The Greatest "Survivor" Nerds Of All Time, Ranked

Heavy on the "outwit." Often lacking on the "outplay" and "outlast."

Photo-Illustration: Kathy Hoang; Robert Voets / CBS via Getty Images (Omar Zaheer, Evvie Jagoda, Maryanne Oketch, Christian Hubicki, Hannah Shapiro), Monty Brinton / CBS via Getty Images (John Cochran), SurvivorOnCBS / YouTube (J'Tia Taylor)

SPOILERS FOR ALL 42 SEASONS OF SURVIVOR TO FOLLOW. 

While the jungle is certainly full of snakes and rats, the creature that seems to be overtaking the game of Survivor more than anything else is the bookworm. Or the dork, the geek, the whiz kid, the strategist, the superfan, the dweeb, or the nerd, depending on your term of choice. 

Survivor, a game once characterized by its social and physical survival elements, has grown increasingly more cerebral with the arrival of hidden immunity idols, idol nullifiers, extra votes, stolen votes, shots in the dark, fire tokens, and of course, the Tyler Perry Idol. And casting, which once relied heavily on beautiful, statuesque recruits who had never seen the show before, has thankfully scooped up Survivor completists of late, who come to the game with a massive trove of historical knowledge they intend to use to navigate the twists, the game, and each other. 

Survivor 42, which just aired its finale, had no fewer that seven "nerds" on its roster of 18. Zach, the neurotic student whose hobbies included "social strategy games;" Swathi, the Ivy League student whose hero is Elon Musk; Daniel, the law clerk who collects pocket constitutions; and Lydia, a comedy writer who is afraid of vacuum cleaners — these were just four of this season's ill-fated nerds. With SO MUCH strategy involved, the cast needs to include a hefty size of geekdom for the players to even wrap their heads around what is happening (plus, Jeff loves their giddy enthusiasm for even the most trivial of Survivor moments). 

And so with Maryanne as our reigning winner and most recent nerd, I thought what better way to celebrate this golden age of the Survivor nerd than by ranking some of the best to ever play the game. A few ground rules: 

1. I am not ranking every nerd to play, just the ones who have left the biggest impression. 

2. "Nerd" is a bit of a subjective term, so I tried to do my best to qualify the individuals I selected in my "nerd criteria," which includes things like occupation, level of Survivor knowledge, puzzle-solving skills, hobbies, social awkwardness, and attire. I also tried to select people who were cast as "nerds" by the show and who weren't just smart people. Cirie, for example, is an incredibly smart player, but she was definitely not cast as "the nerd" of her season, but rather as "the mom," or as Jeff often says, "the woman who got up off the couch to play the game." The nerd archetype often nudges up against the mom, the business professional, or the old person, but I tried to stick with castaways squarely in the nerd camp. 

3. Lastly, this ranking is based on overall performance in the game, nerdiness on the show, and general iconic-ness. In other words, this is HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE. 

Let's dive in (off an old-timey pirate ship after throwing a bunch of bananas and live chickens off before us). 

34. Anthony Robinson

Monty Brinton / CBS Phot Archive / Getty Images

Seasons played: Fiji (14) 

Nerd credentials: Anthony went to Yale, worked as an expert witness locator (aka a legal field), and enjoyed LARPing and video games. Most importantly, he wears glasses. In everyday life, wearing glasses isn't necessarily a tip off that someone is a nerd, but on Survivor, production determines the clothes that each member is allowed to bring and wear on the show. Some people are in contacts and some people wear glasses, and usually it's the nerd who gets the glasses as a visual tip off to the viewers. Keep reading and you'll see. 

As a pre-merge boot of little note, Anthony baaaaaaarely made the cut onto this list. However, he did get plenty of airtime during his six episodes on Fiji, as he ended up on the ill-fated "have not" tribe which, with an inferior camp and supplies, went to tribal council seven times before the merge. Despite being openly targeted by Rocky for being bad at the challenges, and one of the reasons his tribe kept returning to tribal, Anthony managed to worm his way through four votes before ultimately getting ousted post-swap. He eventually stood up for himself (a classic nerd growth narrative), and maintains the record for most days on Survivor without winning a single challenge with 16. 

