably causing her to lose the game. Sarah had a laundry list of bad luck, including having to leave the game twice because her partner either was disqualified or quit. It took Sarah eight tries to pick up her first win — Aubry will look for the title of Sole Survivor on her third try in season 38.

Tai Trang and Mike Ross

Tai and Mike are both adorable guys who made it extremely far despite lacking in skills.

While Tai was the king of idols in both of his seasons, his erratic social game doomed him both times he played.

Mike might be the least physically fit man to ever be on The Challenge (OK, it’s probably Big Easy, but he’s at least top-5), but was liked by almost everyone and was able to reach the finals of Rivals.

Colton Cumbie and Frank Sweeney

Just thinking of some of the shit that came out of these guys mouths can make your blood boil.

Colton was one of the most bigoted, spoiled brats to ever be on Survivor. Frank was known for saying the most hurtful possible thing to someone, most notably making fun of Nany’s sister for being a heroin addict.

But they both were pretty good at the game (more so Frank than Colton). Frank was an excellent competitor, winning Battle of the Seasons and reaching the finals of Rivals II. Although Colton was disliked by many of his castmates in One World, he did wield some control, getting his tribe to give up immunity and vote out Bill.

They also both had to leave a season due to sickness — Colton on One World (although Jeff Probst claimed he quit) and Frank on Free Agents.

James Clement and Leroy Garrett

Being physically strong is just one aspect of Survivor and The Challenge. You also have to mentally capable, which has always been a problem for James and Leroy.

While Leroy is generally much more liked by his fellow castmembers than James, neither of them have shown the mental fortitude it takes to win the game.

Of course, James made one of the biggest blunders in Survivor history, getting voted out with two idols in his bag in China.

Leroy usually goes far whenever he plays — he’s made three finals — but he’s often easily manipulated. He was mindfucked by Wes on Battle of the Exes II, as Wes was able to convince Leroy to not throw him into elimination and instead put in Zach and Jonna. Since he plays a coasting game, Leroy usually doesn’t have any ride-or-die allies outside of Bananas, which caused him to be sent into the final elimination on Vendettas.

James and Leroy are both physical specimens, but they will likely never win.

Amanda Kimmel and Cara Maria Sorbello

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. That will always be the story of Amanda, and for a while it was the story of Cara Maria.

Amanda is one of the greatest players never to win Survivor, making it to the finals on back-to-back seasons, but crumbling at final tribal council.

Cara Maria was always underestimated as a competitor despite making three finals early in her career. Even today with two wins under her belt, Cara sometimes gets slighted because she doesn’t have to compete against better competitors like Evelyn, Laurel, Emily and Camila.

Amanda and Cara Maria are both borderline top-10 females of all-time on their shows, but often don’t get the respect they deserve.

Coach Wade and Abram Boise

Coach and Abram could carry a show by themselves. In fact, I’m proposing right now that they get a reality show together. Working title: The Slayer and The Psycho.

Coach and Abe are two of the most eccentric people to ever be on their respective shows. Coach was almost a cartoon character with his Dragon Slayer persona, telling ridiculous stories and doing tai chi on the beach. Abram is the craziest person to ever be on The Challenge, which is like calling someone the worst person in prison.

Both of these guys played by a code. Coach preached honor, loyal and integrity, despite blindsiding several allies, particularly on South Pacific. Abram hated the political nature of The Challenge, always wanting to play the game fair.

Abram would fit right in on Survivor — he seemed like one of the few people who enjoyed The Island. Coach might be a little old for The Challenge, but I’d love to see the Dragon Slayer try to become the Banana Slayer.

Denise Stapley and Sarah Greyson

Arguably nobody ever had to work as hard to win as Denise and Sarah.

Denise is the only Survivor winner to attend every tribal council, clawing her way from dysfunctional Matsing tribe to victory in Philippines.

Sarah was an outcast on her Road Rules team on The Gauntlet and was thrown into five eliminations, where she won every time to make it to the end.

Ozzy Lusth and Derrick Kosinski

Nobody can deny that Ozzy and Derrick are amazing competitors and legends of their shows. But no one would ever mistake them for being a mastermind.

Despite playing four times, Ozzy has never been able to pull out a win, and has been betrayed by his allies both on Micronesia and Game Changers. Ozzy still hasn’t figured out that there’s more to the game than winning immunities and catching fish.

Similarly, strategy has never been Derrick’s strong suit. And while he’s a great competitor, asking Derrick to solve a puzzle is like asking your dog to drive you to the airport — it’s just not gonna happen.

But give them both credit — they have had their moments.

Ozzy broke Redemption Island in South Pacific by asking to be voted out to ensure Savaii had even numbers with Upolu heading into the merge.

Derrick joined forces with the Johnny, Evan and Kenny alliance and let them take all the heat, which helped him rack up three victories.

Abi-Maria Gomes and Camila Nakagawa

I mean, does this one really need an explanation?