Survivor’: Most Immunity Wins in a Single Season by John Benutty, Misty Holland, Marcus James Dixon July 19, 2023 9:04AM
Over the course of its 44 seasons, “Survivor” has hosted hundreds of immunity challenges where individual players could win the opportunity to save themselves from elimination at tribal council. Since 2000 when the reality TV show began, 15 different contestants have won at least four immunity challenges. However, five of those castaways prevailed five times, a record that has never been broken. In our “Survivor” gallery below, we spotlight those with the most immunity wins in a single season.
Despite four others winning just as many as he did, Colby Donaldson from Season 2 has bragging rights as not only the first player to win five times, but also the only one to do so consecutively. Like Kelly Wiglesworth before him, Colby played the game at a point in time where challenge wins were not held as in high regard as they were later, leaving him in runner-up position to a more social game-focused player in the final vote. The others in Colby’s company with five wins are winner Tom Westman (Season 10), runner-up Ozzy Lusth (Season 13), winner Mike Holloway (Season 30), and runner-up Brad Culpepper (Season 34).
Not only was Kelly (Season 1) the first player to get as many as four wins, she is also the only female to get that many wins consecutively. The only other women to reach that total are winner Jenna Morasca (Season 6), winner Kim Spradlin (Season 24), and runner-up Chrissy Hofbeck (Season 35).
Standing alone as the only player to make the list twice is “Boston Rob” Mariano, who took home four individual wins in both his second time playing (Season 8) where he finished as runner-up and his third playing (Season 22) where he finally won.
The only players to earn four challenge wins without making it to the final tribal council are Joe Anglim (Season 31) who got four consecutively at the start of the merge and Rick Devens (Season 38) who got his final win at top five and then lost the top four fire-making challenge just before the final tribal.
Rounding out the 15 names on our list are winner Fabio Birza (Season 21), runner-up Ken McNickle (Season 33), and winner Tony Vlachos (Season 40), each with four challenge wins.
It’s wild to think Colby still holds the record all the way from back in season 2 🐨