33. Neal Gottlieb

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Kaôh Rōng (32) 

Nerd credentials: Well, it's a Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty season and Neal is on the Brains tribe. An ice cream entrepreneur, he's certainly smart, although he has a bit more physicality than many of the nerds listed here. 

Neal lasted longer in the game than Anthony, but his impact was fairly minimal, as he only attended two tribal councils before being medically evacuated post-merge due to a knee injury. His main claims to fame are: 1) being Aubry's original alliance, and 2) being the only castaway to be voted off the jury when Michele smartly booted him as a vote for Aubry before the final tribal council. 

32. Evvie Jagoda

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Survivor 41

Nerd credentials: A Harvard Ph.D. student with glasses. Need I say more? 

Evvie instantly set themselves apart as someone with a keen eye for strategy early on, especially when their tribe went to two of the first three tribal councils. While their fellow castaways continued to be wary of their strategic mind, they never quite got their footing again, heading into the merge down in the numbers, and being booted at a split tribal council by their former allies. Bonus points for being the first openly non-binary castaway to play the game, but the gameplay left a bit to be desired. 

31. J'Tia Taylor

Monty Brinton / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Cagayan (28) 

Nerd credentials: She's a nuclear engineer with a doctorate who loves reading, strategy games, and wore an "I Love Nerds" shirt on the show. She was also cast on the Brains tribe in a Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty  season. 

J'Tia was actually horrible at Survivor, despite supposedly being intelligent, her lackluster puzzle skills made her tribe lose three of the first four immunity challenges. Her social game wasn't much better, as she frequently blew up, once dumping the tribe's entire rice supply into the fire. The only reason she outlasted two fellow Luzon members was that Kass and Tasha needed her as a number and chess piece on the board. She is by far the worst player on this list, but her short time on one of the best seasons of the show is nothing but iconic. Name a recognizable fourth boot. I'll wait. 

30. Kellyn Bechtold

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Ghost Island (36)

Nerd credentials: Kellyn is slightly less nerdy than some other castaways on this list, but she does have two masters degrees, compared herself to Aubry in her CBS profile, and spent much of her time thinking strategically with fellow nerd Bradley. 

Kellyn had a lot working for her on paper as she cruised through the first half of the game on the right side of the numbers and as a member of the large Naviti block alliance. After Desiree targeted Kellyn, however, and her alliance crumbled, she became the main face of the resistance that moved against the Domenick/Wendell/Laurel alliance. While she never really reached her full potential, she was a fun player to watch, and I think would excel in an all-star season. 

29. Karishma Patel

CBS / Getty

Seasons played: Island of the Idols (39)

Nerd credentials: A lawyer, she passed the bar exam in three different states, all on the first try. She also suffers from the classic nerd stereotypes of not being good at the physical Survivor challenges, having a meltdown early in the game, and being routinely targeted as an "easy vote." 

The redemption character arc is alive and well with this one. From the very beginning Karishma struggled to find her footing as she was weak in the challenges and had trouble fitting in with her original tribe that included an NHL player, a gym owner, and an Olympic swimmer. When she was the back up target at her tribe's second Tribal Council, she realized she was on the bottom, but continued to fight the uphill battle. Even though she received votes at six separate tribals, Karishma lasted until the final eight and wracked up a strong resume including an idol play to bump out Elizabeth. It should also be noted that Karishma was a member of the alliance that attempted to vote out Dan once his sexual harassment allegations came to light. Bonus points for being a good human. 

28. Ken Hoang

CBS

Seasons played: Gabon (17) 

Nerd credentials: Ken is one of the earliest true nerds to play on the show, arriving before the nerdageddon in the seasons of the mid-20s. He's a professional video game player who won tournaments on Super Smash Bros. Doesn't get much nerdier than that. 

Ken is yet another one-time-player/nerd with a lot of promise, who fell apart approaching the finish line. Unlike Karishma or Anthony, he held control from the jump, forming an alliance with Crystal on the ill-fated Fang tribe and dictating an impressive seven pre-merge votes (including the infamous face crack Marcus elimination). Post-merge he and Crystal continued their reign, bumping off three more rivals before a split-vote tipped off the rest of his tribe to his allegiances and he was sent home at the final five. The driving force of strategy for much of the season, he left behind a group of much weaker players. Less openly nerdy and camera ready than others on this list though, he lost a few spots. 

