Watch 'Survivor 48' Players Reveal Their Favorite Moments in the Show's History (Exclusive)

Mike Bloom

12 February 2025 at 9:00 am·15-min read

As Survivor turns 25 this year, we have been treated to 47 seasons, over 700 castaways, and countless iconic moments. The CBS reality stalwart's history has been littered with game-changing moves, passionate personal moments, and laugh-out-loud comedy. And it's the possibility of creating another moment to be talked about fear years to come that keeps us coming back time after time.

When I was given the chance to interview the cast of the upcoming Survivor 48 in Fiji, days before the game began, I gave them an opportunity to focus less on the present of the pregame anxiety, and the future of whatever was to come in the 26 days. Instead, they were asked to look to the past, and provide their favorite moment in Survivor history. Predictably–and understandably!–the 18 players gave a wide swath of answers. Some referred to the most talked-about events through the years, of coursing giving the requisite mention to Erik Reichenbach giving up individual immunity in Fans vs. Favorites. Others go more micro and less Micronesia, focusing on smaller, sillier moments that have stuck with them. One even goes out of the (pizza) box with his answer, talking less about a moment on-screen, but the feeling off-screen. Regardless of what they said, all of these cast members are hoping they can use their time on the island to make their own moment, and they could become the very answer to this question in a future season.

Take a look at the video and transcription below to hear the Survivor 48 castaways give their favorite moments in the show's history. Unfortunately, we were not able to get an answer from stuntuman David Kinne, but you can check out his individual interview to find out more about him. Survivor 48 premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. with a special two-hour episode on CBS.

Survivor 48 Cast Favorite Moments

Bianca Roses

Michele, another amazing Jersey girl winner. It was Winners at War, and she was talking to Boston Rob about her controversial win. And Rob was like, "You won. If you win, you win. There isn't controversy. You won, and that's it." And he kind of just squashed it in the bud. I love that realness of Survivor, him lifting her up and her sharing her vulnerability about her win. Like, you won, but you're still being vulnerable, being insecure about that. I mean, there's a million amazing moments. I love the banter between Jeff and the tribes. [Laughs.] There's just so many good things. But I love that moment, and that really stuck out in me. Not that my whole life, I didn't know [Survivor] was more than a game. But I was just like, "Wow. There's some life lessons here."

Cedrek McFadden

I just immediately thought of when, I think it was Erik, she sort of influenced him. "Give [the necklace] to me." [Laughs.] And he gets voted out. You feel bad for the guy. But, I mean, that's just the power of just having that genuine connection that I hope to have in this game. But just to be able to say, "Give me this." "Okay." "Now goodbye." [Laughs.] That's just amazing.

Charity Nelms

I mean iconic number one, "I'm sitting in my Spy Shack!" I say that to my husband all the time.

Are you going to build a Spy [Insert Noun Here] out here?
Maybe. Wouldn't you like to know? [Laughs.] I definitely have some tricks up my sleeve. But, yeah, I mean Tony, iconic. That's an iconic moment. Another one that I think is just legendary, like, how did this even happen? It's the season where Brandon and Coach made the whole Survivor tribe into a cult. The level of power you have to have to get all these people on board to be like, "Okay, we're gonna pray before dinner." And I mean, I'm spiritual, I have faith. But I would never impose that. It's so wild to me that they built that and people went along with it. It makes me realize, "Okay, cults are real. And people will follow you. It's all about the confidence." [Laughs.]

Chrissy Sarnowsky

I like the earlier seasons, even though I don't remember them, but because Survivor was so new. And now, and I hate to say this, I don't like superfans. I don't think superfans make the game better. I don't think people practicing in their basement makes this game better. I think coming out and challenging yourself and not knowing what to expect, than knowing, "That puzzle is going to be on here, and I could do it with my eyes closed," it's sort of cheating to me.

I mean it to me, it's like an experience, a weird scientific experiment that they take 18 people, strangers from all different places of the world, and throw them on an island and starve them to death and make them do these challenges to earn food, to earn stuff, and see what happens. And nobody can predict what can happen. It's like putting 18 mice in a cage and seeing who's gonna be the lead mice. So I don't know. It's a great experiment. I can't wait to see what happens!

