Survivor has proven itself to be one of the most iconic and entertaining reality television shows of all time, thanks in part to its multitude of memorable and scene-stealing contestants over the years. While some of the most recognizable and beloved contestants have been the multitude of players who take the game to its limits in terms of skill and strategy, there is a great deal of memorability that can come from the exact opposite. For every season that crowns a singular winner as the Sole Survivor, there is also a contestant destined to be the first voted out, yet this doesn't stop them from making an impact on the audience.
With only one episode to make an impact before their impending vote out, many first boots are given the spotlight from the get-go to understand how their game fell apart so quickly. This has made many first boots achieve legendary status among Survivor fans, as beautiful 'what if' stories, as they lit up the screen arguably more than some actual contestants who made it far into their seasons. Whether it be their rising potential if not for some rough bad luck from the start, or a beautiful implosion that made for perfect reality TV, the first boot is a staple of Survivor that is often forgotten.
Survivor
AdventureReality TVGame ShowA reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
- Release Date
- May 31, 2000
- Cast
- Jeff Probst
- Main Genre
- Reality-TV
- Seasons
- 46
10 Debb Eaton
Season: The Australian Outback
The first boot of Survivor's second season, The Australian Outback, Debb was almost immediately on the outs on the Kucha tribe, being the oldest woman on the tribe and constantly rubbing her tribemates the wrong way. She overall had a more bossy and demanding attitude right out of the gate that got on the nerves of everyone else in the tribe, resulting in her being unanimously voted off during the first tribal council of the season.
While Survivor has seen many first boots featuring socially inept players who simply didn't mesh well with their tribe out of the gate, what makes Debb so iconic is that she's the first notable first boot to follow this trend. Differing greatly from the thought process behind the first boot of the previous season, Debb became a shining example of how important the social game of Survivor is above everything else. Debb was also the first boot of the show's history to be voted off unanimously, a feat that would be repeated thoroughly in the seasons to come.
9 Pat Cusack
Season: David vs Goliath
One of the most heartbreaking and painful first eliminations in the show's history, Pat was an instantly memorable and beloved member of the David tribe in Survivor: David vs. Goliath. While he was initially a key figure in building the shelter for his tribe, his time in the game was tragically cut short after a freak accident occurred on the boat ride back to camp after a challenge. The rough waves and bouncing of the boat caused an unexpected back injury for Pat, forcing him to be medically evacuated from the game.
Pat makes for one of the most interesting and defining 'What if' scenarios of the modern seasons of the show, being a contestant who could have genuinely made a deep run in the game if not for his tragic injury. While Pat is not the first or last contestant to be the first eliminated thanks to a medical evacuation, the way that this sequence was so sudden, heartbreaking, and ironically lined up with the season's theme of David vs Goliath makes him a truly iconic first boot.
8 Marisa Calihan
Season: Samoa
The first boot of the 19th season, Survivor: Samoa, Marisa goes against the grain of many first boots, being tactically voted out first for her strategic wit and threat level as opposed to her ineptitude to the tribe. Her downfall in the game can be traced back to the prominent villain and defining player of the season, Russell Hantz, a tribemate of the Foa Foa tribe whose playstyle relied on creating chaos and mischief at camp. Marisa immediately recognized the terror that Russell was causing, which in turn placed a target on her back from him, with her elimination allowing for his plan to continue.
Especially with the hindsight of Russell becoming one of Survivor's most prominent and recognizable villains, Marisa's status as someone who saw through the ruse from the very beginning is worthy of respect. If she had played in a season previous to Russell's style of play or was simply on the other tribe this season, there's no question that she could have made a deep run into the game with her ingenuity and strategic prowess.
7 Nadiya Anderson
Season: San Juan del Sur
The first boot of Survivor: San Juan del Sur, Nadiya was once again a player who had massive potential to make it far in the game, but was eliminated early because of her presumed strengths and experience. While this was her first time playing Survivor, she had previously played on two seasons of The Amazing Race, a facet that intimidated a number of her tribemates, afraid of what she was capable of. She would sadly become the first boot of the season thanks to this level of intimidation and presumed skill in reality TV.
However, the most interesting facet of Nadiya's elimination is that, as San Juan del Sur's theme was Blood vs. Water, having duos of family members playing alongside each other, Nadiya played with her sister, Natalie. While Nadiya was sadly eliminated first, this became a motivating factor for Natalie's game, as Natalie would eventually go on to win the entire season in a dominating fashion. It's almost poetic how perfectly it lined up that this duo would consist of someone who was eliminated first as well as one who won the game, a testament to how unpredictable Survivor truly is.
6 Zane Knight
Season: Philippines
The first boot of Survivor: Philippines, Zane has become a sort of legend among Survivor viewers thanks to just how strange and unpredictable his elimination was. After his tribe lost the first immunity challenge, Zane offered himself to his tribemates as the person to be voted off, stating his poor challenge performance was the reason their team lost. While this may have been true, Zane didn't intend to be voted out first, only telling this to his tribemates to see which of them liked him the most and would want him to stick around. However, this ruse failed, and Zane was promptly unanimously voted off by his tribe.