27. Gabby Pascuzzi

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: David vs. Goliath (37) 

Nerd credentials: This is grade-A nerd. She's got the glasses. She's a technical writer who likes reading. She's a bit socially awkward and compares herself to Aubry (and is one of several Aubry-imitators who appeared on the show after her arrival). 

Gabby has climbed this high on the list mostly because of nerdiness and memorability and not from good gameplay. She was instrumental in her one pre-merge tribal council, but largely she didn't a ton until merge came and she and her David alliance mates were able to turn the tables on the stronger Goliath alliance. Gabby is known primarily for being a part of the Gabby/Christian nerd duo (the likes of which the show hadn't seen before). The pair led the David alliance together until Gabby ultimately tried to flip on Christian worrying that her game wouldn't be differentiated from his. Unfortunately the move came too soon, Gabby was idoled out at the final eight, and most of her remaining Davids, including Christian, were sent home by the Goliaths shortly after. She did, however cry a good bit for not being understood, which is another frequent nerd attribute on this list.

26. Omar Zaheer

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Survivor 42

Nerd credentials: He's a veterinarian (aka a smarty pants) who loves Settlers of Catan and claims he wants to model his game after one of Survivor's OG nerds, Rob Cesternino. He also has glasses and wears an orange giant ostrich head shirt.

For a minute there, it seemed like Omar had this season all locked up. After only visiting tribal once pre-merge, he played up his nerdiness post-merge, pretending to be a social outsider to get information from both of the larger alliances. He incepted Mike with the plan to oust Hai and then orchestrated Drea's blindside by revealing her Knowledge Is Power advantage to Mike so that she couldn't steal his Hidden Immunity Idol. He was, however, outmaneuvered by fellow nerd Maryanne at the final six, when he failed to see her and Romeo as threats and she used an extra vote to send him home in a 3-2-2 vote split. On Survivor, you've always got to keep an eye on the nerds, no matter how far down the pecking order you think they are. 

25. Shirin Oskooi

Monty Brinton / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Worlds Apart (30), Cambodia (31) 

Nerd credentials: The quirky, socially awkward girl was put on the White Collar tribe during her original season, necessitating at least some level of nerdiness. She was then targeted for over-strategizing with fellow uber-nerd Max and being unable to read social scenarios. She was a Yahoo executive who enjoyed competitive whistling, and fashioned herself once again on Rob Cesternino. 

Shirin is the first two-time player on this list, and while that makes her more memorable, it does not make her a better player. Chronically haunted by her neurotic personality in the game, Shirin never gained a solid footing within her tribes on either season. In Worlds Apart she was able to last until the merge due to only attending two tribal councils (both times with more annoying castaways on the chopping block), and became a beloved underdog for facing off against a cast of generally unlikable humans. When she returned for the following season, however, she attended the first two tribals and didn't have a chance to push past her overly strategic, chatty persona and was sent home. 

24. Zeke Smith

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Seasons played: Millennials vs. Gen X (33), Game Changers (34)

Nerd credentials: Zeke is an analytical, Survivor superfan who enjoys writing and won high school debate tournaments. Clearly a nerd. 

Playing twice back-to-back rarely works out for Survivor castaways as they tend to make the same mistakes two seasons in a row. Unlike Shirin, Zeke never had trouble fitting in with his tribe and so easily lasted until the merge in both of his seasons. In both seasons, however, he was seen as too much of a strategic threat for his early post-merge moves and charisma and so was blindsided by members of his own alliance. Unfortunately, the thing Zeke is most well known for is being outed as transgender by Jeff Varner during tribal council on Game Changers. I'd love to see Zeke 3.0 take on the game with a little more perspective (and without a malicious outing) because he's got all the skills needed to win. 

23. Laurel Johnson

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Ghost Island (36) 

Nerd credentials: While being a college athlete doesn't scream nerd, Laurel certainly qualifies in other ways. She loves doing the NYT crossword puzzle. She's a financial consultant. She's a Survivor superfan who claims she wants to play like Sophie. And she wears glasses. 

Laurel is the first nerd on this list to make it to the final tribal council. Unfortunately for her, she was the goat, dragged along by Domenick and Wendell and lambasted by the jury for a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome. For all of Laurel's analytical thinking and calm demeanor, she lacked the confidence or bravery to make a move of her own, and so ended up casting the final vote to decide a winner. Despite her ability to outlast, she certainly wasn't outwitting her opponents and brought relatively little to the show. 

