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7Sages wrote:

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My picks are based on impact:

1. Hatch = No brainer. While maybe the Tagi girls deserve the credit for starting alliances, Hatch probably articulated and defined Survivor strategy the best, and created the blueprint for playing the game. He encompassed what it meant to be a Survivor and provider as well as functioning as a big personality, strategist, and was in a weird way an underdog

2. Rob C. = Like Hatch, Cesternino understood the game and was able to express to the common viewer Survivor strategy in a way that no one else did before him. While people like Colby, Tina, Vecepia, Brian, and others were backstabbers who came before Rob C., none of them had ever done it nearly as much or explained the logic behind their moves in such a distinct way for the common viewer. Like Richard, he was a big personality unlike the others with his quick wit. Despite being unsuccessful, Jeff called him the, "Best player never to win," and that was because of his huge influence in Amazon

3. Jonny Fairplay = Jeff Probst obviously left him out for political reasons, but even more than Rob C., Jonny probably had the 2nd biggest influence on the game of Survivor after Richard Hatch. He brought the moral tone and expectations of Survivor to an all time low and forever shaped how this game was perceived and how it could be played. Big backstabbers like Rob C. or "villains" like Brian Heidik or Richard Hatch looked likable and cartoonish next to Jonny Fairplay. Also, like the others, he was such a major personality, and so recognized that he was brought back for Micronesia, despite coming from a pre-All Star season. Any kind of moral standard or move in the game is often evaluated in light of what Jonny did with his grandma lie. Dreamz is the only other person whose made such a controversial move

4. Rob & Amber = This was a partner alliance that truly dominated the game of Survivor like never before, and on a very visible all-star season. It was the 1st romantic showmance that was well recognized and that somehow managed to make its way all the way to the end intact, while strategically controlling the game the whole way and at times physically as well. 2 person alliances have dominated Survivor early on, but no one really says Colby & Tina or Brian & Clay the way that Romber is talked about (nor given nicknames). Previously, it was thought that showmances were a bad strategy because you'd be broken up easily and were hardly enduring in real life anyways. Romber revolutionalized expectations of romantic potential out of the game and its destructive power within the game as a formdidable alliance. It seemed like more people started utilizing Romber strategies after All-Stars like Jenn & Gregg and Candice & Adam. Parvati made it work for her in 2 of the seasons she was in, first with Nate, and then using a fake Romber type showmance with James to throw everybody off. More than even Hatch or Fairplay, I dare say Romber has even greater star power than them. First, Rob was always a big personality to begin with which is how someone who didn't even make the jury like him made All Stars to begin with. Then, they were in a combined 4 Survivor stints together. They swept the All-Star season with some of the biggest names of the first 7 seasons. Their romance was documented throughout the series for fantards to follow and it culminated in a huge marriage proposal at the reunion show that transformed a booing crowd into one that exploded into cheers. Following that, they branched off into a series of other reality TV programs expanding their "brand" so to speak. They managed to bolster their 10 minutes of fame, into more of a reality TV extravaganza being huge personalities on The Amazing Race. Then having their wedding filmed, televising Rob's poker aspirations, being re-invited back for The Amazing Race: All-Stars, and so on. Their "celebrity" or at least notoriety among all the Survivors is perhaps the biggest next to personalities like Rupert. Separately neither individual are that major in Survivor lore but more than any other pairing, these 2 have the most synnergy and impact as a couple in Survivor history