Eva Erickson

I think my favorite moment is kind of a heartwarming one. Noelle, she had one leg, and she had to go across a little balance beam. Oh my god. And she could not do it over and over. Just kept falling off it. And she got so frustrated, and you could just see it. And I just felt so bad. I really liked her, and I was like, "Oh my gosh. She has to do it." Everyone else is way past that part of the challenge. They're all throwing their bags by now. And finally, she gets across that beam. She goes up, she throws her bags one after another, lands all of them, and she won the challenge. And it was just the biggest comeback story. And it just showed so much heart and grit and dedication. She didn't give up. And that's how I want to play. I want to be that person who doesn't give up. You're gonna get knocked down. And I see that, and I'm like, "She got up, and she had one leg to get up on. And she still did it." I think she's so cool, and I want to be like her.

Joe Hunter

Another outstanding question. Okay, so I'm tying it off between two of them. When it was Heroes vs. Villains, in that entire season, I want to say that in the very beginning. Just the combination of just true hate for each other, and this kind of villain versus hero [narrative]. I had never seen something unfold almost so naturally that was genuine between so many different players. And every time I watched, there was another soap opera within that season specifically. Especially in the beginning, some of those challenges, I couldn't believe how physically demanding they were.

Yeah, they were breaking toes and dislocating shoulders!
Exactly! And [Rupert] was gonna be one of my top two also. That season is pretty epic, and then [Millennials vs. Gen X]. Because I've always battled that "old generation versus new generation." And then to see it play out and go, "Okay, well, let's see. Have those discussions, have it outright." I thought that was intoxicating. It was intoxicating to me because it's a sensitive subject. And then, when you put it in an environment like this, it's a perfect amount of drama with suspense and then adversity.

Justin Pioppi

I mean, there's just so many good memories to pick from. And, even just like on the show, but even like off the show, Mike. We had so many watch parties in college. We've had watch parties almost every Wednesday night, to be honest with you. There's some nights where I'd be working, and I'm like, "Listen, Dad, can I change the shift here? Because I gotta get home." [Laughs.] So we'll have our Luigi's pizza, and we'll watch it as a family. I think that's kind of my favorite memory, even though it's every week. But it's like a recurring aspect where, as a family, we know we can sit down for an hour and a half. Let's tune in to see what Jeff does this week.

Kamilla Karthigesu

There's just tiny, stupid things that are coming to my head. Of course, Natalie Anderson trying to mock someone on that challenge. I think Keith or someone spat out, and she spat. It just came back and hit her on her chest. I feel like, sometimes, that could kind of be me trying to be like, "Yes, look, I'm one of the boys, too." And it's just like, "Kamilla, you're 5'1". Your voice has not dropped. It just never dropped. It's still super high. You're not going to be one of the boys."

Kevin Leung

I mean, going back to Season 37, when they used their advantages together, the minority vote split. The Goliaths just sounded so confident. They thought they had this in the bag. Dan had two idols. I mean, I also really liked the Goliaths too, like Alec and Dan and everyone. But the Davids just banded together. They trusted each other. And it was multiple idols. It was an Idol Nullifier. It was a Steal-a-Vote. And I was like, "Oh my gosh. If I could be on the island, I would rally the misfits together, and we would join together and be like, 'Let's take down these big guns.'" Because there are some pretty big people here on the island right now! [Laughs.]

Kyle Fraser

There's two, for very different reasons, that come to mind. The first is Keith–rest in peace–one of my favorite players. Him driving the tuk-tuk on the island is one of my favorite things. That was one of the first seasons that I watched. We watched Season 1, then bounced around after I watched Season 40. And that was one of the first scenes that I can visually remember. And I was like, "Here's this guy with a complete group of people that he would have no business being around otherwise, excelling with them and connecting with them." And the tuk-tuk scene just tied that all together. And then the other one is just on Ben's season, when Dr. Mike says, "He has a ferocity that transcends this game. I think that is one of the most underrated Survivor lines in the entire world. I mean, it's hilarious, and the very definition of a deep cut.