22. Ryan Ulrich

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (35)

Nerd credentials: While bellhop is not necessarily a nerdy profession, Ryan previously interned in both houses of congress, planned on attending law school, and plays the harmonica. He was costumed in a turtleneck for the show, which is casting calling him a nerd. 

Ryan and Laurel are strikingly similar players. While Ryan had a bit more flair in confessionals and made a few more strategic moves of his own, both were the obvious losers in their final tribal councils. Ryan, who paired himself with Chrissy and Devon, had plenty of power at points during the game, but played a bit too under-the-radar and didn't connect with those outside his alliance. His weakness in challenges also became a detriment as he was unable to help his alliance send Ben home and wasn't a viable option to win the final four fire-making competition. 

21. Rick Devens

Timothy Kuratek / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Edge of Extinction (38)

Nerd Credentials: A superfan news anchor with glasses who claims he wants to play the game like Cochran. What else do you need? 

While Rick was far and away the breakout star of his season, made it to the final four, and lost out in a fire-making competition against the eventual winner who had spent most of the season making fire on a deserted island, Rick loses some points for being voted out twice in 38 days. The gregarious, but dorky, castaway aligned early with fellow nerd David, before being shipped off to the Edge of Extinction for his fourth tribal in a row. While he did go on a bit of an immunity run after his return, Rick struggled to get on the right side of the numbers. He was ultimately cut for being a big threat (a plus), but in comparison to those later on the list, he never really mastered the strategy portion ( just immunity challenges). I am very excited for his inevitable return however. 

20. Lillian Morris

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Pearl Islands (7) 

Nerd credentials: Does wearing your Boy Scouts troop leader shirt to Survivor make you a nerd? I'm going to say yes. She also had several breakdowns on the show and was pretty bad at the challenges. 

Lill is another of our final tribal losers, and like Rick she was voted out of the game and then reentered due to a twist. The thing I will say about Lill is that she was an obvious target from the jump because of her age, and yet she still managed to survive two tribals before her initial boot. She then convinced her fellow losers to vote her back into the game, where she became a somewhat strategic player, voting correctly at every post-merge tribal. Her merciless revenge against Andrew Savage is iconic as is her crying about Johnny Fairplay's grandmother, and her getting drunk with Fairplay on a catamaran reward. She was blown out of the water by Sandra in the final tribal, but I'm not sure she ever really had a chance to win. Playing in the Boy Scout uniform is really top notch, and she would be #1 on a ranking of Survivors by outfits. 

19. Hannah Shapiro

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Millennials vs. Gen X (33)

Nerd credentials: In this nerd-heavy season, Hannah is vying for the crown of nerdom. A superfan, easily flustered, and four-eyed, she describes herself as "nerdy" and an "80-year-old neurotic Jewish lady." She also compares herself to Cochran. 

Hannah certainly falls under the Laurel/Ryan umbrella of nerds who made it to the final tribal council but didn't gather much respect from their tribes along the way. I think all three were a bit too timid and/or erratic to let the jury see them as strategic leaders. Hannah, however, was on the right side of the numbers most of the time and worked with fellow nerds David and Adam to drive the game's strategy. She was also a much more dynamic screen presence than either Ryan or Laurel. Ultimately, however, she didn't act against her alliance early enough and ended up in the finals against Adam, who won with an unprecedented 10 jury votes. 

18. Christian Hubicki

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: David vs. Goliath (37)

Nerd credentials: Christian is perhaps the nerdiest person to ever do well on Survivor. He's a robotics scientist who loves the clarinet and computer-coded a program to train his dog. He wrote part of his dissertation on birds. He fashions himself after Stephen Fishbach. He wears glasses. He's good at puzzles. He's neurotic, and he's a Survivor superfan. 

Christian is GOOD at Survivor, and he is GOOD TV. Even though he didn't win, he cemented himself into the cannon with a series of great one-liners in the pre-merge where he became an easy fan favorite. He came into the merge down in the numbers and was able to lead the David alliance through an impressive series of tribal councils that involved idoling out John, blindsiding Dan, and beating Alec at an endurance immunity challenge before sending him home. He also orchestrated the blindside of Carl, a member of his own alliance, but that spelt the beginning of the end for Christian as his chief ally Gabby then tried to oust him (and was eliminated instead), leaving him back in the minority. Christian, like Rick, is a player we will see again, and hopefully he'll be able to last a bit longer. 

