After Tony Vlachos was crowned the Sole Survivor of Winners At War in 2020 and only the second two-time winner in the show's history, CBS's Survivor decided to reinvent itself for the new "era" of the reality show. These changes included shortening the game by 13 days, adding new twists and advantages, and making certain elements of the game more difficult than ever before.

With the new era came all-new contestants with differing personalities and life stories. The casts for Survivor 41 and 42 were some of the best the show has seen, with players so likable it was hard to pick just one to root for. With each elimination, fans' hearts broke as they hoped their favorites would return to play again one day.

Jenny Kim (42)

Jenny Kim smiling on Survivor

Jenny Kim showed a lot of potential in just a few episodes of Survivor 42. Unfortunately, a deadlock tie led to her elimination before she could really make her mark on the season.

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Jenny's fate in the game was left up to lawyer Daniel, who ended up getting voted out just a few days after her. Even though she didn't last long, fans loved Jenny and her strategic ability and friendship/alliance with Mike. If she were to be invited to play again, there is no doubt she'd make up for her early elimination.

Sydney Segal (41)

Sydney Segal talking to the camera in Survivor.

Sydney Segal wanted so badly to be one of the Survivor greats, but instead didn't even make the "real" merge or the jury.

Sydney was the victim of the first ever hourglass twist, a change implemented for the new era of Survivor. The twist caused her to lose the immunity challenge she won and no longer be immune from tribal council. She was subsequently voted out, which seemed unfair given that she originally was on the winning tribe. This twist ruined her entire game, and it only makes sense that she should get another chance to prove herself.

Xander Hastings (41)

Xander Hastings Survivor 41 Immunity

Xander Hastings was a zero-vote-finalist on Survivor 41, but he played a game that was worthy of more. From finding advantages to winning immunities, Xander had everything it took to be a great Survivor player, however he cracked under the pressure and ended up taking Erika, the biggest threat to win the game, to the end.

A lot of Xander's downfall had to do with his youth. At only 21 years old, Xander still had a lot of growing up to do that can only come with life experience. If he were to play in a few years at an older age, there's a good chance he would have the perspective needed to win over a jury.

Shantel "Shan" Smith (41)

Shan Smith giving a confessional on Survivor 41

Shan Smith's self-composed "scheming" theme song was one of the highlights of Survivor 41. The pastor's bubbly persona mixed with her villainous gameplay was refreshing in the new era of the show.

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Unfortunately for Shan, the control she exhibited in the first half of the game went to her head come the merge and she ended up being a huge threat and annoyance to her allies. After watching the show back, it's possible Shan could've gathered more self-awareness surrounding her game allowing her to play again with a clean slate and fresh ideas.

Tori Meehan (42)

Tori Meehan laughing on Survivor

Tori Meehan always seemed to be on the bottom of Survivor 42. The odds were stacked against her, with nobody wanted to work with her and everyone constantly gunning for her. Despite this, Tori put her best foot forward and continued to play the game hard and with passion.

Tori's two individual immunity wins happened when they needed to the most, causing chaos around camp as her tribe-mates scrambled to find someone else to vote out. Tori was on the outs from day one, but if she were on another season, it's possible she'd find more people to work with her sooner.

Ricard Foye (41)

Close up of Ricard, looking to the side with a green tank top.

Ricard Foye was one of, if not the, most intelligent players on Survivor 41. He knew when to cut his ally Shan loose, and would've been a million dollars richer had he not lost the immunity challenge at the final five.

Ricard has the exact personality of a Survivor player meant to compete again. He had a strong presence on-screen as one of the most prominent storytellers of the season, and his character arc showed that he grew throughout the process but could certainly grow even more given another chance.

Hai Giang (42)

Hai Giang smiling on Survivor

Hai Giang was a major threat to win Survivor 42. He was in control of his allies and stubborn as could be, specifically when it came to Jenny's elimination. He was incredibly smart and even appreciative of his own elimination because he knew he had what it took to win the whole thing.

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If given another chance, Hai could play subtlety enough that he wouldn't come across as a major threat -- until it's too late for his opponents. Sometimes losing one season is all a contestant needs to win another, and Hai would dominate if given the opportunity.

Danny McCray (41)

Danny McCray in Survivor 41 smiling with blue t-shirt and red buff on

Danny McCray was beloved by his Survivor 41 tribe-mates, many of which recognized the Survivor player to be a pro athlete from the NFL. Danny was quiet most of the game, but had strong alliances that propelled him to success and got him close to the end.

The many twists of the new era of Survivor altered Danny's game, such as the infamous hourglass twist. Because of the twist, Danny lost an ally and was down in numbers for the rest of the game. If he played again, the twist likely wouldn't exist and he could get a fair shot at the playing (and winning) the game he loved so much.

Lindsay Dolashewich (42)

Lindsay smiling for the camera in Survivor 42

Lindsay Dolashewich flew under the radar for the first half of Survivor 42, but made a big mark post-merge, specifically after Tori was eliminated.

Lindsay won two individual immunity challenges, was well-liked by everyone, and remained close to her allies from day one. In fact, she was only eliminated because her competitors were so afraid she'd beat them if she got to the end. If given another chance, Lindsay could use all the things she learned the first time around to play a stellar second game.

Omar Zaheer (42)

Omar Zaheer Survivor CROPPED

Omar Zaheer played the best game he could on Survivor 42. He was a strategic mastermind, often getting his allies to assume his plans were their own.

Unfortunately, Omar's demise happened because of how smart and well-equipped he was. When Drea was eliminated, she encouraged her former tribe-mates to look out for the veterinarian. Maryanne took this advice to heart and expertly ousted him the first chance she got, which in turn majorly contributed to her Survivor 42 win. Omar may have been too smart for his own good, but that's what made him such a great player who should definitely get a second chance.

NEXT: Survivor 42 Contestants Ranked By Instagram Followers