The buildup and payoff surrounding Zane and the first elimination immediately established Philippines as a special return to form for Survivor, as a highly entertaining, memorable, and unpredictable series of events. The beautifully strange strategy of asking to be eliminated first in order to gain knowledge of one's standing in the tribe almost makes sense on paper, but in practice the downfall that it caused Zane made him iconic among first boots.
5 Steve 'Chicken' Morris
Season: China
The first boot of Survivor: China, Chicken is definitive proof that it only truly takes a singular standout moment to become a memorable icon in the eyes of viewers. As an old, humble chicken farmer, Chicken already has the instant screen presence and memorability to stick out among his fellow tribe members; however, his time in the game would sadly be cut short. His laid-back and lazy attitude towards building camp and challenges made him an immediate target among the younger members of the tribe, resulting in his blindside at the end of the first episode.
While the events leading up to the elimination of Chicken seem to be nothing out of the ordinary, he easily cemented himself into the pantheon of unexpected Survivor legends in the last possible moment. As the votes are read aloud, and Chicken is announced to be eliminated, he brazenly shouts out "Damn!", as a instinctual response to his elimination. It's one of the most simple yet most hilarious moments to ever come out of the show, launching Chicken into having one of the most iconic first boots in Survivor's history.
4 Sonja Christopher
Season: Borneo
The first person to ever be voted out on Survivor, Sonja's elimination would set the precedent not only for how the entire season would be approached, but the mindset and logic behind Survivor as a whole. Sonja was well-liked by her teammates, and almost the exact embodiment of a sweet old lady, being the oldest person on her tribe and overall exuding nothing but charm and good graces. However, her poor performance in the first immunity challenge had her viewed as a liability to the tribe, and she would be the first person voted off in a move that would forever define the show.
It's important to note that Survivor as a game in its very first episode was still finding its footing for the type of game that it wanted to be, as it wasn't clear what type of reality TV show game was being played exactly. Sonja's elimination painted the perfect picture of how Survivor would be played going forward, placing importance on treating the game as a game of strategy, as opposed to a game of likability. Considering just how much strategy and gameplay are so imbued in Survivor culture to this very day, it's important to see Sonja's elimination as a pivotal first step for the show as a whole.
3 Bruce Perrault
Seasons: Fiji (44 & 45)
One of the most notable first eliminations in recent memory, Bruce is another case of a contestant with notable potential having their game cut short due to a medical emergency and evacuation. He holds the record for the earliest medical evacuation in the show's history, being pulled on Day 1 after suffering a head injury during the very first reward challenge. While initially cleared to play the game, he was eventually pulled later in the episode after the medical team found numerous signs of a concussion.
The modern seasons of Survivor have been much more transparent and communicative about everything behind the scenes on the show, making the moment surrounding Bruce's injury and elimination that much more heartbreaking. However, what has made Bruce such a memorable contestant is that, unlike many other first boots who were eliminated via medical evacuation, Bruce was immediately given a second chance to compete in the following season, Survivor 45. In this second outing, Bruce was able to finally deliver on his Survivor skills, even making it to the merge as a real power player.
2 Reem Daly
Season: Edge of Extinction
As the first boot of Survivor: Edge of Extinction, Reem has a bit of an unfair advantage over every other first boot, as the theme and twist of the season allowed her screen presence for the entire season after her elimination. The Edge of Extinction was a twist where eliminated players could fight back into the game, staying at a shoddy and terrible camp and having to fight every day for the smallest victories.
Being the first elimination, Reem and the rest of the eliminated players were checked up on throughout the entire season, giving her more screentime than many other players in the season. On top of that, Reem was incredibly enthralling and a joy to watch on screen, as she evolved from a sweet, kind-hearted, motherly figure to a hardened, sarcastic, and cynical harbinger for all contestants that joined her on the edge. Especially with being able to go face to face with the castmates that voted her out, Reem was easily one of the highlights of the entire season while still being a first boot.
1 Francesca Hogi
Seasons: Redemption Island & Caramoan
One of the unluckiest players in Survivor history, Francesca is the only contestant in the show's history to not just be the first boot once, but has been the first boot on two separate occasions. On her first time out in Survivor: Redemption Island, she became the easy target of returning legend Boston Rob, who picked her out as a target, realizing her strategic threat that would stop him from running his tribe. Considering how Rob would go on to use his control over his tribe to win the entire season, it's easy to see that Francesca was easily in the right here, but sadly unlucky.
Her luck didn't prove itself to be any better in her second season, however, as in Survivor: Caramoan, the return of the Fans vs. Favorites theme, she went face to face with one of the players behind her elimination in Redemption Island, Phillip Sheppard. In an attempt to get revenge for how Phillip's outbursts put an even bigger target on her back in Redeption Island, she attempted to rally troops to have him eliminated first. However, this plan backfired, as her tribemates saw her as an unexpected strategic threat and blindsided her, cementing her history as the most infamous first boot in the show's history.