17. Scout Lee Cloud

Monty Brinton / CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images

Seasons played: Vanuatu (9) 

Nerd credentials: Well there's the Ph.D. and the glasses and the fact she was bad at challenges. While she's a bit more hippy dippy and a tad older than the traditional Survivor nerd, I'm including her. 

Survivor casting has changed dramatically since the early days. The castaways of the first 10 seasons were much more nuanced, everyday people who didn't fit quite as nicely into the archetypes we now have today. As such, the true nerds of the first 10 seasons are hard to come by. Scout attended 12 tribal councils and lead the strategic thinking for all but two of them. Post-merge she was a key player in the all-women's alliance and then was the leader of the smaller faction that ousted Leann, Ami, Julie, and Eliza in succession. Her only real flaw in the game was a knee injury that made her dismal at challenges and put her fate in the hands of allies at the final three. When Chris won, he saw Scout as the bigger threat and sent her home over Twila. She may not be as iconic as others on this list, but her game is pretty ironclad. 

16. Bob Crowley

CBS

Seasons played: Gabon (17) 

Nerd credentials: He's a physics teacher from Maine with glasses and a bow tie. Easily the smartest, nerdiest person on his season. 

Finally our first winner on the list! And if you're thinking "he won the game, why is he ranked so low?" then let me explain. While Bob won Survivor which is the goal, his strategy was certainly a bit on the lacking side, and he stumbled into a win more than anything. While he was beloved for his grandfatherly charm, he was largely outshined by the chaotic cast. In the pre-merge he was largely spared from tribal due to the Fang tribe's disastrous challenge record, he was blindsided at the Marcus vote, and proceeded to vote incorrectly for much of the post-merge. Matty eventually picked Bob up as a number to oust Crystal and Ken, but Bob should have been eliminated at the final four, had it not been for Sugar making a poor game move to allow him to join her in the final tribal. Even still, he barely beat out Susie in a 4-3 vote with a jury packed with his allies in one of the weakest final threes in Survivor history. There are certainly losers who played better, more iconic games than Bob, even though he seems like a lovely human being. 

15. Greg Buis

CBS

Seasons played: Borneo (1)

Nerd credentials: Until Rob Cesternino's arrival in Season 6, Greg was really the closest thing we had to today's nerd archetype. An Ivy League student who studied anthropology, and viewed Survivor as more of a thought experiment than a game, he was giving off some major nerd energy. Post-Survivor he founded a renewable energy company.

The very first season of Survivor will always be iconic. The show took no time to get off the ground as a phenomenon and that is partially due to Greg, who was a quirky, likable underdog. There really was no strategy to be had in those days (unless you were Richard Hatch), and so it's hard to judge Greg's gameplay. He sailed through the first half of the game while flirting with fan favorite Colleen before being blindsided by a Tagi alliance he didn't know existed. Greg was the one having philosophical conversations with Richard though, and he became beloved after his tribe was decimated by the more unlikeable foursome of Richard, Rudy, Sue, and Kelly. He's never returned to the game, but his origination of the smart oddball moves him up these ranks a lot. 

14. Eliza Orlins

Monty Brinton / CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images

Seasons played: Vanuatu (10), Micronesia (16) 

Nerd credentials: Like Greg and Scout, Eliza doesn't fit cleanly into the modern Survivor nerd archetype, but she did graduate law school, was a strategist proficient in puzzles on both her seasons, and was regarded as neurotic (and overly chatty) by tribemates. 

Eliza, like Greg, is another example of a player whose iconicness outweighs their performance in the game. In her first season, Eliza did reach the final four, jumping ship at the appropriate time from her main alliance and working with other misfits as she'd be disliked from the jump. For someone who was nearly constantly on the verge of being voted out, she did extremely well. Her second season, she only went to two tribal councils and was immediately targeted post-merge for not being a member of the dominant alliance (not great). It was her second time out however, that gave us both the Survivor top 10 moment of "it's a f**king  stick" and her legendary jury faces. She also went on to compete in The Amazing Race, and I wouldn't be surprised if she reappeared on Survivor at some point. 

