One of the best things about Survivor is how unpredictable it is. The early seasons are quite primitive by today's strategic standards. Back then, the weakest member of the tribe was sent home. Usually, they weren't pulling their weight at camp, or they performed poorly in a recent challenge.
But modern Survivor does away with that thinking. It's far more strategic, but also far more luck-based. Sometimes, good players go home very early, usually through bad luck or simply because they overplayed a hand. Some first boots didn't deserve to go home, as they showed incredible promise as a player.
Eric Abraham
Eric Abraham was the first person voted off Survivor 41. His biggest crime was criticizing Tiffany Seely, as Abraham believed that she didn't pull her weight in the opening challenge. Unfortunately for him, Tiffany played a stronger social game and earned herself more friends, so the tribe targeted Abraham in response.
He didn't necessarily deserve to go home. He was technically correct in calling out Tiffany's early exit from the challenge, and if this was a slightly larger tribe (or if there were two, to begin with), chances are that Abraham would have stayed, if for his physical prowess alone.
Jonathan Libby & Wanda Shirk
Jonathan Libby and Wanda Shirk of Palau were nothing but recipients of bad luck. Palau is one of the best seasons of Survivor, but it contains a very bizarre first half. The opening schoolyard pick dictated the last woman and the last man picked would be eliminated.
In this case, that was Libby and Shirk. It's too bad for them because they didn't even get to play the game. Instead, they were eliminated through no fault of their own, and they should have definitely been welcomed back for some type of second chance.
Francesca Hogi
Francesca Hogi was the first person eliminated from Redemption Island. Unfortunately, she came into direct contact with the controversial player, Phillip Sheppard. Many people didn't like Sheppard, and many have confronted him about his annoying personality (including Brandon Hantz, which led to a particularly scary Survivor moment).
Francesca was playing a good game, but she was ultimately betrayed by Phillip and targeted for her alliance with immunity idol holder, Kristina Kell. Had she not been betrayed, who knows how she would have ended up.
Tina Scheer
Tina Scheer of Exile Island was ultimately undone by her own lack of filter. Tina was a fantastic survivalist, and she singlehandedly made camp for her Casaya tribe. She built both the bonfire and the shelter, and she later captured a fish that had washed ashore.
Unfortunately, she wasn't afraid of confronting her tribemates about their poor work ethic, and she was sent packing as a result. It's obvious that Tina was a very strong physical player, and her talents around camp should have guaranteed her at least one more week.
Sonja Christopher
Sonja Christopher has the distinction of being the first person voted out of Survivor. Unfortunately, this came at a time when one simple mistake spelled doom. Sonja seemed like a great player: she was friendly, she was getting along well with everyone, and she seemed happy to be on the island.
However, she stumbled during the first immunity challenge, causing her tribe to vote her out. It's pretty hard when one simple trip can mean the difference between safety and elimination, and in Sonja's case, this was nothing but a stroke of bad luck.
Amber Mariano
Someone needed to be the first boot of Winners at War. Unfortunately, that distinction fell upon Amber Mariano. But the thing is, Amber didn't really do anything to deserve her elimination, aside from being Boston Rob's wife. Sandra Diaz-Twine wanted to cripple Rob, so she decided to target Amber instead.
Maybe it was personal, and maybe she didn't want another powerful Rob-Amber alliance in the vein of All Stars. Either way, Amber was voted off simply for her personal connection to another player in the game.
Jonny Fairplay
Jonny Fairplay is one of the most notorious villains in Survivor history. Following a legendary performance on Pearl Islands, Jonny was invited back for Micronesia. Unfortunately, fans of Pearl Islands were left immediately disappointed over his tragically premature exit.
Jonny's heart clearly wasn't in his return visit, and he asked the tribe to vote him out. According to Fairplay himself, he was missing his expectant girlfriend back home. There was nothing wrong with his game: life simply got in the way and it cost him another shot.
Ciera Eastin
Ciera Eastin became a fan favorite on Blood vs. Water and returned two more times, with Game Changers being her last. Unfortunately, it would also prove her poorest performance by far. Unfortunately, Ciera played way too hard way too fast, and it cost her the game.
Her tribemates didn't trust her, and they saw her constant scheming as a threat. It was a fair decision on the part of her tribemates, but no one should ever begrudge a Survivor player who is excited and enthusiastic about the game.
Nadiya Anderson
San Juan del Sur had very nice bookends. Nadiya Anderson was the first contestant voted out, and her twin sister, Natalie, was the winner. Both had competed on The Amazing Race before appearing on Survivor, and that's exactly what cost Nadiya the game.
Making one of the most memorable teams on Amazing Race, the Anderson sisters were deemed a credible threat by the other players of San Juan del Sur, and they needed to be broken up. As such, Nadiya was eliminated solely for appearing on another reality program.
Darnell Hamilton
Like Sonja Christopher, Darnell Hamilton made one crucial mistake and it cost him the game. The first boot from Kaoh Rong, Darnell dropped his team's goggles during the first immunity challenge, forcing them to complete the task with water in their eyes.
He was subsequently targeted for the mistake and was voted off on a re-vote. This harkens back to the old school days of Survivor when people were voted off for simple mistakes, rather than being a legitimate strategic or physical threat. If given a second chance, Hamilton could go far.
Chicken Morris
Chicken Morris from China is remembered for two primary things: his unique name and for screaming "DAYUM!" upon his elimination. But all jokes aside, Chicken was actually quite a strong player. He performed well at camp and immediately took on a leadership position, but he was deemed too overbearing. After some criticism, though, he took a more laid-back approach.
Unfortunately, he veered too far into the laid-back territory and simply refused to give his opinion on anything. This only irritated his tribemates more, and he was swiftly voted off for being annoying.