Mary Zheng

What the heck? That is a crazy question. [Pause.] This was wild. When Denise got Sandra out, that was f–king crazy. That was f–king crazy. And then afterward, when Sandra was offered the chance to stay and play the game, she was like, "I'm good. I don't have anything to prove. I am the queen, and I know my worth. And I'm gonna leave this game for people, for my predecessors, to pick up." The whole thing was just crazy. I mean Sandra had, I feel like, an uncharacteristic moment of weakness in which she led with her heart rather than her head. And Denise just snuck in there and just decimated her like that. For Sandra to be so uncharacteristically emotional, for Denise to sneak in at the perfect moment, and then for Sandra to just so gracefully accept defeat, I think that was one of the greatest moments on Survivor.

Mitch Guerra

I'm gonna give you two. I think when Kelley Wentworth played her idol, and she didn't go home, and it ended up sending Savage home. One hell of a move, was crazy. And then another move that was honestly just really heartbreaking to watch was in Game Changers, when everyone played their idols, and Cirie went home. From the first time she played, I loved her. But watching her handle going out that way wrecked me. I would have probably had an emotional breakdown in that moment, because she was playing such a good game; nobody voted for her. Oh my gosh, it was tough.

Next, check out our interview with Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont.

Saiounia "Sai" Hughley

I'm so lame, but Drea! I don't want her to see this and be like, "This girl's obsessed with me." But the moment when she was in Triibal Council and they did that double idol play, although it wasn't super sneaky or anything, it wasn't out in your face flashy, it was very much "it is what it is." But it was the speech in the conversation that happened after that that was very impactful. And Maryanne didn't have to play her idol at all. And she did it as a symbol of, like, "I stand with this too." I can appreciate that.

Shauhin Davari

It's just a silly one. I mean, Ozzy having the opportunity to bid on an item for 420. Ozzy being like, "420" to the camera is an all-time great moment. Guzzling the soft serve right out of the machine. It's awesome. That's an awesome moment in Survivor history. This is [another] weird, awesome moment. But the upside-down U. Before you knew that there was gonna be a fire-making challenge that saved Ben, the upside-down U is an all-time greatest moment ever. Just like, "Oh, here's the dude who had it. No one's had it closer than that." And for all of it to just come crashing down, that's epic.

Star Toomey

My favorite moment in Survivor history would be whenever Chris won the fire after coming off of Edge of Extinction. That was crazy. He won; he made the fire! And also Season 46, when Kenzie was going up against Liz, and she made that fire. That was actually pretty dope as well. And then the ending for Maryanne, when she won, and she was like, telling everybody at the Tribal Council why she should [win]. I felt that energy. I felt her because she's like, "Y'all don't know. I've been playing this game since day one." So it's just like moments like that, not even just from the new era. All of Survivor has changed. You don't get the same season, you don't get the same show, you don't get the same Jeff. Jeff pulled out a pillow and got comfortable in Season 46. Since when has he done that before? He gave out snacks! You don't even know what to expect. Survivor is always something new and fresh, and that's why I love the show. And I think it is honestly the best show. And I'm not just saying that because I'm on it now! I told you. I'm a movie and TV connoisseur. I know what I'm talking about! [Laughs.]

Stephanie Berger

My favorite moment is Parvati Shallow, direct to camera. I think probably her first on-screen interview, showing up for a segregated season of Survivor and saying, "Is this kosher?" [Laughs.] That is camp. It is so good! And you just immediately think to yourself, "You have more charm and reality TV star prowess in those three words than some people get in a whole season." I live for, "Is this kosher?" I use it in my regular life. [Laughs.] Like, "Is it kosher for us to go into the restaurant before everybody else? What do we think?" It's too good!

Thomas Krottinger

When the Black Widow brigade takes the necklace from Erik. Here's my thing. I love that women are winning in the new era. I love that it's four-two right now. We're gonna even that up this season, but it's gonna be another gay man, so it's kind of the same. I think what's really cool about that moment, on a couple of different levels, is that it was obviously women coming together, which everyone's so scared of. And then you look at how many female alliances have actually worked. It's this boogeyman–boogiewoman–that makes no sense. But I love that they came together and there was a newbie involved. I love that Natalie was a part of it. I love that moment. I think that's probably my favorite season.

I also love when Sophie Clarke won her season. I thought she really deserved it. She's probably the player that I think I'm most similar to out of everybody. So I loved her win. Literally, I was watching that. I don't remember if I was cooking Bolognese or something. And I remember just being like, "This bitch doesn't take the W, I'm gonna lose my mind." She played so hard and so well. But yeah, probably Parv and Sophie.