13. Mike White

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: David vs. Goliath (37)

Nerd credentials: A quirky screenwriter/director/actor, Mike competed on the show as a superfan and member of the Goliath tribe after two seasons of The Amazing Race. While a bit more established and socially adept than many of the nerds on this list, he was good at puzzles, loves reading, and models his gameplay after nerd-archetype-maker Rob Cesternino. 

Mike is a final tribal council loser, but unlike Ryan, Laurel, and Hannah, he was certainly not a goat. His pre-merge track record is strong, leading two different blindsides on his five-man post-swap tribe. Then after the Goliaths faltered post-merge he was able to tread water long enough to regain footing and orchestrate the Christian blindside. Ultimately, his track record wasn't quite as strong as that of Nick, but his final tribal council speech about storytelling was impeccable, and you wonder how he would have faired if he hadn't been a famous millionaire sitting next to a southern public defender. 

12. David Wright

Monty Brinton / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Millennials vs. Gen X (33), Edge of Extinction (38) 

Nerd credentials: The definition of a nerd. He's OCD, nervous, and paranoid by his own admission. He likes playing chess, Star Trek, and puzzles. He says he's most like Cochran, had numerous meltdowns on the show, and was a strategic force.

David is a CHARACTER. He is the older, slightly more chaotic version of Cochran and became an instant fan favorite. On his first season, despite being volatile and prone to meltdowns, he voted correctly in 13 of his 14 tribal councils (if you count the tie), and led the charge flip-flopping between the Gen X and Millennial alliances — using idols correctly all the while. Only at the final four was he eliminated for being too large a threat. His return was slightly more lackluster, as he attended all but one pre-merge tribal and went into the merge down in numbers, a huge threat, and an easy target. While he hasn't made a final tribal, he's come close and his charisma bops him up this list a few slots. 

11. Adam Klein

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Millennials vs. Gen X (33), Winners at War (40)

Nerd credentials: A loooooooooong time Survivor superfan, Adam was giddy on his original season. He loves board games, fancies himself the next Spencer, and often got carried away with his love of strategy and the game, fanboying especially hard on the all winners season. 

Adam is another nerdy winner, and that earns him a spot this high on the list (and higher than his many Millennials vs. Gen X fellow nerds). It's no accident that he's only one slot higher than David on this list as the two played similar games in their first season, with David as the leader post-merge who was taken out last minute by Adam. Adam holds the record (with Jeremy Collins) for most votes in a unanimous win, which also bolsters his record. His second appearance, however, was not nearly as strong as he got flustered playing with legends, shot himself in the foot several times, and exited shortly after the merge while trying to play Jeff's podium as an immunity idol. 

10. Spencer Bledsoe

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Cagayan (28), Cambodia (31) 

Nerd credentials: He was on the Brains tribe of the original Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty. He was an economics student at the University of Chicago (a good school), a chess expert, and a Survivor superfan. He lists his Survivor heroes as Stephen Fishbach, Rob Cesternino, and Yul Kwon and labels himself "a John Cochran who doesn't suck." Point proven? 

While Spencer never won (and ended up a final tribal goat in his second season), his game is impressive because of how much of an underdog he was nearly his entire career. Starting on the disastrous Luzon tribe with J'Tia, he lasted long enough to find him down in the numbers at the merge and constantly scrambling to stay in the game. He flipped with Tony, threw members of his own alliance under the bus in front of him, and bushwhacked his way to the final four (fighting with Kass the entire way). On his return, he again struggled to find his footing (along with Shirin), but went on to weave between alliances, orchestrating a number of blindsides before eventually losing to one of the most charismatic winners of the game. Few people make it to the final four twice and make such an impression doing it. 

9. Maryanne Oketch

Robert Voets / CBS / Getty

Seasons played: Survivor 42

Nerd credentials: She's a chatty misfit who gets crushes on nerdy boys, loves video games, and is going to seminary. With the exception of six episodes of Tocantins, she's seen every season, she had several breakdowns and freak outs during the game, and she used plenty of strategy. 

