The 16 Best “Survivor” Seasons to Watch Ahead of the Highly-Anticipated Season 48 Premiere

Survivor fans still can’t get enough of the competition series more than two decades after its 2000 debut.

The reality show features several players sent to a remote location with limited food and resources. Known as castaways, they are divided into tribes, which eventually merge as the pool shrinks. Contestants must strategize and make their way through multiple tribal councils, where a player is voted out each time — except for the final meeting.

In the end, previously voted-off jury members come together to decide who will be the winning castaway, earning the title of Sole Survivor and $1 million in prize money.

Throughout its run, Survivor has been nominated for nearly 70 Emmy Awards — with host Jeff Probst winning five Emmys himself. "I love the job. I really do," he told PEOPLE in April 2024. "I am naturally curious and I’m mostly curious about human behavior, why we do the things we do. And I’ve had a front-row seat to that for 24 years.”

Survivor has become known not just for its longevity but also its ability to constantly innovate, bringing in new twists, turns, elements and characters that fans have grown to know and love.

To kick off the reality competition show's season 48, out on Feb. 26, here are the best Survivor seasons that outwit, outlast and outplay the rest.

Warning: Survivor spoilers ahead!

Survivor: Borneo

There’s nothing quite like the first time and Survivor’s first season in Borneo is no exception. Borneo introduced the world of Survivor to fans with the unfathomable presentation of 16 castaways roughing it on an island, forming alliances and blindsiding their way to $1 million.

The show was quite different upon debuting, as the first immunity challenge involved eating live bugs rather than the other seasons' physical challenges and mental puzzles.

Richard Hatch played the game with an edge, employing strategy, forming alliances and backstabbing when necessary, as he did whatever it took to etch his name in history as Survivor’s first winner.

Survivor: Australian Outback

Survivor: Australian Outback had the challenging task of one-upping the breakaway hit first season and arguably did just that. Its Australian setting in the desert still stands as a unique background compared to the usual jungle elements castaways face.

With greater strategic moves played by memorable characters in noteworthy storylines, Survivor’s second season was one for the books. Plus, runner-up Colby Donaldson became one of the game’s favorite characters, even earning a hilarious cameo in Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Survivor: The Amazon

By Survivor’s sixth season, viewers were beginning to know what to expect, but this Amazonian edition proved that they would always be surprised by shocking voting outcomes at the tribal council. This installment was also the first to divide tribes into men and women.

It also featured one of the best players never to win the game: Rob Cesternino. He leveled up Survivor strategy by moving between alliances, smooth-talking his way out of sticky situations and making other shocking moves.

Jenna Morasca won the season before reappearing on Survivor: All-Stars with her then-boyfriend, Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn.

Survivor: Pearl Islands

Pearl Islands introduced some of the most infamous characters in Survivor history, including the season’s winner — and eventual first two-time Survivor winner — Sandra Diaz-Twine and Rupert Boneham. However, the most memorable character may have been Survivor’s most notorious villain, Jonny Fairplay.

Fairplay entered the proverbial Survivor Villains Hall of Fame when he concocted a plot with his friend Thunder D to win a challenge of a loved one coming back to camp while garnering sympathy by faking his grandmother’s death.

The season incorporated a pirate theme, extending to every challenge, but perhaps no one embodied this more than Fairplay and his antics.

Survivor: All-Stars

Survivor’s first era came to an end by bringing back the best players of the initial seasons from beloved characters like Boneham — who won the first fan-voted $1 million prize — Jenna Lewis and 75-year-old Rudy Boesch. It also featured notable winners like Borneo’s Hatch, the Australian Outback’s Tina Wesson and Pearl Islands’ Diaz-Twine.

While the installment brought together the best Survivor players to compete against one another, it will be mostly remembered as the final showdown between “Boston” Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich, in which Mariano proposed to Brkich before she was revealed as the winner.

Survivor: China

For Survivor’s 15th season, they visited their northernmost destination in China, weaving cultural aspects into everything from challenges to gameplay to rewards to the season slogan. The gamesmanship was high, with fan-favorites including Amanda Kimmel, James Clement, Courtney Yates and even former WWE wrestler Ashley Massaro.

Perhaps this season’s most memorable aspect was the final tribal council, where viewers had no idea who would win. Todd Herzog utilized flattery to justify lying to people he’d built meaningful relationships with in order to win the game, which won over the jury and the million-dollar prize.

Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites

Survivor: Micronesia pitted fans against legends of the game in Survivor’s 16th season. The franchise developed a devoted fan base by this point, which made the concept of avid watchers testing their skills against players they’d followed engrossing for viewers.

The concept made for a high level of gameplay and strategizing amongst new players who believed they could outwit, outlast and outplay the game’s best like Fairplay and Kimmel. However, this season cemented Parvati Shallow as one of the game’s best, leading an all-women’s alliance until the end when she emerged as the Sole Survivor.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains didn't just bring back fan favorites, it also created one of the most intriguing setups yet with a tale as old as time.

