Survivor started inviting contestants back to play again beginning in season 8, All-Stars, which was one of the most popular seasons at the time. The return of popular players allowed them to redeem themselves in the game by playing under different circumstances, or enabled them to possibly fall from grace by not living up to their reputation.
There have been some Survivor players that returned to the game multiple times, and each subsequent appearance has only worsened their Survivor legacy. While they may have been untouchable their first time out on the island, their return to the game made viewers like them less and less and tarnished their otherwise perfect record.
Stephenie LaGrossa (Guatemala/Heroes Vs Villains)
Stephenie LaGrossa was a fan-favorite when she was the last person standing on the Ulong tribe of Survivor: Palau. The ultimate underdog, it was impossible not to root for Stephenie after everything she had endured on her losing tribe.
However, when she returned for Survivor: Guatemala, Stephenie was far from an underdog. She called all the shots on her tribe and even made it to the final tribal council. Her cocky attitude didn't do her any favors, and Danni Boatwright won over her. When she came back once more for Heroes Vs Villains, she struggled to connect with her fellow heroes, making her the second person voted out, a stark contrast from her first appearance on the show.
Colby Donaldson (Heroes Vs Villains)
Colby Donaldson was the beloved all-American boy when he first competed on the second season of Survivor, playing a game that was honorable, as he brought Tina Wesson to the end with him out of respect -- thus losing himself a million dollars.
He returned for All-Stars where the more under-the-radar players from past seasons bested him, and he was sent packing right before the merge. But, his fall from grace didn't occur until he appeared on Heroes Vs Villains. On his third go-round, Colby was still playing the game like it was brand new, and hadn't adapted to the way the game had changed. He was incredibly boring and nearly carried to the end because of how lackluster his strategy was.
Kelly Wiglesworth (Second Chance)
Kelly Wiglesworth was a challenge beast on the very first season of Survivor, and she was one-fourth of the first-ever alliance to grace the game. She ended up losing to Richard Hatch by one vote and was regarded as one of the best female players to ever compete on the show for many years.
Kelly got her second chance at the game when fans voted her to play in Cambodia. Viewers were excited to see if Kelly had evolved to the new age of Survivor and if she could redeem herself 15 years later. However, her performance on the island was incredibly disappointing. She made it past the merge with very few confessionals, almost zero allies, and didn't contribute anything meaningful to the season.
James Clement (Heroes Vs Villains)
James Clement was a fan-favorite on Survivor: China, even after he went home with two idols in his pocket. When he returned the following season, fans once again rooted for him until he was sadly medically evacuated due to an infected finger.
On Heroes Vs Villains, James was placed on the Heroes tribe and clashed with everyone except Amanda almost immediately. He was very different from the fun-loving guy viewers had watched compete before, this time having a much more negative attitude and lashing out at his tribemates. He was eliminated pretty early, which was also out of the ordinary for James, as he usually made it well past the merge.
Ozzy Lusth (Game Changers)
Ozzy Lusth has played Survivor four times over the past 15 years, and each time he seems to get further and further away from the million-dollar prize.
His first time playing he was the ultimate underdog, the second time he had a whirlwind showmance with Amanda Kimmel, the third time he captained a tribe and went up against Coach, and by his fourth attempt, viewers were over Ozzy and his recycled storyline. After his lackluster Game Changers game, fans realized Ozzy probably just wasn't cut out to win Survivor, and the more he came back to play, the less they rooted for him.
Adam Klein (Winners At War)
Adam Klein played a great game when he won the 33rd season of Survivor. After all, he won unanimously against Hannah Shapiro and Ken McNickle and had a wonderful story of growth and overcoming life's toughest obstacles.
Adam's second time playing was on Winners At War, and it was revealed pretty early on that he didn't stand much of a chance against the 'old-school' Survivor winners. They targeted him due to his youthfulness and strategic mind, but ultimately it was Adam that led to his own downfall. He attempted to play a hidden immunity idol -- or what he thought to be one -- at the last second at tribal council and ended up not only embarrassing himself when proven wrong, but also getting voted out that same night.
Stephen Fishbach (Second Chance)
Stephen Fishbach had one of the greatest Survivor bromances of all time on Tocantins when he aligned himself with JT Thomas. The two of them dominated the game and made it to the final two, and though Stephen didn't receive any winning votes he still was regarded as an intelligent, fun player to watch.
Stephen got a chance to play without JT on the 31st season, appropriately titled Second Chance. Without his best friend to lean on and talk through decisions with, however, Stephen ended up messing up his own game and getting himself voted out. He targeted Joe Anglim without a good strategy in place or the proper allies to make it happen and ended up making himself look foolish in the process.
Dawn Meehan (Caramoan)
On Survivor: South Pacific, Dawn Meehan was the adorable mother of six who was placed on a tribe of people who didn't really want to work with her or play the game very well, so she had to fend for herself as an underdog who became a beloved fan-favorite.
When Dawn returned for the second edition of Fans Vs Favorites, viewers rooted her on in the beginning but stopped as the season went on and she became rather unbearable to watch. Dawn's scrappy strategy from her first time playing seemed to go out the window, as this time she fluctuated between overly emotional and ruthless in her gameplay. By the time she got to the end, fans had seen enough of Dawn on their television screens.
JT Thomas (Heroes Vs Villians/Game Changers)
JT Thomas was the golden boy on Survivor: Tocantins, and he proved that when he became the second player to ever win the game unanimously. Everyone loved JT, from viewers to the people he was playing with, everyone wanted him to return and play more Survivor.
But upon his return, JT seemed to get worse and worse at the game. In Heroes Vs Villains he foolishly gave Russell the Heroes tribe idol, resulting in the Villains overtaking the game. He managed to play even worse on Game Changers, getting voted out before the merge and contributing to the elimination of the other Survivor golden boy Malcolm, making fans irritated and disappointed in JT.
Russell Hantz (Redemption Island)
When Russell Hantz competed on Survivor: Samoa, he thought he was the best to ever play the game. He had allies that blindly followed him, he found hidden immunity idols without clues and he made it to the end after his cursed tribe was down to only four members going into the merge.
But with each subsequent playing appearance, Russell proved that he was not the greatest ever, in fact, he was not even close. He lost out to Parvati Shallow and Sandra Diaz-Twine in Heroes Vs Villains, demanding that fans should get to vote because then he would win. And when he tried to go head to head with Boston Rob on Redemption Island, his own tribe voted him out the first chance they got, showing that he was not the strategic mastermind he thought he was.