All hail our reigning Survivor winner! Maryanne got lucky that she only attended one tribal pre-merge as her social game got off to a bit of a wobbly start (as it does for many of our nerds) due to her hyperactive giggling, and slightly grating (for some) optimism. Post-merge, however, she played an increasingly strong game, quickly getting on the right side of the numbers, and working to blindside a series of strong competitors. She orchestrated the blindside of Omar, knocked Lindsay out at the final five by not playing an idol for her, and then dominated the final tribal with a series of well thought out speeches. The jury admitted that they weren't planning on voting for her when they started, but after Mike failed to own up to his lying, she swooped in and stole the crown with a near unanimous win. She will for sure be the model for a new archetype of casting in the future. The only reason she's not higher here is that she's only played one season and isn't quite as fully cemented in the lore of Survivor nerds as those above her on this list. Just wait though. She'll for sure be back for a second round. 

8. Yul Kwon

Timothy Kuratek / CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Cook Islands (13), Winners at War (40)

Nerd credentials: Easily one of the game's most cerebral players, Yul was nearly robotic in his strategic prowess. Outside of the game, he has a JDS from Yale, worked at Google, and considers "politics" a hobby.  

It's hard to imagine a more perfect strategic mind for the game than Yul's. During his original season, he took a four-person alliance and led them seamlessly post-merge, using idols and smarts to systematically eliminate five competitors in a row. His final tribal council arguments were great and he won up against Ozzy, in arguably one of the greatest final tribal match ups ever. On his return, he didn't fare quite as well, but he did lead his early alliance to clip Amber, Tyson, and Parvati (all massive threats) before being blindsided on a four-person tribe. Not necessarily the most exciting person on this list, but definitely one of the brightest.

7. Rob Cesternino

CBS

Seasons played: The Amazon (6), All-Stars (8)

Nerd credentials: We are now in archetype territory. I'd argue that the seven people left on this list created, modified, and cemented the nerd archetype for Survivor and are the reason so many exist on the show today. First up we have the OG Survivor superfan. Rob was the first student of the game to play and play well. He wrote his senior thesis on reality TV and his childhood hero was Bob Barker. Post-Survivor he's gone on to create a podcasting empire built around reality TV show strategy. 

There is a reason why so many of the lower-ranked nerds list Rob as their inspiration. He is one of the greatest players never to win the game, and if it wasn't for an improbable immunity run from Jenna, he probably would be the Amazon winner. He created the flip-flop strategy, eliminating targets from both alliances. He thought three steps ahead. The original gamer, and it got him all the way to three. His return season leaves quite a bit to be desired, but he was on a six-person tribe with Rob and Amber, so really how much could he have done? 

6. Stephen Fishbach

CBS / Getty Images

Seasons played: Tocantins (18), Cambodia (31) 

Nerd credentials: Everyone's got glasses from here on out. Stephen is a twitchy, overly strategic and academic corporate consultant. He loves to read, doesn't know how to cut wood, and had severe bowel issues on the show (which somehow feels nerdy). 

Stephen took the Rob role, made it a little more dorky and cerebral, put some glasses on it, and sent it back into the game. Unlike Rob, he made it to the final tribal, but his appearance against JT (whom he'd done all the strategizing for) was so abysmal, he might as well have bowed out at three. His game of scooping up the underdogs to take on the larger alliance — only to trim his alliance as he went — was genius. His jury management, perhaps not so much. He also fared better than Rob on his second season, where he provided strategy for the majority alliance only to be taken out in a vote-split-gone-wrong by Spencer in a 4-3-2. Talented and iconic nonetheless. 

5. Kass McQuillen

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Seasons played: Cagayan (28), Cambodia (31) 

Nerd credentials: Like J'Tia and Spencer, Kass also originated on the Brains tribe. She's an attorney with glasses, thinks strategically, and is good at puzzles. 

I love Chaos Kass so much. Her gameplay may be a bit less put together than Yul's or Stephen's, but she makes up for it by being ice cold in the best possible way. In her original season, she screwed over nearly the entire cast at one point or another, drove Tony to the brink of insanity (and talking llama), and clawed her way to the final three despite being an underdog. If not for Woo's horrible decision to take Tony to the finals rather than her, we might be looking at the winner of Cagayan as her game was certainly stronger than Woo's. Her return she didn't fare as well, being booted thanks to a vendetta from her original season with Tasha, but she was just as iconic, flipping off tribe mates at council and delivering blistering confessionals. Get this woman back onto my screen now. I'll watch her in every season from now until Jeff turns 100. 