Notable heroes like Boneham and Donaldson returned, with then-newer favorites like Candice Woodcock and Cirie Fields competing against ruthless favorites like Boston Rob, Jerry Manthey and Russell Hantz.

The season engaged viewers from the get-go with a scathing pre-merger feud between Boston Rob and Hantz as well as Shallow giving out two immunity idols in a single tribal council. Anytime the game’s greatest players get together, it makes for great viewing, but the heroes vs. villains theme made this season essential viewing.

Survivor: Philippines

What made the 25th season of Survivor so intriguing was the constantly-developing storylines — along with the addition of ‘80s icon and Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel participating as a contestant. Things started with three tribes instead of the usual two, which initiated more complex forming of alliances and higher-stakes challenges.

The alliance between Denise Stapley and Malcolm Freberg made for compelling television, with the former becoming the first contestant to make it through every tribal council to win the whole contest. The season also saw the return of Russell Swan, Michael Skupkin and Jonathan Penner, the latter of whom got a second chance after having to leave during previous seasons due to medical issues.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water

Heartwarming Survivor moments always come from reward challenges in which fans get to see players’ loved ones. However, this season began with castaways in one tribe and their loved ones in another, adding new layers of complexity and emotion to players’ strategies.

Players not wanting to see their loved ones eliminated created naturally interesting tension, especially when it came to Redemption Island. However, blood proved thinner than water on occasion, like when Ciera Eastin voted out her mother, Laura Morett, in one of the better examples of how ruthlessly entertaining Survivor can be.

Survivor: Cagayan

Survivor: Cagayan is one of the best seasons, featuring entirely new castaways. The show divided members into tribes based on brains, brawn and beauty but ultimately showed that these labels were meaningless.

This season was engaging from the first episode to the last, with fan favorites like Spencer Bledsoe, Kass McQuillen and Tony Vlachos.

Vlachos made a particularly memorable impression on fans with his spy shack, where he would climb up in the trees and listen to crucial conversations. Everyone expected Yung “Woo” Hwang to bring McQuillen to the final two, but he shockingly chose Vlancho instead, as he was named Sole Survivor.

Survivor: Cambodia — Second Chance

In Survivor: Cambodia fans got to vote for which previous castaways they wanted to see return for a second chance to win $1 million. Every contestant made the most of their second chance with high levels of strategic play, taking advantage of opportunities like hidden idols at challenges or temptations to quit a challenge for a mystery vote steal advantage.

Between Kelley Wentworth’s strategic play at finding idols and forming/switching alliances and Jeremy Collins playing one of the best social games of all time to win a million dollars, this season was one for the ages. It even featured former PEOPLE Survivor blogger Stephen Fishbach.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X

Millennials vs. Gen X would have been a good enough theme strictly to illustrate generational differences in survival skills. However, it also marked the show's ability to flex its longevity muscles, having been on the air long enough to cast fans who had grown up watching the series as kids.

The results made way for a constantly evolving season of Survivor with iconic blindsides, shocking timing of idols played and personal growth for the cast members.

The generational divide resulted in one of the friendliest seasons of Survivor, as players respected their competitors’ strategy rather than being upset about being eliminated as the generations learned they had more in common than they thought.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath

Another all-time great themed season of Survivor was biblical in nature, pitting ten David-like underdogs against ten Goliath-like overachievers.

Much of what made this season was the cast, which included White Lotus creator and School of Rock writer/actor Mike White — who was an excellent Survivor player — and former WWE wrestler John Morrison, billed as John Hennigan on the show.

On the David side of things, perennial underdog Christian Hubicki’s quirkiness earned him a reputation as one of the most likable Survivor fan favorites.

Survivor: Winners at War

For its 40th season, Survivor brought back 20 of its best winners from early seasons (like Shallow, Boston Rob and Amber Brkich) and later season winners (including Wendell Holland, Adam Klein and Michele Fitzgerald).

Having strict competitors who were proven winners was not just a celebration of Survivor; it resulted in some of the highest-level strategies the series would see.

Often regarded as one of the best seasons, it implemented new elements like the single-season addition of fire tokens. However, moments involving the legendary cast — including the emotional resonance of Zohn returning after overcoming life-threatening cancer twice and Vlachos winning it all — made for Survivor history.

Survivor 47

The 47th season of Survivor beautifully blended the emotional blindsides of old with new-age strategy, epitomized by the instantly infamous Operation: Italy.

Named after the reward challenge where the plot was concocted, Genevieve Mushaluk created a fake idol, while Andy Rueda helped split the votes by deceiving an underdog alliance with the premise of the idol.

The plot led to one of the greatest episodes and tribal councils in Survivor history. It featured an epic rant by the ever-quirky Teeny Chirichillo and Mushaluk’s fake idol, which caused more entertaining confusion and chaos.

While it seemed fairly obvious Rachel LaMont would win by the end, the episodes leading up to her victory proved that Survivor will never stop being able to one-up itself.

Read the original article on People