The bestreality showsare built by their enjoyable, wild moments, withSurvivorluckily featuring literally hundreds over its 46 seasons. Created byCharlie ParsonsforCBS, this groundbreaking franchise has offered countless scenes of pure chaos as players fought to “outwit, outplay, and outlast” one another for the chance of winning $1,000,000.
In a setting as volatile as this,it’s inevitable that some thrilling chaos happens, with audiences loving every moment of enjoyable mess that occurs each season. Well, viewers are in luck, because whether it be iconic characters, amazing blindsides, or shocking tribal councils, this installment had too many messy moments to count. Let’s take a look at the top ten wildest moments and learn whySurvivor 46is one of the most chaotic seasons this show has ever seen!
Survivor 46’sSeason Premiere introduced audiences to a new cast of wildly fun characters, with one particular personality standing out - for all the wrong reasons.David Jellinskywas a member of the Yanu tribe, and many consider his fumbling entrance into this series to be the start of this now-infamous tribe’s downfall. He was an enthusiastic player eager to prove himself, and started off strong by volunteering for the Sweat and Savvy Challenge -before quitting because he didn’t think it could be finished in time, so why waste the energy?
He tried to redeem this blunder by volunteering to go on a journey to potentially win an advantage - before buckling under the strategic pressure of competing with others and forfeiting any shot at winning one, further infuriating his team. His fate was sealed when further fumbling in the Immunity Challenge’s puzzle portion left them without a flint and going to tribal council, which saw Jellinsky become this season’s first boot.This player was well-intentioned, but watching his numerous quits created a comically messy tone that would last the whole season.
9Soda Thompson’s Confusing Blindside
Never having to vote someone off is usually anySurvivortribe’s dream - usually. Because this season’s Nami tribe, despite winning every single Immunity Challenge pre-merge and only losing someone due toRanden Montalvo’shealth scare, entered the merged portion of the game ready to immediately turn on one another. Funnily enough, despiteVenus VafaandTevin Davishaving an apparent feud, this clashing pair both turned instead on the charismaticSoda Thompsonin one of this season’s most confusing blindsides.
Aided byLiz Wilcox,Maria Shrime Gonzalez, andCharlie Davis, this tribal council was precededby hours of confusing strategy talkthat left viewers unsure who would be actually voted out that night. This was capped off with Davis not voting for Thompson - despite thinking of this entire plan - and both the eliminated competitor and Vafa herself thinking she was the mastermind behind the whole thing. It was an enjoyably baffling tribal council - though the season’s wildest was still yet to come.
8Jem Hussain Adams Has Entered the Chat - With a Machete
The very rare moments whenSurvivor 46chose to spotlight the Green Siga tribe pre-merge were dominated by Taylor Swift lyrics, references to past seasons, and the bright demeanor ofJem Hussain Adams. This bubbly character was one of this tribe’s most intriguing personalities; fans became invested in her cheerful personality and were thrilled when she found a hidden Immunity Idol early into the game, in which she was hopeful this meant more time with the competitor.
It was exciting to wonder how she would pull off the first exhilarating Idol play of the season - which was undercut when viewers learned what a sense of security did to this usually kind-hearted person. Still wearing her big smile, when Siga lost a challenge and was facing tribal council, Hussain Adams began stalking the beach and confronting others about who they planned to vote for, all while wielding a machete. She made thinly-veiled threats, believing she was a part of a power alliance and unnerving the rest of her team with this massive mood shiftand resulting in her getting voted out without using her Idol. This huge switch-up was hilariously surprising to watch, with fans enjoying this chaotic, aggressive gameplay style that would soon dominate the entire season.
7Venus Vafa Says a Little Too Much
Since she first appeared on theSurvivorbeach, audiences were enthralled with the legend that wasVenus Vafaand her commitment to being as honest as possible. This led to some ridicule from the rest of the cast,as the young player’s willingness to vocalize every opinion she had- often about how annoying or inept other people were in the game - left many unwilling to ally with her. Despite this, the latter half of the game saw her in a good spot; she found a hidden Immunity Idol, and a collective annoyance with the cockyQ Burdettehad her in an alliance with a majority of the other players trying to get him out.
Despite this, viewers watched in horror as Vafa’s misguided confidence led her to reveal toCharlie Davisthat she had some “tricks up her sleeve,” a hint that she hoped would buy her more time in the game. Instead, the target got switched over to her, and she went home, wasting yet another Immunity Idol. Good self-esteem is always a good thing, but Vafa at this moment served as a lesson that too few contestants learned from: in a game as brutal asSurvivor, over-confidence can be a killer.
6Liz Wilcox in the Entire Season Finale
Liz Wilcoxhas established herself as one of the wildest, most entertaining playersSurvivorhas ever had; initially, a quiet person, as the season progressed and Wilcox’s many allergies left her starving and annoyed, she decided to take after Vafaand began telling everyone exactly how they completely aggravated her. This was epitomized in the season’s finale, which saw many great moments from the player: she openly derailed her own chance at winning the final immunity challenge to helpKenzie Pettywin over Maria Shrime Gonzalez, not even trying to hide how badly she wanted the woman to lose.
When put into a fire-making contest against Petty to fight for their spot in the final three, she responded to Charlie Davis whispering some advice to the future winner by saying, “She f***ing knows, Charlie.” And, finally, after being eliminated, she began to sob and expresshow she was absolutely going to win the entire seasonif she made it to the final tribal council and that the others didn’t stand a chance against her - to the confused looks of a jury who made it clear just how wrong she was. Liz Wilcox’s behavior in this last episode epitomizes the laughably messy nature of this entire season, and it was because of her thatSurvivor 46ended as hilariously as it did.