4. John Cochran

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Seasons played: South Pacific (23), Caramoan (26) 

Nerd credentials: Cochran is the modern Survivor archetype. Most of the people on this list would not be playing the game if not for him. He's got glasses and a sweater vest. He easily gets sunburn. He gives neurotic confessionals. He went to Harvard Law and wants to play like Rob Cesternino. What more could you ask for? 

Why isn't John number one on this list, you ask? He is, after all, a winner and one of the most recognizable faces from Survivor. While his second season record is nearly perfect (three individual immunity wins, a tight grip on both the pre- and post-merge games, multiple successful vote splits and blindsides), his first time out is shockingly bad. A fish out of water — and one easily enamored — he fell under the spell of Coach, flipping on his tribe, only to be voted out once said tribe had been eliminated. The win, the vest, and his boat trip with Debbie in Game Changers, are great, but they can only take you so far. 

3. Sophie Clarke

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Seasons played: South Pacific (23), Winners at War (40)

Nerd credentials: A medical student who is fluent in Russian, she wears glasses, is good at puzzles, thinks about the game strategically, models herself after Stephen, and loves to play Scrabble. She's slightly socially awkward, had a meltdown on her original season, and delivered an articulate final tribal speech. 

Sophie is a spot higher than Cochran here, because she strategized circles around him on South Pacific. She was the brains and calming force in Coach's chaotic alliance and ended up voting correctly at every single tribal post-merge. Despite being seen as a weaker member of the alliance for much of the time, she was able to make a strong argument for herself at the end of the game and win on her first go round (not her second, like Cochran). When she returned to Winners at War, she put together the Rob Mariano blindside and led strategy with Sarah Lacina before eventually being eliminated at the final nine in a well executed 4-3-2 split. Her dry sense of humor and rational thinking make Sophie a great narrator and while not as iconic as some other nerds here, I think she's the best winner in the mix. 

2. Yau-Man Chan

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Seasons played: Fiji (14), Micronesia (16)

Nerd credentials: Glasses. MIT degree. Talks about physics. Do I really need to go on?

Yau-Man may not have won Fiji, and his threat loomed so large he was eliminated immediately on Micronesia, but he is easily one of the smartest, most innovative castaways ever to play. On his original season, despite being stuck with Anthony on the have-not tribe that lost consistently, he became the source of strategy on his tribe, leading the four pre-merge votes he was a part of. Post-merge, he was in the minority, but worked with Earl on a series of bold moves to regain control and make it to the final four. He found multiple idols, is the first player to ever play a hidden immunity idol correctly, and created fakes to screw with his tribemates. He pulled off vote splits and blindsides and used his brain to win challenges even though he was weaker. He also attempted to use pieces of the game, like his car win, as bartering tools, although that ultimately didn't work. If he'd made it to the end, I think we'd be looking at the winner of season 14. And it's this level of play that made him the largest threat on Micronesia on a tribe full of threats. Plus Yau is just a good time to watch on TV. You can't help but love him. 

1. Aubry Bracco

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Seasons played: Kaôh Rōng (32), Game Changers (34), Edge of Extinction (38)

Nerd credentials: Glasses? Check. Ivy League degree? Check. Meltdown early in the game? Check. Good at puzzles? Check. Strategist? Check. Weird hobby? (Crayon art) — Check. Superfan? Check. Nerd idols? (Sophie, Cochran, Greg) —  Check. She is queen of the nerds. 

Aubry may not have won Survivor yet, but in her three stints on the show, she has racked up an impressive 111 days played, slotting her at sixth overall, and the most of any nerd (and second only to Ozzy in non-winners). Her first season, after an early meltdown, she got a grip, using her strategic mind to orchestrate every single vote she was a part of the entire season, and only losing because her closest ally had to be medically evacuated from the game at the final five, leaving her forced to bring either Cydney or Michele to the end. Even still, she got close to beating social butterfly Michele and suffered from being the strategy behind the jury members' exits. On her second attempt (against much stronger competition and with a target on her back), she lasted until the final five, having her back against the wall much of the time. Much like Yau's return, her third stint proved less fruitful as her tribe of five voted her out the first chance they got. A wonderful strategist, witty talking head, and inspiration for the many female nerds who followed her, she reigns (at least in my book) as the #1 Survivor nerd. 

Watch all 42 seasons of Survivor on Paramount+.

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