Ranking the Top 5 Winners not in Survivor: Winners at War

The 40th installment of Survivor has been one of its best, pitting 20 former winners against each other for $2 million, double the normal jackpot. With its cast of Survivor legends and a bevy of new twists to make the path to Sole Survivor that much harder, Survivor: Winners at War has been a hit and one of the highlights of millions of Americans' monotonous lives in quarantine. The 20th anniversary season has been an instant classic, but the cast isn't quite the 20 best winners. We rank the  5 best winners to miss out on Winners at War.

5. Richard Hatch (won Survivor:Borneo, later appeared on Survivor:All-Stars)

Richard is the classic player of Survivor. The first Sole Survivor, he vaulted the show into being one of the biggest water cooler topics of the 2000s. His creation of the alliance has paved the way for the gameplay of the following 39 seasons. He has an obligatory spot on this list because of his status as the OG of Survivor, but Hatch probably wouldn't do well in the quick as Tony Vlachos taking off for an immunity idol speed of today's game. I also doubt the show would have him on, due to his crime of tax evasion and inappropriate touching of Sue Hawk on All-Stars.

4. Mike Holloway (winner of Survivor:Worlds Apart)

Mike, the blue collar oil driller, has one of the greatest underdog climbs in all of Survivor. He was isolated on the bottom, but he combined an immunity run with a hidden immunity idol to cash a million dollar check. Unfortunately, Mike has said he'll never play again. If he had played again, his aggressive playing style could've made him one of the most iconic in a season of icons. However, it would've been annoying to have another merge tribe called Merica due to Mike's patriotic pride.

3.  JT Thomas (winner of Survivor:Tocantins, later appeared on Survivor:Heroes vs Villains and Survivor:Game Changers)

JT's appearance in Tocantins wasn't exactly riveting, but it was nothing if not dominant. He played the first perfect game in Survivor history, winning unanimously and not receiving an elimination vote all season. After one of the greatest performances in 40 seasons, JT fell hard. In Heroes vs Villains, JT sent notorious villain Russell Hantz an idol. Russell was a madman who burned his tribunates' socks and emptied their canteens on his first season, so it seemed perfectly logical to trust him. Russell thanked him by using that very idol to vote him out. On Game Changers, he made an equally bad mistake. On a Tribal Council which 2 tribes attended, JT told the other tribe who his tribe was voting for. They played an idol on that person and JT was dumped at the next tribal council. JT would be a risky member to put on Winners at War. It'd be amazing if he repeated his performance from the Brazilian highlands, but the more likely outcome would be one more similar to his subsequent seasons.

2. Todd Herzog (winner of Survivor:China)

In Todd's lone appearance, he created one of the most memorable seasons of Survivor, with him emerging from the flames with a million Washingtons and one of the greatest rookie campaigns in the history of this great game. He'd be perfectly cut out for the modern game, as he was ahead of his time in season 15, making modern maneuvers giving an idol to someone, and then voting him out with 2 idols in his pocket. With his alcohol troubles showcased on Dr. Phil, it's unlikely Todd ever has a sophomore showing, but if Todd Herzog ever appears on Survivor again, it will be fireworks from Day 1 to 39, with a performance only rivaled by Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game.

1. John Cochran (first appeared on Survivor:South Pacific, and won on Survivor:Caramoan)

Cochran is part of an elite fraternity within Survivor, as a player who won as a returning player. His game there echoed JT's, with him completing a perfect game. Despite being one of the less athletic players, he's saved by a brilliant strategic game that will be referenced by fans for decades. While Cochran is wrapped up in writing for Star Trek and won't return to the game that gave him $1 million, a man can still dream of seeing the greatest strategist ever to wear a buff in action again. 

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