5Maria Shrime Gonzalez Really Wants Us to Beg?
Food rewards are a tricky aspect ofSurvivor, as something simple like inviting someone to eat with you can completely ruin a person’s strategy. Maria Shrime Gonzalez knew this well, which is why, in the Final 7, she struggled longer than anyone had before deciding who to bring with her. She said she would pick based on need, first selecting the hungry Ben Katzman before struggling to choose between Q Burdette, Venus Vafa, and Liz Wilcox - with Burdette having gotten a food reward only two days ago and Wilcox having not eaten for weeks.
Despite this, she felt they all had an equal need(while failing to mention that Burdette was her #1 ally) and asked them all to “make their case”, an action that Vafa said felt like the player was asking them all to beg for her kindness. When that didn’t work, she had Wilcox and Burdette play Rock, Paper, Scissors, with Burdette winning and ultimately getting taken along - infuriating everyone and creating one of the most unpredictable momentsSurvivorfans have ever seen.
4The Immunity Idol Curse
While it’s always astounding when aSurvivorseason sets a new record, the one accomplished by this installment isn’t something any of its cast is very proud of. Because, along with featuring one of the most chaotic sets of players ever, this installment has broken barriers by having the most people with an Immunity Idol getting sent home without using it.
Starting with Jem Hussain Adams focusing more on confronting others with a machete than keeping herself safe, she was followed byHunter McKnight, thenTiffany Nicole Ervin, then Venus Vafa, then finally Q Burdette in the last blindside of a season filled with them. Each of these players felt confident -even though many had signs telling them they shouldn’t be- enough to think they didn’t need to use the advantages, sealing their fate and getting sent home in a jaw-dropping sequence of wasted Idols. This new record perfectly fits this season filled with mayhem perfectly and is a grave message for all future players: when you have an Immunity Idol, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
3All of Bhanu Gopal
PlayingSurvivoris difficult for everyone, but the Yanu tribe’s Bhanu Gopal arguably had one of the hardest times of any castaway across the series' 46 seasons - though not because of the elements or other players, but rather his own emotions. Starting (and ending) on the Yanu tribe, this player’s failure to keep his feelings in check and constant bouts of paranoia had him panicking that he’d be the next to go immediately after Jellinsky left the island in episode 1.
This was slightly comedic initially, as seeing a player so openly ask to be saved and stating why he thinks others should go home was a refreshing twist to past seasons' relatively calm gameplay. But it quickly became uncomfortable as Bhanu began to tearfully beg everyone to keep him in the game - literally, as Tiffany Nicole Ervin had the unfortunate experience of the man dropping to his knees in front of her and tearfully asking to be kept in the game. He cried to his tribemates, members of other tribes, and anyone else who would listen, all while ignoring the advice of his teamthat maybe if he actually played strategically he wouldn’t have such a hard time. To this, he reiterated that he didn’t care about winning $1,000,000 - he only wanted to win “1,000,000 hearts”. It’s still being determined whether Gopal succeeded in this lofty goal, but his many episodes of bringing absolute chaos to our screens set the wild tone that would define this entire season.
2Liz’s Applebees Meltdown
Liz Wilcox had many iconic moments throughoutSurvivor 46, but even more than her behavior in the finale, what defined this legendary player’s tenure on the show was the first time she let her emotions loose. By the time she’d made it to the final eight, Wilcox was not having a great time; her countless allergies meant she hadn’t eaten since the game began, and despite masterminding the blindside of front-runnerTevin Davis, she was furious at Q Burdette for derailing that entire tribal council and overshadowing her great strategic move.
Her annoyance at this game - and everyone in it - finally exploded when Burdette didn’tchoose her to accompany him on anApplebee’sfood reward. This ignorance was too much, and Wilcox shouted in what has become one of the series' most memorable moments, “I’m Pissed!” She then went on a rant admonishing Q for how he’d messed up her big move and how nobody understood how difficult her time had been so far. It was an explosive, astounding moment of pure emotion, quickly becoming one of this series' wildest scenes ever.
1The “Dumest Tribal Council Ever”
Only oneSurvivor 46moment could ever be wilder than Wilcox’s Applebees Implosion, and it’s all thanks to the man who brought the now-famous Applebee’s rant in the first place - Q Burdette. Burdette was upset that he wasn’t controlling the vote during the final ten tribal council and that his ally Tevin Davis was going to be blindsided,entering the council and asking everyone to please vote him out.
This sent the entire group into chaos, as Burdette’s membership in multiple powerful alliances left many wondering whether they should give him what he wanted or stick to the plan. Everyone stood up and began rapidly conspiring over whom to eliminate, with Venus Vafa randomly having people target her, Liz Wilcox trying to convince everyone to listen to her original idea, and Tiffany Nicole Ervin learning that Burdette had spilled that she had a secret Immunity Idol to almost the entire cast.This was a true scene of thrilling disorder that had ripple effects throughout the rest of the season. Burdette’s one decision resulted in many of the shocking fights and messes that made this season so legendary, with almost all ofSurvivor 46’slate-game messiness owed largely to this moment - officially making it the wildest part of this thoroughly wild season.
Survivor46is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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